Leo Taffe Bags Chip Lead Ahead of BetMGM Poker Championship Final Table

Calum Grant

Level 29 : Blinds 100,000/150,000, 150,000 ante

After nine and a half levels of play, Day 3 of the 2023 BetMGM Poker Championship has come to an end with Leo Taffe bagging the overwhelming chip lead going into the final day.

Joining him at the final table is Stephen Song, Mike Vanier, Sundiata DeVore, Kevin Berthelsen, Johann Ibanez and Mo Zhou, after they survived the fast and furious action that took place inside the PokerGO Studio.

Final Table Seat Draw and Chip Counts

Seat	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Sundiata DeVore	United States	5,750,000	38
2	Leo Taffe	United States	17,175,000	115
3	Mike Vanier	United States	4,800,000	32
4	Kevin Berthelsen	United States	2,450,000	16
5	Johann Ibanez	Colombia	2,350,000	16
6	Mo Zhou	China	4,175,000	28
7	Stephen Song	United States	4,100,000	27

Day 3 Recap

The day started with 56 players, and the field was quickly whittled down to the last three tables following the exit of notable players such as Martin Jacobson (54th - $11,229), Jeremy Ausmus (40th - $12,542) and Brian Hastings (36th - $14,512).

There were four BetMGM qualifiers who made it through to the penultimate day but neither replicated last year��s qualifier Benji Felson, who had a deep run to the final table before bowing out in fifth place.

The qualifier who went the furthest this time around was Danny DeJesus, who exited in 28th place for $14,512.

The final three tables rapidly became two as six players departed in a short space of time. Among those to exit at this stage was Mark Dickstein (24th - $19,469), Anuj Agarwal (23rd - $19,469) and Fabrice Bigot (18th - $28,334).

Following the elimination of Nadya Magnus ($44,323), the unofficial nine-handed final table was formed. First to leave was Ivan Galinec ($56,044), and then the day closed when Bradley Hinson��s ($75,054) stack was collected by DeVore.

The final seven players return to the PokerGo Studio tomorrow (Tuesday, June 13), with play set to begin at 2:00 p.m. local time. The conclusion of the tournament is being live-streamed and is available to watch on PokerGO. The broadcast will go live at 3:00 p.m., and the PokerNews live updates will be delayed not to spoil the stream.

Final Table Payouts

Play resumes on Level 29, with 37 minutes and 45 seconds still on the clock. The blinds are 75,000/150,000 with a 150,000 big blind ante. The finalists have all locked up $94,523, but all eyes will be on the $560,442 that awaits the winner.