Brazilian pro Kovalski storms EPT Barcelona — first with a €385K Mystery Bounty title, then a career‑best €727K High Roller win, vaulting into Brazil’s poker elite.
When Fabiano Kovalski arrived in Barcelona, few could have predicted he would leave having written a chapter in EPT lore with not one but two career‑defining victories. The Brazilian’s staggering run unfolded across back‑to‑back triumphs: first in the €3,250 Mystery Bounty, then in the €10,300 High Roller. Together, they represent his most impressive fortnight on the felt—and a major leap up Brazil’s all‑time money list.
Mystery Bounty Marvel
On August 27, at the heart of the 2026 EPT Barcelona festival, Kovalski conquered the €3,250 Mystery Bounty event, banking a total of €385,430—including bounty winnings. According to Poker News Daily, the event drew 1,027 entries and generated a prize pool of €2,988,570, with over €1 million reserved for the bounties. Card Player adds that Kovalski’s victory was worth approximately $447,099—his second-largest ever live score—and pushed his lifetime earnings to over $3.9 million.
That event also highlighted the quirky volatility of mystery bounty formats. A standout example: Candido Cappiello, despite busting in 21st place, walked away with €124,250 after opening an envelope worth €113,000—the fifth-largest total payout of the tournament, as Poker News Daily reports. The dynamics of bounty-heavy prize structures were on full display, with Paawan Bansal earning the most bounties among the final eight for an enormous haul, though the exact amount varies slightly between sources.
High Roller Heroics
just two days later, Kovalski’s momentum surged further as he captured the €10,300 High Roller title, scoring a personal best live cash of €727,280 after a heads‑up agreement with Belgium’s Igor Picone—who himself nabbed €595,920. PokerNews details that the event attracted 429 entries, creating a €4,161,300 prize pool and paying out to the top 64 finishers.
At the final table, Kovalski turned in a clean, imposing performance, topping a field that included luminaries like Davidi Kitai, Brandon Sheils, and Aram Zobian, who bowed out on the bubble. Finland’s Tommi Lankinen and Kalle Parkkinen notched their career‑best finishes, while Alexandre Reard, Paolo Boi, Leo Worthington‑Leese, and Fehim Hajdari all left their mark in the money. The win boosted Kovalski’s lifetime live earnings past $4 million, bringing him within striking distance of cracking Brazil’s all‑time top 10 by cashes—Andre Akkari currently occupies tenth, and Kovalski is now just one significant result away from leapfrogging him.
Context and Consequences
This dual dominance in Barcelona cements Kovalski’s affinity for Casino Barcelona. As Card Player notes, five of his nine career six‑figure scores have come at this venue—including this Mystery Bounty win and his 2022 EPT Main Event fourth‑place finish worth $582,238. Such a streak is more than familiarity—it’s a zone of excellence he’s carved for himself.
Furthermore, while the Mystery Bounty offered spectacle and flavor, the High Roller demonstrates Kovalski’s versatility and stamina. He navigated both the chaos of bounty hunting and the rigors of high‑stakes, deep‑stack matchups with equal poise, showing he’s not just a specialized jammer but a complete tournament operator.
What Comes Next
- He’s now firmly on the radar of Brazil’s poker elite and the international circuit, with over $4 million in live earnings and growing momentum.
- His proximity to the national top‑10 list adds extra intrigue—one more big result could propel him into that exclusive club.
- With both a flair for mystery bounty fireworks and High Roller grit, Kovalski has positioned himself as a dark horse in upcoming EPT stops and festival-rich environments.
As Barcelona closes its doors on this chapter, Kovalski walks away not just with trophies and cash, but with narrative currency—and the poker world can’t wait to see how he spends it next.
Sources
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