Japanese Yotsushika with a Massive Lead in PS Open
In the PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona €1,650 PS Open, only 13 players remain from a record-breaking 5,036 entries. Those who survived this far have secured at least €49,550 from a massive prize pool of €7,251,840. The tournament champion will take home €772,000 and the prestigious EPT Shard trophy.
Entering the final day in pole position is Japanese pro Kazuhiko Yotsushika, who amassed 32,400,000 chips, creating a significant lead over his opponents. This success comes after a day of eliminations, such as busting Conor O’Driscoll with a set of eights and sending Thibaud Martin out of the game with a river flush. A victory here would mark a career-defining triumph for Yotsushika, doubling his previous record win from EPT Barcelona in 2018, where he dominated a €25,000 No Limit Hold'em event.
His biggest competitor is expected to be Malaysian high roller Chin Wei Lim, who is currently second with a stack of 19,800,000. Lim boasts career earnings over $15 million and a WSOP bracelet.
The third day also saw strong performances from several Slovak and Czech players. While Slovakia's best, Peter Schmidt, finished 18th, taking home €31,260, Czech player Jakub Štěrba is still in play, though he'll enter the final day as a short stack with only six big blinds.
|
Position |
Player |
Country |
Stack |
Big Blinds |
|
1 |
Kazuhiko Yotsushika |
Japan |
32,400,000 |
81 |
|
2 |
Chin Wei Lim |
Malaysia |
19,800,000 |
50 |
|
3 |
Ben Zech |
Germany |
19,755,000 |
49 |
|
4 |
Mengshi Tian |
Hong Kong |
16,525,000 |
41 |
|
5 |
Daniele Cuomo |
Italy |
13,875,000 |
35 |
|
6 |
Efrim Erdinc |
Turkey |
10,900,000 |
27 |
|
7 |
Alexis Nicolai |
France |
9,950,000 |
25 |
|
8 |
Arthur Emig |
France |
7,175,000 |
18 |
|
9 |
Bernardo Neves |
Portugal |
6,650,000 |
17 |
|
10 |
David Taieb |
France |
4,275,000 |
11 |
|
11 |
Adis Zukanovic |
Luxembourg |
3,950,000 |
10 |
|
12 |
Yakiv Syzghanov |
Ukraine |
3,800,000 |
10 |
|
13 |
Jakub Štěrba |
Czech Republic |
2,325,000 |
6 |
Punnat Punsri Leads Star-Studded Field in Super High Roller
While the PS Open nears its conclusion, the €100,000 EPT Super High Roller is heating up with some of the biggest names in poker. Known for its elite field, the event saw 36 entries on Day 1, with a provisional prize pool of €3,492,720. A total of 22 players advanced to Day 2, but registration remains open, so numbers are set to grow.
After the first day, Thailand's Punnat Punsri emerged as the chip leader with 943,000 chips. Punsri has been on a hot streak at EPT Barcelona 2025, having already won the Mystery Bounty with a €10,200 buy-in and finishing second in the €25,000 No Limit Hold'em event.
Following closely behind are Seth Davies (890,000) and Teun Mulder (829,000). The tournament still features poker greats such as the legendary Phil Ivey (407,000) and Jason Koon (241,000). Notably, defending champion Kayhan Mokri (608,000), who has won the event for the past two years, is still in the mix.
|
Position |
Player |
Country |
Stack |
Big Blinds |
|
1 |
Punnat Punsri |
Thailand |
943,000 |
157 |
|
2 |
Seth Davies |
USA |
890,000 |
148 |
|
3 |
Teun Mulder |
Netherlands |
829,000 |
138 |
|
4 |
Santhosh Suvarna |
India |
749,000 |
125 |
|
5 |
Kayhan Mokri |
Norway |
608,000 |
101 |
|
6 |
Nikita Kuznetsov |
Russia |
589,000 |
98 |
|
7 |
Aleksejs Ponakovs |
Latvia |
562,000 |
94 |
|
8 |
Jean-Noel Thorel |
France |
554,000 |
92 |
|
9 |
Phil Ivey |
USA |
407,000 |
68 |
|
10 |
Morten Klein |
Norway |
389,000 |
65 |
Austrian Double: Mullur and Roiter Dominate High Stakes Events
EPT Barcelona 2025 also features other high buy-in tournaments. Two of these were particularly sweet victories for Austria, thanks to triumphs by Samuel Mullur and Klemens Roiter.
Samuel Mullur took down the €24,010 + 990 No Limit Hold'em (Event #14). The tournament attracted 52 entries, culminating in a heads-up battle with Thailand’s Punnat Punsri, who finished second. Interestingly, despite Mullur winning the prestigious title and €327,300, Punsri collected a higher payout due to a deal. This isn't the first major success for the Austrian, as he gained fame in 2023 by winning at WSOP Paradise, claiming $2,736,300 in a $26,000 No Limit Hold'em event.
An even higher buy-in event in Barcelona, the €29,205 + 398 No Limit Hold'em – Super High Roller Warm-Up (Event #17), was captured by another Austrian, Klemens Roiter. With 57 entries and a prize pool of €1,664,685, Roiter secured his second major career title, earning €507,785. Roiter is having a phenomenal summer, having claimed his first WSOP bracelet and a life-changing $1,204,457 in the Monster Stack event at WSOP 2025. He's definitely one to watch in the poker scene.
The Austrian double added another intriguing story to the EPT program, heightening the anticipation for the festival's upcoming highlights.
Main Event Starts Today!
Alongside ongoing tournaments, today marks the start of one of Europe's most prestigious poker events, the €5,300 EPT Main Event. Last year, 1,975 players participated, creating a massive prize pool exceeding €9.5 million. Ultimately, American Stephen Song was crowned champion, taking home €1,290,386 after a heads-up deal.
For those unable to be in Barcelona, there's great news. From Day 3, you can catch the online stream of the main event with hole cards revealed. The action will be broadcasted live on PokerStars' official YouTube channel, allowing viewers worldwide to enjoy the drama and strategic battles as they unfold until the champion is crowned.
Source: Flickr, PokerStars, PokerNews
