The WSOPE Main Event at King’s Casino officially entered the history books during the 2026 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) . The €5,300 Main Event shattered all previous benchmarks, drawing a staggering 2,617 entries, making it the largest open event and the largest €5,000+ buy-in tournament in European history.

With a total prize pool of €13,085,000 (~$15,264,300), the field surpassed the ambitious €10 million guarantee, setting up a life-changing €2,000,000 first-place prize. However, the headlines on Day 4 were dominated by the exit of two of the most notable women in poker history, both of whom saw their deep runs come to an end.

Quads Crack Shiina Okamoto’s Aces, Ending Her Dominant Run

Shiina Okamoto at WSOPE Main Event — Shiina Okamoto (Credit: Tomás Stacha)

The 2026 WSOPE Main Event saw a historic collision on Day 4 when Vasileios Panagiotidis and back-to-back WSOP Ladies Champion Shiina Okamoto played one of the tournament’s most massive pots. Holding aces, Okamoto three-bet a pre-flop open from Panagiotidis, who called with jack-ten. The flop fell eight-jack-jack, giving Panagiotidis trips and leading to a check-call from Okamoto against a 400,000 bet.

The hand turned into a statistical nightmare on the turn when a jack landed. This gave Panagiotidis quad jacks while handing Okamoto a jacks full of aces. Believing she had the winner, Okamoto led for 900,000 and Panagiotidis smoothly called. A seven hit the river, and Okamoto fired a 2,500,000 value bet, only to face a shove from Panagiotidis.

After a brief hesitation, she called for her tournament life, only to be shown that her aces had been cracked by one-card quads. The cooler sent the massive pot to Panagiotidis, catapulting him into the chip lead with over 9.2 million, while Okamoto’s run ended in 37th place for €40,000.

Heartbreak for @shiina_pkr! 💔

busting deep into Day 4 of the €5,300 @wsop E Main Event! pic.twitter.com/NUezBPopkO

— PokerNews (@PokerNews) April 8, 2026

Annette Obrestad’s Nostalgic Run Ends in 35th at WSOPE Main Event

Annette Obrestad at WSOPE Main Event — Annette Obrestad (Credit: Tomás Stacha)

Annette Obrestad made a sensational return to the WSOPE nearly 20 years after becoming the youngest WSOP Main Event bracelet winner at the inaugural 2007 event. Still the only woman to ever win a WSOP Main Event, her deep run in 2026 captivated fans before ending in 35th place.

The final hand began with Sondre Stormyr opening for 200,000 and receiving a call from Rokas Asipauskas . From the small blind, Obrestad moved all in for her remaining 540,000. Stormyr re-raised to 1,200,000 to isolate, forcing Asipauskas to fold.

Obrestad revealed pocket twos, while Stormyr held king-jack. The flip quickly ended as the flop landed jack-eight-four, pairing Stormyr’s jack. Neither the seven on the turn nor the ten on the river could save Obrestad, ending her impressive bid to reclaim her title 19 years later.

Annette Obrestad shoves ALL IN! Late into the €5,300 @WSOP E Main Event Main Event‼️

Can she survive or is it the end of the road for the youngest ever WSOP Bracelet holder? pic.twitter.com/dBKL2qgpT9

— PokerNews (@PokerNews) April 8, 2026

Day 4 Ends: Hengtao Zhu Leads The Final 25

Hengtao Zhu at WSOPE Main Event — Hengtao Zhu (Credit: Tomás Stacha)

By the end of Day 4, the field had been trimmed to just 25 players. Hengtao Zhu finished the day as the chip leader with 16,395,000 chips.

Top 10 Chip Counts

Place	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Hengtao Zhu	Finland	16,395,000	102
2	Brandon Sheils	United Kingdom	15,935,000	100
3	Rokas Asipauskas	Lithuania	12,100,000	76
4	Akihiro Konishi	Japan	9,490,000	59
5	Vasileios Panagiotidis	Greece	9,275,000	58
6	Peter Koevesdi	Germany	8,085,000	51
7	Marius Kudzmanas	Lithuania	6,595,000	41
8	Joona Nyholm	Finland	6,405,000	40
9	Chris Hunichen	United States	6,310,000	39
10	Steven Jones Jr	United States	5,980,000	37

Action will resume for Day 5 at Level 29, with blinds to be set at 80,000/160,000 and a 160,000 big blind ante. The plan for Day 5 will be to play six levels or until the final table is reached. With only 25 players remaining, the field will fight for a spot at the prestigious final table and a shot at the massive €2,000,000 first-place prize.