The Campeonato de España de Poker (CEP) by PokerStars is considered Spain’s oldest poker league and will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2026. After the first five events, the CEP is now heading toward the grand finale of its anniversary season at Casino Perelada in Girona. The sixth and final stop of the year will determine not only the overall standings for the Main Event and the Mini CEP, but also the title of the new Spanish Poker Champion.
From November 25 to 29, 2026, the Campeonato de España de Poker (CEP) by PokerStars will be held at Casino Perelada in Girona. The spotlight is on the Main Event with a €500 buy-in. The tournament kicks off on Wednesday, November 25, with the first starting day, 1A. One special feature: This flight will not be held in Perelada, but at Casino Barcelona. The remaining starting days will then take place at Casino Perelada. Players will receive 30,000 chips at the start and can make an unlimited number of re-entries during the late registration phase, which lasts for ten levels. 
The tournament schedule includes four starting flights. While the first three starting days will be played with regular blind levels, the final Flight 1D on Saturday will feature a turbo structure. Qualified players will then meet on Saturday afternoon for the second day of the tournament, before the winner is decided on Sunday. The regular starting days 1B and 1C will be played with 45-minute blind levels. Shorter levels are scheduled for the Turbo Flight 1D. On the second and third days of the tournament, each level will last 50 minutes.
In addition to the Main Event, the festival naturally also offers an extensive supporting program. The Mini CEP will be held with a buy-in of €250 and starts on Saturday, November 28, at 5:00 p.m. The second day of the tournament takes place on Sunday. In addition, there are other attractive tournaments on the schedule. These include a €220 Turbo Bounty on Friday and a €115 Turbo Closer to wrap up the festival on Sunday. There are also plenty of opportunities to qualify. Several live satellites will take place on November 23 and 24. Players can also qualify for the Main Event online via PokerStars Spain. Online satellites start as low as €5. PokerStars has been the main sponsor of the CEP since 2018.
CEP Looks Back on a Great 2026 Season
Each of this year’s CEP stops so far has drawn strong turnout and, in some cases, set new records. The five Main Events held to date have collectively attracted nearly 6,000 entries. The CEP Barcelona in August was particularly impressive. The Main Event there drew a total of 2,205 entries, setting a new attendance record in the Campeonatos’ 20-year history. The stop in Málaga also made headlines in September: With 1,007 entries, the Main Event surpassed the 1,000-participant mark for the first time and significantly exceeded last year’s previous record of 858 entries.
The standings in the Main Event’s overall rankings are particularly exciting. Julen Palacios has taken the lead in the standings with 3,430 points and heads into the final stop with a comfortable—but by no means insurmountable—lead. His closest pursuer is Mehdi Rebai, who has 3,035 points so far. Behind them, the race is much tighter. Jesús Hervás holds third place with 2,815 points, closely followed by Andrés Justamante with 2,805 points. Daniel Hernández de Lorenzo, with 2,765 points, is also still within striking distance of the podium.
Palacios earned his top spot in part thanks to a strong performance at the CEP Barcelona, where he finished second in the Main Event. Mehdi Rebai placed third in that tournament, while Jesús Hervás won the title. The outcome of the Mini-CEP standings is also still undecided. Here, José María Mesas leads with 2,240 points, ahead of Herber Castañeda (1,883) and Nicolás Perin (1,735). In total, more than 2,100 entries have already been registered across the five Mini-CEP Main Events held so far.
Who will be the 2026 Spanish Poker Champion?
In addition to the recognition for the overall victory, the new Spanish Poker Champion will receive two PokerStars Gold Passes, €5,000, and an anniversary watch valued at €2,000. The other podium finishers will also be rewarded. The runner-up will receive a Gold Pass, a Silver Pass, and €3,000, while third place will be awarded a Gold Pass and an additional €2,000. In addition, the CEP will award sponsorship packages for the 2027 season to the top four players in the Main Event overall standings as well as to the winner of the Mini-CEP leaderboard.
More information is available on the CEP website.
Here is the CEP Perelada 2026 tournament schedule:
| Date | Time | Tournament | Buy-in |
| Mon., Nov. 23 | 6:00 p.m. | Main Event Satellite | €115 |
| Mon., Nov. 23 | 9:00 p.m. | Main Event 1A Accumulator – Casino Barcelona | €115 |
| Tue., Nov. 24 | 9:00 PM | Main Event 1A Accumulator – Casino Barcelona | €60 |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | 3:30 p.m. | Main Event – Day 1A (Casino Barcelona) | €500 |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | 6:00 p.m. | Main Event Satellite | €115 |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | 3:00 p.m. | Main Event – Day 1B | €500 |
| Thu, Nov. 26 | 8:00 p.m. | Main Event Satellite | €115 |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | 3:00 p.m. | Main Event – Day 1C | €500 |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | 6:00 p.m. | Turbo Bounty | €220 |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | 10:30 a.m. | Main Event – Day 1D Turbo | €500 |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | 4:00 p.m. | Main Event – Day 2 (Late Registration Closed) | €500 |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | 5:00 p.m. | Mini CEP – Day 1 | €250 |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | 3:30 p.m. | Main Event – Day 3 (Late Registration Closed) | €500 |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | 4:00 p.m. | Mini CEP – Day 2 (Late Registration Closed) | €250 |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | 5:00 p.m. | Turbo Closer | €115 |