Scott Margereson Leads EPT Barcelona Side Event Winners

EPT Barcelona side events reach a dramatic finish

As the 2026 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona festival moves toward its final days, Casino Barcelona has already produced several headline results away from the main event spotlight. That is often where the deepest value sits during a major series: the marquee main event gets the attention, but the side events are where many of the strongest players convert skill into six-figure scores.

The latest wave of results included a massive no-limit hold’em field, a high-stakes Pot-Limit Omaha battle, and a short-handed €25,000 high roller that still attracted elite names. For players following the EPT calendar, Barcelona is once again proving why it remains one of the most important stops in European tournament poker.

Scott Margereson wins the €2,700 NLH event

The biggest recent side-event result came in the €2,700 no-limit hold’em tournament, which drew 844 entries and generated a prize pool of $2,389,113. A total of 127 players made the money, and the largest payout went to British pro Scott Margereson.

Margereson earned $418,830 for the title, the third-largest cash of his career. Only two results sit ahead of it on his resume: a $696,740 victory in the 2018 World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown and a $495,729 win in the PokerStars Open Malta main event. His lifetime earnings now exceed $5.4 million.

The final table was far from soft. Bracelet winner Cherish Andrews finished third for $186,922, while Natasha Mercier took runner-up honors and $261,673.

That matters because large-field EPT side events reward a very specific blend of endurance, technical precision and late-stage composure. Margereson clearly brought all three.

Manuel Stojanovic takes down the €15,000 PLO high roller

Pot-Limit Omaha delivered another major storyline, this time in a €15,000 high roller that attracted 79 entries. Austrian pro Manuel Stojanovic emerged with the title and $371,750.

It was the third-largest score of his career, but perhaps more importantly, it reinforced a pattern: almost all of Stojanovic’s biggest results have come in the four-card game. His personal best remains the $1.4 million runner-up finish in a $100,000 PLO event at Triton Montenegro just a few months earlier.

Stojanovic’s career cashes are now above $3.1 million, and the vast majority of that total has been built in increasingly tough PLO fields.

• Lautaro Guerra finished 3rd for $171,332
• Eelis Parssinen placed 6th for $80,620

Parssinen’s result pushed his recorded PLO tournament earnings past $12 million, while Guerra has now surpassed $11.3 million in the game. Those numbers show just how specialized and top-heavy the PLO tournament world has become.

Jamie Dwan wins the short-field €25,000 high roller

The second €25,000 no-limit hold’em high roller of the stop looked very different from the first. After drawing 39 entries in its earlier running, the event fell to only 8 entries the next time around. A third scheduled edition at the same price point was later canceled.

Because of the tiny field, the tournament did not qualify for POY points. Still, the prize money was meaningful, with a $222,813 pool split among the top three finishers.

Jamie Dwan came out on top and collected $155,551. It was his sixth cash and fourth final table of the festival, an impressive run for a player who already claimed his first bracelet earlier this year and nearly $2.3 million in a $50,000 WSOP high roller.

Klemens Roiter, who had already won the earlier €25,000 no-limit event in Barcelona, finished second. Kayhan Mokri, fresh off a runner-up finish in the €100,000 high roller, rounded out the top three.

What the Barcelona results say about today’s tournament game

Barcelona is offering a very clear snapshot of modern tournament poker. Large-field NLH events still produce the biggest headline payouts, but the elite edge in high rollers remains enormous—especially when the field shrinks and the player pool becomes more concentrated.

That is why festivals like the EPT matter so much. They allow strong regulars to choose the formats that fit their skill sets best. Some pros thrive in deep-run NLH marathons, while others make their biggest money in PLO where hand-reading and postflop discipline matter even more. If you are trying to build your own tournament schedule, it is worth studying not only the event list but also the broader ecosystem, including [poker rooms]( /en/pokerrooms ) and [poker clubs]( /en/pokerclubs ) that can help you find the right qualifiers and softer entry points.

Expert analysis: why these wins matter

These results are more than just another set of trophies. They reveal three important trends that serious players should understand.

First, field size still shapes value. Margereson’s 844-runner event created a huge payout structure, but it also demanded stamina and strong ICM awareness near the end. In contrast, Dwan’s short-field win was about surviving a tiny, elite lineup where every decision is magnified.

Second, PLO is becoming even more specialized. Stojanovic, Parssinen and Guerra are not simply good all-around players; they are elite four-card specialists with the technical depth to exploit small errors. For anyone looking to move into the game seriously, structured study through a [poker school]( /en/pokerschool ) is no longer optional.

Third, schedule management is a real edge. The best festival players do not just register events; they build a plan around structure, field composition and bankroll strategy. Tools like [promotions & bonuses]( /en/blog/promotions ) can improve access, while working with a [poker agent]( /en/pokeragent ) may help professionals optimize travel, entries and volume across a packed series calendar.

Final takeaways from EPT Barcelona

Barcelona once again delivered the kind of side-event action that separates a good festival from a great one. Margereson added a major NLH title, Stojanovic confirmed his PLO strength, and Dwan kept his strong 2026 rolling with another high-stakes win.

For players, the lesson is simple: major series are won long before the final river card. Preparation, format selection and discipline matter just as much as talent. And in a place like Barcelona, those edges are often the difference between a min-cash and a career-changing score.

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