Benjamin Hammann Crushes the WSOPC Liechtenstein Main Event Final Table
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France's Benjamin Hammann has been crowned champion of the CHF1,500 Main Event at the 2026 WSOP Circuit Liechtenstein, conquering a field of 827 entries inside the Grand Casino Liechtenstein to claim the WSOP Circuit ring and the CHF190,392 top prize.
This victory represents the biggest score of Hammann’s poker career. Hammann knocked out five of the seven players at the final table, including the start-of-day chip leader Angelo Arossi, who eventually finished in third place.
After a rollercoaster heads-up battle with Romania’s Neculai Macovei that stretched across three levels, Hammann finally sealed the deal and walked away with the lion’s share of the massive CHF1,071,792 prize pool.
CHF1,500 Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (CHF) | Prize (≈USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benjamin Hammann | France | CHF190,392 | $244,795 |
| 2 | Neculai Macovei | Romania | CHF121,300 | $155,960 |
| 3 | Angelo Arossi | Switzerland | CHF84,500 | $108,645 |
| 4 | Florian Geiger | Germany | CHF60,200 | $77,402 |
| 5 | Flynn Meichtry | Portugal | CHF43,000 | $55,286 |
| 6 | Eros Calderone | Italy | CHF31,300 | $40,243 |
| 7 | Kilian Kramer | Austria | CHF23,100 | $29,700 |
| 8 | Claudio Di Giacomo | Italy | CHF17,500 | $22,500 |
1 CHF ≈ 1.28574 USD
Winner's Reaction
Not long after his photo was taken with the WSOP Circuit ring and the oversized winner’s cheque, Hammann was still coming to terms with the victory.
“It’s insane,” Hammann said. “I don’t really realize it yet. With the photos and everything, it still doesn’t feel real, but it’s incredible. I had a lot of fun during this event and this deep run.”
Hammann explained that the experience of the run meant just as much as the result itself.
“It’s not only because I win,” he said. “Even if I finished second I would feel the same. It’s just amazing.”
Earlier in the series Hammann had been spotted wearing a pair of distinctive glasses at the table, but they were nowhere to be seen during the final day.
“When I wear them I’m not 100 percent in my mind,” Hammann joked. “I used them in the first event, but for the Main Event I said no. They’re actually in my car. I wanted them for the winner photo but I forgot.”
As for how he planned to celebrate, Hammann said.
“I’ll go back home with my girlfriend and the dog, maybe we'll drink something, maybe one beer. I still need to drive.”
Hammann also had kind words for the venue after spending several days battling inside the poker room.
“It’s a really good place. The dealers and the floor are really cool, and it’s really comfortable,” he said. “I’ll definitely come back for another event.”
Final Table Action
The final table was explosive right from the start. Florian Geiger immediately triple-barreled Kilian Kramer off top pair, and not long after Eros Calderone put Kramer in the blender as well, though this time Kramer found the correct fold with top pair.
Hammann stayed relatively quiet during the opening level, but that soon changed. He picked up his first big pot by overbetting the river with a set in a multi-way pot and getting paid off by top pair. A well-timed double barrel a few hands later, pushed him into the chip lead for the first time.
Claudio Di Giacomo couldn’t get anything going and became the first player to bust, and shortly after Kramer’s run came to an end when he lost a flip to Flynn Meichtry.
Hammann and Calderone were involved in several pots, but it was Hammann who kept coming out on top. In one significant hand, Calderone bet-called Hammann’s river raise with ace-high and lost the majority of his stack to Hammann’s top pair.
From there, Hammann kept up the aggression. He bluff-raised Geiger’s turn lead in one pot, and shortly after overbet the turn against Arossi, forcing Arossi to incorrectly fold top pair top kicker. The pot pushed Hammann well clear of the rest of the field, and he extended that lead soon after by winning a flip to send Calderone out in sixth place.
With five players left, Hammann value-bet an overpair across two streets against Geiger, who hero-called with bottom pair. At that stage, Hammann held roughly half the chips in play and looked almost unstoppable. However, Macovei began to mount a comeback. Hammann called Macovei’s eight big blind shove with king-ten and flopped two pair, but Macovei spiked Broadway to stay alive and begin his upswing.
Macovei followed that up with a perfectly timed turn three-bet shove against Geiger that forced the German to fold what would have been a chopped pot. Shortly after, Macovei decimated Geiger’s stack by flopping two pair and backing into a flush, which propelled him comfortably into second place.
Meichtry was the next casualty at the hands of Hammann. Meichtry almost min-clicked Hammann’s open with pocket kings, but Hammann flopped aces-up and Meichtry committed his stack on the turn. The river blanked and Meichtry was out in fifth place.
Macovei continued to give Hammann problems. In one pot, Macovei squeezed ace-four, and Hammann called with ace-queen. Macovei barreled the flop and turn before drilling a straight on the river, forcing Hammann to lay down ace-high after committing a large portion of his stack.
Next to go was Geiger, who three-bet shoved ace-three and was snapped off by Hammann’s ace-ten. Arossi soon followed, despite getting it in good with ace-ten against Hammann’s ace-four. A four on the turn gave Hammann the winning hand and sent Arossi out in third place, setting up a heads-up battle with Macovei.
The Heads-Up Battle
Hammann began heads-up play with roughly a 2:1 chip lead and had a chance to end it immediately. All the chips went in preflop with Macovei holding pocket kings against Hammann’s ace-jack. The kings held and Macovei suddenly found himself in the lead.
Moments later, Hammann made a loose river call with ace-high, and Macovei extended his lead over the Frenchman. But Hammann wasn’t going anywhere. In a huge pot, he flopped a full house and managed to get Macovei to pay off a river three-bet shove with a straight, swinging the momentum back his way.
The two continued trading blows. Hammann bluff-raised a river block bet to force Macovei off middle pair, but Macovei soon doubled with ace-queen against Hammann’s ace-five to stay alive.
Macovei briefly put himself in pole position after flopping two pair and check-jamming over Hammann’s turn bet. But Hammann slowly began grinding the chips back, winning several pots as Macovei was forced to make quick decisions due to having zero time banks left.
The final hand came soon after. Macovei raised with seven-five and Hammann called with six-four suited. Hammann flopped trips and smooth called Macovei’s bets on both the flop and turn. Macovei checked with second pair on the river, and faced a decision for all his chips when Hammann put him all in. In the end, Macovei called, and Hammann was the winner.
The two players embraced immediately after the final hand. Macovei had to settle for second place after a long heads-up battle, while Hammann was crowned the champion of the WSOPC Liechtenstein Main Event and CHF190,392 richer.
