Manuel Ferrari emerges victorious, winning the €1 million EPT Barcelona Main Event first prize.

Italian player Manuel Ferrari won the EPT Barcelona Main Event, taking home €1,002,488. He defeated Lukas van Eeden after a three-way payout, securing his third PokerStars trophy in 14 months.

In recent months, Italian card grinder Manuel Ferrari has made waves at the European Championships.

In June 2025, he won his first PokerStars trophy in the PokerStars Open Malaga Main Event, earning over €200,000. Six months later, he added another trophy to his collection by winning the PokerStars Open High Roller in Campione. But none of these achievements can compare to his performance in the 2026 PokerStars European Poker Tour Main Event.

Today, Ferrari surpassed all his previous achievements—no matter how impressive they were. In just five hours, Ferrari defeated the last six players in the iconic EPT Barcelona Main Event, winning his third Gold Shard trophy in just 14 months.

Emerging from a field of 1,823 participants, Ferrari claimed a massive prize of €1,002,488. This prize primarily came from a three-way deal he made with runners-up Lukas van Eeden and third-place finisher Jose Criado. Each of the three secured over €900,000, leaving €100,000 and the coveted trophy to compete for.

"I didn't realize it yet. I'm so, so happy," Ferrari shared with PokerNews after his victory. "I've dreamed of winning the EPT since I was a kid, and I've always worked towards that goal, and now it's finally here."

EPT Barcelona Main Event Final Table Results

* Represents the prize distribution under the tripartite agreement.

Although Ferrari is relatively new to the EPT Main Event—this is his third time participating and his first time winning money—he was confident from the start, a confidence amplified by the support of his boisterous family and friends. "I was quite confident in my chances, and I'm generally a very optimistic person, so I think the moment I entered, I thought, why not just win it? And (my friends) gave me a lot of support. I felt all the strength from my family and friends, and I think that made me even more confident in my chances."

Ferrari's path to revenue sharing

Ferrari started the final day as the chip leader, a position he had held for three consecutive days. Despite the fast pace of the final day, it was by no means an easy process for Ferrari. Landlord Criado eliminated short-stacked Nicolas Chouity in the first few hands of the day, crushing Chouity's hopes of winning a second EPT title.

Over the next few hours, Ferrari and Criado traded chip leads multiple times. After Michael Dwyer was eliminated in fifth place, Criado eliminated Xiaosheng Zheng in fourth. Van Eeden then successfully doubled up in a three-way battle, and after winning some extra pots, the chip stacks were almost even, prompting the players to start discussing a deal to split the prize money.

Although the three quickly reached an ICM agreement, Ferrari initially had different ideas. "My first thought... was to negotiate (a better deal) because I felt I had an advantage over both players. But I had fewer chips and I was tired. So I thought, what difference would it make if I asked for an extra 5,000 euros? So I accepted, so we could move on and win it," he said.

Ferrari wins the championship

After the agreement was reached, Criado quickly became short-stacked and lost to Ferrari in a coin flip, being eliminated in third place, giving Ferrari a 3:2 chip advantage over Van Eeden at the start of heads-up play.

In a brief heads-up match lasting approximately 30 minutes, Ferrari quickly whittled down Van Eeden's chip stack to just over 20 big blinds. Van Eeden decided to go all-in, opening all-in from the button with K-6, and Ferrari happily called with AQ. The board cards gave Ferrari two pair, officially crowning him the newest EPT champion.

Ferrari typically plays in mid-stakes tournaments, and now, having achieved a triple crown on PokerStars and won over a million euros, one might expect him to move on to higher-stakes events. However, Ferrari isn't in a hurry to move up. "I don't actually know yet. I'll probably need about a month to figure out what to do next. But maybe I will in the future," he concluded while contemplating the future.

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