Nacho Barbero Takes 1.5 Million-Chip Lead Into WSOP Circuit Madrid Day 2
The late-arriving Barbero topped 140 paid survivors from a 918-entry Main Event field at Casino Gran Vía.
- Nacho Barbero bagged 1.517 million chips to lead the 140 remaining players in the €1,500 WSOP Circuit Madrid Main Event.
- The event drew 918 entries and generated a prize pool of about €1.16 million, with every Day 2 player guaranteed at least €3,000.
- Day 1d attracted 147 entries and ended with 23 survivors, while Barbero’s stack surpassed every qualifier from the four starting flights.
- Day 2 was set to reduce the field to eight players for Sunday’s final table.
Nacho Barbero carried the biggest stack into Day 2 of the €1,500 WSOP Circuit Madrid Main Event after the fourth and final starting flight at Casino Gran Vía. Barbero bagged 1.517 million chips, putting him ahead of the 140 players still in a tournament that drew 918 entries.
PokerNews’ live coverage said Day 1d drew 147 entries and sent 23 players through. Barbero arrived late in the flight but built the overall chip lead, later writing on social media: “I fired a bullet in the tournament and bagged chipleader.”
Every remaining player had locked up at least €3,000 from a prize pool of about €1.16 million. Day 2 was set to play down to the eight-handed final table, with the eventual winner due to become the first WSOP Circuit Main Event champion on Spanish soil.
The stacks behind Barbero remain substantial. Ricardo Hernandez Montalvo led his starting flight with 1.2 million, while Joao Cardoso Novais bagged 980,000 after topping Day 1c. Ladislao Dalfo Batlle advanced with 841,000, Rene Lazaro Cifuentes had 785,000 and Andoni Larrabe Sanchez returned with 764,000.
As reported after the opening flight, Larrabe Sanchez was the Day 1a leader; he remained among the healthier stacks after all four opening days. Ignacio Molina brought 711,000 into Day 2, followed by Cristobal Ochoa with 664,000 and Antonio Guimaraens with 601,000.
Cifuentes secured his Day 2 seat by cracking pocket jacks to burst the bubble. Pierre Calamusa also survived with 434,000 after more than doubling during the bubble period, keeping alive his chance of adding the Main Event ring to the High Roller title he won earlier in the week.
Other notable survivors included Kyle Julius with 429,000, Thomas Taylor with 402,000, Fausto Munz with 284,000, Serafim Kovalevskiy with 204,000 and Arnaud Enselme with 176,000. Ahmet Kalebas was the shortest listed stack on 15,000.
Day 2 was due to resume Saturday at 12:30 p.m. local time with 60-minute levels, beginning at 5,000/10,000 blinds and a 10,000 big blind ante. The final table is scheduled for Sunday, when the Main Event concludes as part of the first WSOP Circuit stop in Spain.
Earlier coverage
- Andoni Larrabe Sanchez Leads WSOP Circuit Madrid Main Event After Day 1a Oct 29, 2026
- WSOP Circuit Heads to Madrid for Its First Spanish Stop Oct 2, 2026
- Mikel Calo Leads WSOP Circuit Malta Main Event After Early Day 1a Bubble Oct 1, 2026
- CNP Winamax Grand Final in Madrid Aims for 3,000 Main Event Entries Oct 30, 2026
