New EPT season kicks off today in Barcelona

The European Poker Tour is beginning its fourth season today with a five-day tournament on the sunny shore of Barcelona, Spain.

More than 550 players are pre-registered for the event, which has a buy-in of €8,000, or approximately $10,900. The players who have showed up thus far to play in the first day of the tournament include pros from around the globe as well as online qualifiers.

Some of the pros spotted as the cards hit the table for Day 1a include Noah Boeken, Bertrand Grospellier, Phil Gordon, Roland De Wolfe, Sorel Mizzi, Marcel Luske and recent World Series of Poker Bracelet winner Katja Thater.

One familiar face finally returning to the poker spotlight is Jimmy Fricke. Better known to the online world as Gobboboy, Fricke is too young to partake in the major poker events in the United States and entered major live play on the international poker circuit.

He made a big splash in January by cashing in the PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure for $28,255 and following that up with a second-place finish less than a week later at the Aussie Millions main event for a $795,279 payout.

Barcelona is Fricke's first shot at another major event since spring when the event schedule focused on World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker events in the United States.

Some of the pros expected to land for Day 1b tomorrow are Greg Raymer, Sorel Mizzi and Dario Minieri (also known as Harry Potter for those of you who tuned in during the 2007 WSOP).

After his first trip to Asia for some poker at the Asia Pacific Poker Tour stop in the Philippines, Daniel Negreanu is also expected to be in Barcelona for his first-ever EPT event.

courtesy of Sarah Polson

News Added: 28 August, 2007

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