Bulgarian Double in Mystery Bounty
EPT Paris 2026 opened with the popular Mystery Bounty format, featuring a €10,200 buy-in. With 75 entries, it was an intimate but highly competitive field. The format, combining a classic prize pool with random bounties, delivered dramatic twists and significant financial differences between positions.
The final table witnessed Bulgarian dominance, with three of the nine finalists hailing from this Eastern European country. Boris Angelov took the title, pocketing €217,100, including bounties. Fellow Bulgarian Dimitar Danchev finished second, and Alex Kulev capped a great day for Bulgaria by finishing seventh.
|
Place |
Player |
Country |
Winnings |
|
1. |
Boris Angelov |
Bulgaria |
€217,100 |
|
2. |
Dimitar Danchev |
Bulgaria |
€150,200 |
|
3. |
Marcelo Bonanata Manfredini |
Uruguay |
€44,800 |
|
4. |
Sven Andersson |
Sweden |
€44,450 |
|
5. |
Klemens Roiter |
Austria |
€84,000 |
|
6. |
Alexander Ivarsson |
Sweden |
€43,550 |
|
7. |
Alex Kulev |
Bulgaria |
€39,350 |
|
8. |
Alexandre Reard |
France |
€28,450 |
|
9. |
Artur Martirosian |
Russia |
€40,800 |
Cuatro Knockout for Plante
Event #8: €12,300 PS Cuatro Knockout attracted even fewer participants than the aforementioned Mystery Bounty. With only 27 entries, the €311,040 prize pool was divided among just four players, ensuring attractive payouts for the top contenders.
Santiago Plante from Canada emerged victorious, claiming €145,640 for first place. The holder of two WSOPC rings managed to prevail despite the presence of several world-renowned names.
Runner-up was Punnat Punsri from Thailand, with Aleksejs Ponakovs from Latvia finishing fourth. The strong international lineup also featured names like Artur Martirosian, Michael Watson, and Adrian Mateos, who unfortunately did not make it to the payouts.
|
Place |
Player |
Country |
Winnings |
|
1. |
Santiago Plante |
Canada |
€145,640 |
|
2. |
Punnat Punsri |
Thailand |
€85,300 |
|
3. |
Youness Barakat |
England |
€52,900 |
|
4. |
Aleksejs Ponakovs |
Latvia |
€27,200 |
PS Open Main Event Gaining Momentum
The EPT Paris 2026 program kicked off with Event #1: €1,650 PS Open Main Event, which has already seen four starting flights (1A–1D) and is confirming massive player interest. So far, the event boasts 1,645 entries and a prize pool of €2,494,080, with two flights 1E and 1F still to come.
From the first four flights, 246 players have advanced to the next phase. Italy's Lulei Hu dominated Day 1C, bagging an impressive 1,028,000 in chips. Hot on his heels is Richard Geyer, the chip leader from Day 1B with 976,000.
The field includes several well-known names, including EPT champion Stephen Song, who holds a spot in the top ten of the current standings.
Top 10 Stacks in the €1,650 PS Open Main Event after Day 1A–1D
|
Rank |
Player |
Country |
Stack |
|
1. |
Lulei Hu |
Italy |
1,028,000 |
|
2. |
Richard Geyer |
USA |
976,000 |
|
3. |
Alexander Ivarsson |
Sweden |
799,000 |
|
4. |
Stephen Song |
USA |
627,000 |
|
5. |
Bobby Simons |
Netherlands |
581,000 |
|
6. |
Alessio Peciarolo |
Italy |
565,000 |
|
7. |
Roope Tarmi |
Finland |
548,000 |
|
8. |
Adil Tlimisov |
Russia |
502,000 |
|
9. |
Kalle Parkkinen |
Finland |
500,000 |
|
10. |
Emin Kurtulus |
Turkey |
493,000 |
Sources: PS Live, Flickr
