Find out what happened at the PokerStars Open Namur 2026 festival.

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Reporting by Jan Kores, PokerStars Media Coordinator

Koen De Visscher has come out on top in the €1,100 PokerStars Open 2026 Main Event. The champion took home €220,800 after defeating a record-tying field of 1,572 entries, including heads-up opponent Henrik Veldhoen.

De Visscher ended the home nation’s 11-year drought, becoming the first Belgian to win this title since Arne Coulier’s double in 2014 and 2015.

The 40-year-old victor has now set a new career-high live tournament score, topping his €147,000 payday for a third-place finish in the EPT Snowfest 2011.

De Visscher, a veteran on the tour, is a two-time EPT Main Event finalist. His second appearance was a fifth-place finish at EPT Campione 2012.

More than a decade later, he’s ascended the throne in the prestigious event annually held at Circus Casino Resort de Namur, proving his longevity as a successful tournament player.

Final table results:

1st – Koen De Visscher, Belgium, €220,800
2nd – Henrik Veldhoen, Germany, €138,500
3rd – Andrew Hulme, United Kingdom, €100,300
4th – David Docherty, United Kingdom, €78,000
5th – Dario Quattrucci, Italy, €60,000
6th – Stan Van Dijk, Netherlands, €46,000
7th – Nicolas Burtin, France, €36,000
8th – Sebastien Guinand, France, €28,000
9th – Lulei Hu, Italy, €21,558

How the final table unfolded:

De Visscher started the final day fourth in chips with nine players remaining and a very deep-stacked structure forecasting an enduring battle for the top prize.

Already from the get-go, De Visscher was building up towards the ultimate goal. He dismissed Lulei Hui in ninth place, with the chips getting in on a ten-high turn. Hu was drawing to a nut flush but failed to improve against the Belgian’s ace-ten.

Sebastien Guinand exited soon after that, flipping for his last 18 big blinds with ace-queen suited against Dario Quattrucci’s nines. A nine in the window denied Guinand’s hopes for a double and eliminated the Frenchman in eighth place.

A similar fate awaited Guinand’s fellow countryman Nicolas Burtin, who also spun for tournament life with ace-queen but whiffed against Henrik Veldhoen’s threes.

With six players remaining, De Visscher continued to improve his position, mainly thanks to a five-bet shove with pocket kings over Quattrucci’s cold four-bet. The Italian laid down his ace-nine and allowed De Visscher to close in on chip lead without any runout.

The two would later meet in an all-in clash, though. Quattrucci three-bet shoved over De Visscher’s open and Stan Van Dijk reshoved. De Visscher called with ace-king, dominating Quattrucci’s ace-jack and Van Dijk’s ace-queen. Two jacks on the flop sealed a triple for Quattrucci, while Van Dijk busted in sixth as De Visscher dragged a big side pot.

Still, Quattrucci would soon run out of his luck. He ran with pocket nines into David Docherty’s aces, and the board confirmed his exit in fifth place.

Docherty, the last PokerStars Qualifier in the field, seemed to be hitting his stride until a triple-barrel bluff against Andrew Hulme with six-high on a queen-high board. Hulme called down for all of his chips with a naked top pair and scored a massive double. A few moments later, he got the rest of Docherty’s chips in a coin flip.

Three-handed play extended for several hours, with all players manoeuvring comfortable deep stacks. But De Visscher seemed destined to emerge as the champion. He faded any missteps during that stretch and gradually pushed his two remaining opponents, who eventually dropped to short stacks.

Hulme bowed out in third place when he three-bet shoved for 20 bigs with pocket sevens, racing against De Visscher’s ace-ten. An ace on the flop meant De Visscher would carry a huge 10-to-1 chip lead into the heads-up match.

Representing Team GRND On Tour, Henrik Veldhoen was given no chance to mount a comeback. De Visscher continued to dip into his stack and after a few hands, the cards were turned up with the tournament on the line. De Visscher was slightly ahead with king-six against queen-two and a blank board secured his victory.

FRIDAY, JUNE 5

Reporting by Jan Kores, PokerStars Media Coordinator

The PokerStars Open 2026 Namur Main Event drew 1,572 entries, equalling last year’s record turnout. The top 223 finishers locked up slices of the €1,491,828 prize pool, with €220,800 reserved for the champion.

Thursday’s session concluded with 133 players remaining, including chip leader Lulei Hu (1,050,000). Hu has been one of Europe’s most prolific mid-stakes players in the last 12 months.

His recent deep runs included two PokerStars Open Main Event final tables; a seventh-place finish in Prague, topped by a third-place finish two months later in Paris.

Here at PokerStars Open Namur, Hu ended the bubble when he dismissed short-stacked Ugo Faggioli in 224th position. The rest of the field carried on for two more levels, during which one hundred players exited.

Day 2 finished with Isaac Kawa (1,019,000), Dario Quattrucci (1,013,000), and Rachid Boussakraou (1,005,000) on Hu’s heels as they also crossed the one-million mark.

Seasoned veteran Tobias Peters sits in seventh place with 761,000. It has been 11 years since Peters won the PokerStars-sponsored Eureka Hamburg High Roller, but in recent months, the Dutchman has played as well as ever. He finished 11th in the EPT Prague 2025 Main Event and added a six-figure score this spring at the same location.

The remaining field also includes Andrew Hulme, Konstantin Farber, David Docherty, Conor O’Driscoll, Manig Loeser, and Gerard Carbo, to name some of the high-profile contenders still in the mix.

The tournament structure should suit the abilities of those mentioned above, with luxurious, slow-paced blind increases rarely seen at this buy-in level.

THURSDAY, JUNE 4

The €1,000,000 guarantee was destroyed in the PokerStars Open Namur 2026 Main Event, with 1,572 entrants competing in the starting flights, plus a few who hopped in early on Day 2.

There’s €1,491,828 in the prize pool, and 223 players will make the money, with a min-cash of €2,200.

But here’s a look at what the final table will play for on Sunday:

1. €220,800
2. €138,500
3. €100,300
4. €78,000
5. €60,000
6. €46,000
7. €36,000
8. €28,000
9. €21,558

You can follow live updates from Day 2 on PokerNews.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3

Reporting by Jan Kores, PokerStars Media Coordinator

Gary Hasson emerged as the overall chip leader after Day 1d of the €1,000,000 guaranteed PokerStars Open Namur 2026 Main Event. The tournament has drawn 758 entrants so far, with two more starting heats slated for Wednesday.

Hasson built a massive pile of 367,600 by the time Day 1d came to its conclusion, with 59 of the 232 entrants bagging advancing stacks. Hasson’s pace was unmatched as the experienced Belgian amassed a whopping 300 big blinds for the next stage.

With nearly two decades at the live felt, Hasson is a seasoned veteran, whose $1.2 million in cashes put him in 12th place on the Belgian all-time money list. His latest addition came in November, though, so he will be looking to turn his excellent field position into the first ITM finish of the year.

Omur Pehlivan (281,000), Francois Depasse (266,600), Patrick Prijot (241,100), and Stefano Puccilli (224,600) joined Hasson in the Day 1d’s top five, albeit all trailing the chip leader by a significant margin.

Defending champion Jean-Vincent Lehut reported 172,800, which ranks him just outside the top 10. That is a year-over-year improvement for the Frenchman, who bagged 92,000 after Day 1 last year and eventually converted that into €238,000 on his triumphant run.

The middle of the Day 1d pack included two EPT Main Event runners-up: Andrew Hulme (109,300) and Felix Schneiders of Team GRND (108,600), with the latter streaming his play at PokerStars Open Namur.

PokerStars Ambassador Julien Dupre also made it through the ten levels, although short-stacked with 29,300.

Day 1e, which featured 25-minute levels, propelled 16 of 42 entrants into Day 2. Mohammad Ghaffari topped the turbo flight with 171,600, followed by Levan Rcheulishvili (147,000) and Kilian Kramer (131,500).

The PokerStars Open Namur Main Event is an unlimited re-entry tournament with seven total starting days. Advancing fields from each flight will merge on Thursday, June 4, and late registration will remain open for two more levels thereafter.

TSVETANOV TOPS €3,300 SUPER HIGH ROLLER FOR €60,000

The PokerStars Open Namur 2026 €3,300 Super High Roller drew 69 entries from 50 unique players, creating a €201,894 prize pool.

Martin Tsvetanov came out on top, defeating Kalidou Sow heads up. Tsvetanov picked up the €60,000 top prize and snagged his second Shard, pairing it with the one he claimed for the Eureka Prague Main Event victory back in 2024.

Tsvetanov was the only player able to stop Sow’s incredible run that included six of the final table knockouts. The Frenchman paced the tournament until Tsvetanov doubled through him with a turned nut straight with three players remaining.

David Hu’s exit in third, the last one courtesy of Sow, paved the way for the final match. Tsvetanov had a significant advantage thanks to the earlier encounter and he wouldn’t take long to close it out. The last hand saw Tsvetanov flop two pair and barrel on the board, with Sow calling down with king-high.

PokerStars Open Namur €3,300 Super High Roller results:

1st – Martin Tsvetanov, Bulgaria, €60,000
2nd – Kalidou Sow, France, €39,200
3rd – David Hu, Netherlands, €27,900
4th – Michal Havavka, Slovakia, €21,400
5th – Dimitar Toshev, Bulgaria, €16,400
6th – Chaofei Wang, Hong Kong, €12,650
7th – Tobias Peters, Netherlands, €9,800
8th – Mateusz Moolhuizen, Netherlands, €7,944
9th – Kazuyuki Tanemura, Japan, €6,600

ABOUT POKERSTARS OPEN NAMUR

2025 was a record-breaking year for the PokerStars Open Namur. There were 1,572 entries and €1,493,400 offered in total prize pools, but that doesn’t mean we’re resting on our laurels. This time, we’re aiming to take Namur to the next level – more players, bigger guaranteed prizes and on-the-felt action to rival the entire PokerStars Open. Talk about the biggest poker festival in Belgium.

One thing that won’t change is the location. Namur is an historical city split by two rivers. On the right side, you’ll find the old town, home to the ancient Citadel, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To the left is the Circus Casino Resort Namur, a venue fit to host a popular live poker event in the heart of Wallonia.

So, whichever side you choose when you’re in Namur, you’ll never be far away from the action, whether it’s at the tables or off the felt.

You can follow live updates from Day 2 on PokerNews.

KEY FESTIVAL DATES

Festival Dates: May 27-June 7, 2026

• Cup: May 27-31 – €400
• Main Event: May 30-June 7 – €1,100 (€1,000,000 GTD)
• Super High Roller: June 1-2 – €3,300
• High Roller: June 5-6 – €2,200
• Mystery Bounty: June 6-7 – €800
  

WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR?

After five days of competition, Frenchman Jean-Vincent Lehut became champion of the €1,100 PokerStars Open Main Event, taking home €238,000.

In a record-breaking field of 1,572 entries (prize pool €1,493,400), Lehut defeated Jozef Cibicek heads up and Jason Barton, who finished third.

Read more about the 2025 festival here.

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