Throughout its 20 years of history, the Spanish Poker Championship has grown exponentially. Especially its stop at CEP Barcelona, which was fundamental for the expansion as it became the most attended in the entire circuit, especially in August. In fact, now there are only a few days left for a new date of this prestigious festival to begin and, below, we review the five biggest Main Events that have marked the history of CEP Barcelona.
2025, the year of the historic record
We start from the largest to the smallest. In August 2025, the CEP Barcelona Main Event recorded the highest number of entries in its history. With 2,182 buy-ins, this stop became the largest in the circuit and ended up crowning the Argentine Matías Arroyo as champion
This victory meant a great step for the Spanish circuit, as it was the first time that more than 2,000 entries were recorded, breaking a historic record. For his huge victory, Arroyo received the sum of €86,875 and the iconic silver spade trophy. Will he be able to reach the top spot again in this new 2026 edition?
Matías Arroyo Won The Most Attended CEP Barcelona In History
Another record, two years earlier
Before Arroyo’s historic victory at CEP Barcelona 2025, the Main Event with the highest number of entries recorded was the one in August 2019. On that occasion, the tournament counted a total of 1,960 entries, just a handful short of surpassing two thousand. Finally, the European Sergiu Covrig
With the victories of Covrig first and Arroyo later, a particular trend began to form. For several years now, a foreign player has taken the biggest Main Event so far. Many Spanish champions are crowned every year throughout the season, but it seems that foreigners are the ones who lift the trophies when the record number of entries is set. Will the curse be broken in the next edition?
Sergiu Covrig Won The Most Crowded Main Event In History.
José Jaraíz, the last Spanish champion
The last time a Spanish player won the CEP Barcelona Main Event was in August 2024. On that occasion, there were 1,737 entries, currently the third largest attendance in the history of CEP Barcelona.
After several days of intense competition, it was finally José Jaraíz López
José Jaraíz, The Last Spanish Champion Of CEP Barcelona
The great milestone of 2019
Until 2019, the highest number in the history of CEP Barcelona had been 873 entries. However, in August of that same year, a milestone occurred that changed the history of CEP forever. With 1,733 entries in the Main Event, it immediately became the most popular in the tournament’s history up to that point.
Continuing with the “curse” of local players, the champion at that time ended up being Fabien Lecardonnel
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From this historic edition, almost all the following ones, except for 2020 (in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic), recorded more than a thousand entries. This marked a before and after in the history of the Spanish Poker Championship.
The current champion
Interestingly, the fifth most attended Main Event in the history of CEP Barcelona took place in March of this same year. In this first edition of the year, Tullio Bertoli
On his way to this victory, Bertoli had to prevail in a high-level final table, with players from different parts of the world. After arriving as chip leader to the final, Tullio managed to maintain his advantage until the end and celebrated.
Tullio Bertoli Was The Champion Of The Last CEP Barcelona, Held In March.
Bonus Track: the richest champion of CEP Barcelona
Besides great fields and historic records, CEP Barcelona has also left countless incredible stories to tell. One of the most outstanding and remembered is probably the story of the richest champion.
In 2018, Ramón Colillas
Together with the champion’s prize, Colillas received a Platinum Pass to participate in the PokerStars Players NLH Championship (PSPC) in the Bahamas. In that tournament, a couple of months later, incredibly Ramón prevailed over a field of 1,039 players who traveled from all over the world to win the championship.
For his victory, Colillas earned a prize of US$5,100,000 and a contract as a PokerStars Team Pro. For many years, this was the largest payout in the history of Spanish poker, only recently surpassed by the legendary Adrián Mateos
Colillas’ victory has gone down in the history of Spanish poker and, particularly, of CEP Barcelona, as he was the champion who earned the most money thanks to the Spanish Poker Championship.
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Ramón Colillas Made History In 2018.
