French player Alexis Nicolai delivered on a promise he made to his son, capturing the European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona PS Open Main Event title and the €772,000 top prize. Emerging from a massive field of 5,036 entries, Nicolai claimed both the Shard trophy and the biggest score of his career.
“My son is laughing at me every time I wear this. Because he said, ‘you look like a fisherman, dad’. So I say, this time I’m going to have the hat, and the trophy, and win everything,” Nicolai said before the tournament.
His prophecy came true, and after securing victory, he admitted the moment still felt surreal: “In the dream. I just don’t realize. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe in the car tonight. Tomorrow at 7:30, I’m going to work. A job is a job, says my father.”
Congratulations to Alexis Nicolai, who came out on top in the 5,036-entrant €1,650 PokerStars Open Main Event.
— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) August 25, 2025
Nicolai picked up €772,000 for the win, the highest prize ever awarded in the tournament’s history.
Read all about the Frenchman's victory 👉https://t.co/bPUPxsfXYR pic.twitter.com/ImQLxnHSPy
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexis Nicolai | France | €772,000 |
| 2 | Mengshi Tian | Hong Kong | €482,290 |
| 3 | Ben Zech | Germany | €344,560 |
| 4 | Chin Wei Lim | Malaysia | €265,200 |
| 5 | Daniele Cuomo | Italy | €203,910 |
| 6 | Jakub Sterba | Czechia | €156,830 |
| 7 | Kazuhiko Yotsushika | Japan | €120,610 |
| 8 | David Taieb | France | €92,770 |
From Short Stack to Champion
Nicolai, who runs a taxi ambulance company, more than doubled his career earnings with this result, eclipsing his previous best cash of $64,000. He began the final table as the short stack with just 7,450,000 in chips and was dangerously close to elimination multiple times, but fought his way back with well-timed doubles and relentless aggression.
“At the start, I was really short, and I was in a bad situation. Finally, I found a double up really quickly. We just wait for the short stack to bust, and he finally bust. Then, I have to admit, I opened some crazy hands so it was easier,” Nicolai recalled. “I had a bad start to heads-up, lost some hands… Then I changed my mind. I was going to talk to him more, and that’s what I did. My friend, all in. I shoved so many times, I made him crazy.”
Final Day Highlights
Day 4 started with 13 players, including Yakiv Syzghanov (13th), Arthur Emig (12th), Efrim Erdinc (11th), and Adis Zukanovic (10th), who fell just short of the final table.
- Kazuhiko Yotsushika began the day as chip leader but lost momentum after doubling up Chin Wei Lim and later clashing with Ben Zech. He eventually bowed out in seventh place when his pocket sixes lost to Nicolai’s pocket jacks.
- Mengshi Tian surged ahead with a pivotal hand, eliminating Jakub Sterba with quads to amass nearly half the chips in play.
- Nicolai eliminated Daniele Cuomo in fifth with pocket kings against ace-nine, then sent Lim out in fourth after his pocket tens improved to a set against ace-queen.
- In three-handed play, Nicolai dispatched Zech with ace-seven versus ace-six, setting up the final duel against Tian.
Heads-Up Battle
Tian entered heads-up with an advantage, holding 84,400,000 to Nicolai’s 66,625,000. Early exchanges favored Tian, who extended his lead and showed down the nut straight to leave Nicolai with just 22,000,000.
From there, Nicolai turned the tide with his signature aggressive style. “My friend, all in,” echoed through the tournament room as he shoved repeatedly to rebuild his stack. A crucial double came when his ace-three cracked Tian’s ace-ten, putting him in front.
The final hand saw Tian move all in with pocket sevens, while Nicolai held pocket nines. Tian spiked a set on the flop, but the river delivered Nicolai a straight, completing a dramatic comeback and sealing the victory.
A Promise Kept
During the winner’s photo, Nicolai removed his fisherman’s hat and placed it on the Shard trophy—bringing full circle the promise he had made to his son.
