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€5,300 EPT Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2026 PokerStars EPT Barcelona
€5,300 EPT Main Event
Day: 1a
Players Left 790 / 1,248
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
7
260,500
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
The first flight of the €5,300 Main Event at the 2026 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona is in the books after a busy day at Casino Barcelona. A total of 635 entries hit the felt for Day 1a, and after ten one-hour levels of play, 193 of them were still standing and able to put chips in a bag for Day 2.
Sitting on top of the pile at the end of it all was Ireland's Michael Dwyer, who bagged up 363,500. Dwyer was already one of the biggest stacks late in the night before rivering two pair to crack Jakob Karlsson's cowboys in a huge pot during the final level, sending him soaring to the top of the counts.
Italy's Matteo Cecchetti finished second with 345,000, while 2005 EPT London champion Mark Teltscher showed he's still got it by rounding out the podium positions with 324,000. Today's entries have already pushed the prize pool to €3,079,750, and there's plenty of room for that number to grow with Day 1b still to come and registration remaining open until the start of Day 2.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Dwyer | Ireland | 363,500 | 303 |
| 2 | Matteo Cecchetti | Italy | 345,000 | 288 |
| 3 | Mark Teltscher | United Kingdom | 324,000 | 270 |
| 4 | Andrija Cvetkovic | Croatia | 287,500 | 240 |
| 5 | Eros Calderone | Italy | 282,000 | 235 |
| 6 | Vito Recchimurzo | Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | 262,500 | 219 |
| 7 | Ivo Colaco | Portugal | 260,500 | 217 |
| 8 | Eduardo Escada | Brazil | 251,500 | 210 |
| 9 | Jose Criado | Spain | 224,500 | 187 |
| 10 | Remi Derossi | France | 223,000 | 186 |
Almost cracking the top ten was the United Kingdom's Matthew Frankland, who bagged 200,500 after recovering from a rocky start. Frankland tripled up just before dinner and came back firing on all cylinders, first rivering a flush to send Alexander Yen to the rail before his queens held to bust Seunghyuk Jung in the penultimate level. This year's EPT Paris Open High Roller champion, who took home almost half a million for that victory, has put himself in a good spot for another deep EPT run.
Other big names to navigate their way through to Day 2 include Romain Locquet (200,500), Nicholas Seward (141,000), Arian Kashani (136,500), and 2010 EPT Copenhagen Main Event winner Anton Wigg (131,000). Mihai Niste (126,500), 2024 EPT Paris Main Event champion Barny Boatman (125,500), and PokerStars ambassador Maria Konnikova (109,000) also found bags.
Former EPT Main Event champions Nicolas Chouity (106,500), Tomasz Brzezinski (105,500), Simon Wiciak (97,500), and Simon Brandstrom (60,000) will also return for Day 2 looking for a second title, while Benjamin Spragg (93,500) joins Konnikova as the other PokerStars ambassador to make it through Day 1a, having more than tripled his starting stack.
Attention now shifts to Day 1b, the final starting flight, which gets underway at noon local time on Sunday, August 23, and follows the exact same structure as the opening flight. It will be the last chance to build a stack beyond the initial 30,000, as late registration closes when the first card is dealt on Day 2.
Remaining €5,300 Main Event Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 23 | Day 1b | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| August 24 | Day 2 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| August 25 | Day 3 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| August 26 | Day 4 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| August 27 | Day 5 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| August 28 | Day 6 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| August 29 | Day 7 | 12:30 p.m. | 90 minutes |
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews as the live reporting team returns for Day 1b to bring you all the action from the moment cards get in the air at Casino Barcelona.
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
The 199 survivors have bagged up their chips and will return for Day 2 on Monday, August 24.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for full chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Luca Stevanato raised to 2,500 from the hijack and Germ Sikma three-bet the button to 7,000. Stevanato called.
Both players checked the K♣K♥5♦ flop before the 4♣ landed on the turn. Stevanato led out for 5,500, which Sikma called.
The 2♠ completed the board and Stevanato bet 3,500. Sikma raised to 13,500, and Stevanato let it go.
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Dan Wilson opened to 2,400 in middle position. Quan Zhou placed a small three-bet to 4,500 in the small blind, and Xiaosheng Zheng four-bet to 12,500 in the big blind.
Wilson put in a minimum four-bet to 20,500, folding out Zhou. Zheng fancied a flop, however, and he called to see 4♥8♦7♦ emerge from the deck.
Zheng checked it over to Wilson, who continued for 5,400. Zheng then moved all in, and Wilson snapped off his stack of 37,300.
Dan Wilson: A♠A♥ 
Xiaosheng Zheng: 10♦10♣
The 6♥ turn brought Zheng extra outs, but the 7♠ river paired the board to grant the win to Wilson's aces.
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
The floor staff has announced that there will be five more hands before the surviving players bag up their chips on Day 1a of the Main Event.
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Ignat Liviu raised to 2,500 from early position before Mengshi Tian three-bet the cutoff to 7,500. John Ward cold-called from the big blind, which brought Liviu along as well.
After two checks on the 3♦8♦Q♦ flop, Tian continued for 10,500 and Ward immediately jammed, covering both players. Liviu quickly folded, but Tian took some time over his decision, counting out his stack of approximately 43,000 before eventually folding and surrendering the pot to Ward.
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Raffael Pereira raised to 2,400 from the hijack, and Marius Kudzmanas three-bet the cutoff to 7,500. Pereira called.
Pereira checked it over to Kudzmanas on the A♣2♠4♣ flop, and Kudzmanas put out a bet of 5,500. Pereira check-raised to 11,500, and after a few moments, Kudzmanas three-bet to 18,000. Pereira then jammed for 66,700, which Kudzmanas quickly called.
Raffael Pereira: A♠4♠
Marius Kudzmanas: A♥K♥
Kudzmanas had top pair, top kicker, but was well behind Pereira's aces-up.
Neither the 7♦ turn nor 10♦ river changed anything, earning Pereira a huge double-up right near the end of the day.
