Thursday, 28th March 2024 11:18
Home / Interviews / EPT Barcelona: The irrepressible Lucas Scafini goes again!

Lucas Scafini returns to the European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona Main Event today with a short stack. But you wouldn’t know it when you talk to him.

“I know I’m going to be the champion,” he says when asked of his plan for the day. “It’s easy!”

It’s pretty much impossible to wipe the smile off this Brazilian’s face. If you ever want to understand the power of positive thinking, just stand in his orbit for a few minutes.

Scafini is so infectious that, back in Monte Carlo in May 2022, even the megastar soccer player Neymar Jr. decided to come and cheer him on as Scafini was at the final table of the FPS Main Event.

Scafini said today that he didn’t know Neymar before that day, but that he just wanted to cheer on a fellow Brazilian.

It turned out to be just the boost Scafini needed to compete victory over a field of 1,918 entries and bank a €250,000 first prize. It was the biggest prize of his career so far, and Neymar duly hopped in the winner’s photo with him.

“It was the best day of my life,” Scafini said. “Perfect.”

Neymar Jr. joins Scafini’s winner photo

A LONG JOURNEY TO THE TOP

With the victory, Scafini completed a journey that began when he was barely into his 20s. On his Instagram page, he describes his journey: “Sixteen years ago I made the most important decision of my life. I decided to become an entrepreneur. I remember this like today, a 21-year-old boy, without structure…With a lot, a lot of willingness, grit and determination to make the thing right, to change my life, to turn the page, to make my future happen!”

At the time, he was describing his reaction to picking up an award in the Mobile Telecommunications industry. But another few months later, there he was alongside Neymar and an enormous FPS trophy.

“Indescribable!!! Surreal!!! Living a dream💭 😍!!!” he wrote then. “Anyone who plays poker knows how hard it is to have this moment and this day has finally arrived for me!! I have no words to describe this! Thank you God for this achievement! FPS Main Event Monte Carlo Champion!!!”

Since then, poker has been Scafini’s focus. He was a PokerStars qualifier to this event in Barcelona, but admitted this morning that he busted his first bullet and re-entered. That means he’s technically no longer an online qualifier, but we’re just going to emulate Neymar and jump on the Scafini train as well.

TWO QUALIFIERS AND A DREAM

There are only two qualifiers left in the field of 32 going into Day 4, including Scafini, so we can’t afford to lose him now.

The other is Romania’s Mircea Flutur, enjoying his maiden cash on the EPT. Flutur has already more-than-doubled the largest cash of his poker career to date simply by reaching Day 5, plus it’s his first result outside of his home country.

He too is a short stack at the beginning of Day 5, but will be hoping to run it up. If he does, we will talk to him and find out a bit more. Watch this space…

Mircea Flutur

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