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€5,300 EPT Main Event
Day 4 Completed
2026 PokerStars EPT Barcelona
€5,300 EPT Main Event
Day: 4
Players Left 28 / 1,823
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
Level 24
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
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.
Level 24
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
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Level 24
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Level 24
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
The players on the stream are bagging up, signaling the end of Day 4. The chip counts and a recap of the day will be posted very shortly.
Level 24
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Joris Ruijs made it 60,000 to go first to act. Edward Pak was in the cutoff, and he three-bet to 150,000. The action made its way back to Ruijs, who called.
Ruijs checked the 9♣3♠9♥ flop to Pak, who continued with a bet of 95,000. Ruijs did not deem it enough, as he raised to 280,000. Pak flicked in calling chips, and the 5♠ turn was dealt.
Ruijs reverted to checking, prompting Pak to retake the initiative with a bet of 725,000. Ruijs just called this time, after which the 7♣ river was checked to showdown.
Ruijs revealed J♠9♠ for trip nines, causing Pak to send his J♦J♣ to the muck in defeat.
Meanwhile, at the other feature table, Espen Sandvik was eliminated in a hand that did not make its way to the stream.
Level 24
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Jose Criado opened 4♥3♥ to 60,000 as first to act. John Juanda was the only interested player, and he called with 5♠5♣ in the cutoff.
Juanda called Criado's continuation-bet of 70,000 on the 6♣8♠J♠ flop, but quickly folded when Criado kept firing for 225,000 on the A♥ turn. Criado casually windmilled his bluff across the table, eliciting laughter from Juanda.
Level 24
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Gabriel Tavares opened to 60,000 in the hijack, Gerard Carbo called in the cutoff, and Alexandru Toderita defended his big blind. The 3♠4♦6♦ flop checked to Carbo, who bet 70,000. Toderita called before Tavares mucked K♣J♦.
Carbo sized up to 195,000 on the J♣ turn. Toderita check-called again, after which the 5♦ river completed the board. It was quickly checked to showdown, where Carbo's 8♠8♥ took the pot against Toderita's A♠6♠.
Level 24
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Yurii Zabrodotskyi pushed all-in for 360,000 in the hijack. Edward Pak called in the small blind to put Zabrodotskyi at risk.
Yurii Zabrodotskyi: A♥9♥ 
Edward Pak: A♣J♦
Neither player connected with the K♦7♦3♣4♣7♣ board. Pak's kicker remained the deciding factor, ending Zabrodotskyi's roller-coaster ride.
Level 24
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
John Juanda was in early position and raised to 65,000. Luigi Minolfi called on the button, after which Albert Grane shipped in his stack of 430,000. Juanda called before Minolfi folded 8♠8♦.
Albert Grane: A♥Q♦
John Juanda: J♥J♣
Both players touched Jose Criado for some luck, but it was Grane who received the biggest dosage as the 5♦4♣Q♥4♥4♠ runout brought a queen to ensure his survival.
