Suhonen Leads Early Barcelona Winners With €114,200 Score

The 2026 European Poker Tour stop in Barcelona has only been running for a few days, but five champions have already emerged from the opening tournaments. For BCPoker readers following the major live poker calendar, Elias Suhonen produced the largest payout among the first group of winners.

The Finnish player entered the €10,200 No-Limit Hold’em event as part of a 31-entry field. The tournament generated a €310,000 prize pool, and Suhonen eventually claimed €114,200 after finishing as the last player remaining.

The victory gave Suhonen the fourth six-figure live tournament result of his career.

Brandon Wilson was the first player eliminated after reaching the paid positions and earned €28,600 for fifth place. Morocco’s Mehdi Chaoui followed in fourth for €35,300 before French veteran Jean-Noel Thorel left in third with €48,900.

That result set up the final heads-up battle between Suhonen and Nicholas Seward. The American collected €73,700 as runner-up, while Suhonen secured the trophy and the largest prize awarded during the opening stage of the Barcelona festival.

Suhonen takes down the €10,200 event

The compact field still produced a strong final lineup, with five players sharing the €310,000 prize pool.

Suhonen’s €114,200 result stands as the biggest first-place payout among the champions crowned during the early part of the festival.

Lindqwist records career best result in 6-Max

Another early tournament was the €5,200 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max event. Including re-entries, the competition attracted 37 entries and created a €185,000 prize pool.

Cherish Andrews finished fifth for €17,050, followed by Kyosuke Nagami in fourth with €21,100. Toni Kaukua earned €29,150 for third place, leaving Erik Lindqwist and Luka Sorainen to contest the title.

Lindqwist defeated Sorainen heads-up to secure €68,200. The victory gave the Swedish player the largest live tournament cash of his career, while Sorainen collected €43,950 for second place.

Molina turns limited live record into €42,635 victory

Francisco Iwan Molina arrived in Barcelona with only one previous recorded live tournament result. That cash came from a sixth-place finish in a €250 Mystery Bounty tournament in Madrid.

The Spanish player significantly improved his record by winning the €1,100 No-Limit Hold’em Single Re-Entry event. Molina came through a field of 251 entries and collected €42,635.

His route to the title included several experienced opponents at the final table. Jessica Vierling finished fifth for €13,450, Jamie Dwan took fourth for €17,480 and Mathias Siljander earned €22,720 in third.

Molina then overcame Simone Demasi in the final heads-up contest. Demasi received €40,065 after the top two players agreed adjusted payouts.

Vranken wins Seniors title from 280-entry field

The €1,100 No-Limit Hold’em Seniors tournament attracted one of the larger fields among the early events, with 280 entries creating a €280,000 prize pool.

Antoine Vranken eventually claimed the title and €55,650. The Dutch player, who already owns a major live poker bracelet, defeated Timur Sattarov heads-up.

Sattarov collected €34,680 for second place. Estonian veteran Igor Pihela finished third and added €24,840 to a live tournament record already worth more than $1 million.

Irish professional Dara O’Kearney also reached the final table, earning €19,220 for fourth place.

Barakat finishes first in Hyper Turbo Freezeout

Youness Barakat was another player to leave the opening days in Barcelona with a title. The Italian won the €2,100 No-Limit Hold’em Hyper Turbo Freezeout, which attracted 42 players.

Barakat outlasted the entire field and earned €28,820. The result pushed his career live tournament earnings closer to the $3.5 million level.

His final opponent was Japan’s Sho Homma, an experienced high-stakes tournament player. Barakat defeated Homma heads-up, leaving the Japanese player with the €18,140 runner-up prize.

Ukraine’s Sergii Tamrazov finished third for €12,500, while Portugal’s Hugo Araujo Soares collected €9,280 in fourth place.

Major Barcelona tournaments still ahead

The Barcelona festival continues through August 29, with a busy schedule of high buy-in and championship events still to be played.

Upcoming tournaments include a €30,000 Super High Roller warm-up, a €100,000 Super High Roller, the €5,300 Main Event, a €25,000 PLO High Roller and several Mystery Bounty and High Roller competitions.

Among the events scheduled during the remaining days are:

• €30,000 Super High Roller Warm Up on August 20
• €2,700 Open High Roller from August 21 to 23
• €100,000 Super High Roller from August 21 to 23
• €5,300 Main Event from August 22 to 29
• €25,000 PLO High Roller from August 22 to 23
• €50,000 Super High Roller Second Chance on August 23
• €2,700 Second Chance from August 24 to 25
• €3,250 Mystery Bounty from August 25 to 27
• €1,650 Mystery Bounty from August 27 to 28
• €2,200 No-Limit Hold’em event from August 27 to 28
• €10,300 High Roller from August 27 to 29

With Suhonen currently holding the largest winner’s payout from the opening tournaments, the later high buy-in events are expected to produce considerably larger prizes before the festival concludes.