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Event #5: €5,300 WSOPE Main Event NLHE European Championship
Day 4 Completed
2026 WSOP Europe
Event #5: €5,300 WSOPE Main Event NLHE European Championship
Day: 4
Event Info
2026 WSOP Europe
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 4
Buy-in
€5,300
Prize Pool
€13,085,000
Total Entries
2,617
Level
39
Blinds
800,000 / 1,600,000
Ante
1,600,000
Entries
85
Players Left
25
Players Left 1 / 2,617
Filter
Level 28
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Eighty-five returning players were reduced to 25 after Day 4 of the 2026 WSOP Europe Main Event inside King's Casino at Hilton Prague, as the series' marquee tournament moved one step closer to crowning its champion.
Leading the field heading into the penultimate day are Hengtao Zhu and Brandon Sheils, who bagged 16,395,000 and 15,935,000 respectively. They are the only players returning with stacks of 100 big blinds or following the six levels of action that unfolded on Wednesday.
WSOP bracelet winner and high roller Chris Hunichen, who also made it through with a top ten stack, called Zhu "too f****** good" at one stage during the day, but the Finnish player remains a largely unknown quantity in the live poker arena.
Zhu has modest live earnings of just $39,361 from 12 recorded cashes, according to The Hendon Mob. His biggest score stands at $24,915 from a €560 buy-in event, which is also the largest buy-in he has cashed on record. Now, he finds himself in the biggest spot of his tournament career, sitting in pole position for a major title and the €2,000,000 first-place prize.
Zhu's rise to the top began when he bested Johan Espholm's set of tens on a four-to-a-flush board. He extracted maximum value with the nuts, before later benefitting from a kings-versus-queens cooler against poker Triple Crown winner Roberto Romanello.
Sheils, however, offers a sharp contrast. The Brit has cashed for more than $250,000 already in 2026, with results dating back to 2013 and more than $3 million in total live earnings. He also arrived in Prague in strong form. In January, he booked a High Roller and Main Event double in London, before winning his first two SCOOP titles in March.
Other notables advancing to the next stage include bracelet winners Marius Kudzmanas (6,595,000) and Yuhan Wang (4,510,000), alongside 2023 WSOP Main Event runner-up Steven Jones (5,980,000).
Also still in contention are accomplished regulars Tom Hall (5,100,000), Sonny Franco (2,900,000), and Day 2 chip leader Thomas Eychenne (2,340,000).
End of Day 4 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hengtao Zhu | Finland | 16,395,000 | 102 |
| 2 | Brandon Sheils | United Kingdom | 15,935,000 | 100 |
| 3 | Rokas Asipauskas | Lithuania | 12,100,000 | 76 |
| 4 | Akihiro Konishi | Japan | 9,490,000 | 59 |
| 5 | Vasileios Panagiotidis | Greece | 9,275,000 | 58 |
| 6 | Peter Koevesdi | Germany | 8,085,000 | 51 |
| 7 | Marius Kudzmanas | Lithuania | 6,595,000 | 41 |
| 8 | Joona Nyholm | Finland | 6,405,000 | 40 |
| 9 | Chris Hunichen | United States | 6,310,000 | 39 |
| 10 | Steven Jones | United States | 5,980,000 | 37 |
Deep Runs End for Okamoto and Obrestad on Day 4
Two of the headline storylines going into Day 4 centered around Shiina Okamoto and Annette Obrestad, but both saw their deep runs come to painful ends.
Okamoto was eliminated late on Day 4 after being involved in a brutal cooler that saw her pocket aces crushed by quads.
The reigning back-to-back WSOP Ladies Championship winner couldn’t find a fold when Vasileios Panagiotidis flopped and turned a monster with quad jacks. Meanwhile, Obrestad’s fairytale return to the felt, 19 years on from her 2007 WSOPE Main Event success, ended when her deuces fell short against Sondre Stormyr.
Both players banked €40,000 for their deep runs, with GTO Wizard ambassador Okamoto eliminated in 37th place, while the youngest-ever WSOP bracelet winner Obrestad finished in 34th.
Remaining Payouts
Each remaining contender has secured at least €50,000, but the biggest paydays are now within reach.
Six-figure prizes begin at 11th place, while reaching the final table guarantees at least €140,000. The rewards climb sharply from there, with the final five locking up €425,000 and the top three all earning at least €800,000.
All eyes, however, remain on the €2,000,000 top prize that awaits the next WSOP Europe Main Event champion.
Plan for Day 5
Cards will be back in the air for Day 5 on Thursday, April 9, with play getting underway at 12 p.m. local time.
Action will resume on Level 29, with blinds at 80,000/160,000 and a 160,000 big blind ante. The plan for Day 5 is to play six 90-minute levels, or until the final table is reached ahead of Friday’s finale. A dinner break is scheduled after Level 32.
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews for full coverage from the 2026 WSOP Europe Main Event.
Level 28
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
16,395,000
395,000
|
395,000 |
|
||
|
15,935,000 | |
|
12,100,000
500,000
|
500,000 |
|
||
|
9,490,000
510,000
|
510,000 |
|
9,275,000
665,000
|
665,000 |
|
8,085,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
6,595,000
595,000
|
595,000 |
|
||
|
6,405,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
6,310,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
||
|
5,980,000
700,000
|
700,000 |
|
|
||
|
5,815,000
1,585,000
|
1,585,000 |
|
5,805,000 | |
|
5,670,000
630,000
|
630,000 |
|
5,655,000
1,245,000
|
1,245,000 |
|
5,350,000
340,000
|
340,000 |
|
5,100,000
1,350,000
|
1,350,000 |
|
|
||
|
4,900,000
230,000
|
230,000 |
|
4,510,000
510,000
|
510,000 |
|
|
||
|
3,865,000
165,000
|
165,000 |
|
3,020,000
880,000
|
880,000 |
|
2,900,000
1,100,000
|
1,100,000 |
|
2,640,000
3,190,000
|
3,190,000 |
|
2,340,000
2,360,000
|
2,360,000 |
|
||
|
1,525,000
1,275,000
|
1,275,000 |
|
1,240,000
485,000
|
485,000 |
Level 28
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
In the very last hand, action folded to the blinds. After losing a small pot to Brandon Sheils the hand before, Stefan Dimitrov was in the small blind and moved all in for around 1,350,000. Benjamin Chalot snap-called from the big blind, sending the hand to showdown.
Stefan Dimitrov: A♦6♥
Benjamin Chalot: K♦K♠
The board ran out 8♥5♣8♦8♣2♣, giving Dimitrov no help, and he was eliminated in the final hand of the night.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
15,935,000
1,735,000
|
1,735,000 |
|
|
5,805,000
2,305,000
|
2,305,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 28
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Hengtao Zhu opened under the gun with A♣3♣, getting calls from Joona Nyholm in the cutoff with J♦10♦ and Peter Koevesdi in the big blind with 9♦8♦.
The flop came K♠9♣2♦. Koevesdi checked, Zhu bet 240,000, Nyholm called, and Koevesdi folded.
The turn brought 7♥, and Zhu fired 1,500,000, prompting Nyholm to fold and giving Zhu the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
16,000,000
2,000,000
|
2,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
8,100,000 | |
|
|
6,400,000
1,375,000
|
1,375,000 |
Level 28
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
The clock has been paused, and the players are now playing the final four hands of the night.
Level 28
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Safwane Bahri opened under the gun with A♥J♠, shoving his 1,400,000 stack. Action folded to Chris Hunichen on the button, who held 5♦5♣ and called, sending the hand to showdown.
The board ran 9♣5♠K♦8♥K♠, giving Hunichen a set and ending Bahri’s tournament run.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,300,000
1,700,000
|
1,700,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 28
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Akihiro Konishi opened the hijack with A♣J♣, raising to 240,000, and Rokas Asipauskas called from the button with 7♥6♥.
The flop came K♥J♥8♠. Konishi bet 260,000, and Asipauskas called.
The turn brought 3♠, and both players checked.
On the 2♠ river, Konishi checked again, and Asipauskas fired 525,000. Konishi called, catching Asipauskas’ bluff.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,600,000
1,400,000
|
1,400,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
10,000,000
2,080,000
|
2,080,000 |
Level 28
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Rokas Asipauskas opened from early position with A♠7♣, getting a call from Michael McNicholas in the big blind holding A♣8♣.
The flop came 9♠10♥7♠, and both players checked.
On the 2♥ turn, McNicholas led with a 500,000 bet, and Asipauskas called.
The 9♥ completed the board, McNicholas checked, and Asipauskas checked back to take the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
13,000,000
1,950,000
|
1,950,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
3,900,000
1,005,000
|
1,005,000 |
Level 28
: Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante
Stefan Dimitrov opened from middle position to 240,000 and got two calls from Vasileios Panagiotidis in the cutoff and Thomas Eychenne in the big blind.
The flop came 2♥6♠2♠, and Eychenne checked. Dimitrov continued for 300,000, leaving only Panagiotidis in the hand to see the J♠ turn. Both players checked.
When the 2♣ hit the river, Dimitrov fired 500,000 more, trying to push Panagiotidis off the pot. But Panagiotidis called again, showing 4♣4♠ for a full house, while Dimitrov’s 9♥8♥ bluff fell short.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
9,940,000
2,540,000
|
2,540,000 |
|
|
4,700,000
1,020,000
|
1,020,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,970,000
1,045,000
|
1,045,000 |
