Koen de Visscher and Samy Barka Among Eight WSOPC Middelkerke Finalists
From a field of 259 entries, one player will walk tonight away with €75,000, a World Series of Poker Circuit ring, and a $5,000 package for the next WSOP Paradise. But who will it be?
The answer will be revealed today as the €1,500 Main Event at Casino Middelkerke reaches its final table. Only eight players remain in contention, including some of Belgium's most renowned players. Leading the local contingent is Koen De Visscher, who will start the final table second in chips with 2,115,000.
Fresh off a tournament victory in the south of France just last week, he also won the PokerStars Open Namur Main Event earlier this year. These titles, along with many other achievements throughout his career, make him one of the favorites, although he still has a long way to go to catch chip leader Iurii Senchylo, who leads the field with 4,190,000.
2026 WSOPC Middelkerke Main Event final table
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samy Barka | France | 1,110,000 | 37 |
| 2 | Iurii Senchylo | Ukraine | 4,190,000 | 140 |
| 3 | Wladimir Stepanian | Netherlands | 680,000 | 23 |
| 4 | Lorenzo Van Der Velde | Netherlands | 2,010,000 | 67 |
| 5 | Genzo Vlaemynck | Belgium | 420,000 | 14 |
| 6 | Koen De Visscher | Belgium | 2,115,000 | 71 |
| 7 | Daan Vandewalle | Belgium | 1,210,000 | 40 |
| 8 | Artsiom Batsian | Belarus | 1,220,000 | 41 |
Just like De Visscher, Lorenzo van der Velde will return with 2,010,000. Meanwhile, Samy Barka shares another similarity with De Visscher, having been crowned Belgian Poker Challenge champion back in 2022. Four years later, he has a chance to add another prestigious title to his résumé, starting today's final table with 1,110,000. He is part of a group of players sitting around the average stack, which also includes Artsiom Batsian (1,220,000) and Daan Vandewalle (1,210,000).
At the bottom of the chip counts, Wladimir Stepanian returns with 680,000, while Genzo Vlaemynck, who started Day 2 as the chip leader, finds himself at the opposite end of the counts on Day 3, with the shortest stack of just 420,000.
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The final table starts at 1 p.m. local time time this Sunday, November 15 with a few minutes remaining in Level 21, featuring blinds of 15,000/30,000 and a 30,000 big blind ante.
The nine finalists have already secured €6,600 and all the action will be to follow on stream with a 30-minute delay.
Remaining payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | €75,000 |
| 2 | €48,521 |
| 3 | €31,900 |
| 4 | €21,350 |
| 5 | €14,750 |
| 6 | €10,700 |
| 7 | €8,200 |
| 8 | €6,600 |
Stay tuned to PokerNews as our live reporting team follows all the action until a winner is crowned!