Postcards from Castellón

By Alessandra Pino

There’s something rather wonderful about experiencing a place through someone else’s eyes, especially when that person has a knack for noticing the little details that bring it to life.

I’ve been following the PartyPoker Tour in Castellón from afar, and one of my favourite parts of each day has been reading the dispatches from Natalie Besate, VibeLive’s Media Coordinator, who’s been right in the thick of the action at Orenes Gran Casino Castellón.

And what a week it’s been! Seven days of poker at Orenes Gran Casino Castellón, welcoming players from across Spain, Europe and beyond, with an impressive 1,895 entries and €385,400 in total prizepool money.

Both headline tournaments comfortably exceeded their guarantees. The €150 Mini Main Event attracted 727 entries, with Marius-Laurentiu Dinu claiming the trophy and €16,000, while the €500 Main Event recorded 368 entries and a €163,760 prizepool. Castellón also marked a first for the Tour, with the introduction of a multi-day Mystery Bounty.

And there were some wonderful stories to emerge from the final day. Jonathan Rees finally claimed the gold Main Event trophy he’d been hoping for, while Ian Simpson, who had earlier confessed to Natalie that he desperately needed a nap, somehow found enough energy to go on and win the High Roller!

Add a packed schedule of side events, familiar faces, friendly rivalries and new friendships, and it’s easy to see why Castellón has been such a memorable stop on the Tour.

But what I particularly enjoy about Natalie’s updates is how she captures the people behind those numbers. The familiar faces, the friendly rivalries, the little moments of humour and the sense of community that makes the PartyPoker Tour so special.

There was the staff tournament, for example, where Sam Acheampong and Natalie Bromley found themselves battling it out heads-up, with Sam eventually claiming the trophy and, I suspect, some serious bragging rights. And then there was Ian Simpson, delighted to finally attend a PartyPoker Tour event, although he admitted he could really do with a nap!

Meanwhile, life outside the casino has been unfolding at a rather different pace. Natalie described wandering through Castellón one sunny morning, watching the neighbourhood slowly come to life as cafés filled with people enjoying their café con leche and tostadas de jamón y aceite. Not a poker player in sight, apparently. And after several late nights at the tables, who could blame them?

She also introduced me to the great Spanish paella debate. In Valencia, the rules are famously strict, while in Castellón there’s apparently a little more room for interpretation. As a food historian, that immediately caught my attention, although I have absolutely no intention of taking sides!

And perhaps that’s what I’ve enjoyed most about following Castellón through Natalie’s eyes. Beyond the results and trophies, there’s a whole city, its people, its food and its stories waiting to be discovered.

At VibeLive, we love sharing those stories. Visit www.vibelive.net to follow our blog and discover our Behind the Tour podcast, where we get to know the people who make live poker events happen.

And Natalie, I hope you managed to have that café con leche and tostada de jamón y aceite before heading home. I feel rather invested in that breakfast now!