For 17 years, Alexandru-Cristian Stoian has dreamed of playing an EPT Main Event against some of world’s best players. So he took his shot (quite a few, actually), qualified, and today that EPT dream came true (without him even knowing.)

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THE EPT DREAM

Like many teenagers, Alexandru-Cristian Stoian had a lot of free time on his hands when he was growing up in Bucharest, Romania. 

His favourite way to pass it as a 16-year-old? Watching the European Poker Tour (EPT) broadcasts, listening to commentators James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton, and memorising famous hands. 

So you’d think that today, as the now 33-year-old Stoian plays his first-ever EPT Main Event, he’d have butterflies in his stomach. “Actually, because I’ve been watching them for so long, I feel comfortable,” he says. “I love the EPT vibe.”

His road to Barcelona and the EPT dream is an interesting one. Stoian is a professional player who has played other PokerStars events (including EUREKA Bucharest and Summer Festival Malta) but mostly plays online. And so far, the EPT had eluded him. 

“Barcelona is one of my favourite cities to vacation in and have fun,” he says. “I knew if I was ever going to play my first EPT Main Event, I wanted to start off with Barcelona.”

So when the online satellites rolled around, Stoian got down to business. And he had a plan.

SATISFYING CURIOSITY

Stoian says he’s always been happy to sacrifice and take big shots when there’s something he really wants. And a package to EPT Barcelona was at the top of that list.

So even though the €530 qualifiers on PokerStars are out of his bankroll and skill level, Stoian still decided to set some money aside and try to qualify through them to fulfil his EPT dream.

“My philosophy has always been that if I win, that’s great, and if I lose I will drop back down and grind it back,” he says. “I know the players in the €530s are better than me, but I get to find out what they’re doing. How do they play differently to those of us at the €100 buy-in level? Why do they bet small in certain spots? I get to observe them.”

Then, when he returns to his regular stakes, he finds them much easier to play. 

“I’m very curious in nature,” he says. “Taking shots satisfies my curiosity factor. If I just play weak fields and win, that’s great financially. But it doesn’t satisfy me.”

PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

Turns out he’d have to take quite a few shots to qualify for Barcelona. Around six, in fact. 

“I could never play these satellites all the time because the swings are so big and the players are so tough,” he says.

The first five didn’t go well. So badly, in fact, that he was on the verge of quitting despite having enough in the ‘Qualify for EPT Barcelona fund’ for one more attempt.

“Then I went to play live cash in Bucharest and met two guys who were coming here and they encouraged me to keep trying because it was going to be super fun,” he says. “So the next night, on a Sunday, I played a satellite with four packages instead of one. I ran super well and was super lucky, winning all the flips.”

The coveted package was his, but Stoian doesn’t recommend this method of qualification to those of you with similar ambitions. 

“I was determined, but I’m not bankrolled for these satellites,” he admits. “The regulars who play them are much better than me. But it’s like a special one-off thing for me, to play one EPT a year.”

“So I wouldn’t say it was a smart investment, bankroll-wise, but I went for it knowing I was only going to play a few of them and I wanted the experience.”

PLAYING AGAINST TOUGH COMPETITION (AND NOT KNOWING IT)

For Stoian, the EPT experience he dreamed of is all about playing against tough competition.

“If someone bought me into a €10K, I’d like to play with eight of the best players,” he says. “Just for the experience and for fun. The money doesn’t matter, I’d just want to learn something.”

At this point in our conversation, I mentioned to Stoian that he has a fantastic player on his Main Event table: Alexandros Kolonias. 

“Is he the guy three seats to my left?” he asks. 

“Yes.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen him on TV I think.”

“His name on PokerStars is Mexica—” Before I can finish my sentence, Stoian figures it out.

“Mexican222?” he says. “Whoa. I know the nickname, he’s a super good player!”

That’s living the EPT dream.

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