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With the penultimate day of the 2026 PokerStarrs European Poker Tour Barcelona Main Event now in the books, one of poker's most prestigious titles is perfectly poised heading into the final day, with no shortage of storylines for fans to sink their teeth into.
After nearly four levels of play, the returning field of 13 was cut down to just six, who will return to Casino Barcelona with the title, the coveted Golden Shard Main Event trophy and the largest share of the €8,841,550 prize pool all within touching distance, with €1,370,050 awaiting the eventual champion.
Leading the charge into the final day is Manuel Ferrari, who went wire-to-wire on Day 6, starting and finishing the day at the top of the counts. The Italian already has two PokerStars trophies, having conquered the PokerStars Open Malaga 2025 Main Event and the PokerStars Open Campione High Roller earlier this year.
Hot on his tail, hometown favorite Jose Criado is flying the flag proudly for Spain as he chases a piece of EPT history, looking to become the first Spaniard to win the EPT Barcelona Main Event.
"We must get it. I have that in my mind, and there's no other option than winning the trophy and being the first Spanish winner," Criado shared with PokerNews via a translator after bagging his chips. "It would be amazing for Spanish poker and for history to be the first Spanish player to win Barcelona. It's already been amazing. The scenes since the tournament started, all the support, all the friends, it's been tremendous. To have so many people here supporting me, and to have the chance to win this trophy here in Spain, it's amazing."
Owing to his career as a football tipster, the Spaniard believes he has valuable experience in dealing with pressure that can only help him when he returns to the bright lights and cameras tomorrow to play for the seven-figure prize.
"Being a tipster comes with a lot of pressure, with a lot of people following you. I think you can transfer that pressure management to the poker table, how to control your feelings and all that stuff. Pressure is something I'm used to dealing with."
Final Table Seating
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xiaosheng Zheng | China | 11,200,000 | 56 |
| 2 | Jose Criado | Spain | 15,775,000 | 79 |
| 3 | Lukas van Eeden | Netherlands | 5,075,000 | 25 |
| 4 | Michael Dwyer | Ireland | 4,550,000 | 23 |
| 5 | Nicolas Chouity | Lebanon | 1,975,000 | 10 |
| 6 | Manuel Ferrari | Italy | 16,100,000 | 81 |
It has been 16 years since Nicolas Chouity last tasted an EPT Main Event victory; the Lebanese player now finds himself just one final-table run away from a chance to do it all over again. Chouity won EPT Monte Carlo in 2010 for €1,700,000, still the largest score of his career, and now stands as the sole former champion among the final six. Another victory would put him in rare company, making him only the fifth player in EPT history to claim two Main Event titles.
Completing the lineup with plenty of their own glory to chase, Xiaosheng Zheng sits third with an eight-figure stack. Day 1a chip leader Michael Dwyer has continued the form that has kept him among the leaders since the very first flight, bagging 4,550,000. Rounding out the final six is Lukas van Eeden, who has already secured his first EPT Main Event cash in his third attempt in Barcelona.
Day 6 Action
The day got off to a blistering start, with Toni Kaukua falling within the first few hands. Vasyl Pidhrusnyi soon joined him on the rail, as the eliminations came thick and fast from the outset. By the time the first level of the day was complete, Matas Cimbolas had also fallen, with just ten players heading off for a well-earned break.
When the players returned, the tournament was finely balanced on the unofficial final table bubble, with the pace slowing as the remaining players looked to create a little history of their own and secure a place at an EPT Main Event final table.
Criado, however, had no such concerns, with back-to-back hands sending his stack soaring above 10,000,000 and closing the gap on chip leader Ferrari.
First, Criado flopped quads with his pocket fours and was all too happy to show the table once the hand was completed. The very next hand, he was dealt pocket fours again and used them to crack aces, making a full house on the river after an accidental three-bet preflop. A few hands later, Criado found pocket fours once more, this time turning them into a bluff that forced Dwyer to fold second pair. A jubilant Criado was more than happy to show the table that he had been dealt the same hand three times in quick succession.
Brazilian sensation Barbara Akemi was ultimately the one to suffer the consequences of the tightening bubble. Her run had already marked the deepest EPT Main Event finish by a Brazilian woman, adding another milestone to a list of achievements that includes becoming the first Brazilian woman to win the Sunday Million and the first to hold both that title and a WSOP gold bracelet. However, a collision with the tournament chip leader left Akemi seeking comfort from her rail while the remaining players were gathered for a photo to mark the occasion.
From there, the objective was clear for the remaining players. With play set to conclude once the field reached six, just three more eliminations stood between them and an EPT Main Event final day.
With the final nine action in full swing, Van Eeden found himself involved in perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime moment, making a royal flush but, remarkably, upon the completion of the hand, he chose not to show it. With the hand ending without a showdown, Van Eeden opted to keep his remarkable holding to himself, leaving both his opponents and the rail none the wiser.
When asked afterwards why he chose not to show it, Van Eeden explained that he was still trying to work out whether he had made the right decision on the river.
“I was busy with my head still processing if I did the correct thing on the river because it’s a bit of a strange spot. Next time, if there’s a next time, I’ll show it.”
As play continued, none the wiser to the little bit of EPT history that had just been created, attention soon turned to the official final table bubble, which burst shortly after when Joris Ruijs fell in ninth. The result would have felt like Groundhog Day for Ruijs, who had been hoping to improve on his ninth-place finish at EPT Paris earlier this year, only to find himself in the same position once again.
Shortly after, Edward Pak brought the day to within one elimination of its conclusion when an ill-timed shove proved fatal, as he committed his short stack preflop straight into Criado's pocket aces.
With only six tickets available to the final day, and seven players remaining, something had to give. Much to the dismay of the large Spanish rail, it was one of the two remaining locals that fell short. Gerard Carbo, who had made no secret of his dream of winning an EPT Main Event, was forced to settle for seventh place, but still secured the deepest Main Event run of his career. His tournament came to an end after running top pair into pocket aces, leaving an emotional Carbo to step away from the main stage and take in the moment.
Each of the returning players has locked up a six-figure score, with a €278,950 payday guaranteed for making it into the top six. However, the players will all have their eyes firmly fixed on the €1,370,050 first-place prize that comes alongside the Golden Shard trophy and the prestige of being crowned an EPT Main Event Champion.
Main Event Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | €1,370,050 |
| 2 | €857,800 |
| 3 | €612,700 |
| 4 | €471,250 |
| 5 | €362,500 |
| 6 | €278,950 |
The surviving players will return tomorrow, Saturday, August 29, at 12:30 p.m. local time and battle it out until a champion is crowned. The action will resume with five hands remaining in Level 32, with blinds of 100,000/200,000 and a 200,000 big blind ante.
The PokerStars live stream will follow the action on a dynamic delay starting at two-and-a-half hours, (3 p.m.) and the PokerNews live reporting will adhere to the same delay to prevent spoilers.
Keep it locked in to PokerNews, as we bring all the action from the felt until an EPT Barcelona Main Event champion is crowned.
