Picking up the action on a Q♣2♣K♥10♠ turn, Sebastian Martinez checked from the small blind to Jordan Westmorland in the hijack. Westmorland fired a bet of 5,500 into a pot of 6,000, which Martinez quickly called.
The 4♦ river saw Westmorland size up to 9,000 after another check from Martinez. Martinez needed some time before he concluded his hand was no good and sent it into the muck.
A blind-on-blind battle between Robin Gerard and Pierre Merlin had reached the Q♦5♥2♥2♦4♣ river. Gerard checked it over to Merlin, who bet 4,100 into a pot of 5,500.
Gerard then raised to 12,000. Merlin faced a difficult decision, but he let go of his cards after spending some minutes in thought.
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After a one-year hiatus, the PokerStars European Poker Tour has returned to Paris. The EPT has been welcomed back to Le Palais des Congrès with open arms, once again drawing massive crowds to the French capital. Today, at noon local time, the first €5,300 EPT Main Event of the 2026 season kicks off with Day 1a, the first of two starting days.
When the EPT last attended Paris in 2024, Barny Boatman cemented his legendary status with his first-ever victory in an EPT Main Event. He outlasted a field of 1,747 entries and bested a star-studded final table to take home the trophy and the gargantuan sum of €1,287,800.
2024 EPT Paris Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize (EUR)
1
Barny Boatman
United Kingdom
€1,287,800
2
David Kaufmann
Germany
€804,750
3
Aleksejs Ponakovs
Latvia
€574,850
4
Owen Dodd
United Kingdom
€442,150
5
Peter Jorgne
Sweden
€340,100
6
Eric Afriat
Canada
€261,650
7
Ami Barer
Canada
€201,250
8
Lorenzo Arduini
Italy
€154,800
Barny Boatman
Day 1a Plans
The classic formula of the EPT Main Event returns for EPT Paris, meaning a starting stack of 30,000 and blinds starting at 100/100 with a 100 big blind ante. Day 1a will play ten levels, each 60 minutes long. A small break is scheduled after every two levels, and a 65-minute dinner break is scheduled after Level 6, around 6:40 p.m. local time.
The day will conclude after Level 10: 600/1,200 (1,200), after which the survivors bag up for Day 2. Each player is allowed two entries in total across Day 1a, Day 1b, and Day 2, with the start of Day 2 marking the end of late registration.
Day 1a Schedule
Level
Duration
Small Blind
Big Blind
Big Blind Ante
1
60 min
100
100
100
2
60 min
100
200
200
20 min break
3
60 min
100
300
300
4
60 min
200
400
400
20 min break
5
60 min
200
500
500
6
60 min
300
600
600
65 min dinner break
7
60 min
400
800
800
8
60 min
500
1,000
1,000
20 min break
9
60 min
600
1,200
1,200
10
60 min
600
1,200
1,200
The PokerNews live reporting team has made their way back to Paris as well to provide live coverage of the EPT Paris Main Event from start to finish. Stay tuned for all the latest updates, straight from the tournament floor.
