Manuel Ferrari Captures EPT Barcelona Main Event Title

Manuel Ferrari wins the biggest title of his poker career

Italy’s Manuel Ferrari turned a career-defining run into a major breakthrough by winning the PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona €5,300 Main Event. The tournament drew 1,823 entries and generated a massive $10,301,290 prize pool, making it one of the largest and strongest EPT Main Events ever staged.

Ferrari secured $1,162,886 after a three-way deal and added the most prestigious title of his live poker career. For a player who has already built a strong resume on PokerStars-branded festivals, this victory pushes him into a completely new tier of recognition.

Barcelona has long been one of the flagship stops on the live poker calendar. The field is deep, the structure is meaningful, and the venue always attracts a mix of elite professionals, experienced grinders, and ambitious amateurs looking for a breakout score. Winning here means surviving one of the toughest tests in European live poker.

Ferrari’s road to the EPT Barcelona final table

Before this triumph, Ferrari was already familiar to regulars on the PokerStars circuit. He won the PokerStars Open Malaga in 2025 for $243,434, then captured a €2,200 high roller at PokerStars Open Campione in January for another $102,424.

Those results mattered, but the Barcelona Main Event changes the conversation. His lifetime live earnings have now climbed to nearly $1.7 million, and the new title carries far more weight than a standard side-event trophy or a smaller high-roller score.

Just as important, Ferrari did not simply ladder into a deal and coast. He navigated a huge field, stayed patient through the middle stages, and entered the final stretch in control. That combination is often what separates a good live player from a true championship-level finisher.

The key hands that shaped the final day

Ferrari began the penultimate day with the chip lead and never really let go of the wheel. After seven eliminations, only six players remained, and the final table had already produced several critical swings.

Among the notable eliminations:

• Edward Pak finished 8th when A♥10♥ ran into A♠A♦ held by Jose Criado.
• Gerard Carbo exited in 7th after top pair with Q♦10♦ lost to Xiaosheng Zheng’s A♥A♦.
• Nicolas Chouity, the 2010 EPT Grand Final champion, took 6th place for $323,582.
• Michael Dwyer earned a career-best $420,500 for 5th.
• Xiaosheng Zheng busted 4th for $546,650 after his A♦7♦ could not beat 10♠10♥ from Criado.

These spots are a reminder that late-stage live poker often turns on small edges and stack pressure. Premium pairs held up when they needed to, and several players were forced into all-in decisions where ICM mattered as much as raw hand strength.

Three-way deal and the final push for the trophy

Once play reached three-handed action, the remaining players paused the clock to discuss a deal. At that point, only about six big blinds separated chip leader Lukas van Eeden from short stack Ferrari, which made a payout adjustment a logical move.

The deal locked up the payouts, leaving $116,284 and the trophy still to play for. That is often the most interesting phase of a big live event: the money is largely secured, but the title still requires one player to close the job.

Jose Criado eventually finished 3rd and collected the seven-figure score he negotiated for. It was by far the biggest result of his career, easily surpassing his previous best of $45,764 for a runner-up finish in an €888 event at the same venue during 888poker LIVE 2024.

His final hand was a classic preflop race: 7♥7♦ against A♦10♣. The board A♣K♣9♥J♠5♥ favored Ferrari, giving him a roughly 3:2 chip lead over van Eeden heading into heads-up play.

Ferrari kept applying pressure and steadily widened the gap until he held more than a 5:1 advantage. The final hand saw van Eeden shove from the button with K♠6♦ for 27.5 big blinds, and Ferrari snap-call from the big blind with A♦Q♥. The board ran out A♥6♣4♦Q♣7♦, locking up the win for Ferrari.

Van Eeden, a 40-year-old Dutch entrepreneur, walked away with nearly $1.1 million. That is an extraordinary leap considering his previous top live score had been just $15,000.

Expert analysis: why this EPT win matters

Ferrari’s victory is important well beyond the headline prize. It shows how a player can convert a strong live resume into a signature breakthrough when the structure, discipline, and chip dynamics all line up.

From a strategic perspective, the final table highlighted several core live-poker lessons:

• Chip leaders create pressure. Ferrari’s early advantage let him force tougher decisions on shorter stacks.
• ICM changes everything. Near the money jumps and at the final table, stack preservation often matters more than pure chip accumulation.
• Deals do not end the competition. Even after ICM discussions and a payout split, the title still requires the ability to finish.

For players studying live tournaments, this is exactly the kind of event that rewards disciplined preparation. Reviewing spots in a poker school helps players understand why certain all-ins are correct, while regular play in trusted poker rooms gives practical experience with large-field dynamics.

The result also reflects the value of staying active across the circuit. Players chasing live scores often combine festival travel with smart use of promotions & bonuses, and many build their schedules around strong poker clubs and support networks that make the grind sustainable.

What Ferrari’s title says about the live poker landscape

Barcelona continues to prove that major EPT events remain one of the best measuring sticks in poker. The field is large enough to create real variance, but the best players still rise because they understand pressure, stack depth, and table dynamics.

Ferrari’s win also adds another name to the list of players who turned a strong series of results into a breakout moment. In modern live poker, one massive score can reshape a player’s reputation almost overnight. That is especially true when the victory comes in a marquee Main Event rather than a side event.

For the broader industry, results like this keep EPT Barcelona at the center of the live calendar. A huge turnout, a deep prize pool, and a first-time champion are exactly the ingredients that maintain the prestige of the stop year after year.

Final takeaway: a breakthrough title and a career reset

Manuel Ferrari did more than win a tournament. He conquered one of the biggest live fields of the year, survived a tough final table, and closed out the deal against elite resistance.

The title gives him a new level of status, a seven-figure payday, and a result that will define his career for years. For players watching from the sidelines, it is another reminder that live poker rewards patience, timing, and the ability to capitalize when the moment finally arrives.

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