Poker Hall of Famer John Juanda is one step closer to his second EPT Barcelona title.

John Juanda, who won the EPT Barcelona Main Event in 2015, has made it back to the deeper stages of the tournament after 11 years, advancing to Day 5 with 13th place in chips. Another former champion, Sebastian Malec, is also in contention.

More than a decade after winning the $1.2 million EPT Barcelona Main Event, Poker Hall of Famer John Juanda is getting closer to winning his second title in this prestigious tournament.

Juanda, a key figure in the poker boom, amassed $26.7 million in winnings on The Hendon Mob. He also won €1,022,593 in the 2015 EPT Barcelona Main Event after a three-way deal. Eleven years later, the Indonesian poker pro advanced to Day 5 of the €5,300 Main Event with only 28 players remaining.

Poker Legends embark on a deep journey

2015 was a remarkable year for Juanda. He not only won the EPT Barcelona Main Event, defeating a field including top German player Rainer Kempe at the final table, but he was also inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame alongside Jennifer Harman.

According to The Hendon Mob, Juanda's prize money in Barcelona 2015 was the fourth highest of his tournament career. But if he wins this year's event, that prize money will drop to fifth place – this year's champion will receive €1,370,050.

2015 EPT Barcelona Final Table Results

This time, Juanda was in a favorable position going into Day 4, starting with 24th in chips out of 67 players remaining. He performed strongly on Day 4, finishing the day with 13th in chips out of 28 players remaining.

Juanda gained some chips when he eliminated Oleh Pritsak with pocket Kings. However, he subsequently lost some chips in a coin flip with pocket Jacks against Albert Grane's AQ.

It's not just the champions who are making a deep journey.

As it turns out, Juanda wasn't the only EPT Barcelona champion to have a deep run. Sebastian Malec won the event a year after Juanda and is still in contention, hoping to win the Barcelona Main Event again after a decade.

Malec was only 21 when he won the Barcelona Main Event and is currently ranked fifth on Poland's lifetime money list. He also had a deep run in last year's EPT Monte Carlo Main Event.

Malec follows closely behind Juanda with 17th place in chips. The chip leaders heading into Day 5 include Spanish online qualifier Jose Criado, fellow Spanish player Gerard Carbo, and Dutch pro Joris Ruijs.

PokerNews is on-site reporting of the EPT Barcelona Main Event and will provide comprehensive coverage throughout the EPT Barcelona music festival.

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