Nick Eastwood, an 888poker ambassador, shares his reflections on his trip to Barcelona for the 888LIVE event. He recounts his experience with humor and insight, combining poker tales with a love for the beautiful city.
Pre-Trip Predictions
Before heading to Barcelona, Eastwood had low expectations for his performance in poker, predicting that he wouldn’t make much progress in the games. He was correct on both counts, as he had little success in the tournament but found great enjoyment in the city’s ambiance and spending time with his talented team.
Perfect Weather in Barcelona
Eastwood couldn’t have asked for better weather, with temperatures around 20°C and a cool summer breeze. He spent some of his time recording content for the 888poker YouTube channel and even managed to get a mild sunburn while enjoying the outdoors.
The Tournament: A Quick Stint in Day 1B
Eastwood’s first day in Barcelona was spent briefly participating in Day 1B of the €888 Main Event. As expected, he found himself on the feature table, which is always a fun but sometimes embarrassing experience, as the footage would eventually end up in his YouTube vlogs.
However, things took a turn when fellow 888poker ambassador Ian Simpson sat to Eastwood’s left. This wasn’t the ideal seating arrangement for Eastwood, but things didn’t get too bad. He spent over two hours folding nearly every hand dealt to him.
A Rare Victory
Eastwood managed to win a single hand during this ordeal, which came in the form of a 3-bet pot. With queen-high, he was up against a recreational player who was unwilling to fold. After some careful play, Eastwood managed to get the player to fold 8-high on the turn, earning him his only pot at the feature table.
Swapping Equity: The 5% Club
Eastwood, despite his limited success at the table, still managed to come out ahead through equity swaps with his fellow teammates. His primary target was Aaron Barone, who, to his surprise, agreed to swap 5% equity with Eastwood.
This was the beginning of a series of swaps, as Eastwood also secured 5% equity from Ian Simpson, Alexandre ‘Cavalito’ Mantovani, and Lucia Navarro.
Unfortunately, things took an unexpected turn when Aaron Barone lost all his chips to Lucia early on Day 1, leaving Eastwood’s hopes of a big cash now riding on Lucia. As the tournament progressed, Eastwood’s bad luck continued, and he was soon out of the tournament, leaving Lucia as his last hope.
Lucia Navarro: The Last Hope
Lucia Navarro managed to survive until the money bubble and played strongly. Eventually, she finished around 40th place, winning €2,400, of which €120 went straight into Eastwood’s pocket due to their equity swap.
A Four-Way Chop
The tournament concluded with a four-way chop, with Josep Valls of Spain emerging as the biggest winner, both in terms of the chopped prize pool and the added payout for winning the event. Eastwood congratulates Valls for his biggest tournament cash to date.
Sinister Tactics
Despite his lack of success, Eastwood continues to pursue equity swaps with his teammates. He admits that he hasn’t made any of his teammates money yet, but he’s undeterred. In fact, he resorts to more sinister tactics to get them to swap equity with him, including tricking Cavalito into swapping 1% of his WSOP Main Event equity for this summer.
Final Thoughts
Eastwood wraps up his experience by expressing his love for 888LIVE Barcelona and how the event is now one of his favorites on the calendar. He’s already looking forward to returning next year, and of course, he’ll be there with his equity swaps, hoping for better luck in the future.
