From 50 cents to EPT Barcelona: How one free ticket changed everything for Andres Gomez

August 26, 2025

Events

by Jack Stanton

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3 Minute Read

Let’s try an experiment. Go and open your Staruniv client right now, then click on the ‘Tools’ tab. Next, click on ‘My games and tickets’, then on ‘Tournament tickets’.

Now, hands up—who had a neglected $0.50 Power Path Step 1 ticket sitting in their account?

In case you didn’t know, Staruniv players receive one for free every single day they play. You can use the $0.50 ticket to play a special Spin & Go. It’s the first step of the Power Path—the qualifying route that could lead you to a Gold Pass (worth ~€10,000) or a Silver Pass (~€2,300). 

But sometimes, in the hubbub of a busy session or the excitement of an action-packed table, they get forgotten about. 

Don’t sleep on them, because these little tickets can make dreams come true. Here’s a story that should make you want to use them up ASAP. 

IT STARTS SMALL, BUT LEADS TO BIG PLACES

Andres Gomez, a bank worker from Argentina, is our protagonist. He’s in Barcelona to play the European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona Main Event, with a buy-in of €10,300 and a top prize certain to be well above a million euros. Amazingly, aside from a tiny tournament in his hometown of Buenos Aires (which he mostly played against his friends), this is his first major live tournament.

And it all came from one of those $0.50 tickets. 

“I made it through all the steps to get to the $55 Step 4,” he says. Incredibly, it was also his first time ever reaching the final stage, where Gold and Silver Passes are waiting for the top finishers.

Excited at the prospect of winning a pass, he messaged his poker pro friend and told him that, should he make it all the way through the roughly 700-player field, he’d use the Gold Pass for EPT Barcelona and join him to play in Catalonia. As you already know, he pulled it off.

“It was insane,” he says. “I play a lot of turbo tournaments, though, so I was prepared.”

Gomez is living the Power Path dream in Barcelona

YOU DON’T NEED A BIG BANKROLL TO CHASE BIG PRIZES

Use Gomez as inspiration—his life situation might be similar to yours. He doesn’t have much free time for poker; when he’s not working from home for a Peruvian bank during the day, he’s enjoying life with his wife and Oreo, his border collie.

He discovered poker during the pandemic, eagerly watching the daily streams of Staruniv Ambassadors Spraggy, Fintan, and Arlie. He learned from them and fell in love with the game.

But he doesn’t have the bankroll to be firing $11 Power Path Step 3 tournaments willy nilly—not many of us do. That’s why the free $0.50 tickets are so crucial. “I only play as a hobby,” he says.

Still, he studies regularly. “One thing that always bothered me was busting tournaments, then thinking about the stupid thing I did,” he says, chuckling. “So now I try to study and get better. And that’s what’s got me here.”

Good news: Gomez made it through to Day 3

His Gold Pass package not only included the Main Event buy-in, but also entry to the €1,650 Staruniv Open and €825 Cup. Alas, neither went well. “I bubbled the Open three places from the money,” he sighs. “These two tournaments I played very nervously. But they’ve prepared me for this Main Event. On Day 1A, I was far more relaxed, and that helped me to take advantage of situations and not be afraid of busting.”

DON’T SLEEP ON YOUR TICKETS—YOUR STORY COULD BE NEXT

Earlier today, Gomez told us he was hoping simply to maintain his stack and make it past the bubble (which is likely to burst early on Day 3 tomorrow).

The good news? He’s bagged chips (131,000) and will be back, in a great position to secure his maiden tournament cash.

His story continues. Yours is just beginning…

MORE

• EPT Barcelona coverage hub
• Poker News live updates
• All the off-the-felt-activities