Event #5: €5,300 WSOPE Main Event NLHE European Championship Day 4 | 2026 WSOP Europe

04-08-2026 19:01 UTC+2

Hunichen Scores a Big Double-Up

Sava Krink

Level 26 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Hengtao Zhu kicked things off from middle position with a raise to 160,000. Chris Hunichen three-bet to 450,000 in the hijack. Action folded to Marc Delimal on the button, who four-bet to 1,115,000. Zhu folded quickly, but Hunichen shoved all in for 3,105,000. Delimal called after the dealer confirmed the stack, sending the hand to showdown.

Chris Hunichen: A♠A♥ All in
Marc Delimal: Q♣Q♠

Hunichen held strong with his pair of aces, and the board ran out 3♠5♦8♦9♦K♦ with nothing Delimal. Hunichen doubled up in a big way, giving him a solid boost for the rest of the tournament.

Player	Chips	Progress
Hengtao Zhu	12,145,000 1,855,000	1,855,000

Chris Hunichen	6,570,000 3,465,000	3,465,000

Marc Delimal	1,400,000 1,000,000	1,000,000

Tags: Chris Hunichen Hengtao Zhu Marc Delimal

04-08-2026 18:57 UTC+2

Di Lauro Doubles Twice in a Row

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Sava Krink

Level 26 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

In the first hand, Michele Di Lauro was all in from early position with just 35,000 left. Nikolay Bibov raised to 180,000 from the hijack, and with no other callers, the two went to showdown.

Michele Di Lauro: A♥10♠ All in
Nikolay Bibov: K♠10♣

Di Lauro’s hand held on the 3♠6♣J♠6♥Q♠ board, giving him a double-up.

In the very next hand, Di Lauro was under the gun and shoved his 180,000 into the middle. Action folded to Chris Hunichen on the button, who raised to 360,000. Once again, no one else joined, and it went to showdown.

Michele Di Lauro: 4♣4♦ All in
Chris Hunichen: A♦5♦

Di Lauro held again, this time on a 3♥6♠K♣2♦J♠ board, doubling up for the second hand in a row and building his stack back up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Nikolay Bibov	3,300,000 2,975,000	2,975,000
Chris Hunichen	3,105,000 300,000	300,000

Michele Di Lauro	560,000 380,000	380,000

Tags: Chris Hunichen Michele Di Lauro Nikolay Bibov

04-08-2026 18:35 UTC+2

Bahri Gets There to Double Up

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Sava Krink

Level 26 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Michele Di Lauro opened from the cutoff with a raise to 160,000. Safwane Bahri on the button three-bet to 800,000, leaving himself just 25,000 behind, and Di Lauro made the call.

The flop came Q♥9♣8♣. Di Lauro checked, and Bahri moved all in for his last 25,000, with Di Lauro making a quick call.

Safwane Bahri: 5♦5♣ All in
Michele Di Lauro: J♦J♥

Despite being behind, Bahri found what he needed as the turn and river came 10♣7♣, giving him a flush. With no clubs for Di Lauro, Bahri secured the double-up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michele Di Lauro	2,100,000 1,040,000	1,040,000
Safwane Bahri	1,850,000 635,000	635,000

Tags: Di Lauro Michele Di Lauro Safwane Bahri

04-08-2026 18:28 UTC+2

If Anyone Can, Can Can

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Calum Grant

Level 26 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Adem Can was all in for his last big blind holding Ax6x and at risk against 4x2x. He managed to hold, rivering a pair of aces to secure the double up.

A couple of hands later, Alain Medesan opened to 225,000 from under the gun. Can jammed for 330,000 from the next seat over. It folded back to Medesan, who called.

Alain Medesan: A♣Q♦
Adem Can: 10♠9♠

Can missed the K♠K♦8♣ flop, but picked up four outs on the 6♦ turn. The 9♦ river paired him up, and he has spun one big blind into 11.

Player	Chips	Progress
Alain Medesan	1,400,000 400,000	400,000
Adem Can	860,000 455,000	455,000

Tags: Adem Can Alain Medesan

04-08-2026 17:45 UTC+2

Romanello Runs Queens into Kings

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Calum Grant

Level 26 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

On one of the first hands back from break, chip leader Hengtao Zhu opened to 160,000 from under the gun. Roberto Romanello then three-bet to 560,000 from the cutoff. Zhu responded by making it 1,200,000 and snap-called when Romanello jammed for around 3,000,000.

Roberto Romanello: Q♥Q♠ All in
Hengtao Zhu: K♠K♥

Romanello was crushed by the better pair, and the triple crown winner bowed out after failing to improve on the 10♣9♥6♥8♦9♠ runout.

Player	Chips	Progress
Hengtao Zhu	14,000,000 3,150,000	3,150,000

Roberto Romanello	Busted

Tags: Hengtao Zhu Roberto Romanello

04-08-2026 17:15 UTC+2

Heidel's Had Enough

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Calum Grant

Level 25 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Oliver Heidel raised from early position before Akihiro Konishi jammed as the big stack from the big blind. Heidel had around 1,220,000 and snap-called.

Oliver Heidel: 4♥4♣ All in
Akihiro Konishi: A♠J♥

Konishi paired up on the A♥6♠2♦ flop to take the lead, and secured the bust out after the 7♠ turn and 5♣ river.

Heidel departed from the table, with several players surprised at the hand he had decided to go with.

Steven Jones asked Konishi if the two had any history, but Konishi said they did not. The players also complimented Heidel's demeanor throughout the day, though some speculated it looked like he may have simply had enough.

Player	Chips	Progress
Akihiro Konishi	7,000,000 700,000	700,000
Oliver Heidel	Busted

Tags: Akihiro Konishi Oliver Heidel Steven Jones

04-08-2026 17:11 UTC+2

Medesan Pushes Wang Out of the Pot

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Sava Krink

Level 25 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

The board ran Q♠7♣K♥A♠ with about 750,000 in the pot and three players still in.

Yuhan Wang checked first from middle position, then Alain Medesan bet 140,000 from the hijack. Adem Can in the cutoff called, and action returned to Wang, who raised to 525,000. Medesan took a moment before shoving all in for 1,090,000. Can folded, leaving Wang to decide.

"You are fighting with the dragon," Medesan said.

After burning a few time bank cards, Wang let it go, showing A♥. Medesan shouted, "I have a set, a set of sevens," flashing his 7♠.

Player	Chips	Progress
Alain Medesan	2,502,000 1,177,000	1,177,000
Yuhan Wang	2,275,000 2,725,000	2,725,000

Adem Can	955,000 190,000	190,000

Tags: Adem Can Alain Medesan Yuhan Wang

04-08-2026 16:57 UTC+2

Jones Puts on His Hero-Calling Cape; Heidel Jams

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Calum Grant

Level 25 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

There was around 420,000 in the pot on the K♦J♦8♠ flop, with the camera crew surrounding the table.

Yassine Adib was in the small blind, and had his 665,000 stack out in front of him, accompanied by the all-in triangle. He had check-jammed on Steven Jones, who was in early position. Jones had a bet of 125,000 in front of him.

"You got a nice hand? asked Jones. "What should I do?"

"I want to double-up," Adib replied, as the two engaged in more chatter.

Jones had around 2,500,000 behind, and decided to wager a portion of that and call.

Yassine Adib: K♣Q♥ All in
Steven Jones: Q♣J♥

Jones found himself way behind and dominated. The 7♦ turn and 6♣ river offered no help to the 2023 WSOP Main Event runner-up and Adib got his wish.

A couple of hands later, Michael McNicholas opened to 120,000 from middle position and was called by Lazare Kalebashvili from the button. Oliver Heidel shoved for 860,000 from the small blind and received two quick folds.

Player	Chips	Progress
Steven Jones	1,900,000 1,270,000	1,270,000

Yassine Adib	1,800,000 370,000	370,000
Oliver Heidel	1,220,000 320,000	320,000

Tags: Steven Jones Yassine Adib

04-08-2026 16:55 UTC+2

Sheils Pulls a Big River Play Against Zhu

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Sava Krink

Level 25 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

The pot was around 400,000 when the flop came J♥Q♥2♦. Brandon Sheils, first to act from middle position, checked to Hengtao Zhu in the cutoff, who fired 100,000. Sheils called.

Both players checked the A♣ turn.

On the A♠ river, Sheils led with a 75,000 bet, only to see Zhu raise to 800,000. Sheils didn’t back down and pushed it to 2,750,000, forcing Zhu to fold.

Sheils flashed Q♠J♠ as he scooped the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Hengtao Zhu	11,600,000 1,100,000	1,100,000

Brandon Sheils	5,100,000 1,995,000	1,995,000

Tags: Brandon Sheils Hengtao Zhu

04-08-2026 16:38 UTC+2

New Chip Leader: Zhu Wins the Battle Against Espholm

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Calum Grant

Level 25 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

After playing a decent-sized pot moments earlier, where Hengtao Zhu forced Johan Espholm to fold on the river, the pair were once again battling for each other's chips.

Espholm raised from the hijack and called when Zhu made it 420,000 from the cutoff.

Espholm check-called bets of 300,000 and 1,000,000 on the flop and turn, with the final board reading 10♣2♥A♥7♥5♥.

Espholm, with around 1,800,000 behind, checked. Zhu thought for a few moments, sending the dealer a time bank before moving all-in as the bigger stack.

Espholm slapped the table with chips in hand, audibly sighing at the situation. He tossed in a time bank while Zhu looked downward, pinching the hood of his jumper so it covered the right side of his face. If Zhu wanted to look frightened, he was doing a good job of it.

In the end, Espholm put in his T-100,000 chips to call.

Zhu tabled K♥Q♠, which went runner-runner to make the nut flush. Espholm looked gutted as he turned over 10♦10♠ for a set of tens that was no good before leaving the table.

Player	Chips	Progress
Hengtao Zhu	12,700,000 4,000,000	4,000,000

Johan Espholm	Busted

Tags: Hengtao Zhu Johan Espholm