If you want to catch up on poker news from August 24–30, 2026, this was the week the series that opened last week started minting champions instead of chip leaders. Italy's Manuel Ferrari closed out the flagship EPT Barcelona Main Event, GGPoker's WSOP Online paid its largest prize of the festival so far in the $500 Mini Main, Michael Addamo walked back into the weekly $10,000 GGMillion$ and won it, the WPT crowned a new champion in Cyprus, and Japan's ABEMA POKER INVITATIONAL cut its field to three.
The sections below stick to reporting you can verify from sources dated in this window—chiefly PokerNews, GGPoker's own blog, and ABEMA TIMES. Where a recap published this week covers a Saturday episode from August 22, that is the same pattern as last week's invitational write-up: the news date is the coverage, not the tape date.
Manuel Ferrari Wins the EPT Barcelona Main Event for €1 Million
According to PokerNews on August 29, 2026, Italy's Manuel Ferrari won the €5,300 EPT Barcelona Main Event for €1,002,488. The tournament drew 1,823 entries and built an €8,841,550 prize pool. Most of that first-place number was locked in by a three-way ICM deal with eventual runner-up Lukas van Eeden of the Netherlands and third-place finisher Jose Criado of Spain. The trio each secured more than €900,000, leaving €100,000 of the prize pool and the trophy to play for. Van Eeden collected €927,420; Criado took €910,642.
Last week's August 17–23 roundup left the story on Day 1a, with Ireland's Michael Dwyer bagging the overnight lead. Dwyer finished fifth here for €362,500—still a deep Main Event run, just not the one the opening flight suggested. Ferrari started the final day as chip leader, a spot he had held for three straight days, and needed about five hours to get through the last six players. The official final table also paid Edward Pak of South Korea eighth (€165,050) and Spain's Gerard Carbo seventh (€214,600). Nicolas Chouity, looking for a second EPT title, went out sixth for €278,950 after Criado knocked him out in the opening stretch. Xiaosheng Zheng took fourth (€471,250).
After Dwyer's exit, Criado busted Zheng, van Eeden doubled during three-handed play, and the stacks evened enough for a deal conversation. Ferrari told PokerNews his first instinct was to negotiate because he felt he had an edge, then accepted because he was shorter in chips and tired. Heads-up lasted about 30 minutes. Ferrari ground van Eeden to just over 20 big blinds; van Eeden open-shipped king-six on the button, Ferrari called with ace-queen, and the board made two pair for the Italian.
This was Ferrari's third EPT Main Event and his first cash in the format. PokerNews notes that he won his first PokerStars trophy in the PokerStars Open Malaga Main Event in June 2025 for just over €200,000, then added an Open High Roller title in Campione—three Golden Shards in 14 months, the last of them the one that actually says EPT. After the win he said it had been a dream since he was very young, and that he would give it about a month before deciding whether to climb in stakes. If you only check live poker once a week, the practical takeaway is that Barcelona's flagship is no longer a chip-count story: it has a name, a deal sheet, and a million-euro line attached to a mid-stakes regular who treated the €5,300 freezeout like the event he had been pointing at.
Zhiqiang Shen Takes the WSOP Online Mini Main; Seiichi Kanemitsu Finishes Second
According to PokerNews on August 26, China's Zhiqiang Shen (panzhanle in the GGPoker lobby) won Event #7, the $500 Mini Main Event, for $747,545—the largest first prize awarded in this year's WSOP Online to that point. The tournament processed 12,113 entries for a $5,753,675 prize pool, shared by the 1,208 players who reached Day 2. Shen also collected a gold bracelet and a $30,000 Super Pass into the live Super Main Event at 2026 WSOP Paradise.
Japan's Seiichi Kanemitsu (Ditto1031) sat down at the final table as chip leader, with Shen and fellow Chinese regular Ziqian Wang occupying the next two seats. Cyprus's Nikolaos Angelou-Konstas collected the last five-figure prize in ninth ($93,443). Argentina's Ignacio Sagra finished eighth ($121,162) and Brazil's Mauricio Rocha seventh ($157,109) before Vladislav Chechenin took sixth ($203,727). After Brazil's Rafael Yamaki busted fifth ($264,182), the title was guaranteed to stay in Asia. Wang then collected $342,583 for fourth; Malaysia's Lee Wee Liew finished third for $444,257. No deal was struck heads-up despite a $171,434 gap between first and second, so Kanemitsu took $576,111 as runner-up. A $500 buy-in that pays three-quarters of a million is the clearest illustration this week that the Mini Main is not a condensed Main Event—it is its own large-field tournament, and the Japanese second-place score is the line most readers on this site will remember.
Two other bracelets landed in the same window. According to PokerNews on August 25, Belgium's Arthur Thiriart (Higher Self, listed from Andorra) won Event #6, the $1,500 Monster Stack, for a career-best $256,542 plus the same Super Pass. Then on August 27, PokerNews reported that Ilia Arkhipov, listed from Belarus, won Event #8, the $5,000 6-Handed NLH Championship, for $371,793 and his first bracelet. That event drew 466 entries for a $2,213,500 prize pool. Arkhipov began Day 2 as chip leader and beat Yulian Bogdanov heads-up ($275,809); Mikita Badziakouski finished fourth ($151,783) and Joseph Cheong eighth ($40,867). If you only check in on WSOP Online once a week, the story has shifted from "the first bracelets are out" to "the Mini Main has a champion, and the $5,000 six-max has one too," with the $5,000 Main Event flights still ahead before September 29.
Michael Addamo Wins His Ninth GGMillion$ in His Return
According to GGPoker's own blog and PokerNews on August 26, Australia's Michael Addamo won the $10,000 GGMillion$ on August 25 for $423,610, his ninth title in the weekly format. PokerNews describes him as mostly absent from live and online tournament poker for the past two years; he showed up for the high roller and closed it out. Jeff Gross hosted as usual, with 2026 WSOP Main Event champion Lucas Jumalon joining the broadcast.
Addamo began the final table sixth of nine with 28 big blinds. Overnight leader Pedro Neves sat on 105 big blinds; Guillaume Nolet had 103. GGPoker's recap and PokerNews both describe an Addamo-heavy table: he busted seven of the other eight remaining players. Nguyen Vi went out ninth ($52,951) when sevens ran into Addamo's aces-up; Aliaksandr Shylko finished eighth ($68,669) after ace-nine lost to Addamo's ace-four when a four landed; Roman Emelyanov took sixth ($115,487) when Addamo's pocket kings held against nines. Nolet fell fourth to Neves ($194,226). Three-handed, Addamo held king-jack against Xuanyi Wang's queen-seven to send the Chinese regular out third for $251,880.
Heads-up started with Addamo on about 19.9 million to Neves's 2.78 million. Neves doubled once with king-high against ten-four, then set a trap by limping ace-queen of spades on the button. Addamo jammed eight-seven of clubs. The turn left Addamo with roughly a 10 percent shot; the eight of diamonds on the river paired him and ended the tournament. Runner-up money was $326,647. Jumalon, on the broadcast, told Gross that Addamo did a really good job controlling his aggression and that Neves played well with a couple of traps heads-up that did not come in. Addamo's GGMillion$ cashes now sit above $8.6 million, still third on the all-time list behind Artur Martirosian (13 titles, $11.1 million). Last week it was Dante Fernandes converting on his 20th attempt; this week a regular who had stepped away converted on the way back. Weekly high-roller series are easier to follow as an ongoing scoreboard than as one-off mega-mains, and this Friday the name on the scoreboard was the story.
Fabrod Nazari Captures the WPT Cyprus Championship
According to PokerNews on August 24, 2026, Iran's Fabrod Nazari won the $3,500 WPT Cyprus Championship at the Chamada Prestige Hotel & Casino for $368,900 plus a $10,400 seat into the WPT World Championship. The field reached 520 entries and built a $2 million prize pool, with 65 players paid. PokerNews reports that the score more than trebled Nazari's recorded lifetime earnings, which now sit at $474,991.
The tournament paid 65 places. Elena Litviniuk, last year's fourth-place finisher, was the first player eliminated inside the money ($7,700). Other cashes in the recap included Hossein Ensan (42nd, $10,600), Manuel Fritz (23rd, $17,800), and Bernardo Neves (7th, $56,500), whose exit ended Day 3. Moldova's Mihai Trofim held the chip lead when the official six-handed final table began, then finished fourth for a career-best $130,000 after losing a flip with pocket deuces to Nazari's king-jack of hearts. Jordan's Sami Ayyoub went out sixth ($73,000) when his king-queen of spades ran into Weiran Pu's pocket fives; Romania's Sergiu Cornea took fifth ($97,000) with sevens against Chadi Rizk's queens. China's Pu then finished third ($175,000) when Nazari completed the small blind with jack-ten of clubs, Pu checked nine-four, and the flop came jack-jack-nine. Pu got the rest in on the turn drawing dead.
Heads-up was Nazari against Lebanon's Chadi Rizk, who collected $238,000 for second. Rizk doubled once when his ace-five rivered Broadway against Nazari's pocket tens. The title hand came soon after: Rizk limped king-five on the button, Nazari raised six-five of hearts, and Nazari flopped a six-high straight. He led small; Rizk shoved an open-ended straight draw and was snap-called. The turn and river bricked. A $3,500 championship is not Barcelona's €5,300 freezeout, and that is the point of putting it in this roundup: the WPT still moved a title and a career-changing first prize this week, in a field size you can actually picture, with a winner whose graph jumped in a single score.
ABEMA Invitational Episode 5: Nakanishi and Reichaso Bust, Three Remain
According to ABEMA TIMES on August 28 and 29, 2026, episode five of ABEMA POKER INVITATIONAL 2026, which aired August 22, eliminated Shota Nakanishi and Reichaso and left three players. With five remaining and one more bust locking up four paid spots, Ruiko raised to 2,500 points with sevens of hearts and diamonds; Nakanishi, on 27,000 points, moved all-in with jack-nine of diamonds and hearts. The confrontation was with Hayato Kitajima. Nakanishi busted on the bubble of the prize money.
Once Nakanishi left, Ruiko held about 48 percent of the chips. Commentator Shohei Taguchi noted that all three of this year's new invitees—Ruiko, Kitajima, and Reichaso—had reached the money. Four-handed, Reichaso sat third with 7 percent of the chips. Kitajima moved all-in with ace-ten of diamonds; Reichaso looked down at sevens of diamonds and clubs, said "fun time!", and called. Reichaso finished fourth.
The last three are Ruiko, Kitajima, and Kei Nitta, runner-up in the previous invitational. ABEMA TIMES on August 29 also describes Nitta as the shortest of the three, around 15 big blinds, looking at ten-eight of hearts. For readers who mainly follow English-language coverage, the format is unchanged: eight invited players, ¥10,000,000 first prize, Saturday-night broadcast, and no coming back once you bust. The difference this week is simply how few seats are left.
Taken together, the throughline across all five stories is that the series that opened last week have started crowning people. EPT Barcelona has a Main Event champion, WSOP Online has a Mini Main champion and a $5,000 six-max champion, GGMillion$ has a returning name on the weekly scoreboard, WPT Cyprus has a new title holder, and the Japanese invitational is down to a final three. With WSOP Online running through September 29, expect the next roundup to stay on that online calendar as the remaining bracelet numbers land.
