button in Safari
The business end of the €250 EPC Mini Main Event has arrived at King’s Resort, with just 34 players remaining from the 433 who returned for Day 2.
The tournament is the first event on the 2026 King's Million European Poker Championship schedule, and there is still plenty to play for as the field returns to chase the €125,500 first-place prize. Everyone left has already secured at least €2,330, but the biggest chunks of the €1,000,000 prize pool remain untouched.
Germany holds the top two spots heading into the restart. Aggressiv007 bagged the chip lead with 8,975,000, narrowly ahead of fellow German Hauke9, who finished with 8,200,000. Binh Nguyen sits third with 7,750,000, with Viorel Gavrila (7,200,000) and Marcel B (6,800,000) not far behind.
Final Day Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aggressiv007 | Germany | 8,975,000 | 45 |
| 2 | Hauke9 | Germany | 8,200,000 | 41 |
| 3 | Binh Nguyen (VNM) | Vietnam | 7,750,000 | 39 |
| 4 | Viorel Gavrila | Romania | 7,200,000 | 36 |
| 5 | Marcel B | Switzerland | 6,800,000 | 34 |
| 6 | Hyun Cho (KOR) | Korea, Republic of | 6,175,000 | 31 |
| 7 | HUGO | Germany | 5,975,000 | 30 |
| 8 | Anonymized (AFG) | Afghanistan | 5,775,000 | 29 |
| 9 | Dragos Iosub | Ireland | 5,425,000 | 27 |
| 10 | Maximilian Kuntz | Germany | 5,050,000 | 25 |
Despite those big numbers, nobody has been able to build an overwhelming lead. Play resumes at 2 p.m. local time with blinds of 100,000/200,000, leaving Aggressiv007 with 45 big blinds and Hauke9 with 41. Nguyen starts with 39 big blinds, while Gavrila and Marcel B have 36 and 34 respectively.
That should leave little room for anyone to sit back, particularly further down the counts. Sascha5k has the toughest assignment with only 300,000, while Divino and Silver1964 return with six big blinds apiece. Peter Basner, Raffaele Terrazzano and Bogdan Tilica each have nine big blinds.
The payout jumps will also become increasingly important as the field shrinks. The next target is 27 players, where the payout increases to €3,050, before rising to €3,950 for 16th-20th and €5,175 for 12th-15th.
Making the final table guarantees €9,000, and the jumps become much steeper from there. Sixth place is worth €21,900, fifth €29,500 and fourth €39,500, while each of the final three will walk away with at least €54,000. The eventual runner-up collects €76,500, with €125,500 reserved for the champion.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | €125,500 |
| 2 | €76,500 |
| 3 | €54,000 |
| 4 | €39,500 |
| 5 | €29,500 |
| 6 | €21,900 |
| 7 | €16,300 |
| 8 | €12,100 |
| 9 | €9,000 |
| 10-11 | €6,725 |
| 12-15 | €5,175 |
| 16-20 | €3,950 |
| 21-27 | €3,050 |
| 28-34 | €2,330 |
With the average stack sitting at around 19 big blinds, several short stacks already under pressure and no runaway leader at the top, there should be plenty of movement early in Day 3 as the final 34 begin the push towards the final table.
As always, keep it locked in with PokerNews to see who becomes the festival's first champion.
Never Miss a Moment with MyPlayers on PokerNews
Stay closer than ever to the action with MyPlayers. This brand new, free feature on PokerNews puts your favorite poker players front and center. Whether you're keeping tabs on poker's biggest stars or following a friend grinding their way through a Day 2, MyPlayers delivers real-time updates tailored just for you.
No subscriptions, no paywalls, just the hands, chip counts, and bustouts that matter most. It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
From railbirds to backers, MyPlayers is the smarter way to stay connected to the game.
