All 9 finalists have locked up a minimal €140,000. The payout steepens dramatically on the high: second ensures €1,200,000 and first takes the complete €2,000,000.
Day 5: Eychenne’s Comeback and the Street to 9
Day 5 started with 25 gamers and a transparent mission: play right down to a remaining desk of 9. Zhu entered as chip chief and by no means relinquished his grip on first place.
The story of the day belonged to reigning EPT Barcelona champion Thomas Eychenne. The Frenchman spent many of the session nursing a stack beneath 10 large blinds, trying destined for an early exit.
Then the playing cards turned. Eychenne doubled with Q♦ 4♦ , then picked up aces on the proper second and rode a heater via the ultimate stretch.
He eradicated Tom Corridor (tenth, €100,000) and Rokas Asipauskas (eleventh, €100,000) in fast succession. That run catapulted him into second place with 25.8 million chips.
“I ran so good!” – Thomas Eychenne
Different notable eliminations included Annette Obrestad, the youngest-ever WSOP bracelet winner, who busted on Day 4 in thirty fourth place (€40,000) after returning to aggressive poker following roughly eight years away.
The GGPoker Satellite tv for pc Dream
The headline storyline at this remaining desk is the GGPoker satellite tv for pc path. Two qualifiers sit within the high three chip stacks, and their journeys to Prague couldn’t be extra completely different.
Hengtao Zhu: From $39K Profession Earnings to €2M Shot
Zhu received a $10,000 Bracelet Move via GGPoker’s WSOP Categorical satellites, overlaying his buy-in, 10 nights on the Hilton Prague, and pageant entry. Based mostly in Espoo, Finland, he entered with simply 12 recorded reside cashes and a career-best rating of $24,915.
His Hendon Mob tracker lists $39,361 in earnings earlier than this occasion. The minimal remaining desk payout alone represents practically 4 instances that total profession whole. He has held the chip lead since Day 3.
Brandon Sheils: GUKPT Double Winner Rides GGPoker Seat to Prague
Sheils, 31, from Birmingham, arrived in Prague with critical momentum. In January 2026 he accomplished a historic GUKPT London double, sweeping the £2,500 Excessive Curler (£49,560) and £1,250 Primary Occasion (£88,760) on the similar pageant.
A arithmetic graduate from the College of Birmingham, Sheils has collected $2.7 million+ in profession reside earnings throughout 361 cashes. He added two SCOOP titles in March 2026.
His household backstory is exceptional: mother and father Matthew and Michelle and brother Richard all turned skilled gamers.
