2026 EPT Barcelona | Ralfs Blumbergs wins €10,250 PLO title, Biao Ding finishes 5th

The 2026 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona event entered its final stage, with several high-stakes and side events crowning champions. On August 27th, the €10,250 PLO Unlimited Re-Entry took center stage, with Latvian player Ralfs Blumbergs emerging victorious from a field of 122 entries, defeating Finnish PLO specialist Markus Ristola to claim the title and €303,300. Chinese player Biao Ding also reached the official final table, ultimately finishing in 5th place and earning €80,200.

122 people competed for the €1.18 million prize pool, but Blumbergs emerged victorious.

This €10,250 PLO Unlimited Re-Entry was held at Casino Barcelona, attracting 122 entries including re-entries, resulting in a total prize pool of €1,183,400.

A total of 17 players made it into the money, including well-known players such as Laszlo Bujtas and Niklas Astedt. After Swedish player Filip Lovric was eliminated in 8th place, the remaining 7 players formed the official final table.

French player Imad Derwiche became the first player to leave the final table, finishing in 7th place and earning €48,500, which brings his career live tournament winnings closer to $5.2 million.

Rasmus Larsen, Biao Ding, and Tommi Lankinen were subsequently eliminated, while Vito Recchimurzo finished in third place, resulting in a final showdown between Ralfs Blumbergs and Markus Ristola for the championship.

Biao Ding finished in 5th place, earning €80,200.

Chinese high-stakes champion Biao Ding successfully entered the final 7-player table, ultimately finishing in 5th place to conclude his EPT Barcelona PLO journey and earn €80,200 in prize money.

Making it into the top five in a high-stakes PLO field made Biao Ding one of the main focuses among the Asian players in this tournament. As the tournament entered its final four, Finnish player Tommi Lankinen finished in 4th place, earning €104,200, while Spanish player Vito Recchimurzo took home €135,500 in third place.

Blumbergs defeated Ristola in a head-to-head match, winning €303,300.

The championship head-to-head match will see Ralfs Blumbergs face off against Finnish PLO specialist Markus Ristola.

Blumbergs ultimately made the final push, taking all the chips and winning €303,300 as champion; Ristola took home the runner-up prize of €189,400.

€10,250 PLO Unlimited Re-Entry Final Table Results

PLO High-Stakes Tournament Core Data

Jamie Dwan wins high-stakes tournament again

Another notable event on the same day was the €25,000 No-Limit Hold'em single-day tournament.

This tournament saw only 8 entries, including one re-entry, for a total prize pool of €192,080. The extremely limited field, coupled with the fact that the tournament still paid out prizes to the top three finishers, created a rather unusual prize distribution structure.

Kayhan Mokri finished third with €27,972, Klemens Roiter came in second with €30,012, and Jamie Dwan took the lion's share of the prize pool, finishing with €134,096 and the Spadie Trophy.

PokerNews described Dwan as being in excellent form recently, and this victory continues his hot streak in the EPT Barcelona series.

€25,000 NLH Match Results

Marcin Puczylowski adds another Spadie trophy

Polish player Marcin Puczylowski also won the championship at this year's EPT Barcelona.

The €1,100 NLH Single Re-Entry attracted 402 participants, with a total prize pool of €385,920. The top 55 players made it into the money, including familiar faces such as Leo Worthington-Leese, Keith Johnson, Eugene Katchalov, and Valentino Konakchiev.

Puczylowski ultimately defeated Darius Narmontas in heads-up play to win the €76,960 champion prize and the Spadie Trophy.

Earlier this year, Puczylowski won the WSOP Circuit Marrakech High Roller, earning the equivalent of $147,596 in prize money and a WSOPC championship ring. This Barcelona victory marks the third-highest single live tournament winnings of his career.

€1,100 NLH Final Table Results

Tobias Leknes dominates the €5,200 TORSE mixed game.

In the mixed games category, Norwegian star Tobias “Senkel92” Leknes won the €5,200 TORSE event.

A total of 25 people participated in the event, creating a prize pool of €121,250. Leknes ultimately won the €52,100 champion prize.

Leknes boasts an impressive track record in online mixed games, having accumulated 13 WCOOP titles and 7 SCOOP titles to date, along with nearly 20 live mixed games titles. This EPT Barcelona victory adds another significant achievement to his tally before the 2026 WCOOP.

EPT Barcelona enters the final sprint

With Ralfs Blumbergs taking the €10,250 PLO high stakes title, and Jamie Dwan, Marcin Puczylowski, and Tobias Leknes winning titles in different events, the list of side event champions for the 2026 EPT Barcelona Series continues to expand.

Biao Ding finished 5th in the high-stakes PLO event with 122 participants, adding another achievement to the record for Chinese runners; Blumbergs, on the other hand, won the highest prize money in this batch of events with €303,300.

With the €5,300 EPT Main Event also entering its final stage, the winner of the series' biggest trophy is about to be revealed.

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