Deeb Survives Bubble Scare as WSOP Europe Main Event Hits the Money
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Shaun Deeb was all in on the stone bubble of the record-breaking 2026 WSOP Europe Main Event, but his pocket sevens held as Symeon Alexandridis hit the rail elsewhere in the room.
The reigning WSOP Player of the Year, who has already suffered two quads-related heartbreaks in Prague this week in pursuit of his ninth bracelet, is short-stacked but among the 393 players who cashed, and the 356 who bagged ahead of Day 3 on Tuesday.
However, every tournament needs a bubble boy, and on this occasion it was Greece's Alexandridis who claimed the dubious honor, exiting the tournament arena as the remainder of the record-breaking field celebrated a minimum €10,000 cash.
Check out both hands below, as reported by PokerNews' Calum Grant and Maxime Taldir.
Alexandridis Bubbles While Deeb Survives
There were two all in and calls on the stone bubble of the 2026 WSOP Europe Main Event. Alexandridis was at risk on Table #78, while Deeb also had his chips in the middle on Table #105 and was likewise under threat.
Once all the other hands had been completed, the cameras and crew headed to Table #78, where the following action had taken place.
Alexandridis raised to 102,000 from the hijack, leaving 5,000 behind. Chip leader Daan Mulders jammed, and Alexandridis put in his last chip.
The tournament director made his way over and instructed the players to turn their cards over. Alexandridis had moved all in for his tournament life with A♥K♠,
while Daan Mulders called with 10♠10♣.
Alexandridis' Big Slick was behind and remained so after the Q♣8♥6♣ flop. The 5♠ turn offered no help, and the Q♠ river confirmed his elimination from this year's WSOPE Main Event.
Alexandridis was on the cusp of leaving empty-handed, but if Deeb were to bust, the two would split the €10,000 min-cash.
Deeb was all-in from under the gun for 192,000 and flipping against Simon Levy in the big blind. Deeb tabled 7♠7♣, while Levy fanned K♥Q♥ on the felt.
However, Alexandridis would not find Deeb's all in coming to his rescue, as this year's WSOP Player of the Year frontrunner hit a straight on the 4♦5♠8♦6♣9♠ runout to secure the double-up, leaving Alexandridis as the stone bubble boy.
Eychenne Leads Field Into Day 3
2025 EPT Barcelona Main Event champion Thomas Eychenne leads the field into Day 3 as chipleader, after bagging a stack of around 2 million to lead the remaining 356 players.
The Netherlands' Daan Mulders is closely following behind in second-place with a stack of around 1.7m to his name, while other notable faces in the top 10 at the end of Day 2 include one-time WSOP bracelet winner Rokas Asipauskas and Yuhan Wang who won 2025's WSOPE €1,350 Mini Main Event.
A full list of chip counts from the end of Day 2 is available on PokerNews' live reporting of the 2026 WSOPE Main Event, with the current top 10 chip counts available below:
Top 10 Chip Counts 2026 WSOPE Main Event - End of Day 2
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Eychenne | France | 2,010,000 | 251 |
| 2 | Daan Mulders | Netherlands | 1,721,000 | 215 |
| 3 | Giovanni Zanette | South Africa | 1,467,000 | 183 |
| 4 | Yuhan Wang | China | 1,374,000 | 172 |
| 5 | Rokas Asipauskas | Lithuania | 1,350,000 | 169 |
| 6 | Gabriel Martini Nobrega | Brazil | 1,241,000 | 155 |
| 7 | Ermanno Di Nicola | Italy | 1,204,000 | 151 |
| 8 | Alex Anton | United States | 1,183,000 | 148 |
| 9 | Eimantas Adomavicius | Lithuania | 1,168,000 | 146 |
| 10 | Niklas Deitmer | Germany | 1,159,000 | 145 |
393 Players Guaranteed €10,000, €2M Top Prize
With the bubble burst, all 393 remaining players secured a min-cash of at least €10,000, with the field down to 356 players by the end of Day 2. Payouts climb in steady increments from there, building toward the final table, where every surviving player is guaranteed a minimum of €140,000.
The numbers grow dramatically from that point, befitting the record-breaking prize pool we've seen generated by this WSOPE Main Event. The runner-up will pocket €1,200,000 — surpassing what 2025 WSOPE Main Event champion Daniel Pidun took home — while the winner claims €2,000,000, the largest payout in WSOPE history.
See the full payout breakdown below:
WSOP Europe Main Event Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €2,000,000 | 9 | €140,000 | 56–63 | €25,000 |
| 2 | €1,200,000 | 10–11 | €100,000 | 64–71 | €22,500 |
| 3 | €800,000 | 12–15 | €75,000 | 72–79 | €20,200 |
| 4 | €575,000 | 16–23 | €60,000 | 80–103 | €18,000 |
| 5 | €425,000 | 24–31 | €50,000 | 104–135 | €16,000 |
| 6 | €320,000 | 32–39 | €40,000 | 136–191 | €14,000 |
| 7 | €245,000 | 40–47 | €35,000 | 192–272 | €12,000 |
| 8 | €185,000 | 48–55 | €30,000 | 273–393 | €10,000 |
Remaining 2026 WSOPE Main Event Schedule
With the bubble now burst late on Day 2, the remaining 2026 WSOPE Main Event Schedule is as follows:
| Day | Date | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | April 7 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| 4 | April 8 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| 5 | April 9 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| 6 | April 10 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
As always, PokerNews will be on the floor throughout the remainder of the tournament, bringing you all the key hands, bustouts, and videos, until a new name is written into WSOP Europe history.
