Shaun Deeb went all-in on the bubble of the record-breaking 2026 WSOP Europe Main Event, but his pocket sevens held on, while Greek player Symeon Alexandridis was eliminated at the same time at another table.
The reigning WSOP Player of the Year has already experienced two heartbreaking moments related to "four" in his quest for his ninth gold bracelet this week in Prague. Despite a low chip stack, he has made it into the money, becoming one of the 393 players to earn cashes and joining 356 others to advance to Day 3 on Tuesday.
However, every tournament needs a "bubble boy." This time, Greece's Alexandridis unfortunately claimed that title. As he left the tournament, the other players, who had broken records for the number of participants, celebrated winning at least €10,000 in prize money.
The following are two key hands reported by PokerNews reporters Calum Grant and Maxime Taldir.
Alexandridis becomes the bubble boy, Deeb survives a thrilling ordeal.
Two all-in and call scenarios occurred simultaneously during the bubble of the 2026 WSOP Europe Main Event. Alexandridis faced elimination at table 78, while Deeb also pushed all his chips into the pot at table 105, finding himself in a similar precarious situation.
After all the other tables had finished their hands, the camera and crew moved to table 78, where the following actions took place:
Alexandridis raised to 102,000 from the crucial position, leaving him with only 5,000 chips. Chip leader Daan Mulders went all-in, and Alexandridis then put his last chips into the pot.
The tournament director walked over and instructed the players to reveal their hands. Alexandridis went all-in for his championship life with A♥K♠, while Daan Mulders called with 10♠10♣.
Alexandridis' "Big Slick" (AK) was behind and didn't improve after the flop of Q♣8♥6♣. The 5♠ on the turn didn't help, and the Q♠ on the river confirmed his elimination from this year's WSOPE Main Event.
Alexandridis is on the verge of going home empty-handed, but if Deeb is also eliminated, the two will split the minimum €10,000 prize.
Deeb went all-in with 192,000 chips from the under-the-gun position, setting up a "coin toss" duel with Simon Levy in the big blind. Deeb flipped 7♠7♣, while Levy revealed K♥Q♥.
However, Alexandridis ultimately couldn't wait for Deeb's all-in to save him. The WSOP Player of the Year frontrunner made a straight on the board 4♦5♠8♦6♣9♠, doubling his chips and making Alexandridis the only bubble boy.
Eychenne leads the race on Day 3
Thomas Eychenne, the 2025 EPT Barcelona Main Event champion, entered Day 3 as the chip leader. He has approximately 2 million chips, leading the remaining 355 players.
Daan Mulders of the Netherlands is close behind in second place with approximately 1.7 million chips. Other notable players in the top ten at the end of Day Two include Rokas Asipauskas, a former WSOP gold bracelet winner, and Yuhan Wang, who won the 2025 WSOPE €1,350 Mini Main Event.
The full Day 2 chip count list can be found in PokerNews' live coverage of the 2026 WSOPE Main Event. Below are the current top ten chip counts:
2026 WSOPE Main Event Day 2 End Chip Counts of the Top Ten
| Ranking | player | country | Chip quantity | Big Blind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Eychenne | France | 2,010,000 | 251 |
| 2 | Daan Mulders | Netherlands | 1,721,000 | 215 |
| 3 | Giovanni Zanette | South Africa | 1,467,000 | 183 |
| 4 | Yuhan Wang | China | 1,374,000 | 172 |
| 5 | Rokas Asipauskas | Lithuania | 1,350,000 | 169 |
| 6 | Gabriel Martini Nobrega | Brazil | 1,241,000 | 155 |
| 7 | Ermanno Di Nicola | Italy | 1,204,000 | 151 |
| 8 | Alex Anton | United States | 1,183,000 | 148 |
| 9 | Eimantas Adomavicius | Lithuania | 1,168,000 | 146 |
| 10 | Niklas Deitmer | Germany | 1,159,000 | 145 |
393 players are guaranteed a €10,000 prize, with the champion taking home €2 million.
With the bubble burst, the remaining 393 players were guaranteed at least €10,000 in prize money. By the end of Day Two, the number of players had decreased to 356. The prize money would then gradually increase until the final table. All players who reached the final table would be guaranteed at least €140,000.
From that point onward, the prize money will increase significantly to match the record-breaking total prize pool created by this WSOPE Main Event. The runner-up will receive €1,200,000, surpassing the prize money of Daniel Pidun, the 2025 WSOPE Main Event champion, while the champion will receive €2,000,000, setting a new record for the highest prize money in WSOPE history.
WSOP Europe Main Event Prize Money Distribution Table
| Ranking | bonus | Ranking | bonus | Ranking | bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €2,000,000 | 9 | €140,000 | 56–63 | €25,000 |
| 2 | €1,200,000 | 10–11 | €100,000 | 64–71 | €22,500 |
| 3 | €800,000 | 12–15 | €75,000 | 72–79 | €20,200 |
| 4 | €575,000 | 16–23 | €60,000 | 80–103 | €18,000 |
| 5 | €425,000 | 24–31 | €50,000 | 104–135 | €16,000 |
| 6 | €320,000 | 32–39 | €40,000 | 136–191 | €14,000 |
| 7 | €245,000 | 40–47 | €35,000 | 192–272 | €12,000 |
| 8 | €185,000 | 48–55 | €30,000 | 273–393 | €10,000 |
2026 WSOPE Main Event Remaining Schedule
With the bubble bursting on the second night, the remaining schedule for the 2026 WSOPE Main Event is as follows:
| Days | date | Start time | Blind level length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | April 7 | 12:00 noon | 90 minutes |
| 4 | April 8 | 12:00 noon | 90 minutes |
| 5 | April 9 | 12:00 noon | 90 minutes |
| 6 | April 10 | 12:00 noon | 90 minutes |
As always, PokerNews will continue to provide live coverage of all key hands, eliminations, and videos throughout the remaining events, until a new name is written into the history of WSOP Europe.
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