Finland’s Hengtao Zhu leads the final 25 into Day 5 of the 2026 WSOP Europe Main Event in Prague after Day 4 cut the field from 85. Three aces-cracked eliminations headlined the session, including 2007 champion Annette Obrestad bowing out in 34th place (€40,000).
Day 5 is live now, with 22 players remaining and the €2,000,000 first prize from a record €13,085,000 prize pool within reach. Many of the 2,617 entries that made this the largest major European tournament ever held qualified through GGPoker’s satellite pathway starting at just $0.50.
GGPoker’s WSOP Express system funnelled over 100 players into the Prague field. The four-step ladder culminated in weekly finals awarding $10,000 Bracelet Pass packages that included the buy-in, 10 nights at the Hilton Prague, and Player’s Lounge access.
Obrestad, Okamoto, and Arieh All Fall to Cracked Aces
Day 4 punished pocket aces ruthlessly.
Josh Arieh (44th, €35,000) held A♠ A♣ against Sondre Stormyr’s Q♣ Q♥ with 69 players left. The board ran safe until the Q♦ spiked the river, sending a 3.5 million-chip pot to Stormyr.
“I’m a grizzled vet. You can’t hurt me!” – Josh Arieh, on X after his elimination
Shiina Okamoto (37th, €40,000) had it worse. The back-to-back WSOP Ladies champion three-bet with pocket aces against Vasileios Panagiotidis’ J♠ 10♠, who turned quad jacks. Okamoto bet 2 million on the river holding jacks full, Panagiotidis jammed, and the 9.7 million-chip pot changed hands.
Annette Obrestad (34th, €40,000) carried the biggest storyline of the week. The Norwegian won the inaugural WSOPE in 2007 at just 18, becoming the youngest bracelet winner in history. She returned after an eight-year break that included a YouTube makeup channel and competitive Scrabble.
Obrestad delivered the ceremonial shuffle-up-and-deal on Day 1A, bagged 189,000 chips, and ground through three full days. She entered Day 4 as the last woman and last former champion standing.
Her 2♦ 2♣ ran into Stormyr’s K♥ J♦, and a jack on the flop ended the fairytale 19 years after the original triumph. No former WSOPE Main Event winner remains in the field.
All 25 survivors locked up at least €50,000 on Day 4. The next payout jump takes the prize to €60,000 at 22nd place.
Not every aces hand ended in disaster. Chris Hunichen’s pocket aces held against Marc-David Delimal’s queens in a key Day 4 pot, keeping Big Huni alive heading into Day 5.
Rokas Asipauskas, who held the overnight chip lead after Day 3, more than doubled through Day 4 to sit third at 12,100,000. Brandon Sheils (UK) trails Zhu by fewer than 500,000 chips in second at 15,935,000.
Day 5 Is Live: 22 Players Racing for a €2,000,000 Final Table
Play resumed at noon Prague time with blinds at 80,000/160,000 and a 160,000 ante. Three early eliminations have trimmed the field to 22, with the nine-player final table targeted for later today.
Thomas Eychenne survived an early scare when his A♣ K♥ held against Peter Koevesdi’s A♥ Q♣ in a 2.34 million all-in. Antonio Guimaraens was less fortunate, eliminated in a blind-vs-blind clash when his A♥ 6♠ fell to Michael McNicholas’ 9♠ 7♠.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips (End of Day 4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hengtao Zhu | Finland | 16,395,000 |
| 2 | Brandon Sheils | United Kingdom | 15,935,000 |
| 3 | Rokas Asipauskas | Lithuania | 12,100,000 |
| 4 | Akihiro Konishi | Japan | 9,490,000 |
| 5 | Vasileios Panagiotidis | Greece | 9,275,000 |
| 6 | Peter Koevesdi | Germany | 8,085,000 |
| 7 | Marius Kudzmanas | Lithuania | 6,595,000 |
| 8 | Joona Nyholm | Finland | 6,405,000 |
Seventeen countries are represented. Steven Jones, the 2023 WSOP Main Event runner-up ($6.5 million) who also placed third on Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge, is still in contention alongside Chris “Big Huni” Hunichen and local hope Jan Tichacek (Czech Republic).
The payout ladder steepens from here: six-figure prizes begin at 11th, the final table guarantees at least €140,000 per seat, and the runner-up collects €1,200,000. The action is streaming free on the official WSOP Europe YouTube channel, with the final table set for Friday, April 10.
Schemion and Leah Claim Bracelets as Prague Nears the Finish Line
Germany’s Ole Schemion won the €5,300 PLO European Championship for €395,000, defeating Santtu Leinonen heads-up for his second bracelet and first since 2019. This was the same event that produced the Birger Larsen disqualification earlier in the week.
Canada’s Mike Leah claimed the €2,750 Rounder Cup (€292,000), his second bracelet since the 2014 WSOP Asia Pacific series. The €8,400 GGMillion$ High Roller launched today with defending champion Shaun Deeb in the field.
Full bracelet results from the festival are tracked in our rolling WSOPE 2026 results coverage.
The festival wraps on April 12 with three more bracelet events and the Main Event final table still to come. For the full Prague schedule and satellite details, see our complete WSOPE 2026 event guide.
Qualify for the next major live event through GGPoker. The WSOP Express satellite ladder starts at $0.50 and awards full Bracelet Pass packages worth $10,000+. Sign up through our exclusive GGPoker bonus code to lock in the best available welcome offer.
