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€5,300 EPT Main Event
Day 1b Completed
2026 PokerStars EPT Barcelona
€5,300 EPT Main Event
Day: 1b
Players Left 343 / 1,823
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
7
265,500
8
257,000
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
The second and final starting flight of the €5,300 Main Event at the 2026 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona has wrapped up after another ten levels of poker at Casino Barcelona. Day 1b attracted 1,049 more entries, with 342 players punching their ticket into Day 2.
India's Bharath Janardhan finished with the biggest stack of the flight, bagging 321,000 chips to put himself fourth overall heading into Day 2. Davide Marchi takes second with 303,000, while Oliver Wulf rounds out the Day 1b podium with 294,500. Yurii Zabrodotskyi also finished with a top-five stack of 278,000 and will be looking to go even deeper than his 11th-place finish here in the 2024 EPT Barcelona Main Event.
Further down the counts, Giovanni La Padula bagged a top-ten stack of 248,000 after getting a little help from Lady Luck to send Scott Margereson to the showers just before dinner. PokerStars ambassador Dario Sammartino enjoyed a great day on the felt, bagging 201,500 to take the biggest stack of any PokerStars ambassador into Day 2. A few of those chips came from a four-bet jam preflop, before he rubbed a little salt in the wound by showing his opponent a three.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bharath Janardhan | India | 321,000 | 214 |
| 2 | Davide Marchi | Italy | 303,000 | 202 |
| 3 | Oliver Wulf | Germany | 294,500 | 196 |
| 4 | Bartlomiej Kijak | Poland | 280,500 | 187 |
| 5 | Yurii Zabrodotskyi | Ukraine | 278,000 | 185 |
| 6 | Alan Raymundo | Argentina | 277,500 | 185 |
| 7 | Rene Lehmann | Switzerland | 265,500 | 177 |
| 8 | Hans Bakkelund | Norway | 257,000 | 171 |
| 9 | Giovanni La Padula | Italy | 248,000 | 165 |
| 10 | Ali Abdulzahra | United Kingdom | 232,500 | 155 |
Across the two starting flights, the Main Event has now attracted 1,684 entries, with 535 players already securing their spots in Day 2. The prize pool currently stands at €8,217,750, and that number isn't quite done growing yet, with late registration remaining open until shortly before cards get in the air on Day 2, when the final numbers will be confirmed.
Fellow PokerStars ambassador Marle Spragg (86,000) also made it safely through to Day 2. Defending champion Thomas Eychenne (14,500) found a bag just hours after winning the PokerStars Open High Roller, although he'll have some work to do in his bid to go back-to-back. Former EPT Main Event champions Sebastian Malec (129,500) and Jan Bendik (75,500) are also still in the mix.
Day 1b wasn't quite as kind to everyone, with former EPT Main Event champions Kevin MacPhee, Manig Loeser, and Robin Ylitalo among those unable to find a bag. PokerStars ambassador Sebastian Huber also hit the rail, while Biao Ding, Samuel Ju, Benny Glaser, and Rania Nasreddine were some of the other familiar faces whose Main Event came to an early end.
Day 2 gets underway at noon local time on Monday, August 24, with the surviving players from both starting flights coming together for the first time. Play resumes at Level 11 with blinds of 1,000/1,500 and a 1,500 big blind ante, with levels increasing to 90 minutes from here on out. Registration closes ten minutes before cards get in the air, with the official prize pool and payouts to be announced shortly after play begins.
Remaining €5,300 Main Event Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 2 to bring you all the action from Casino Barcelona as the field moves towards the money.
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
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Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Day 1b has concluded, with the 342 survivors having bagged up their chips and returning 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
Robert-Florin Grigore manoeuvred his stack of 15,100 in from the hijack and was at risk of elimination at the hands of Felix Schneiders in the big blind.
Robert-Florin Grigore: 10♠10♣ 
Felix Schneiders: 9♠9♣
Grigore had Schneiders pipped by one, while also having both suits covered.
The 2♦4♣3♥2♠8♠ board had no nasty surprises in store for Grigore, who secured a double-up in the last few hands of the night.
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Jussi Hietalahti got his short stack of around 12,000 into the middle, with Aaron Schaff trying to send him home slightly earlier than he had planned.
Jussi Hietalahti: Q♦Q♥
Aaron Schaff: K♦J♠
Hietalahti needed to fade a king on the runout, but was unable to do so as Schaff improved to trip kings on the 7♦K♠2♠K♥7♠ board, sending all of Hietalahti's chips his way.
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
With the completed board of 5♣7♥4♠5♦Q♣ out, Didrik Mantor checked from the big blind and David Wintersberger put him all in for his last 13,000. Mantor snap-called.
Wintersberger turned over K♠7♦ for a pair of sevens, but it was no good against Mantor's J♦5♥ for trip fives, earning Mantor the double-up.
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
The tournament clock has been paused, and the dealers have been instructed to deal five more hands. Once those hands are complete, the surviving players will bag their chips and advance to Day 2.
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Luigi Minolfi opened to 2,400 in the cutoff and, after a lengthy tank, opted to call when Nicolaas Wolters three-bet to 10,600 from the small blind.
Wolters continued with another bet of 4,500 on a monotone 6♣4♣2♣ flop, to which Minolfi responded with a quick raise to 15,000. Just as quickly as Minolfi had raised, Wolters surrendered, immediately returning his cards to the dealer.
