PSO Main Event: Million-Euro Prize Pool and Star-Studded Field in Day 2
The opening tournament of the entire event, the €1,650 PokerStars Open Main Event, has turned into a true tournament monster. After all eight starting flights (from 1A to 1H), the number of registrations reached an impressive 4,333 entries. Although slightly lower than last year's record, it generated a fantastic prize pool of €6,239,520.
A total of 648 players have advanced to Day 2, with each already guaranteed a payout. Leading the pack is Israel's Maor Zaharagi with a stack of 864,000 chips. In close pursuit is France's Hugues Girard (848,000).
The event attracted numerous world stars who are usually seen in tournaments with much higher buy-ins. In the top ten of the current standings is British champion Jamie Dwan (9th place – 682,000), who recently conquered the $50K High Roller at WSOP 2026 and is now aiming for his third final table placement in a week in Barcelona.
Last year's Barcelona Main Event winner Thomas Eychenne (37th place – 504,000) and this year's WSOP Main Event finalist Han Feng (40th place – 501,000) are also proving their stellar form.
Among the advancing players are online poker legend Niklas Astedt (248,000) and Brock Wilson (203,000), who has already claimed victory in the €20K event in Barcelona for €233,556.
That in the money feeling
— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) August 19, 2026
Juan Maceiras, Thomas Eychenne and @xflixx are all through to Day 2 of the PokerStars Open Main Event at #EPTBarcelona.
They've locked up at least a min-cash, as have Dominik Panka, Jason Wheeler @daraokearney and Jamie Dwan. pic.twitter.com/tVZ5rOZYkD
Current Top 10 Players before the Start of Day 2 in the €1,650 PS Open Main Event:
|
Rank |
Player |
Country |
Stack |
|
1. |
Maor Zaharagi |
Israel |
864,000 |
|
2. |
Hugues Girard |
France |
848,000 |
|
3. |
Hugo Quintas |
Portugal |
790,000 |
|
4. |
Laufdal Kristinsson |
Iceland |
754,000 |
|
5. |
Tal Herzog |
Israel |
731,000 |
|
6. |
Mehdi Chaoui |
Morocco |
725,000 |
|
7. |
Alex Sampirisi |
Italy |
712,000 |
|
8. |
Lucas Scafini |
Brazil |
705,000 |
|
9. |
Jamie Dwan |
United Kingdom |
682,000 |
|
10. |
Gregoire Jarry |
France |
676,000 |
Ottomar Ladva Second Again, Klemens Roiter Claims Victory
The day's schedule also featured Event #21: €25K High Roller, which saw 39 entries and a prize pool of €936,390. Only the top six players secured payouts.
The victory went to Austria's Klemens Roiter, who found himself in the final heads-up against Estonia’s Ottomar Ladva. Despite trailing at the start, Roiter turned the tables after a deal was made, securing his second EPT trophy.
Ottomar Ladva finished as a runner-up for the second consecutive day. He also fell short against Brock Wilson in the €20K High Roller the day before, but has amassed over €400,000 and stands out as one of the most successful names thus far.
Results of Event #21: €25,000 NL Hold'em
|
Position |
Player |
Country |
Winnings |
|
1. |
Klemens Roiter |
Austria |
€266,030* |
|
2. |
Ottomar Ladva |
Estonia |
€267,760* |
|
3. |
Mehdi Chaoui |
Morocco |
€145,100 |
|
4. |
Jamie Dwan |
United Kingdom |
€107,700 |
|
5. |
Nicholas Seward |
USA |
€84,300 |
|
6. |
Kayhan Mokri |
Norway |
€65,500 |
*Heads-up deal
Sources: PS Live, Flickr, X