Arnaud Enselme raised to 80,000 from under the gun, and Michael Dwyer called in the small blind. Grzegorz Kozieja responded with a three-bet to 485,000 from the big blind, leaving one 5,000 chip behind. Enselme four-bet all-in, which quickly removed Dwyer, and Kozieja committed his final chip.
Grzegorz Kozieja: K♥K♣
Arnaud Enselme: A♠Q♠
The J♦7♥3♣ flop and 7♣ turn offered Enselme no extra help, leaving him with just three outs in his quest to reduce the field by one. As the dealer burned a card and began to turn the river, Enselme flicked his A♠ towards where the final card was about to land. As if by magic, it arrived just as the A♣ completed the board, bringing Kozieja's Main Event to an end.
Kozieja's elimination saw him fall in 24th, busting at the same time as Henok Tekle Mariam, just shy of the final three tables.
Manuel Ferrari opened the action with a raise to 80,000 under the gun. Xiaosheng Zhen called as next to act, prompting Henok Tekle Mariam to squeeze in a three-bet to 310,000.
Ferrari moved all in in response, causing Zheng to quickly get rid of his A♣J♣. Tekle Mariam, however, quickly called for 1,600,000.
Henok Tekle Mariam: Q♥Q♦
Manuel Ferrari: A♥K♥
The 9♠J♠3♥5♥ flop and turn provided Ferrari with a flush draw, and the 7♥ river improved him to a flush to send Tekle Mariam packing.
Eduardo Kalil raised to 80,000 in the cutoff, getting blinds Vinicius Goncalves and Jose Criado along to the 10♣2♦7♣ flop. It checked to Kalil, who bet 90,000. Goncalves raised to 210,000, folding out Criado with 9♥6♥.
Kalil called, however, witnessing the K♥ arrive on the turn. Goncalves slowed down with a check, prompting Kalil to bet 170,000. Goncalves just called this time, and the 7♥ river subsequently completed the board.
Goncalves checked again, and Kalil responded with an all-in shove of 400,000. Goncalves quickly called, but his K♣J♣ was no match for the 10♠10♥ of Kalil, who had flopped top set and doubled up.
Lukas van Eeden made it 80,000 to go in the hijack. Gerard Carbo responded with a three-bet to 230,000 on the button, and Van Eeden four-bet jammed for 1,195,000 once it got back to him.
Carbo snap-called, putting another player at risk.
Lukas van Eeden: A♥Q♥
Gerard Carbo: Q♠Q♣
Van Eeden flopped a royal flush draw on K♥J♥6♦, giving him plenty of outs against Carbo's queens. The 3♦ turn was insignificant, but the 6♥ river completed Van Eeden's flush, securing him a double-up.
Gabriel Tavares jammed the button for 160,000 and Gerard Carbo made the call from the small blind.
Gabriel Tavares: A♥10♣
Gerard Carbo: J♥10♥
Tavares was ahead with ace-high and also had Carbo dominated.
Carbo flopped a monster draw on the Q♥9♥6♦ flop and found instant service on the 8♥ turn, improving to an unbeatable straight flush.
Tavares was drawing dead, making the Q♠ river a mere formality as he headed to the rail.
Before pulling in the pot, Carbo whipped out his phone to snap a picture of the straight flush that had sent Tavares packing. After getting the right angle, he finally got to work stacking the chips, taking his count past five million.
Albert Grane open-shoved for 400,000 on the button, and John Juanda called off in the big blind after spending some time in the tank.
Albert Grane: K♦8♦
John Juanda: K♣9♦
Juanda flopped top pair on 9♠7♥6♥, but Grane remained in contention with a straight draw. The J♣ turn and 8♣ river did not bring it in, however, eliminating Grane.
Michael Dwyer raised to 80,000 from the small blind and Grzegorz Kozieja defended from the big blind.
Dwyer bet 40,000 on the A♥J♠A♠ flop, then fired a second barrel of 150,000 on the 8♠ turn, with Kozieja calling both bets.
The 2♦ completed the board and Dwyer placed out a third bet of 350,000. Kozieja had to burn through a time bank before deciding to fold, giving up the pot to Dwyer.
The rich history of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona stop is full of iconic victories. In 2015, poker veteran John Juanda hoisted the trophy at Casino Barcelona, banking his fourth-ever seven-figure score and redeeming himself for finishing runner-up in London five years before. It cemented Juanda's legacy in poker, and he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame mere months later.
The next year, Sebastian Malec created a fairy tale by turning a €27 online satellite into €1,122,800 when his dream of becoming an EPT champion was fulfilled in Barcelona. The legendary images of a crying Malec traveled all over the world, showing micro-stakes players that with hard work and a bit of luck, anything was still possible.
Sebastian Malec
It is now ten years later, and Juanda and Malec are both still in contention for what would be a historic double victory, finding themselves among the final 28 players as the 2026 edition of the €5,300 EPT Barcelona Main Event heads into Day 5. With 1,855,000, Juanda sits just outside the top ten chip counts, although with 46 big blinds to his name, there is still plenty of room to make plays. Meanwhile, Malec trails Juanda with a stack of 1,485,000. The field of 1,823 entries is bigger than in 2015 and 2016, creating a €8,841,550 prize pool and resulting in the top prize of €1,370,050, a larger number than either Juanda or Malec took home.
Chipleader Jose Criado is attempting to mirror Malec's run from ten years ago somewhat, as he also qualified online and cashed in his first EPT Main Event as a result. With 5,045,000 in his bag, Criado was the only player to cross the five-million mark on Day 4. Criado is closely followed by his good friend and fellow Spanish grinder Gerard Carbo with 4,815,000, while Dutchman Joris Ruijs is continuing his stellar year at EPTs by completing the podium with a stack of 4,625,000.
Day 4 Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Jose Criado
Spain
5,045,000
126
2
Gerard Carbo
Spain
4,815,000
120
3
Joris Ruijs
Netherlands
4,625,000
116
4
Edward Pak
United States
3,585,000
90
5
Barbara Akemi
Brazil
3,445,000
86
6
Manuel Ferrari
Italy
2,805,000
70
7
Henok Tekle Mariam
Netherlands
2,460,000
62
8
Matas Cimbolas
Lithuania
2,260,000
57
9
Fabricio Nociolini
Brazil
2,165,000
54
10
Vinicius Goncalves
Brazil
2,090,000
52
Jose Criado
The Main Event will continue at noon local time, with blinds starting at 20,000/40,000 and a 40,000 big blind ante. All levels will remain 90 minutes long, and the tournament will play four full levels or down to 12 players, whichever comes first. Breaks of 20 minutes will follow each level, and the day is set to finish around 7 p.m. local time. The PokerStars live stream will follow the action on a dynamic delay starting at three hours, and the PokerNews live report will adhere to the same delay to prevent spoilers.
The 28 returning players have all locked up €34,850 already. The next pay jump takes place when 23 remain, securing those who remain €40,050. The real eye-watering six-figure payouts are reserved for those who make the unofficial final table of nine players, while only the champion will walk away with a seven-figure score added to their resume.
Stay closer than ever to the action with MyPlayers. This brand new, free feature on PokerNews puts your favorite poker players front and center. Whether you're keeping tabs on poker's biggest stars or following a friend grinding their way through a Day 2, MyPlayers delivers real-time updates tailored just for you.
No subscriptions, no paywalls, just the hands, chip counts, and bustouts that matter most. It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
From railbirds to backers, MyPlayers is the smarter way to stay connected to the game.
Stay tuned as the PokerNews team will be back on the floor for Day 5, providing extensive live updates from start to finish.
button in Safari
