button in SafariJohn Juanda and Sebastian Malec Looking to Repeat History as 28 Remain in EPT Barcelona Main Event
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.
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 |
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.
Remaining 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 |
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Stay tuned as the PokerNews team will be back on the floor for Day 5, providing extensive live updates from start to finish.