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Norway's Oskar Bilstad Wins the Record-Breaking PokerStars Open Malaga Main Event
Norway's Oskar Bilstad clinches the record-breaking PokerStars Open Malaga Main Event title, securing a career-best €178,840 prize.
TL;DR
Oskar Bilstad of Norway has won the 2026 PokerStars Open Malaga Main Event, overcoming a field of 1,753 entries to claim €178,840. This victory marks a new personal best for Bilstad, surpassing his previous Pot-Limit Omaha win earlier in the year.
Oskar Bilstad, from Norway, added another significant win to his poker resume by taking down the 2026 PokerStars Open Malaga Main Event. This victory, occurring in July 2026, earned him €178,840, substantially exceeding his €29,154 prize from an €880 Pot-Limit Omaha event in March 2026 at the Poker North Masters & Norwegian Championship in Bratislava.
The €1,100 buy-in Main Event attracted a record-breaking 1,753 entries, including re-entries, generating a total prize pool of €1,682,880. This field size surpassed the 2025 edition's 1,636 entrants and €1,575,560 prize pool, establishing it as the largest PokerStars Open event in Malaga's history.
All final table participants were guaranteed at least €23,900. A three-handed deal among the top finishers ensured that each received a six-figure payout. Spain's Antonio Ruiz Tellado, with only €660 in previous live earnings, finished ninth for €23,900, while Italian Stefano Rage Gianas secured €31,100 for an eighth-place finish.
Additional notable finishes included Francesco Caramazza of Italy, who earned a career-high €40,400 for seventh place. Frenchman Herve Gouzil finished sixth, adding €52,500 to his career earnings, pushing him past the $1.3 million mark. Min-Guk Kim from South Korea and Francisco De Paula from Spain, both of whom had previously cashed in the 2025 Malaga Main Event, improved their performances, finishing fifth for €68,300 and fourth for €88,700, respectively.
After the deal, Jose Vallas of Andorra exited in third place, taking home €180,160. Bilstad then defeated Hungary's Daniel Heredi in heads-up play, securing the title and €178,840, with Heredi receiving €175,980 as the runner-up.
The PokerStars Open series is set to continue in August with PokerStars Open Barcelona. This event, featuring a €1,650 buy-in and a €1 million guarantee, will serve as a preliminary to the 2026 PokerStars EPT Barcelona festival. The 2025 Barcelona event drew 5,036 entrants, creating a €7,251,840 prize pool, where France's Alexis Nicolai won €772,000.
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Oskar Bilstad | Norway | €178,840* | | 2 | Daniel Heredi | Hungary | €175,980* | | 3 | Jose Vallas | Andorra | €180,160* | | 4 | Francisco De Paula | Spain | €88,700 | | 5 | Min-Guk Kim | South Korea | €68,300 | | 6 | Herve Gouzil | France | €52,500 | | 7 | Francesco Caramazza | Italy | €40,400 | | 8 | Stefano Rage Gianas | Italy | €31,100 | | 9 | Antonio Ruiz Tellado | Spain | €23,900 | *reflects a three-handed deal
