It's been about six months since I met Abdulaziz Abdulaziz. He'd qualified online for the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. I watched him throughout the week and couldn't have been happier when the smiling, hard working young man made the final table.

After the tournament was over, I went out with some folks for a nightcap. On my walk back to the Hotel Hermitage, I ran into Abdulaziz walking with a friend. He was still smiling. I thought to myself, "There's a man who had a good time."

So, this weekend, I made it a point to watch the first PokerStars.com EPT qualifiers for the event in Barcelona. As the field wound its way down to the final two tables, I recognized Abdulaziz's screen name, neyek (he gave me permission to use his name). Sure enough, he won his seat in the Barcelona event and will return to the EPT circuit bent on repeating his final table performance.

In all this past weekend, thirteen people qualified for Barcelona event. Two of them qualified using nothing but their Frequent Player Points. Satellites are still running for the Barcelona event, as well as the events in London and Baden.

Hopefully, I'll see some more familiar names on the winners list.