Nacho Barbero's 5 Pocket Aces and More Stories

Nacho Barbero came incredibly close to winning the recently concluded WSOP Circuit Madrid Main Event after an extraordinary final-table run. The Argentine poker star picked up pocket aces five times in less than 90 minutes, built a massive chip lead, and looked destined to claim his first WSOP Circuit ring.

However, despite his remarkable start, Barbero eventually lost an eight-hour battle against Jay Hoebe, who claimed his second Circuit ring and the €207,000 first-place prize. Barbero settled for €130,000 as the runner-up.

Nacho Barbero's Unexpected Run at WSOP Circuit Madrid

Nacho Barbero had not even planned to play poker in Madrid. He was visiting friends and spending time playing padel before heading to North Cyprus for the next Triton stop.

However, with a WSOPC Main Event in town, he decided to enter.

• A late entry: Barbero registered late but turned his tournament entry into a deep run.

• Day 1 chip leader: He built a big stack and finished Day 1 at the top of the chip counts.

• Short stack at the final table: Despite his earlier success, he reached Sunday's final table with the smallest stack among the nine remaining players.

The situation didn't take long to change. Barbero started winning major pots and quickly became the player everyone had to catch.

Five Times with Pocket Aces in Less Than 90 Minutes

Barbero's extraordinary run began almost immediately after the final table got underway. Within the first 90 minutes, he hit pocket aces five times, winning every one and building a commanding chip lead.

Aces: Takes on Luca Zapatero's Kings

One of the first major pots involved Luca Zapatero and Jay Hoebe. Zapatero opened with pocket kings, and chip leader Hoebe 3-bet. Barbero then looked down at pocket aces and made a 4-bet.

Zapatero eventually committed all his chips, creating a pot worth approximately 9 million. The board ran out safely for Barbero, who won the pot and moved into second place.

Aces: Fausto Munz is eliminated

A few hands later, Barbero picked up pocket aces again. He raised to 300,000 from the cutoff, and Fausto Munz moved all-in from the button with A♦ Q♣.

Barbero called, and an 8-high board secured the elimination. Munz finished in 8th place, while Barbero moved into the chip lead with 13.1 million chips.

Aces: Aliaksandr Shylko gives up

Incredibly, Barbero picked up pocket aces again just a few hands later.

Aliaksandr Shylko called with J♦ 10♣ and paired up on the 7♣ J♥ Q♣ flop. Shylko check-called a 500,000 bet, but folded when Barbero fired 1 million on the 7♥ turn.

Barbero continued building his chip lead.

Aces: Montanes is eliminated

Barbero received pocket aces for the 5th time in less than 90 minutes.

Tom-Aksel Bedell had opened with pocket nines, and Cesar Montanes moved all-in for 4.5 million with A♣ K♣. Barbero called from the button, forcing Bedell to fold.

"I've never seen anything like it in my life," another player exclaimed as Barbero revealed his aces.

Montanes could not beat the hand and was eliminated in 7th place. Barbero now had more than 21 million chips, over twice as many as Hoebe in 2nd place.

Five pocket-ace appearances had completely transformed his position in the tournament.

Barbero Reaches Heads-Up with a Huge Chip Lead

Barbero continued to dominate the final table, eliminating more opponents before the tournament reached its final two players.

By the time three-handed play began, he still had more than 30 million chips, while Hoebe and Tom-Aksel Bedell each had about 7.5 million.

Hoebe eventually eliminated Bedell in 3rd place, setting up the heads-up battle.

Despite Barbero's massive advantage earlier in the tournament, the final duel started with much closer stacks:

• Barbero: Close to 30 million chips, or approximately 87 big blinds.

• Hoebe: Almost 20 million chips.

Jay Hoebe Turns the Tables Heads-Up

The momentum shifted several times as both players fought for the title.

Hoebe won some important pots and eventually took the chip lead, building an almost 2:1 advantage. Barbero also lost a significant hand with A♣ 8♦ against Hoebe's 7♥ 8♥, giving Hoebe even more control.

However, the Argentine was not ready to give up.

Barbero finds a way back

When Hoebe raised with A♥ K♥, Barbero moved all-in with K♦ 10♦. Hoebe called immediately and seemed delighted.

"My turn to suck out," Barbero said.

The 3♥ 2♠ Q♣ flop initially favored Hoebe, but the 10♣ turn gave Barbero a chance to recover. The river brought no further change, and the stacks were suddenly level again.

Hoebe returned to work and gradually reduced Barbero's stack. When the next major confrontation occurred, Hoebe had once again built a 2:1 chip lead.

This time, however, Barbero had the stronger hand. He was at risk but held A♥ K♣ against Hoebe's A♦ 9♥.

"I never lost with A-K in my life," Barbero said with a smile.

He maintained his record, made a straight on the river, and doubled up once again. The stacks were level for a second time.

One Last Twist: Hoebe Wins His Second WSOP Circuit Ring

The match was far from over. Barbero built another substantial lead, leaving Hoebe with just 6.5 million chips.

But Hoebe refused to give up. He found a crucial double-up with pocket nines, and although Barbero still held the advantage with 21 big blinds against Hoebe's 15, the tournament was approaching its conclusion.

Hoebe picked up pocket queens and called preflop rather than raising immediately. When Barbero moved all-in with A♦ 5♣, Hoebe called and doubled up.

The chips went in again on the very next hand. Hoebe had Q♠ 10♠ and was initially behind Barbero's K♦ 2♣. However, a queen appeared on the flop, and another arrived on the river.

That gave Hoebe his second WSOP Circuit ring and the €207,000 first-place prize.

Barbero went from the shortest stack at the final table to a commanding chip leader, picked up pocket aces 5 times, and came close to winning the tournament. Yet he ultimately had to settle for 2nd place and €130,000.

His 1st WSOP Circuit ring would have to wait.

Other Remarkable Comebacks in Poker History

Barbero's run in Madrid reminds us that even a huge chip lead and an extraordinary run of cards don't guarantee victory. Poker history has produced several other memorable examples of players surviving seemingly impossible situations.

Two particularly interesting stories stand out.

• Ali Yousri – 2010 WSOP Circuit: Yousri was once the chip leader at the final table of a 2010 WSOP Circuit event at Harrah's Rincon. After losing several pots, he was left with just one 1,000-denomination chip while the blinds were already 4,000/8,000. He then won 5 consecutive pots, recovered his chip lead when the tournament was down to three players, and eventually finished 2nd to Ethan van Klaveren.

• Jack Straus – 1982 WSOP Main Event: Jack Straus thought he had lost his entire stack after an opponent called his bet. As he got up to leave, he found a single $500 chip left on the table under a napkin. Because he hadn't declared himself all-in, he could keep playing. Straus eventually won the Main Event, giving rise to the famous poker expression "a chip and a chair".

These stories show just how unpredictable tournament poker can be. Yousri and Straus both found ways to survive when their chances seemed almost nonexistent, while Barbero faced the opposite: despite a huge advantage, he couldn't close out the tournament.

WSOP Circuit Madrid Main Event: Final Results

The €1,500 WSOPC Main Event attracted 918 entries and generated a €1,164,942 prize pool. A total of 140 players finished in the money, with the nine finalists receiving the following payouts.