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Seun Oluwole Leads British Success at European Mixed Poker Championship 2026

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Samantha Doyle 3 hours ago

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Seun Oluwole finished third in the €800 Main Event, leading British results.
British players earned €49,080 across the festival, with five Main Event cashes.
UK entrants recorded multiple podium finishes but did not claim an event title.

British poker players made their presence felt at the 2026 European Mixed Poker Championship (EMPC) in Tallinn, with Seun Oluwole securing third place in the €800 Main Event for €10,930 and several other UK representatives recording impressive results across the festival.

The European Mixed Poker Championship returned to Olympic Park Casino from 26 to 31 October, bringing together mixed game specialists for 12 tournaments covering a wide range of poker disciplines.

While Finland's Tapani Pulkkinen claimed the Main Event title and Canada's Patrick Stacey won the €1,500 S.O.R.B.E.T. High Roller, British players were particularly prominent in the Main Event and several of the festival's specialist formats.

Seun Oluwole Finishes Third in €800 Main Event

The biggest British performance came in the €800 8 Game Main Event, where Seun Oluwole finished third for €10,930.

The tournament attracted 146 entries and generated a €97,090 prize pool. Finland's Tapani Pulkkinen eventually emerged victorious, defeating Denmark's Christian Elgstrom heads up to collect €22,250.

Oluwole was joined near the top of the standings by fellow British player Wantao Tang, who finished fourth for €8,590.

Tapani Pulkkinen at EMPC 2026 — Tapani Pulkkinen Wins the €800 8 Game Main Event

Three more UK representatives reached the money, with Kayan Vandan Intwala finishing ninth, Dinesh Babu Khatri taking 15th and Georgina James finishing 19th.

Altogether, British players collected €25,670 from five Main Event cashes, accounting for more than a quarter of the tournament's total prize pool.

EMPC 2026 Main Event: Top Nine Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Tapani Pulkkinen	Finland	€22,250
2	Christian Elgstrom	Denmark	€15,070
3	Seun Oluwole	UK	€10,930
4	Wantao Tang	UK	€8,590
5	Erik Mortensen Sønsteby	Norway	€6,730
6	Jerry Ödeen	Sweden	€5,260
7	Ilkka Elias Heikkilä	Finland	€3,840
8	Norberto Andres Korn	Germany	€2,830
9	Kayan Vandan Intwala	UK	€2,830

Patrick Stacey Wins High Roller as Pulkkinen Takes Main Event Crown

Beyond the British performances, Canada's Patrick Stacey captured one of the festival's biggest prizes in the €1,500 S.O.R.B.E.T. High Roller.

Patrick Stacey at EMPC 2026 — Patrick Stacey Wins the €1,500 S.O.R.B.E.T. High Roller

Stacey defeated Germany's Nicolas Bokowski heads up to claim €20,230, with Sweden's Jerry Ödeen finishing third for €9,330.

The High Roller attracted 45 entries and awarded six paid places. Ireland's Matthew Grapenthien finished sixth for €3,680.

S.O.R.B.E.T. High Roller Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Patrick Stacey	Canada	€20,230
2	Nicolas Bokowski	Germany	€12,830
3	Jerry Ödeen	Sweden	€9,330
4	Andrew Kelsall	United States	€7,000
5	Jean-Michael Kabbaj	Austria	€5,250
6	Matthew Grapenthien	Ireland	€3,680

British Players Shine Across Mixed Game Events

Oluwole's Main Event podium was part of an impressive festival performance.

He also finished runner up in the €300 Senkel's Paradise Pick'em for €3,170 and fourth in the €200 S.O.R.B.E.T. for €1,400. Those three results brought his confirmed tournament winnings to €15,500.

Dinesh Babu Khatri was another standout British performer, earning €6,400 for second place in the €555 Lowball Draw Mix before adding €1,720 in the Main Event.

Isaac Barker joined Oluwole on the Senkel's Paradise Pick'em podium, finishing third for €2,230, while Antony Kelly earned €4,900 for third place in the €1,500 6 Game High Roller.

Alexander Rizvi and Leighton Cumber also recorded notable finishes, highlighting the depth of British representation across different mixed game formats.

Notable British Cashes at EMPC 2026

Player	Tournament	Place	Prize
Seun Oluwole	€800 8 Game Main Event	3rd	€10,930
Wantao Tang	€800 8 Game Main Event	4th	€8,590
Dinesh Babu Khatri	€555 Lowball Draw Mix	2nd	€6,400
Antony Kelly	€1,500 6 Game High Roller	3rd	€4,900
Seun Oluwole	€300 Senkel's Paradise Pick'em	2nd	€3,170
Alexander Rizvi	€700 Dealer's Choice	5th	€3,010
Kayan Vandan Intwala	€800 8 Game Main Event	9th	€2,830
Leighton Cumber	€555 Lowball Draw Mix	5th	€2,300
Isaac Barker	€300 Senkel's Paradise Pick'em	3rd	€2,230
Dinesh Babu Khatri	€800 8 Game Main Event	15th	€1,720
Georgina James	€800 8 Game Main Event	19th	€1,600
Seun Oluwole	€200 S.O.R.B.E.T.	4th	€1,400

European Mixed Poker Championship 2026: All Event Winners

The festival crowned 12 champions, with Norway leading the way with four titles. Finland and Germany each claimed two victories, while Canada, Austria, Luxembourg and the remaining winners added further international variety to the results.

Event	Tournament	Buy-in	Winner	Country	First Prize
1	Welcomer Big Bet Mix	€200	Christophe Stammet	Luxembourg	€3,417
2	Lowball Draw Mix	€555	Thor William Morstøl	Norway	€9,967
3	Nordic Special Mix	€300	Nicolas Bokowski	Germany	€6,150
4	Dealer's Choice	€700	Robin Panholzer	Austria	€12,093
5	S.O.R.B.E.T.	€200	Raymond Sevje Forsland	Norway	€4,051
6	T.O.E. Turbo	€800	Sampo Ryynänen	Finland	€8,072
7	S.O.R.B.E.T. High Roller	€1,500	Patrick Stacey	Canada	€20,230
8	Senkel's Paradise Pick'em	€300	Eirik Kristiansen	Norway	€4,766
9	8 Game Main Event	€800	Tapani Pulkkinen	Finland	€22,250

A Strong Showing for British Mixed Game Poker

The European Mixed Poker Championship has established itself as a specialist event for players who enjoy more than conventional Texas Hold'em tournaments.

Its combination of draw games, Stud variants, Omaha and Dealer's Choice formats demands a considerably broader poker skill set, with players frequently switching between different betting structures and game dynamics.

For Britain's mixed game community, the 2026 edition delivered encouraging results. The British cashes highlighted in this article total €49,080, including five Main Event money finishes.

Oluwole's three notable results, combined with podium finishes for Khatri, Barker and Kelly, ensured that UK players were among the most visible international contenders in Tallinn, even without claiming an event title.