Coming back from the break, Thomas Eychenne got his stack of 25,500 into the middle, with Hans Bakkelund trying to deny the defending champion a shot at going back-to-back.
Thomas Eychenne: 6♥6♦
Hans Bakkelund: Q♥10♥
Eychenne had a pair against Bakkelund's two overcards, with Bakkelund picking up even more outs with a straight and flush draw on the 7♥K♣J♥ flop.
Bakkelund received instant service on the A♣ turn, improving to Broadway and leaving Eychenne drawing dead.
The 4♣ river was irrelevant, sending the defending champion to the rail.
Eduardo Morentin raised to 3,000 from middle position and Casimir Seire three-bet the button to 9,000. Morentin called when the action got back to him.
Morentin started with a check on the 7♥4♦10♠ flop, and Seire fired a continuation-bet of 8,000. Morentin went for the most aggressive option available to him by check-raising to 21,000. Seire elected to call.
Morentin didn't slow down on the 7♠ turn, choosing to fire a second barrel of 32,000. Seire looked back at his cards and then put in the call for about half his stack.
The J♦ completed the board and, after a few moments, Morentin jammed, putting Seire all in for his last 31,500. Seire quickly called.
Morentin turned over a bluff with A♠Q♦, losing the pot and almost all of his stack to Seire's K♦K♠ for a pair of kings.
Bharath Janardhan raised to 3,500 in middle position, and Dimitar Danchev defended his big blind.
Danchev check-called a bet of 5,000 on an 8♥Q♦2♦ flop, with the Q♥ turn following the same sequence, as Danchev once again check-called a bet of 5,000.
The A♠ completed the board, and when Danchev checked a third time, Janardhan bet enough to cover Danchev's remaining 12,000 stack. Danchev called and tabled A♦8♠, which was worth a double-up, as Janardhan flipped over 7♦4♦ for a missed flush draw.
Both starting flights of the 2026 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona have concluded. After two full days of poker, the tally stands at 1,684 entries, with 535 booking a ticket for Day 2. However, dozens more will join them at Casino Barcelona before the action kicks off at noon local time, boosting the already massive €8,217,750 prize pool even further, as late registration will remain open until the start of the day.
Those who enter last minute will sit down with the starting stack of 30,000. Anyone who wants to reach the top will have their work cut out for them, as chip leader Michael Dwyer already amassed over 12 times as much, with his 363,500 worth 242 big blinds at the start of play. Sitting in second is Dwyer's fellow Day 1a survivor and EPT champion Mark Teltscher (324,000), who hoisted the trophy in London no less than 21 years ago. Meanwhile, Day 1b chip leader Bharath Janardhan finished third overall with a stack of 321,000.
Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Michael Dwyer
Ireland
363,500
242
2
Mark Teltscher
United Kingdom
324,000
216
3
Bharath Janardhan
India
315,500
210
4
Davide Marchi
Italy
303,000
202
5
Oliver Wulf
Germany
294,500
196
6
Andrija Cvetkovic
Croatia
287,500
192
7
Eros Calderone
Italy
282,000
188
8
Bartlomiej Kijak
Poland
280,500
187
9
Yurii Zabrodotskyi
Ukraine
278,000
185
10
Alan Raymundo
Argentina
277,500
185
Mark Teltscher
Teltscher will be joined by many of his peers today. Fellow EPT winners Anton Wigg (131,000), Sebastian Malec (129,500), Barny Boatman (125,500), Nicolas Chouity (106,500), and Tomasz Brzezinski (105,500) all bagged six-figure stacks as well, while Simon Wiciak (97,500), Jan Bendik (75,500), and Simon Brandstrom (60,000) also secured a Day 2 appearance. Defending champion Thomas Eychenne is still in the mix after taking down the PS Open High Roller for €589,395 earlier this week, but with 14,500, he is one of the shortest stacks in the field.
Meanwhile, five PokerStars Ambassadors have made it through the opening flights, all looking for their first EPT victory. Dario Sammartino leads them with 201,500, followed by Maria Konnikova (109,000). Poker couple Benjamin Spragg and Marle Spragg have both found their way to Day 2 as well, being close in stacks with 93,500 and 86,000, respectively.
Dario Sammartino
Day 2 will begin in Level 11, which has blinds of 1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 big blind ante. From today onward, the levels will be 90 minutes long, with a break planned after every level. The shot clock will also be introduced today, with players having 20 seconds to act on their initial decisions and 30 seconds on each subsequent decision.
Currently, their are five levels scheduled for Day 2, with a 75-minute dinner break after Level 14, around 7 p.m. local time. However, depending on the pace of play and when the bubble will burst, this may be subject to change.
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The final number of entries, as well as the prize pool and payouts, will all be confirmed on Day 2 of the EPT Barcelona Main Event, so keep your eyes on the PokerNews live report, providing continuous live updates as the field makes its way to the bubble.
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