button in SafariConor O'Driscoll Eyes Third PokerStars Trophy in a Month as Lulei Hu Leads Day 3 Qualifiers in 2026 PokerStars Open Namur Main Event
At the last European Poker Tour stop in Monte Carlo in May, Conor O'Driscoll had a trip to remember. The Irishman picked up not one, but two trophies, triumphing in the €1,100 NLH event, and the €2,100 Hyper Turbo, for almost €100,000.
Today, June 5, O'Driscoll will return to Circus Casino Resort aiming to make a run at a third PokerStars trophy in short order, as he returns for Day 3 of the 2026 PokerStars Open Namur Main Event on 141,000 and sitting 117th of 133 qualifiers, chasing chip leader Lulei Hu of Italy (1,050,000). Although he has some work to do to move to the top of the standings, few would count him out given his stellar form.
The tournament attracted a total of 1,572 entries by the time the gates closed, creating a huge €1,491,828 prize pool, well in excess of the €1 million guarantee, and the life-changing sum of €220,800 awaits the champion.
Hu leads from Isaac Kawa of Belgium (1,019,000) and Italian Dario Quattrucci (1,013,000), with Dutch dangerman Tobias Peters (761,000) lurking in the top ten.
Hu has racked up over $1.5 million in cashes over an eight-year career to move into the top 300 in the Global Poker Index world rankings, and finished third in the PokerStars Open Paris Main Event in February this year for €247,310.
Start of Day 3 Top Ten Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lulei Hu | Italy | 1,050,000 | 175 |
| 2 | Isaac Kawa | Belgium | 1,019,000 | 169 |
| 3 | Dario Quattrucci | Italy | 1,013,000 | 168 |
| 4 | Rachid Boussakraou | France | 1,005,000 | 167 |
| 5 | Francois Depasse | Belgium | 913,000 | 152 |
| 6 | Manuel Schnur | Germany | 890,000 | 148 |
| 7 | Tobias Peters | Netherlands | 761,000 | 126 |
| 8 | Mehidi Sahli | Belgium | 700,000 | 116 |
| 9 | Wuai-Cheng Tsang | France | 688,000 | 114 |
| 10 | Raimondo Marcello | Italy | 678,000 | 113 |
There are plenty of quality players still in the hunt for the title, after Peters' fellow bracelet winners Helmut Phung (170,000) and Manig Loeser (129,000), also an EPT champ, both found bags, while Wuai-Cheng Tsang has over $310,000 in recorded earnings and is also in the top ten.
Unfortunately no PokerStars ambassadors remain, as Felix Schneider and Julien Brecard both secured a cash, but failed to make the Day 3 cut.
The remaining prizes the players are competing for are as follows:-
2026 PokerStars Open Namur Main Event Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €220,800 | 18-20 | €8,430 | |
| 2 | €138,500 | 21-23 | €7,200 | |
| 3 | €100,300 | 24-27 | €6,200 | |
| 4 | €78,000 | 28-31 | €5,400 | |
| 5 | €60,000 | 32-39 | €4,600 | |
| 6 | €46,000 | 40-55 | €4,110 | |
| 7 | €36,000 | 56-71 | €3,720 | |
| 8 | €28,000 | 72-95 | €3,350 | |
| 9 | €21,558 | 96-119 | €3,000 | |
| 10-11 | €16,520 | 120-133 | €2,700 | |
| 12-13 | €13,900 | |||
| 14-15 | €11,700 | |||
| 16-17 | €9,930 | |||
The players will return at noon local time on June 5 to blinds of 3,000/6,000, with a 6,000 big blind ante, and 75-minute levels in play.
The scheduled plan at present is to play eight levels before the penultimate day on June 6, and PokerNews will be on the floor from cards in the air until the trophy is lifted, so stay tuned for all your coverage of the 2026 PokerStars Open Namur Main Event.
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