button in SafariMystery Bounty Winners Looking to Continue King's Million EPC Success in $3K High Roller
Only three days ago, French bracelet winner Axel Bayout did what every poker player dreams of; he pulled the biggest bounty in the 2026 King's Million European Poker Championship Mystery Bounty event, worth €150,000. He went on to make a deep run in the tournament, adding nearly €90,000 more to his earnings with a fourth-place finish and making him likely the winningest player of the series thus far.
Meanwhile, Vasilis Nikolas was crowned the Mystery Bounty champion, earning himself €123,850 and a King's Resort Royal Scepter. After a few rest days, both players hopped into Day 1 of the €3,000 EPC High Roller yesterday, and they both made it to Day 2.
Bayout and Nikolas are among 48 players returning at 3 p.m. local time today. Bayout secured a spot in the top ten chip counts by bagging 596,000, worth 75 big blinds when play resumes today, while Nikolas' 250,000 places him slightly under the average stack. With 92 entries recorded on Day 1, the €500,000 guaranteed prize pool contains a sizable overlay for now, but three levels of late registration remain, during which players can fire unlimited reentries.
The Spanish player who goes by JULIO is unlikely to fire another bullet, as he ended Day 1 as the chipleader with a massive stack of 1,494,000, nearly seven and a half starting stacks. Davit Mikhanashvili sits second in chips with 1,065,000, eyeing his second final table of the series, while Romanian grinder Florian Duta completes the podium with a stack of 836,000.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JULIO | Spain | 1,494,000 | 187 |
| 2 | Davit Mikhanashvili | Georgia | 1,065,000 | 133 |
| 3 | Florian Duta | Romania | 836,000 | 105 |
| 4 | William Olivotti | Germany | 817,000 | 102 |
| 5 | Genpro93 | Italy | 667,000 | 83 |
| 6 | Axel Bayout | France | 596,000 | 75 |
| 7 | Andre Winkler | Germany | 563,000 | 70 |
| 8 | MajikMike | Italy | 543,000 | 68 |
| 9 | Attila Koncz | Hungary | 516,000 | 65 |
| 10 | Alessandro Predaroli | Italy | 513,000 | 64 |
Some of Europe's top players entered the fray on Day 1, with bracelet winners Zdenek Zizka (428,000), Antoine Vranken (412,000), Antonello Ferraiuolo (343,000), and Tobias Peters (273,000) all looking to add a Royal Scepter to their prize cabinet. Other regulars who secured an appearance on Day 2 include Claudio Di Giacomo (436,000), Dinesh Alt (233,000), Paul Runcan (222,000), and David Hu (126,000).
The EPC High Roller will resume at Level 10, with blinds of 4,000/8,000 and an 8,000 big blind ante. All levels will be 45 minutes long, and late registration closes just before Level 13: 10,000/15,000 (15,000), giving players a final shot at victory with 13 big blinds. Day 2 is expected to be a marathon, as play will not conclude until a winner has been crowned, likely deep into the next morning.
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No matter how long it takes, PokerNews will be on the floor in Rozvadov, live reporting the High Roller from start to finish. Stay tuned to find out who will win the next Royal Scepter of the King's Million EPC.