Guilherme Kleist Wins Spin & Go Championship Live at EPT Barcelona
Brazil’s Guilherme Kleist turned the Spin & Go Championship Live final on its head at EPT Barcelona, rallying from two matches down to defeat countryman João Nascimento and take home the title. The 30-year-old cracked aces, won four straight matches, and sealed victory with a king on the turn.
Results and Payouts
The Barcelona stop drew 81 qualifiers, each earning their way into the unique three-handed format. After two days of play, the last three struck a deal to carve up the €150,000 prize pool, locking up €25,000 apiece before playing on for the title.
- 1st – Guilherme Kleist (Brazil): €75,000 + €5,500 bonus Spins
- 2nd – João Nascimento (Brazil): €42,500
- 3rd – Krystian Lisowski (Poland): €32,500 + €20,000 earned in Spins earlier
The Final Showdown
Momentum belonged to João Nascimento in the early stages of the final. The 28-year-old freeroll qualifier picked up A♣3♣ in the first match and held through against Krystian Lisowski’s Q♦6♦, then followed that up by beating Guilherme Kleist with K♦8♣ against J♦9♣. Two quick points gave him a commanding lead in the race to four, and Kleist suddenly found himself in dangerous territory.
The third match proved to be the turning point. Short and at risk, Kleist moved all in with Q♣9♥ against Nascimento’s A♦4♠. The board of A♠10♥8♥3♥ looked set to end his run on the turn, but the J♥ on the river gave him a much-needed suckout. And from that moment, the pressure began to swing back onto Nascimento.
Lisowski was unable to get anything going as the Brazilians took control. The Polish player, who had been first to book his spot in the final, was eliminated on the first hand of Game 5 when his 9♥8♥ couldn’t improve against Kleist’s pocket fives – an exit that guaranteed an all-Brazilian heads-up battle for the title.
Heads up, the two played the hand of the tournament when Nascimento picked up pocket aces only to watch Kleist’s K♠Q♣ pair on the flop and improve to two pair. Losing that pot left Nascimento short, and although he battled back, the momentum was gone.
The championship came down to a dramatic all-in. Nascimento shoved with A♦Q♦ and looked set to double when the flop fell 6♣ 2♦ Q♠, giving him top pair. Kleist revealed K♠8♣ and was behind, but the turn brought the K♥ to swing the advantage his way. The river 5♦ was inconsequential, and with kings up holding, Kleist had completed his four-match comeback to win the title. He jumped from his seat and headed straight to the rail, where his wife Rafaela Figueiredo was waiting to share the moment.
“It feels amazing. I ran so hot the entire tournament,” Kleist said afterwards. “Of course the money means a lot, but it’s more about the symbolism of the tournament than the money.”
Road to the Final
Nine players returned for Round 3 on Day 2, with the format switching to first-to-four wins to decide who would reach the championship stage. Krystian Lisowski was the first to book his ticket, defeating PokerStars Team Pro AndyPSX and Spain’s Cendoya Ruiz on his way through. Ruiz was the only other player in that heat to even put a match on the board, but Lisowski closed it out comfortably and locked up his place in the final.
The next seat went to Guilherme Kleist, who battled through a tough table that included Romania’s Claudiu Moraru and Spain’s David Xarau. Kleist edged a back-and-forth set of matches before finally sealing his spot with pocket fives holding against queen-jack. The win marked redemption after his early exit at the inaugural championship in Prague.
That left the third place in the hands of Nascimento, who had one of the most dramatic comebacks of the tournament. Up against Axel Piñeiro of Argentina and Finland’s Ilari Tiainen, he needed four wins to advance but found himself short-stacked late in the session. A pair of double-ups turned the tide — first when J♦3♠ spiked a jack against A♦5♥, then when K♦5♥ held against Q♥4♦. With chips finally behind him, he closed it out in style, beating Piñeiro’s A♦K♣ with J♣2♣ as the board ran out 3♠7♥2♦3♣9♥. The Brazilian rail erupted, and Nascimento’s partner ran to the stage to celebrate as he secured his place in the final three.
The Final Three
Kleist’s victory was especially sweet given his history with the event. Nine months earlier in Prague, the Brazilian pro had taken a shot at the inaugural Spin & Go Championship Live but bowed out early. In Barcelona, he arrived determined to do better, qualifying through the final leaderboard and bringing his wife along for the ride. Figueiredo was eliminated on Day 1 but remained on the rail throughout, celebrating each step of his run until the moment he lifted the trophy.
There’s no denying that Nascimento’s run was remarkable. The 28-year-old from Rio Grande do Norte started in a Step 1 freeroll and played through the full qualification path to reach Barcelona. A Spin & Go professional since 2018, he had limited live experience but carried himself with composure, highlighted by his Round 3 comeback when he doubled up twice short-stacked before clinching his seat in the final.
Lisowski, 30, is originally from Poland and now based in Thailand, where he splits his time between real estate and poker. He qualified through the third leaderboard and advanced on Day 2 by beating PokerStars ambassador AndyPSX. Although he couldn’t get going in the championship match, his third-place finish capped off a strong showing.