EPT Barcelona 2026: Ferrari Leads Final Six, Chouity Eyes Historic Second Title

The penultimate day of the €5,300 Main Event at EPT Barcelona 2026 has set the stage for a thrilling finale, with six players remaining at Casino Barcelona. Italy's Manuel Ferrari leads the pack, closely followed by local hope Jose Criado. The champion will take home a top prize of €1,370,050.

Record-Breaking Turnout

This year's Main Event attracted a massive 1,823 entries, generating a total prize pool of €8,841,550. The final 13 players entered Day 6, all chasing the winner's prize. Early eliminations included Finland's Toni Kaukua and Ukraine's Vasyl Pidhrusnyi, thinning the field quickly.

Bubble and Notable Exits

Matas Cimbolas exited in 11th place, setting the official final table bubble. The unfortunate bubble girl was Brazil's Barbara Akemi, who finished 10th for €97,700. Despite the painful elimination, she made history by achieving the deepest run by a Brazilian woman in an EPT Main Event.

Three notable names followed Akemi out the door. Dutch phenomenon Joris Ruijs repeated his 9th-place finish from EPT Paris in February, earning €126,950. South Korea's Edward Pak took 8th (€165,050), and home favorite Gerard Carbo had a heartbreaking exit in 7th (€214,600) after running into the aces of Xiaosheng Zheng.

The Final Six

The final six offer a fascinating mix of stories. At the top sits Italy's Manuel Ferrari, carrying 16,100,000 chips into the finale. Ferrari has been on a remarkable run, leading both the start and finish of Day 6. Already boasting two PokerStars Open trophies from Malaga and Campione, this marks his biggest achievement yet.

Close on his heels is local favorite Jose Criado with a stack of 15,775,000. The professional football tipster enjoys massive audience support, aiming to become the first Spanish EPT Barcelona champion in history. During Day 6, Criado thrice picked up pocket 4s in quick succession. First, he hit quads, then completed a full house on the river, and finally executed a successful bluff with the same hand.

Chinese player Xiaosheng Zheng also holds a comfortable eight-figure stack, solidified by eliminating Gerard Carbo at the day's end.

The lineup is rounded out by the most legendary player and only former champion at the table, Lebanon's Nicolas Chouity. Entering the final day as a clear shortstack with 1,975,000 chips, his experience remains invaluable. Chouity clinched the Main Event title at EPT Monte Carlo in 2010 for €1.7 million. If he manages a final day comeback, he'll join an elite group of just five players with two EPT Main Event titles.

Current Standings after Day 6

Sources: PS Live, Flickr