button in SafariOnline Qualifier Jose Criado Leads Final 28 in EPT Barcelona Main Event, History-Maker Barbara Akemi in Chasing Pack
With Day 4 of the €5,300 Main Event now in the books, the flagship event of the 2026 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona has been cut down to just 28 players. The day began with 67 still in contention, but after four 90-minute levels at Casino Barcelona, more than half the start-of-day field saw their Main Event hopes come to an end.
With the field now firmly into the business end of the tournament, the remaining players are closing in on a title that comes with more than just the trophy. The 1,823-entry field created a €8,841,550 prize pool, with €1,370,050 set aside for the eventual champion.
Out in front and sitting closest to the seven-figure payday, Spain's own Jose Criado bagged 5,045,000 to take the overnight chip lead. His rise to the top came after he found a huge double through EPT Main Event winner Mark Teltscher in a preflop cooler, with the pot sending Criado to the head of the counts and Teltscher to the rail.
His chip lead is all the more notable given that Criado qualified for the event online and had never before cashed an EPT Main Event. He'll now return to the felt with a chance to turn his first cash into a very memorable result.
Criado is joined at the top of the chip counts by fellow Spaniard Gerard Carbo, who ended the day with 4,815,000. Also looking to keep the trophy on home soil, Carbo will have redemption in mind, as he looks to improve on his 11th-place finish at the 2023 EPT Cyprus. Rounding out the podium, Joris Ruijs brings some international flavor to the top of the counts, with the Dutchman bagging 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 |
History-maker and Samba Poker representative Barbara Akemi also enjoyed a prosperous day on the felt, finishing inside the top five with 3,445,000. Akemi already holds the distinction of being the first Brazilian woman to win the Sunday Million, and has since added a WSOP bracelet to her list of achievements, once again putting her in the history books as the first Brazilian woman to hold both those titles.
Not content with those records, Akemi has now gone further than any Brazilian woman before her in an EPT Main Event, and with 86 big blinds waiting for her when play resumes, the Brazilian powerhouse will begin Day 5 well placed in pursuit of an EPT Main Event title.
Another compelling storyline also survived the day, with two former EPT Barcelona Main Event champions still among the 28 players remaining. John Juanda took the title in 2015, before Sebastian Malec became champion 12 months later. Both now have a chance to add another chapter to their Barcelona stories, with Juanda holding 1,855,000 and Malec 1,485,000.
Where there was glory, there was also heartbreak, as Claudia Bueno (62nd) and Sarah Jarry (60th) both fell early in the day, leaving Akemi as the lone woman still standing in the tournament. They were quickly followed to the rail by Miroslav Rizov (55th), Oleh Pritsak (53rd), Hugo Soares (45th) and previous EPT Main Event champion Simon Wiciak (44th), with Soares and Wiciak both falling in the same hand.
Paolo Boi (43rd), Brock Wilson (41st) and Lei Yu (39th) were among the next batch to see their Main Event runs come to an end, with the eliminations of Teltscher (33rd), Espen Sandvik (30th) and Joshua Boulton (29th) bringing the day's action to a close.
The 28 remaining players will return for Day 5 tomorrow, Thursday, August 27, at 12:00 p.m. local time, with play continuing for another four 90-minute levels.
The day will begin on Level 25, with blinds of 20,000/40,000 and a 40,000 big blind ante. There will be a short break after each level, with no set plan currently in place for an extended break for dinner.
Each of the returning players has locked up €34,850 for getting this far, but are all edging ever closer to the €1,370,050 that awaits the winner.
Remaining €5,300 Main Event Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €1,370,050 | 10-11 | €97,700 | |
| 2 | €857,800 | 12-13 | €81,350 | |
| 3 | €612,700 | 14-15 | €67,800 | |
| 4 | €471,250 | 16-17 | €56,600 | |
| 5 | €362,500 | 18-20 | €47,150 | |
| 6 | €278,950 | 21-23 | €40,050 | |
| 7 | €214,600 | 24-28 | €34,850 | |
| 8 | €165,050 | |||
| 9 | €126,950 |
Keep it locked in to PokerNews as we bring you all the action from the felt until an EPT Barcelona Main Event champion is crowned.