Lazare Kalebashvili raised to 400,000 from under the gun and Sonny Franco called from the big blind.
The dealer fanned a flop of 6♦10♥Q♣ and after Franco checked, Kalebashvili bet 200,000. Franco check-raised all-in for 1,000,000 and Kalebashvili snap-called.
Sonny Franco: J♣10♠
Lazare Kalebashvili: A♣Q♠
Kalebashvili flopped the best pair. The 5♥3♦ runout didn't help Franco who was sent to the rail.
Jan Tichacek opened from middle position and Viacheslav Sultanov in the cutoff three-bet to 850,000. Tichacek called.
Sultanov continued for 550,000 on a flop of 4♠8♥9♣. Tichacek check-called. He checked again the 7♣ turn and saw Sultanov moving all-in for approximately 3,100,000. Tichacek called.
Viacheslav Sultanov: K♠K♦
Jan Tichacek: J♠10♠
Tichacek hit a straight on the turn to crack Sultanov's kings. The Q♣ river completed the board and Sultanov was eliminated.
On a board of 9♥6♥2♦8♦4♥ with roughly a million chips in the pot, Steven Jones in the small blind bet 875,000.
Rokas Asipauskas raised all-in with a bigger stack, and Jones went deep into the tank. "You want to talk about it? It would be a crazy bluff," he said.
After using several time banks, he eventually called off his last 2,650,000 with 9♣6♠ for two pair. Asipauskas revealed 7♥3♥ for a flush, and Jones immediately left the stage in 24th place.
While Antonio Guimaraens was doubling up, Thomas Eychenne opened to 325,00 from the cutoff. Peter Koevesdi in the small blind three-bet to 800,000. Eychenne moved all-in for 2,340,000 and was called.
Thomas Eychenne: A♣K♥
Peter Koevesdi: A♥Q♣
After a flop of 8♦3♠9♠, Eychenne hit top pair with the K♠2♥ runout to double up.
With 25 players remaining in the 2026 WSOP Europe Main Event, Day 5 inside King’s Casino at Hilton Prague is shaping up as a true battle of nations, with 17 countries still represented and a brand-new champion guaranteed to be crowned.
France and the United States lead the way numerically with three players each still in contention, while the United Kingdom, Finland, Switzerland, and Lithuania each have two runners remaining. The rest of the field spans Greece, Spain, Norway, Bulgaria, Germany, China, South Africa, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Japan, and Georgia, ensuring a truly global lineup chasing the €2 million top prize.
Hengtao Zhu
At the top of the counts, Finland holds the chip lead thanks to Hengtao Zhu, who returns with 16,395,000 chips after a dominant Day 4 performance. Close behind is the United Kingdom’s Brandon Sheils with 15,935,000, continuing a red-hot 2026 that has already seen him claim major titles on both the live and online felt.
Lithuania’s Rokas Asipauskas (12,100,000) also sits among the front-runners, while Japan’s Akihiro Konishi (9,490,000) and Greece’s Vasileios Panagiotidis (9,275,000) round out the biggest stacks heading into the penultimate day.
Start of Day 5 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
New Champion to be Crowned
With Annette Obrestad eliminated on Day 4, the last remaining former champion is now out of the field, guaranteeing that a new name will be added to the prestigious list of WSOP Europe Main Event winners.
Annette Oberstad
Obrestad, who famously captured the inaugural title in 2007, was also the final woman standing before her run came to an end in 34th place.
Historically, the WSOPE Main Event has seen winners from a wide mix of countries, including Norway, Indonesia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, Sweden, Austria, Italy, Germany, and the Czech Republic. However, several nations still represented in the final 25 are chasing a first-ever WSOPE Main Event victory.
France, Finland, Lithuania, Japan, China, South Africa, Georgia, Ukraine, Switzerland, and Bulgaria are all still searching for their first WSOPE Main Event winner
Josef Gulas Jr
There is also some local interest with just one Czech player remaining. Jan Tichacek carries the hopes of the home crowd and will be aiming to emulate Josef Gulas Jr, who kept the title on home soil when he won the event in 2021.
Remaining Payouts
All survivors have locked up at least €50,000, but the biggest money is now firmly in view.
Six-figure payouts begin at the final 11, while making the final nine guarantees at least €140,000. The stakes rise quickly from there, with the final five locking up €425,000 and a podium finish worth at least €800,000.
At the top awaits the €2,000,000 first-place prize, with life-changing money on the line as the race toward the final table heats up.
Place
Prize
1
€2,000,000
2
€1,200,000
3
€800,000
4
€575,000
5
€425,000
6
€320,000
7
€245,000
8
€185,000
9
€140,000
10–11
€100,000
12–15
€75,000
16–23
€60,000
24–25
€50,000
Cards will be back in the air at 12 p.m. local time, with play resuming on Level 29 at blinds of 80,000/160,000 with 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.
button in Safari
