We kicked off our first 888poker LIVE stop of 2026 at the Casino Gran Via in the beautiful, chic city of Madrid!
888poker LIVE Madrid was a massive success, with the Main Event prize pool topping out at a whopping 360 entries, creating a €273,600 prize pool.
888poker live-streamed Days 1B through 3 featured tables on our 888pokerTV Twitch channel, and each day was action-packed!
The eventual winner, Gorka Akerreta, made his way into the Main Event via a €55 online satellite, binking a return of €50,000! Akerreta plans to keep on doing what works for him.
“I think I’m going to keep playing the same way, the same mistakes, and try to improve,” he said
Day 1A Action – 888poker LIVE Madrid Main Event
A total of 56 runners played the first of four opening flights in the 888pokerLIVE Madrid Main Event.
Team888 ambassador, Ian Simpson, threw his cap into the ring on Day 1, hoping for a repeat as the reigning champion for the 2024 Madrid Main Event.
Unfortunately, he found himself all-in with a king-high straight versus the nut Broadway straight, sending him back to the registration desk for another bullet.
Luckily, Simpson only needed two bullets to take 85,000 into Day 2, as he sought to defend his title.
Day 1B Action – 888poker LIVE Madrid Main Event
Day 1B attracted 102 players, of which 39 survived to Day 2. Among those bagging and tagging were three 888poker team players:
- Vivian Saliba led the group with (114,000)
- Aaron Barone (102,000)
- Lucia Navarro (82,000)
Day 1B’s numbers brought the total number of entries in the first two flights of the 888pokerLIVE Main Event up to 158, with 59 securing their spot to Day 2, so far.
Day 1C Action – 888poker LIVE Madrid Main Event
Day 1C promised to bring the biggest field yet, and it delivered with a single-day total of 141 entries.
Francisco Togores intended to match (or even supersede) his performance from 2024, where he was the overall chip leader on Day 1. He didn’t quite make it, but Day 2 was still on the cards for him.
At the end of Day 3, the total field stood at 299 entries, after the three starting flights, with 111 returning for Day 2
Day 2 All Tallied Up with €306,280 in Prize Pool!
Day 2 began with 111 players remaining from the first three starting flights, but the turbo Day 1B brought in a few more runners. The straggling players brought the total entries to 360 by the time late registration closed.
Ian Simpson was the first of the returning 888poker ambassadors to hit the rail in 117th place.
It happened with Jacobo Nieder moving all-in for 21,000 from the small blind, and Ian re-shoving for 115,000 in the big blind.
Jose Maria Sanchez snap-called in the hijack, putting both opponents at risk.
- Jacobo Nieder: 5♠️5♣️
- Ian Simpson: K♥️J♣️
- Jose Maria Sanchez: A♦️Q♦️
Simpson and Sanchez both hit a pair on the 4♦️K♣️A♥️ flop, while Sanchez took the lead when he paired his ace.
The turn was the 4♥️, and the 6♣️ river was no help as Sanchez scored the double knockout.
Aaron Barone also found his walking papers as he went out in 114th place. Luckily – or unluckily – a seat in the commentary booth next to teammate Nick Eastwood awaited.
Both 888poker ambassadors Vivian Saliba and Inaki Angulov busted out in 78th and 77th, respectively, on the feature table.
The last 888poker ambassador standing was Lucia Navarro. She was faced with an all-in by
Jorge Diego for 280,000 in middle position. She re-shoved in the hijack:
- Jorge Diego: A♣️Q♦️
- Lucia Navarro: J♠️J♣️
Navarro’s jacks had the upper hand, as the board came K♦️3♠️T♣️T♥️. The A♠️ on the river was a dagger to the heart, leaving Navarro with barely one big blind.
Despite winning with trip and quad eights earlier in the day, Lucia found herself on the rail in 69th place, short of the money.
Triple 8s for 888poker Ambassador @lucia13Navarro!
18+, Play Responsibly.#ad #poker pic.twitter.com/hPoB1biDg9— 888poker (@888poker) January 17, 2026
888poker LIVE Madrid Main Event Payout Schedule
| Place | Prize (EUR) | Place | Prize (EUR) |
| 1 | €50,000 | 10-11 | €4,900 |
| 2 | €36,000 | 12-13 | €4,100 |
| 3 | €25,000 | 14-16 | €3,400 |
| 4 | €19,300 | 17-20 | €2,850 |
| 5 | €15,800 | 21-23 | €2,450 |
| 6 | €13,000 | 24-27 | €2,150 |
| 7 | €10,300 | 28-31 | €1,950 |
| 8 | €7,900 | 32-39 | €1,800 |
| 9 | € 5,900 | 40-47 | €1,700 |
The action was fast and furious when Daniel Wu took advantage of a “mis-click”, giving him the overwhelming chip lead going into the final table of the €888 888poker Live Madrid Main Event.
Sergio Garcia had built his stack up to almost 3,000,000 with twelve players remaining, with a spot at the final table seemingly locked up. Mario Ramirez bet 125,000 in the cutoff, and Garcia shoved to put Ramirez all-in for his last few chips.
Garcia didn’t notice that fellow big stack Daniel Wu had already raised from under the gun. Wu snap-called for 2,300,000, and Garcia immediately realised his slip-up.
Wu turned over pocket aces, crushing Garcia’s pocket fives to put him atop the leaderboard with 4,445,000.
We were quickly down to a finale table of nine, with each finalist having already locked up €5,900. But they all had their eyes on the€50,000 top prize and the much-coveted 888poker Live trophy.
888poker LIVE Madrid - Final Table Action!
888poker LIVE Madrid Main Event Final Nine
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
| 1 | Daniel Wu | China | 4,445,000 | 74 |
| 2 | Gorka Akerreta | Spain | 3,660,000 | 61 |
| 3 | Martin Pardo | Argentina | 2,550,000 | 43 |
| 4 | Julien Loire | France | 2,505,000 | 42 |
| 5 | Raul Gordo | Spain | 1,460,000 | 24 |
| 6 | Turlough McHugh | Ireland | 1,000,000 | 17 |
| 7 | Jorge Diego | Spain | 790,000 | 13 |
| 8 | Jake Collins | United Kingdom | 750,000 | 13 |
| 9 | Nima Jenabi | Spain | 485,000 | 8 |
Day 3 of the 888poker LIVE Madrid Main Event was an 8-hour marathon. In less than 90 minutes, we had our first casualty.
Out in ninth place was short-stack Nima Jenabi for €5,900. His pocket QQ couldn’t dodge an ace on the flop, and his run in the Main was done.
Next up was Jorge Diego, whose A5 of clubs was ahead post-flop, facing Martin Pardo’s Q9 in the same suit. The Q on the turn and the 9 on the river sealed his fate, and he was out in eighth place for €7,900.
The last Brit standing laddered up from 8th place to finish in 7th place for €10,300. Jake Collins AQ off-suit was no match for Pardo’s 98-suited, when Martin spiked a nine on the flop.
Daniel Wu and Martin Pardo continued to battle when Ireland’s Turlough McHugh ran pocket eights into Raul Gordo’s pocket Kings. The festival eights could not work the magic, and McHugh left the building in 6th place for €13,000.
It was a see-saw affair for the next few hours, while Wu, Gordo and Akerreta battled for the chip lead. But it was Raul Gordo who scored the next knockout punch, taking down Frenchman Juilen Loire in 5th place for €15,800.
Within the first hour after the first break, Wu was back in action, taking out Martin Pardo in 4th place for €19,300. Wu’s raggedy J5 off-suit was called by Pardo’s 63-suited. Wu’s 5 of clubs completed a straight on the river, giving Parto two-pair and a ticket to an early shower.
The pace picked up as we headed into three-way action:
| Player | Chips |
| Daniel Wu | 9,745,000 |
| Raul Gordo | 4,290,000 |
| Gorka Akerreta | 4,085,000 |
After a series of one-outers and bluffs, Akerreta doubled through Wu when he spiked an ace on the flop to crush Wu’s pocket tens.
Short-stacked, Daniel Wu was next to get his marching orders, running his QT off-suit into Gorka’s KQ-suited. The queen on the river gave both players a pair, but Akerreta’s kicker played, and Wu was out in 3rd place for €25,000.
We were no heads-up.
888poker LIVE Madrid – Heads-up Action!
Gorka Akerreta held a 3:1 chip lead over Raul Gordo at the start of heads-up play. Two hands in, we had a champion!
Akerreta limped in with A3 -off-suit, and Gordo raised with KQ off-suit. The A-5-5 flop left Raul drawing thin, and the 2-K turn and river sealed the deal.
Raul Gordo was eliminated in second place for a respectable €36,000.
“When you have a chance, you have to put the chips in the centre and wait for the cards,” Akerreta said, while enjoying the biggest moment of his poker career.
Well played to all!
888poker LIVE Main Event Final Table Results:
| Place | Player | Country | Earnings |
| 1 | Gorka Akerreta | Spain | € 50,000 |
| 2 | Raul Gordo | Spain | € 36,000 |
| 3 | Daniel Wu | China | € 25,000 |
| 4 | Martin Pardo | Argentina | € 19,300 |
| 5 | Julien Loire | France | € 15,800 |
| 6 | Turlough McHugh | Ireland | € 13,000 |
| 7 | Jake Collins | United Kingdom | € 10,300 |
| 8 | Jorge Diego | Spain | € 7,900 |
| 9 | Nima Jenabi | Spain | € 5,900 |
