All You Need to Know About the Estrellas Poker Tour
The Estrellas Poker Tour (ESPT) is widely regarded as the best-established regional poker tour in Spain. Originating in 2010, the ESPT was designed to capture the attention of Spaniards serious about playing Texas Hold’em poker.
The first ESPT circuit was established in Malaga, Alicante and Madrid. Our fine city was the third and final leg of the series, with the ESPT Madrid Main Event carrying the second largest prize pool worth over €254,000.
The rapid rise of the ESPT scene
In season 2 of the ESPT circuit in 2011, Madrid was the venue for the season opener, this time attracting the largest Main Event prize pool worth over €435,000. Madrid has remained an important venue on the ESPT circuit ever since, featuring in every annual event.
The 2024 ESPT Madrid Main Event was held at the city’s Casino Gran Via, a stone’s throw from the Art Deco-style Gran Via Metro station. Its poker room is widely considered one of the most lavish in the country, with opulent décor and a welcoming atmosphere. The Casino Gran Via is no stranger to hosting multi-table tournaments, with its daily and monthly events attracting impressive player fields. There’s also regular cash games offered for No Limit Texas Hold’em and Omaha Pot Limit poker variants. There is a subtle distinction between Texas Hold’em and Omaha in terms of the number of cards played, with both formats using the same poker hands ranking system.
This year’s ESPT Madrid festival ran between 19th-24th March, starting with the €2,200-buy-in High Roller event prior to the five-day Main Event. The ESPT Cup rounded things off on 23rd-24th March.
For several seasons of the ESPT, Madrid has offered a six-figure first prize for the winner of the ESPT Madrid Main Event and this year was no exception. The €105,000 first prize went to Lebanese poker player, Fouad Fabahie. Interestingly, only one Spaniard finished inside the top ten, with Andoni Llaguno finishing in a creditable third place.
Fabahie went into the final table as the undisputed chip leader. It was a lead that he would never relinquish. He went on to use his chip dominance to knock out five of his remaining nine opponents at the final table, teeing up a heads-up battle with Roberto Agus of Italy.
The deciding moment saw Fabahie’s A-10 hold firm against Agus’ A-9 to win with a higher-card ace and take down the ESPT Madrid Main Event. It’s the only high-profile tournament win of Fabahie’s poker career, having finished runner-up in the 2012 Merit Fall Poker Open in Kyrenia, Cyprus.
Other key dates on the ESPT circuit in 2024
There were two other legs on the 2024 ESPT circuit this year. The event rolled into the Costa Del Sol for ESPT Malaga on June 10-16. It also joined forces with the UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) for an even bigger Main Event at the Casino Torrequebrada in nearby Benalmadena, one of the most popular holiday resorts in the region due to its 8km of Blue Flag beaches and its bustling marina. The Casino Torrequebrada is one of the most iconic casino venues in the Costa Del Sol. Since opening its doors in 1979, it’s attracted more than three million guests through the last four decades. Located just off the N-340, it’s well-situated for local players, as well as those flying in to play via Malaga Airport.
The third and final leg of this year’s ESPT was held in Barcelona between August 26-September 8. Staged at the Catalan city’s popular Casino Barcelona, there was a great choice of events, starting with the Main Event, before moving on to the ESPT Cup and the ESPT High Roller. Casino Barcelona also staged cash games for players 24/7 during ESPT Barcelona, with stakes ranging from €5/€5 up to a maximum of €200/€400 for No Limit Hold’em.
It’s great to see that poker is alive and kicking in Spain. Its biggest poker tour enjoyed a record-breaking 2023 and, although 2024 didn’t quite surpass the total prize pools on offer last year, it still attracted well over 600 entries at ESPT Madrid, as well as four-figure player fields in Malaga and Barcelona.