EPT Barcelona 2026: Complete Festival Recap, Winners and All SpadePoker Coverage

EPT Barcelona 2026: Complete Festival Recap, Winners and All SpadePoker Coverage

Two weeks of poker at Casino Barcelona produced enormous fields, seven-figure prizes, breakthrough champions and several players who collected more than one trophy. From Jason Wheeler conquering a 4,333-entry PokerStars Open Main Event to Manuel Ferrari completing his run through the €5,300 EPT Main Event, EPT Barcelona 2026 once again delivered one of the biggest festivals on the European poker calendar.

The 26th edition of the legendary Barcelona stop ran from August 16 to 29 and featured close to 80 tournaments. The schedule combined the accessible PokerStars Open series with prestigious EPT events, high rollers and mixed-game tournaments, giving both recreational players and some of the biggest names in poker a chance to compete for the iconic Spade trophies.

The headline numbers confirmed Barcelona's enduring appeal. The €1,650 PokerStars Open Main Event attracted 4,333 entries and created a prize pool of €6,239,520, while the €5,300 EPT Main Event recorded 1,823 entries and awarded €8,841,550. The final €10,300 EPT High Roller added another 429 entries and €4,161,300 to the festival totals.

Ferrari Completes a Three-Day Charge to the Main Event Title

The biggest title of the festival went to Italy's Manuel Ferrari. He took control of the Main Event during its decisive stages, entered the final day as the chip leader and survived a final table containing former EPT champion Nicolas Chouity and local hope Jose Criado. With three players remaining, Ferrari, Criado and Lukas van Eeden agreed to an ICM deal that left €100,245 and the trophy in play. Ferrari then eliminated Criado before defeating Van Eeden in heads-up. His A-Q held against K-6 in the final hand, giving him two pair and the most prestigious victory of his career. Ferrari collected €1,002,488, while Van Eeden and Criado also secured more than €900,000 each through the deal.

Fuchs Claims the Festival's Largest Individual Payout

Although the Main Event carried the greatest prestige, the largest single payout went to Tom Fuchs. The German defeated Kayhan Mokri in the heads-up of the €100,000 EPT Super High Roller, taking home €1,126,540 from a 27-entry field. The tournament finished one day earlier than originally scheduled after the remaining contenders played through an extended second day.

Jason Wheeler also produced one of the defining performances of the series. The American navigated the colossal PokerStars Open Main Event and defeated Alexander Ivarsson to earn €731,000 and the seventh EPT trophy of his career. The result became Wheeler's largest live tournament score at the time.

Kovalski, Roiter and Dwan Leave with Multiple Trophies

Fabiano Kovalski enjoyed arguably the most successful overall festival. The Brazilian won the €3,250 EPT Mystery Bounty for €385,430, including bounties, before closing the series by defeating the 429-entry €10,300 EPT High Roller. A heads-up deal with Igor Picone secured Kovalski another €727,280, taking his combined winnings from the two victories beyond €1.1 million.

Klemens Roiter and Jamie Dwan also became multiple champions. Roiter won an early €25,000 NL Hold'em High Roller and added the €10,200 6-Handed title on the final day. Dwan first captured an exclusive €25,000 High Roller before winning the fast-paced €1,050 Last Chance Super Hyper Turbo.

Ottomar Ladva's route to a trophy was one of the most persistent stories of the festival. The Estonian finished runner-up in consecutive €20,000 and €25,000 High Rollers before reaching a third heads-up. This time he defeated Niklas Astedt in the €50,000 Super High Roller Second Chance, claiming the title and €437,600 after a deal.

Biggest Winners of EPT Barcelona 2026

*After deal **Includes bounties

A New Tournament Format Makes Its Debut

Barcelona was not only about record fields and established stars. The festival introduced the experimental "In the Money at 180,000" format, which replaced the traditional bubble with a stack-building target. Players started with 30,000 chips and immediately secured a place in Day 2 and a payout after reaching 180,000. The first €550 edition proved so popular that registration had to be stopped after the field exceeded the original expectations. The concept encouraged aggressive play and removed the long period of hand-for-hand tension associated with a conventional money bubble, making it one of the most discussed innovations of the festival.

Complete SpadePoker Coverage of EPT Barcelona 2026

SpadePoker followed the action from the festival preview and opening photographs through the PokerStars Open, the high rollers and every decisive stage of the EPT Main Event. Below you can revisit our complete coverage in chronological order.

• EPT Barcelona 2026 Preview: A Legendary Stop Prepares for a Poker Revolution – The complete introduction to the 26th EPT Barcelona, including the history of the iconic stop, the festival's key tournaments and the debut of the "In the Money at 180,000" format.
• PHOTO: The 26th EPT Barcelona Gets Underway at Casino Barcelona – Our opening-day gallery captured the return of international poker to Barcelona as the first PokerStars Open Main Event flights launched the two-week festival.
• Antoine Vranken Rules the Seniors Event as the First Champions Are Crowned – Dutch veteran Antoine Vranken defeated a 280-entry field in the €1,100 Seniors Event, while four more players collected trophies during the opening stage of the festival.
• Revolutionary "No Bubble" Tournament Exceeds All Expectations – The first "In the Money at 180,000" event became an immediate success. Instead of surviving a traditional bubble, players had to build their starting stack from 30,000 to 180,000 to advance and secure a payout.
• Massive PokerStars Open Main Event Led by Maor Zaharagi – Eight starting flights produced 4,333 entries and a prize pool of €6,239,520. Maor Zaharagi led 648 qualifiers into Day 2, while Klemens Roiter captured an early €25,000 High Roller title.
• Han Feng Takes Control as Gerard Piqué Falls on the High Roller Bubble – WSOP Main Event finalist Han Feng moved to the top of the PokerStars Open Main Event with only 80 players remaining, while former football star Gerard Piqué narrowly missed a payout in the €30,000 Super High Roller.
• Mavritsakis Wins the PSO Cup as Fuchs Leads the 100,000 Super High Roller – The PokerStars Open Cup found its champion, while Tom Fuchs emerged as the only player above one million chips after the opening day of the festival's most expensive tournament.
• Tom Fuchs Defeats Kayhan Mokri to Win the 100,000 Super High Roller – Fuchs converted his chip lead into the biggest payday of the festival. He defeated Mokri in heads-up and collected €1,126,540 after the 27-entry tournament concluded during Day 2.
• Jason Wheeler Conquers the PokerStars Open Main Event – Wheeler defeated Alexander Ivarsson to win €731,000 from the gigantic 4,333-entry field. At the same time, the first starting flight of the €5,300 EPT Main Event got underway.
• Ottomar Ladva and Samuli Sipila Dominate the High Rollers – Ladva finally converted his third heads-up appearance of the festival into victory in the €50,000 Super High Roller Second Chance. Sipila overturned a five-to-one heads-up deficit to win the €25,000 PLO High Roller.
• EPT Main Event Builds an 8,841,550 Prize Pool – Late registration took the Main Event to 1,823 entries, leaving 205 players in contention after Day 2. Grzegorz Kozieja led the field, with a potential top prize of €1,370,050 awaiting the champion before any final-table deal.
• Scott Margereson and Manuel Stojanovic Headline Six New Champions – Margereson won the 844-entry EPT Second Chance for €361,060, while Stojanovic conquered the €15,000 PLO High Roller. Jamie Dwan, Max Herulf and two Spanish winners also lifted trophies.
• John Juanda Continues His Pursuit of a Second EPT Main Event Title – Only 28 players remained after Day 4, with former champions John Juanda and Sebastian Malec still chasing another title. Online qualifier Jose Criado ended the day as the chip leader.
• Manuel Ferrari Takes the Lead as Juanda Falls Short of the Finale – Ferrari shifted into top gear during Day 5 and became the only player above ten million chips. Juanda and Malec saw their bids for another EPT crown end as the field narrowed to 13 contenders.
• Ferrari Leads the Final Six as Nicolas Chouity Chases History – The final table was set with Ferrari in front, Jose Criado representing the home crowd and 2010 EPT Monte Carlo champion Nicolas Chouity seeking a rare second Main Event title.
• Alexandre Reard Leads the Final High Roller as Alexandridis Wins Mystery Bounty – The €10,300 EPT High Roller attracted 429 entries and generated €4,161,300. Reard led the final 22 players, while Symeon Alexandridis and two female champions celebrated side-event victories.
• Manuel Ferrari Wins the EPT Barcelona Main Event for 1,002,488 – The Italian completed his dominant run after a three-way deal. Ferrari eliminated Jose Criado in third place and defeated Lukas van Eeden in heads-up to claim the Golden Shard trophy.
• Kovalski, Roiter and Dwan Close the Festival with More Titles – Fabiano Kovalski won the season-ending €10,300 EPT High Roller to complete a two-title festival worth more than €1.1 million. Klemens Roiter and Jamie Dwan also added their second victories of the Barcelona series.

Barcelona Once Again Delivers on the Biggest Stage

EPT Barcelona 2026 combined everything that has made the stop a fixture of the European poker calendar: enormous international fields, elite high-stakes competition, accessible tournaments and stories that developed across the entire festival. Ferrari left Casino Barcelona with the Golden Shard, Fuchs secured the biggest individual payout and Kovalski emerged as the leading multiple champion. Wheeler's victory in a field of more than 4,000 entries underlined the scale of the PokerStars Open, while the successful "In the Money at 180,000" experiment gave players a glimpse at how future tournament formats may evolve.

Sources: PSlive, Flickr/PSlive