Lukas van Eeden was first to act and raised to 500,000. It folded to Jose Criado in the big blind, who defended. On the 9♣A♦7♣ flop, Van Eeden continued for 550,000, and Criado check-called.
After the K♠ turn was checked by both players, Criado bet 2,275,000 on the A♥ river, nearly the size of the pot. Van Eeden mulled things over for a bit, but called before the end of his 30-second shot clock.
Criado revealed A♠3♠ for trip aces, and Van Eeden sent his K♥Q♥ back to the muck.
Manuel Ferrari opened to 500,000 in the cutoff. Xiaosheng Zheng flat-called on the button, enticing Lukas van Eeden to jam all in for 4,750,000 from the small blind.
Ferrari quickly folded A♠3♥, but Zheng looked Van Eeden up after some thought.
Lukas van Eeden: A♦10♦
Xiaosheng Zheng: 9♥9♣
Van Eeden paired up on the 6♦6♥10♣ flop, leaving Zheng with just two direct outs.
Van Eeden, who had stood up to join his partner at the rail, sat back down as the Q♣2♦ turn and river did not improve his opponent, doubling him up to an eight-figure stack.
Lukas van Eeden raised to 500,000 from the cutoff with Q♠10♠, facing resistance from Manuel Ferrari, who, from the small blind, three-bet to 1,700,000 with A♣K♥. Van Eeden elected not to involve himself any further, folding his hand when the action returned to him.
The very next shuffle, Ferrari raised again, making it 500,000 to go on the button with K♦5♦. Xiaosheng Zheng called from the small blind with 7♥7♣.
The 4♦3♣2♣ flop saw Zheng check, and Ferrari continued with a bet of 600,000. Zheng called, and the dealer added the 3♥ to the board. There was no slowing Ferrari down, who, after Zheng checked, bet 1,800,000. Undeterred, Zheng called again.
The 2♠ completed the board, and Zheng checked a third time. This time, after using a time extension, Ferrari emptied the clip, moving all-in for 16,100,000, and having Zheng's 8,450,000 well covered.
Zheng utilised two time extensions while pondering how to respond, and as the second extension ticked down, he chose to let go of his cards, seeing Ferrari scooped in another pot with his king-high bluff.
Jose Criado found J♦J♣ in the cutoff and raised it to 500,000. Manuel Ferrari defended his A♥9♥ in the big blind, and the flop was fanned 2♥A♠4♥.
Ferrari checked in flow, with Criado responding with a continuation-bet of 350,000. Ferrari just called to the 10♠ turn, which he also checked.
Criado sized up to 900,000, and Ferrari called again. The Q♥ river prompted Ferrari to lead out with a bet of 1,700,000. Criado weighed his options for a bit, but decided a fold was best and mucked his jacks.
Jose Criado opened to 400,000 in the hijack. Nicolas Chouity was in the small blind and pushed in his short stack of 1,575,000. Criado asked for a count before he called.
Nicolas Chouity: A♥10♥
Jose Criado: K♥J♥
The 6♦5♠7♣ did nothing for either player, but the K♣ turn gave Criado a pair to leapfrog Chouity's ace-high.
The 4♣ river could not save the last remaining EPT champion, and he finished in sixth place as the day's first elimination.
After two weeks of poker, the 2026 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona is nearing its conclusion. The successful festival was held for the 21st time, and this time around, the flagship €5,300 Main Event attracted 1,823 entries to Casino Barcelona, creating a prize pool of €8,841,550 and making it the seventh-largest EPT Main Event in history.
Of that massive field, only 6 players return today at 12:30 p.m. to battle it out for the prestigious EPT title, Golden Shard trophy, and the eye-watering €1,370,050 first-place prize, with one previous EPT winner remaining in contention. Nicolas Chouity has the opportunity to capture an elusive second EPT title today, after winning the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event 16 years ago. Being a regular on Europe's premier poker tour since 2009, Chouity is on his 16th Main Event cash, but he will have to spin up his short stack of 1,975,000, worth just under ten big blinds, if he wants to become the fifth person with two EPT titles under their belt.
Chouity is a clear outlier on the final day, as his five opponents are all experiencing their first in-the-money run in an EPT Main Event. Chip leader Manuel Ferrari proves that does not necessarily mean inexperience, as he already has two big, shiny PokerStars trophies in his prize cabinet, courtesy of winning the PokerStars Open Main Event in Malaga last year, and the PokerStars Open High Roller in Campione earlier this year. Ferrari will sit down with 16,100,000 in pole position to add an EPT Main Event trophy to his collection, the one he says he desires most.
Final Table Seating
Seat
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Xiaosheng Zheng
China
11,200,000
56
2
Jose Criado
Spain
15,775,000
79
3
Lukas van Eeden
Netherlands
5,075,000
25
4
Michael Dwyer
Ireland
4,550,000
23
5
Nicolas Chouity
Lebanon
1,975,000
10
6
Manuel Ferrari
Italy
16,100,000
81
Manuel Ferrari
Ferrari is closely followed in the counts by Jose Criado. Criado, the crowd favorite by a fair margin, is looking to become only the second Spanish EPT champion after Adrian Mateos, and the first one to capture the coveted trophy on home soil in Barcelona. Criado has maintained his spot in the top two counts for three days in a row, filling him with confidence. "I will become the next EPT champion," he promised.
Xiaosheng Zheng is the third and final player who brings an eight-figure stack to the final day. The accomplished grinder, who balances poker with his day job as a trader, is motivated to become China's first-ever EPT champion and add a seven-figure score to add to his four recorded six-figure scores.
Meanwhile, Lukas van Eeden and Michael Dwyer sit in the middle of the pack with 25 big blinds and 23 big blinds, respectively. Both players, neither of whom is shy about proclaiming their love for tournament poker, have already locked up a new high score by making it to the final six, but will have to proceed carefully to navigate the ever-increasing pay jumps.
Lukas van Eeden - Michael Dwyer
The finale of the 2026 EPT Barcelona Main Event will kick off with five hands to go in Level 32: 100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 big blind ante. The following levels will be played for 30 hands each until the final three players are reached, at which point each level will last 15 hands. The PokerStars live stream will start at 3 p.m. local time, with a dynamic delay starting at two and a half hours, and the PokerNews live report will adhere to the same delay to prevent spoilers.
The players have all secured a payout of €278,950 for making it to the final six. However, with the next pay jump already being worth over €80,000, every hand can be crucial. The top three players will all walk away with over half a million in prize money, while the eventual champion is guaranteed to become a poker millionaire.
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.
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Six remain, but only one can be crowned the 2026 EPT Barcelona champion. Stay tuned to PokerNews as we will bring you every major hand en route to the winner.
“I really want an EPT title,” said Manuel Ferrari back in June 2025. That was when he topped the PokerStars Open Malaga Main Event and captured his first Shard trophy.
That dream may come true here in Barcelona. If he manages it, Ferrari will actually be collecting a third Shard, having also won the PokerStars Open High Roller in Campione in January. It has been a spectacular year and a half for the Italian.
“I love PokerStars festivals and Barcelona is my favorite stop,” said Ferrari, who hails from Caldonazzo, a small village near the Dolomites.
This is only his third EPT Main Event appearance. He played here last year and then tried his luck in Paris, but busted two bullets on both occasions. His first attempt at EPT Barcelona 2026 didn’t work out either, but this time Ferrari turned his re-entry into a very long adventure.
“The only PokerStars trophy missing in my collection is the EPT Main Event title!” Ferrari said.
Ferrari set himself up for the hat-trick after storming into a big chip lead after making a great hero call against Matas Cimbolas on Day 5.
Ferrari has been playing poker since 2010 but only became interested in the technical approach and studying in the post-Covid years. He also credited the other members of his study group, who have helped him improve as a player. One of them, Luca Bernardi, has been on his rail here in Barcelona.
It has been four years since his countryman Giuliano Bendinelli won the largest ever EPT Main Event in Barcelona, and Ferrari is now in pole position to ascend to the same throne.
Player bios courtesy of Jan Kores/Florence Mazet/PokerStars
Career statistics
The Hendon Mob Earnings: $579,671 EPT Main Event cashes: 0 Best result: n/a
Tournament progression Day 1: n/a Day 2: 172,000 (128/205) Day 3: 1,080,000 (21/67) Day 4: 2,805,000 (6/28) Day 5: 10,625,000 (1/13) Day 6: 16,100,000 (1/6)
Key hands
During the final few hands of Day 5, Ferrari was put in a spot by Matas Cimbolas. Cimbolas had check-raised Ferrari's bet on the river, and Ferrari found a call with second pair. It was the correct call, as Cimbolas had turned his third pair into a bluff. Ferrari won the pot and became the first player to obtain an eight-figure stack.
One day later, Ferrari proved to be the final nail in Cimbolas' coffin. Ferrari eliminated his nemesis in 11th place when the latter called off with top pair against Ferrari's kings.
"I don't bluff", Ferrari told Cimbolas. "I'm a Ferrari that don't speed."
Nicolas Chouity will pick up his 16th EPT Main Event cash when he finishes his outstanding run this week. He is the only former champion left in the field, hoping to become the fifth person to do it twice (and the fourth in the live environment). But Chouity, who turned 40 last week, isn’t getting ahead of himself.
“If it comes, it comes,” he says. “I’m doing what I can.”
Chouity’s victory at the Monte Carlo Grand Final in 2010 remains one of the most dominant final table performances ever seen on the EPT. He had a huge stack throughout and steamrolled all opponents on his way to the massive €1.7 million payout.
Sixteen years later, he admits he usually enjoys different events more than the Main. “Typically high rollers, because they’re shorter,” he said. “But once you get deep in this, the adrenaline comes in.”
Chouity’s longevity is remarkable, but he points to a rather obvious motivation for continuing to return to at least two or three EPTs every year. “Winning is still exciting,” he says.
Having played the EPT since 2009, he has now become the first Lebanese player with two final table appearances.
Player bios courtesy of Jan Kores/Florence Mazet//PokerStars
Career statistics
The Hendon Mob Earnings: $5,861,887 EPT Main Event cashes: 15 Best result: Champion, 2010 EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final (€1,700,000)
Tournament progression Day 1: 106,500 (78/193, 1A) Day 2: 181,000 (124/205) Day 3: 1,050,000 (23/67) Day 4: 1,475,000 (18/28) Day 5: 2,000,000 (9/13) Day 6: 1,975,000 (6/6)
Key hands
During the final stages of Day 4, Chouity doubled up with pocket kings against Sebastian Malec's ace-jack, ensuring he made it through to Day 5.
Another late-night all in occured at the tail end of Day 6. With seven players remaining, Chouity jammed king-four into Gerard Carbo's king-eight. The players ended up chopping, and Carbo was eliminated in seventh place mere minutes later.
Ireland’s Michael Dwyer is one of poker’s most passionate fans. “Tournament poker to me is a thing of absolute beauty,” he told the Mario Rosenstock podcast last year. “It’s one of the most beautiful games ever invented.”
It’s why Dwyer continues to play more and more even as he enters his 60s.
Dwyer spent 15 years working in the food industry before he took his shot in 2000 and turned into a successful entrepreneur. He founded Pigsback.com, a discount deal and rewards platform, which certainly proved profitable for him. Nineteen years after setting it up, he sold Pigsback for about €25 million.
It was then that he decided to pursue glory in poker. He was no stranger to the game, having notched his first cash at the 2005 Irish Open. But after selling his business, Dwyer decided to “take on the young minds” and play against them at the highest stakes. He’s had a few coaches help him study game theory and has also added a mental coach in Andy Black.
In 2024, Dwyer celebrated a massive online score worth $1.3 million. Now he has a chance to top that result by winning the EPT Barcelona 2026 Main Event. Until this deep run, his best live score was €86,350 for fifth place in an EPT 2nd Chance event.
Dwyer and his brother John both cashed this tournament, with John earning €15,050 for 105th place. Michael has made it to Day 7, where he’ll aim to become the third Irish EPT champion.
Player bios courtesy of Jan Kores/Florence Mazet/PokerStars
Career statistics
The Hendon Mob Earnings: $723,623 EPT Main Event cashes: 0 Best result: n/a
Tournament progression Day 1: 363,500 (1/193, 1A) Day 2: 273,000 (82/205) Day 3: 615,000 (38/67) Day 4: 1,015,000 (21/28) Day 5: 3,475,000 (6/13) Day 6: 4,550,000 (5/6)
Key hands
Dwyer became the Day 1a chipleader by cracking Jakob Karlsson's kings with jack-ten when they got it in on a ten-high board, setting him up for continued success.
On Day 5, Dwyer repeated this trick. This time, he flopped a set of sixes against Matas Cimbolas' pocket kings. Cimbolas check-called a bet by Dwyer on the river, chipping up Dwyer to a stack of 60 big blinds.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Lukas van Eeden of his unexpected seven-day journey in this EPT Main Event.
The 40-year-old from Voorburg is an entrepreneur who plays poker recreationally. “This is my third time in Barcelona in recent years,” he said. It will definitely be the most memorable one; he’s guaranteed a six-figure payout, while he’d never cashed for more than €12,800 before.
He continued: “I’m enjoying every moment of it. I love this game and it’s incredible to experience this.”
While some of his final table opponents boast millions in live earnings, the Dutchman entered the tournament with just over $70,000 in documented winnings. But he’s already made some connections, having shared the main stage with his countryman Joris Ruijs, a renowned pro with tons of results backing up his reputation.
“I only knew of him, but thanks to this deep run, we’ve got to know each other during the breaks and even had dinner together along with other Dutch players,” Van Eeden said.
He also has his partner Sanda on the rail. She arrived a few days ago as they had planned to enjoy the holiday, beach and sunshine. That will have to wait one more day as Van Eeden is still vying for the elusive title and a whopping €1.37 million top prize.
Player bios courtesy of Jan Kores/Florence Mazet/PokerStars
Career statistics
The Hendon Mob Earnings: $72,183 EPT Main Event cashes: 0 Best result: n/a
Tournament progression Day 1: 128,500 (44/193, 1A) Day 2: 393,000 (51/205) Day 3: 1,190,000 (15/67) Day 4: 1,195,000 (19/28) Day 5: 1,175,000 (12/13) Day 6: 5,075,000 (4/6)
Key hands
On Day 5, Van Eeden was all in and at risk with ace-queen against Gerard Carbo's pocket queens. Van Eeden flopped a royal flush draw and hit a flush on the river to survive and double up.
One day later, at the streamed final table, Van Eeden again flopped a royal flush draw. This time, Van Eeden did hit poker's ultimate hand, rivering a royal flush but sadly not getting any value with it.
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