Last Updated on August 25, 2026 by Bala Kumar
Casino Barcelona is running at full tilt right now, and if you’ve been checking tournament updates over the last 24 hours, you already know why. The PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona 2026 Main Event has crashed through the money bubble, and with only 205 players still holding chips, the €5,300 buy-in event is entering the stretch where fortunes get made in a single hand. Here’s exactly where things stand, who’s leading, and what to watch as Day 3 gets underway.
The Numbers So Far
Let’s start with the scale of this thing, because it’s genuinely one of the biggest fields in the tournament’s 21-year history. The €5,300 Main Event drew 1,823 total entrants, generating a prize pool of €8,841,550. First place is currently set at €1,370,050, which is the number that’s been pulling in poker fans checking the live stream every hour on the hour.
Day 2 saw 535 survivors from the earlier starting flights return to the felt, joined by 139 fresh Day 2 late registrants. What followed, by most accounts from the floor, was carnage. The field bled down fast once hand-for-hand play began near the money bubble, and once that bubble finally burst, Morocco’s Mohamed Zazri was the unlucky bubble boy, his pocket pair run down on the river, the eliminations only sped up from there. By the end of the night, the field had been cut down to the 205 players who’ll return for Day 3.
Who’s Leading the EPT Barcelona 2026 Main Event
The chip counts flipped dramatically over the course of Day 2. Ireland’s Michael Dwyer started the day with the overall chip lead, with the UK’s Mark Teltscher — the 2005 EPT London Main Event champion — close behind, and India’s Bharath Janardhan rounding out the early top three. None of them are leading anymore.
Poland’s Grzegorz Kozieja now sits atop the counts as the only player to cross the seven-figure chip mark, trailed closely by France’s Sarah Jarry and her countryman Gabin Yves Henrion. Here’s the current top 10 heading into Day 3:
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
| 1 | Grzegorz Kozieja | Poland | 1,040,000 |
| 2 | Sarah Jarry | France | 926,000 |
| 3 | Gabin Yves Henrion | France | 805,000 |
| 4 | Josep Ruiz Mercade | Spain | 673,000 |
| 5 | Miroslav Rizov | Bulgaria | 645,000 |
| 6 | Pasi Laihinen | Finland | 641,000 |
| 7 | Jonas Cate | Netherlands | 637,000 |
| 8 | Raffael Pereira | Brazil | 627,000 |
| 9 | Vinicius Goncalves | Brazil | 602,000 |
| 10 | Duncan Cameron | Australia | 599,000 |
It’s worth noting how spread out the top of the counts actually is — nine different countries occupy the top 10 spots, which fits Barcelona’s long-standing reputation as the most international stop on the entire European Poker Tour. Last year’s edition alone drew entrants from 88 different countries.
Notable Names Still In It
A handful of recognizable names are still alive heading into Day 3, even if they’ve drifted from the top of the counts. Mark Teltscher, despite losing his overnight lead, is still in a solid position with 502,000 chips, sitting 26th in the field. Brock Wilson, who’s had a run of deep finishes across the PokerStars Open and WSOP Main Events this year, is sitting on 415,000 in 43rd. Argentina’s Jose Ignacio “Nacho” Barbero isn’t far behind with 404,000 in 48th.
2024 EPT Paris champion and former PokerStars Ambassador Barny Boatman is also still alive with 206,000 chips, while Scotland’s Dean Hutchison holds 175,000. On the short-stack end of the spectrum, Nick Palma will need an early double-up on Day 3 with just 48,000 chips behind him.
Why This Matters: Barcelona’s Track Record
If you’re wondering whether €1.3 million is a normal top prize for this stop, the short answer is yes — and it’s been trending upward. Barcelona has quietly become the crown jewel of the EPT calendar. Last year’s 2025 Main Event drew 2,045 entries for a €9,918,250 prize pool, with France’s Thomas Eychenne taking home €1,217,175 after defeating Romania’s Stefan-Sebastian Ionita heads-up. The year before that, Germany’s Leon Sturm won €1.4 million from a field that generated over €10 million — one of the three largest Main Events in EPT history at the time.
Barcelona has held this spot on the calendar since the very first EPT season in 2004, when Alexander Stevic won the inaugural €1,000 buy-in event for €80,000 in front of a field of 229 players. The buy-in and the prize pools have grown by roughly 100x since then, but the city has remained the tour’s most consistent and most attended stop for over two decades.
What Happens Next
Day 3 picks up with those 205 remaining players fighting toward the unofficial final table, which typically forms once the field narrows to around 24-27 players in an EPT Main Event of this size. Given the pace of Day 2’s eliminations, expect another significant cut before the day is out. PokerOrg’s live Pick 3 fantasy tracker and PokerStars’ own YouTube channel are both carrying live coverage as the story develops — worth bookmarking if you’re following along in real time rather than waiting for the next recap.
Chip counts, prize pool figures, and player standings reflect official tournament reporting as of August 25, 2026. Numbers will change as Day 3 play progresses — always check live tournament reporting for the most current standings.
FAQs
1. How many players remain in the EPT Barcelona 2026 Main Event?
There are 205 players remaining heading into Day 3 of the €5,300 EPT Barcelona 2026 Main Event.
2.. What is the first-place prize at EPT Barcelona 2026?
The winner of the EPT Barcelona 2026 Main Event is set to receive €1,370,050 from the €8,841,550 prize pool.
3. Who is leading the EPT Barcelona 2026 Main Event?
Poland’s Grzegorz Kozieja leads the field with 1,040,000 chips, followed by France’s Sarah Jarry with 926,000.
4. How many entries did the EPT Barcelona 2026 Main Event attract?
The €5,300 Main Event attracted 1,823 total entrants, creating a prize pool of €8,841,550.
5. When does Day 3 of EPT Barcelona 2026 begin?
Day 3 begins with the remaining 205 players returning to Casino Barcelona to continue their run toward the €1.37 million first prize and the final table.
Founder of PokerClubGames.com and a Poker Researcher with 10+ years of experience in SEO, WordPress development, and gaming content strategy. Specializes in researching online poker sites, poker apps, tournaments, bonuses, and poker strategies. Experienced in poker platform reviews, affiliate marketing, and creating SEO-focused poker content for global audiences.
For collaborations, media inquiries, or poker-related partnerships:
Contact: Info@hugecount.com
