Lithuania’s Marius Kudzmanas won the 2026 WSOP Europe Main Event in Prague on April 10, claiming €2,000,000 and his third career WSOP bracelet. He defeated Japan’s Akihiro Konishi heads-up by cracking pocket kings with 7♦ 6♣ on a 7♠ 5♦ 4♥ board.
The €5,300 buy-in event drew a record 2,617 entries across three Day 1 flights, generating a €13,085,000 prize pool that crushed the €10M guarantee. Reigning WSOP champion Michael Mizrachi presented the bracelet. Kudzmanas becomes the first Lithuanian to win the WSOPE Main Event.
Final Table Results
All nine finalists and their payouts from the April 10 final table at King’s Casino, Hilton Prague.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Marius Kudzmanas | Lithuania | €2,000,000 |
| 2nd | Akihiro Konishi | Japan | €1,200,000 |
| 3rd | Chris “Big Huni” Hunichen | United States | €800,000 |
| 4th | Nikolay Bibov | Bulgaria | €575,000 |
| 5th | Antonio Guimaraens | Spain | €425,000 |
| 6th | Hengtao Zhu | Finland | €320,000 |
| 7th | Thomas Eychenne | France | €245,000 |
| 8th | Brandon Sheils | United Kingdom | €185,000 |
| 9th | Joona Nyholm | Finland | €140,000 |
Hengtao Zhu entered as chip leader with 36,300,000 (91 big blinds). Thomas Eychenne sat second on 25,825,000. Kudzmanas started fifth in chips with 18,050,000 (45 big blinds).
Konishi, the eventual runner-up, began with just 14,400,000 (36 big blinds). He was one of the shortest stacks at the table.
How the Final Table Played Out
Early Eliminations (9th to 7th)
Joona Nyholm fell first. The Finn started with just eight big blinds and lost a flip to Hunichen. Brandon Sheils followed in 8th after a brutal sequence.
Sheils first ran into Hunichen’s aces and lost nine million chips. He then four-bet jammed ace-queen into ace-king. The GGPoker qualifier who entered the final table third in chips collected €185,000.
Thomas Eychenne, the 2025 EPT Barcelona champion, never found traction despite entering second in chips. He doubled up Guimaraens when his ace-queen ran into pocket kings. Then his own kings were cracked by Kudzmanas’ pocket nines when a nine hit the flop.
Kudzmanas cracked kings twice at this final table. First against Eychenne’s cowboys with pocket nines, then against Konishi’s kings in the final hand with seven-six. Both times the board delivered on the flop or turn.
The Chip Leader Falls (6th to 5th)
Hengtao Zhu’s two-day reign at the top ended in 6th. The GGPoker qualifier bluff-jammed the river and Kudzmanas picked him off. Zhu collected €320,000 after entering Prague with career earnings of $39,361.
Antonio Guimaraens departed next in 5th for €425,000. The Spaniard had survived through multiple all-in doubles earlier in the session.
Bibov’s Two-Hand Exit (4th)
The most dramatic sequence came four-handed. Nikolay Bibov returned from the dinner break as chip leader. Two hands later, he was gone.
In a three-way all-in worth 61 million chips, Kudzmanas raised, Hunichen shoved, and Bibov re-jammed. A jack on the river tripled Hunichen. On the very next hand, Bibov lost again to Kudzmanas when another jack appeared on the flop.
- Bibov's response: 'I'm feeling amazing. This week was the best seven days of poker of my life.'
- Bibov's payout: €575,000 for 4th place, from chip leader to eliminated in two consecutive hands.
Hunichen Falls Short of Bracelet Number Two (3rd)
Hunichen’s chip lead was short-lived. Konishi doubled through him with queens versus sevens, then finished the American off to set up a heads-up battle. Big Huni collected €800,000 for 3rd.
His $17.6M in career live earnings already included the 2024 WSOP $100K High Roller bracelet. A second gold eluded him.
The Final Hand
Konishi held 82 big blinds to Kudzmanas’ 60 when heads-up play began. The Lithuanian’s experience at high-stakes final tables proved decisive.
On the final hand, the money went in on a 7♠ 5♦ 4♥ flop. Konishi tabled K♦ K♣ for an overpair. Kudzmanas held 7♦ 6♣ for a pair of sevens plus an open-ended straight draw.
The turn brought another seven, giving Kudzmanas trip sevens. Konishi needed one of two remaining kings. The river bricked.
Kudzmanas told reporters afterwards that he felt he was the best player at the table. He said he just needed to avoid big coolers and play his game.
Zhu’s Qualifier Run Falls Short at Sixth
The tournament’s most compelling subplot ended at 6th place. Hengtao Zhu qualified through a GGPoker WSOP Express satellite with a $10,000 Bracelet Pass package.
Before Prague, his Hendon Mob profile showed $39,361 in career live earnings. His biggest previous cash was $24,915 in a €560 event in Helsinki.
Zhu seized the chip lead on Day 3, held it through Day 4, and entered the final table on top. His €320,000 payday represents a career transformation.
GGPoker’s satellite pipeline powered this record field. Over 100 players qualified through the WSOP Express system starting at $0.50, including both Zhu and Sheils. Qualify for WSOP Vegas through our GGPoker deal.
Faustino Caps Monster Stack With Maiden Bracelet
Away from the Main Event, Portugal’s Pedro Carvalhas Faustino delivered one of the festival’s most dominant performances. He won the €1,650 Monster Stack (Event #8) for €255,036 and his first WSOP bracelet.
Faustino eliminated six of his final eight opponents across the 902-entry field. He defeated South Korea’s Hong Jin-Ho heads-up in the final hand, hitting a pair of sixes with 6♦ 5♦ against Q♦ J♥.
His biggest previous live cash was under $5,000. The victory multiplied his career earnings many times over.
Three Bracelet Events Still Running
The festival wraps on April 12 with three more bracelets to be awarded. Full results from the first nine bracelet events are tracked in our rolling WSOPE 2026 coverage.
- €20,800 Super High Roller (Event #11): 37 players cash with a top prize of €1,100,000 and a WSOP bracelet.
- €1,500 European Circuit Championship (Event #12): a new addition to the WSOPE schedule carrying a €1.5M guarantee.
- €8,400 GGMillion$ High Roller (Event #13): 205 entries on Day 1. Thailand's Punnat Punsri leads heading into Day 2 with Viktor Blom, Shaun Deeb, and Ole Schemion still in the field.
Player of the Year Race Update
Kudzmanas’ €2M victory vaulted him to the top of the unified $1,000,000 WSOP Player of the Year leaderboard. The 2026 race spans three festivals for the first time: WSOP Europe, WSOP Las Vegas (May 26 to July 15), and WSOP Paradise.
The Vegas series features 100 bracelet events and a delayed Main Event final table for the first time since 2017. For full WSOPE 2026 bracelet results, follow our rolling festival tracker.
