Professional poker player Dragan Kostic has lost his bid to avoid a lengthy jail sentence and a massive financial penalty for failing to declare his poker winnings to Spain’s tax authorities. Dragan Kostic leads. Not far behind were the likes of Niclas Adoltsson (147,400), Jacob Rasmussen (128,300) and Albert Daher (127,700), among the leaders of the 308 players who survived today and who will return for Day 2 on Tuesday. First though will come the conclusion of the opening day. Dragan Kostic is 47 years old and was born in Serbia, but has lived in Spain for the last 20 years. He took up poker in 2001 - the year that the Euro was introduced in Spain. Total life earnings: $981,120. Latest cash: $1,034 on 09-Dec-2017. Click here to see the details of Dragan Kostic's 18 cashes. Instead, that is in the hands of Dragan Kostic who finished on 215,000 at the conclusion of eight levels. Kostic played a blinder, but has a previous on home soil, finishing second to Martin Schleich in Season 8, the closest a Spaniard has come to an EPT title.

1. Dragan Kostic Poker Player
2. Dragan Kostic Poker Chips
3. Dragan Kostic Poker Games
4. Dragan Kostic Pokerstars

If we've come to understand one thing during the past ten years on the European Poker Tour, it's that it's not exactly easy to win two Main Event titles. Some have come close, but no-one has breached this last barrier. But when Alexander Stevic sat down today more than a few people thought they'd like it to be him.

The Swede, who now lives in Madrid, was one of 518 players taking a seat today. Unlike many though, Stevic thrived, bagging up 103,900 tonight as his quest for a remarkable double continues.

While that's good to be among the leaders, it's not quite top spot. Instead, that is in the hands of Dragan Kostic who finished on 215,000 at the conclusion of eight levels. Kostic played a blinder, but has a previous on home soil, finishing second to Martin Schleich in Season 8, the closest a Spaniard has come to an EPT title*.

Not far behind were the likes of Niclas Adoltsson (147,400), Jacob Rasmussen (128,300) and Albert Daher (127,700), among the leaders of the 308 players who survived today and who will return for Day 2 on Tuesday.

First though will come the conclusion of the opening day. Regular followers of the tour will know that the second flight is usually significantly larger than the first. This means that, with today's field likely to be eclipsed, a record field is on the cards, likely to top the previous best (outside the PCA) of 1,240 in Sanremo in Season 6. The final figure for Barcelona will be known when registration is closed prior to Day 2.

Returning then will be a considerable list of challengers, including Team PokerStars Pros Jan Heitmann, Marcel Luske, Vanessa Selbst, Jonathan Duhamel, Jason Mercier, Leo Margets, Eugene Katchalov, Team Online's Mickey Petersen, and others, who you can find listed in our live coverage pages.

You can catch up with the events of the day at any of the following links. After giving thanks for the return of the new season proper, we talked to Alex Stevic on his return ten years on, and looked at the remarkable rise of Ole Schemion over the in Super High Roller event.

Dragan Kostic Poker Player

Last night the small matter of the EPT Party allowed Awards from Season 9 to be handed out, most notably to Player of the Year Jan Bendik. Meanwhile, in case you missed it, Vitaly Lunkin won the Super High Roller event.

Dragan Kostic Poker Chips

Back in the Main Event we noticed two sides to the story, while PokerStars Qualifier Tom Gallagher, who bagged up 21,700 tonight, was going a long way on a little. We also lost one of the memorable players from last year Joni Jouhkimainen, just one of many players, perhaps, on their own Quixotic misadventure.

Click through to live coverage of the EPT Barcelona Super High Roller and the EPT Barcelona Main Event. Check out all the festival results here. Follow the @PokerStarsBlog Twitter account to keep up-to-date with all the EPT action and check out the EPTLive webcast.

For now, it's goodnight from Barcelona.

Dragan Kostic Poker Games

* Slight correction. Kostic shares the honour of best performance by a Spaniard with Jesus Cortez Lizano, who finished second in Barcelona in 2010.

Stephen Bartley is a PokerStars Blog reporter.

Dragan Kostic is 47 years old and was born in Serbia, but has lived in Spain for the last 20 years. He took up poker in 2001 -- the year that the Euro was introduced in Spain. He said, “I remember it was that year because I was losing a lot of Euros!”

Kostic actually learned Texas Hold’em at private clubs while running a restaurant in Innsbruck, Austria. Although he plays a lot of live events in Mallorca, the European Poker Tour is by far the biggest live tournament he has ever entered. The married father of three won his seat in a live satellite on the eve of the Main Event.

On making the final table he said, “I’m very happy to reach the final because, at the start of Day 3, I only had 30,000,' which was the same amount the players began the tournament with on Day 1. 'I always aimed to make it, but that means not making a single error -- because if you make just one mistake, you’re out!”

His wife Simona is supporting him from home while looking after the couple’s youngest daughter. Hopefully he'll be bringing an EPT title home to them when the day is complete.

Kostic enters the day sixth in chips out of the final eight with 2.155 million.

Dragan Kostic Pokerstars

Bio courtesy of PokerStars