Seat 3: Simon Brandstrom, 37, Stockholm, Sweden - 18,500,000
If his name doesn’t ring a bell, it might be because Simon Brandstrom used to be known as Persson before he got married. Brandstrom, 37, is roommates with Alexander Ivarsson here at EPT Barcelona. They came close to making the final table together, but Ivarsson eventually bowed out in 10th place. Brandstrom, whose resume boasts over $820,000 in live tournament winnings, secured himself a seat in the six-handed finale.
His previous biggest cash (€187,880) came six months ago here in Barcelona when he surpassed his €182,913 payday from the 2013 Master Classics of Poker Main Event. Both of those results came along with a silver medal.
Brandstrom’s best result at a PokerStars-sponsored event came in 2016 at EPT12 Prague: he took home €120,090 for a third place in the Eureka Main Event. Brandstrom’s previous maximum in an EPT Main Event was a 25th place finish at EPT8 Berlin. Now adding a final table appearance to his name, Brandstrom is guaranteed a new career-high score.
Simon Brandstrom’s Main Event run:
| Day | Chip Count | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | 49,900 | 499 / 783 |
| Day 3 | 509,000 | 35 / 191 |
| Day 4 | 2,300,000 | 4 / 48 |
| Day 5 | 2,165,000 | 12 / 16 |
| Day 6 | 18,500,000 | 1 / 6 |