Meet the 2026 WSOP Europe Main Event Final Table

2,617 entries. One closing desk. The record-breaking 2026 WSOP Europe Primary Occasion is right down to its final 9 gamers.

For the winner awaits €2,000,000, the most important Primary Occasion prize in WSOP Europe historical past, constructed by hundreds of now busted hopefuls, who contributed to a report €13,085,000 prize pool right here at King’s On line casino, Prague this week.

Amongst these eradicated are Annette Obrestad, who surprised with a fairytale comeback run 19 years after her 2007 WSOPE Primary Occasion victory; WSOP Participant of the 12 months Shaun Deeb, who bowed out shortly after surviving the bubble; and multiple-time WSOP champions Josh Arieh and Shiina Okamoto, each wounded by brutal coolers.

Nonetheless, some outstanding tales stay.

From a GGPoker qualifier dwelling the satellite tv for pc dream to a WSOP Excessive Curler champion, let’s take a more in-depth have a look at the ultimate 9 who’re all trying to etch their names into WSOP Europe historical past.

2026 WSOP Europe Primary Occasion Ultimate Desk

Seat 1 – Thomas Eychenne – 25,825,000 Chips

There is a formidable determine in seat 1 within the type of Thomas Eychenne, who has carried out fairly the restoration act on Day 5 to bag a wholesome stack heading into tomorrow’s closing desk.

The Frenchman has proven his class on a number of the greatest phases in poker already, and loved a career-best yr in 2025 by taking down the €5,300 EPT Barcelona Primary Occasion for €1,217,175, alongside magnificent deep runs within the 2025 WSOP Primary Occasion (ending forty seventh for $200,000), and the $10,000 PLOSSUS at WSOP Paradise (third banking $281,000).

After bagging on the finish of play on Day 5, Eychenne informed PokerNews “I ran so good! It’s humorous since you’re by no means actually glad. Since EPT Barcelona, I’ve solely been shedding, so it’s been powerful to take care of. So if you run good like at this time and win all of your all-ins, you virtually really feel such as you don’t deserve it, which makes it arduous to actually get pleasure from it.

“However after all, I’m very comfortable. This time it’s my flip once more. I’ll want a top-three end to make up for the downswing,” he added.

Lastly, requested how he would put together forward of tomorrow’s closing day, Eychenne stated, “I’ll evaluation some hand histories tonight to see if I can choose up something, however in any other case it’s like on-line: I’ve by no means been excellent at exploits, I’ve at all times simply performed my sport. And that’s what I’m going to do tomorrow.”

French poker followers all over the place will little question be wishing him bonne probability in his pursuit.

Seat 2 – Joona Nyholm – 3,275,000 Chips

A relative unknown in seat 2, within the form of short-stacked Joona Nyholm. One among two Finn’s on the closing desk, this has been a outstanding WSOPE Primary Occasion run for Nyholm, who, as per The Hendon Mob, presently has underneath $10,000 in dwell match earnings.

With €140,000 already locked up, Nyholm has already surpassed his whole profession earnings many occasions over along with his efficiency during the last 5 days, and has confirmed adept at some poker trickery too, together with a pleasant lure laid with journeys on Day 4.

How far can he go on the ultimate day with simply 8 huge blinds remaining? On this sport, do not rule something out.

Seat 3 – Chris Hunichen – 19,300,000 Chips

Chris “Massive Huni” Hunichen in seat 3 hardly wants any introduction. With over $17.6m in profession dwell earnings as of April 2026, Hunichen received his first and solely bracelet up to now within the 2024 WSOP $100,000 Excessive Curler No-Restrict Maintain’em for $2,838,389.

He’s one of many few at this closing desk whose career-best rating dwarfs even the record-breaking WSOPE Primary Occasion first prize. The one-time bracelet winner has confirmed he has the stamina for large WSOP runs, ending third within the 2024 WSOP $250,000 Tremendous Excessive Curler for $2,397,312 and the 2022 version for $1,931,718 so as to add to his bracelet victory.

Not all of the high-rollers’ success has been restricted to Las Vegas, nonetheless, with Hunichen additionally taking down the €10,300 EPT Excessive Curler at EPT Barcelona in 2019 for €841,345.

Now, for followers of ‘Massive Huni’, the burning query stays: might it’s bracelet no.2 in Prague on Friday?

Seat 4 – Hengtao Zhu – 36,300,000 Chips

Main the pack is Finnish newcomer Hengtao Zhu in seat 4. A real Cinderella story, the GGPoker qualifier satellited into the occasion by successful a $10,000 Bracelet Move on-line, and hasn’t seemed again since.

With profession dwell earnings simply shy of $40,000, Zhu has already locked up no less than €140,000 and resides the dream of each on-line grinder who enters a satellite tv for pc match: a favourite’s shot at a €2,000,000 payday and the possibility to carry one in all poker’s actually nice bracelets.

Talking to PokerNews after the shut of play, Zhu stated, “I really feel actually good. I am very comfortable and really grateful to be on the ultimate desk. I have been very fortunate, I had good worth fingers and I do know that there are quite a lot of higher gamers than me, however I strive to not take an excessive amount of stress on myself for tomorrow.”

Maybe the modest Zhu is appropriate that there are higher gamers than himself within the area; nonetheless, when a participant of Chris Hunichen’s caliber calls you “too f****** good,” you are actually a drive to be reckoned with.

Seat 5 – Nikolay Bibov – 13,200,000 Chips

Representing the Bulgarian poker neighborhood on the WSOPE Primary Occasion closing desk is Nikolay Bibov in seat 5. With a wholesome 33 huge blinds to go to battle with tomorrow, Bibov has already added no less than a career-best payday to his recorded $120,000 in dwell match earnings.

With a resume that features a Forty sixth-placed end on the 2019 WSOP Millionaire Maker for $47,820, Bibov has recorded cashes everywhere in the world, with a good variety of these in his native Bulgaria.

All of it might have been so totally different, nonetheless, after hitting a loopy one-outer on Day 3 for his match life, Bibov doubled up and hasn’t seemed again since. Ought to the runouts show as sort on Friday, he could also be calling himself a WSOP Europe Primary Occasion champion but.

Seat 6 – Antonio Guimaraens – 5,700,000 Chips

Seat 6 belongs to a different short-stack within the type of Spanish-based Antonio Guimaraens.

With a few cashes to his identify on the 2025 EPT Prague just a few months in the past, Guimaraens is continuous his affinity with ‘The Golden Metropolis’ this week, and has already gone higher than a A hundred and tenth-place end within the EPT Primary Occasion for €11,050, coupled with €12,840 for ending twenty sixth within the €2,700 PokerStars Open Excessive Curler on the identical competition.

It was a fighter’s show from Guimaraens on Thursday’s Day 5, touchdown huge double after huge double. A number of extra of these on Friday, and his love affair with the Czech capital might develop even deeper.

Seat 7 – Akihiro Konishi – 14,400,000 Chips

Akihiro Konishi from Japan is your man in seat 7, with 36 huge blinds to spin up on Day 6’s closing day.

With dwell match cashes everywhere in the world, from Las Vegas to Phnom Penh, the globetrotting grinder has just below $280,000 in dwell earnings as of April 2026, and has already secured a career-best outcome along with his efficiency on this WSOPE Primary Occasion.

Now, Konishi can add WSOP Europe to the large record of main festivals he is cashed in, which additionally contains the WSOP, APPT, WPT, Triton ONE, and lots of extra. How a lot that money will likely be stays to be seen.

Seat 8 – Marius Kudzmanas – 18,050,000

One other double WSOP bracelet winner within the area, Marius Kudzmanas in seat 8, will likely be trying so as to add one other severe piece of {hardware} to his assortment on Friday’s closing day.

The Lithuanian has twice tasted WSOP on-line glory, together with in 2023 when he took down the $1,000 DOUBLE CHANCE NLH for $145,523 at WSOP On-line, however do not let that idiot you into considering he is a purely on-line grinder.

Kudzmanas has proven his undoubted capacity within the dwell streets right here in Prague this week, and has too many huge occasion scores, notably a 2nd place within the 2022 €10,300 EPT Prague Excessive Curler for €339,830, for anybody to contemplate this a fluke.

Nonetheless, a WSOP Europe Primary Occasion has the potential to be the largest of the lot, and he is actually a participant to look at when playing cards go within the air for the ultimate time on this occasion tomorrow.

Seat 9 – Brandon Sheils – 20,850,000 Chips

Lastly, in seat 9 comes Brandon Sheils, a poker participant, coach, and content material creator with over $2.7m in dwell match earnings as of April 2026.

A widely known character in British poker, Sheils is not any stranger to operating deep in huge occasions, together with a Fifth-placed end on the 2025 WSOP $5,000 6-Handed for $203,292, and a runner-up spot right here in Prague on the EPT Thriller Bounty two years in the past.

The person from Birmingham would additionally full a quickfire double on the GUKPT in London in January, successful the Primary Occasion and Excessive Curler in a matter of days, however his greatest profession rating to this point is the £1,100 partypoker MILLIONS Nightfall Until Daybreak in September 2018 for £180,000.

Talking to PokerNews after play wrapped, Sheils stated, “I really feel nice… I am attempting to maintain my feelings, not be too risky. You do not need to assume too far forward… I need to be right here, I need to benefit from the expertise. I attempt to be balanced, like in the whole lot.”

He continued, “I’ve in all probability performed extra WSOP dwell occasions within the final 6/7 years than anybody else on this room… I haven’t got a bracelet but… I need to win a bracelet; it is extra vital to me than the cash.”

2026 WSOP Europe Ultimate Desk Payouts

Alongside one of the crucial coveted bracelets in match poker, listed here are the money payouts closing 9 are enjoying for when play will get underway on Friday:

Eliot Thomas is an Editor at PokerNews, specializing in on line casino and poker protection. He has reported on main occasions around the globe, together with the World Sequence of Poker, European Poker Tour, and Triton Tremendous Excessive Curler Sequence.

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