The second stop on the 2026 888poker LIVE calendar is in the books, and the Glasgow festival did not disappoint. Taking place March 14 — 22, the series attracted players in droves, creating big prize pools and the buzzing atmosphere that 888poker live festivals have come to be known for.
With over a dozen events on the schedule, Grosvenor’s Merchant City Casino offered non-stop action for all players. A majority of tournaments were in a £200 – £300 buy-in range, making them affordable for all bankrolls.
Of course, the £888 Main Event was the start of the show. The tournament came with a hefty guarantee of £250,000, but, once more, that guarantee was easily broken. By the time the registration finished, the tournament clock was showing 348 entries and a prize pool of £264,800.
The Title Goes to Austria
888poker LIVE events have earned their spot on the calendar, with many players from all over Europe and beyond looking forward to them. While local players are usually the ones showing up in the greatest numbers and picking up most titles, there have been quite a few exceptions over the years.
We can add the 2026 Glasgow Main Event to the list of those exceptions as the title went to one Martin Lechner, a relatively unknown player from Austria, who managed to quietly amass over $220,000 in live tournament earnings prior to his latest triumph.
This was actually Lechner’s first time attending an 888poker LIVE event, and it’s safe to assume that this debut will encourage him to come back to one of the future stops.
When the tournament got to its final stage, the Austrian made a deal with his opponent, the UK’s Richard Kellett, splitting the majority of the prize money. However, they still left just over £10,000 to play for, and the trophy was still on the line.
The heads-up skirmish lasted for about 45 minutes before Lechner, who started the final battle as a chip leader, managed to strike the finishing blow. With that, he pocketed a grand total of £57,515 and the trophy, which Martin says means more to him than the money.
2026 888poker LIVE Glasgow Main Event Final Standings
| Position | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Martin Lechner | Austria | £57,515 |
| #2 | Richard Kellett | UK | £44,745 |
| #3 | John Clements | UK | £26,950 |
| #4 | Zexuan Huang | China | £17,800 |
| #5 | Gaoyang Yang | UK | £12,110 |
| #6 | Danny Hawkes | UK | £8,790 |
| #7 | Dean Hutchison | UK | £6,790 |
| #8 | Ernst Soederkvist | Sweden | £5,500 |
| #9 | Bryan Taylor | UK | £4,580 |
Rough One for Team888
Like every time, the 888poker team showed up in force, ready to make things happen in Glasgow. Make no mistake, they may be nice and friendly, but, just like the rest of the field, once those cards are in the air, they’ll happily take your chips.
However, this time around, things didn’t quite pan out for Team888. Out of seven players to enter the Main Event, only one made it past the bubble. It was Jesus Ramos who made it all the way down to the last 17 players.
Vivi Saliba, Darius Wajda, and Ian Simpson had a good run at it, but all three busted before the tournament got down to 44 paying positions.
The other three, Lucia Navarro, Nick Eastwood, and Josh Manley, headed to the rail earlier, all three busting in a fairly quick succession.
While he failed to cash in the Main, Ian Simpson had some good fortune in the High Roller event. He finished in the third place, banking £13,770 for his efforts.
The next 888poker LIVE festival is set for May. It takes place in Barcelona, and it could easily be the biggest one so far. In other related news, the very first Noche de Poker El Festival series of 2026 kicks off today in Madrid.
