53 Players Remain as EPT Cyprus Main Event Enters Final Stretch
The PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus has entered its final stretch as the halfway point for the $5,300 EPT Main Event has been crossed. And there's not long to wait, as the next chapter for the tournament begins at 12 p.m. EEST.
The initial field of 1,320 has been whittled down to its final 53 entrants inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel and Spa, and among those remaining are two players who have already tasted EPT Main Event glory.
Anton Wigg (300,000) and Nicolas Chouity (745,000) wrote their name in the EPT history books during the 2010 season, winning the Main Events at the Copenhagen and Monte Carlo stops. The victories resulted in the biggest cash of their careers, and the similarities continue with Wigg and Chouity having $4.4 million and $4.6 million in live tournament earnings. Good enough to put them 412th and 383rd in All-Time Money List.
The duo will be looking to emulate Mike Watson, who became the third player in history to win two live EPT Main Event titles, after his triumph in Monte Carlo earlier this year.
Of course, the 51 other players will be looking to stop them at any cost and in pole position to do that is Nathan Tetart (3,465,000). The Frenchman is the sole participant with more than 3 million chips, while Jose Gonzalez Sanchez (2,665,000) and Bart Lybaert (2,000,000) were the only other players to breach the 2 million chip mark.
EPT Cyprus Main Event Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nathan Tetart | France | 3,465,000 | 231 |
| 2 | Jose Gonzalez Sanchez | Spain | 2,665,000 | 178 |
| 3 | Bart Lybaert | Belgium | 2,000,000 | 133 |
| 4 | Gilles Simon | Netherlands | 1,455,000 | 97 |
| 5 | Gerard Carbo | Spain | 1,380,000 | 92 |
| 6 | Kenny Hallaert | Belgium | 1,330,000 | 89 |
| 7 | Ricardo Tannoury | United States | 1,300,000 | 87 |
| 8 | Casimir Seire | Finland | 1,240,000 | 83 |
| 9 | Renat Bohdanov | Ukraine | 1,120,000 | 75 |
| 10 | Nikita Kuznetsov | Russia | 1,030,000 | 69 |
Day 4 Plan
Day 4 kicks off at noon local time on Level 21 with blinds of 10,000/15,000 and a 15,000 big blind ante. Day 4 will close when six more levels play out or until the field reaches 16, whichever comes first.
The returning players have locked up a minimum payday of $18,700, with the next pay jump at 39th place ($21,500). However, all eyes will be on the $1,042,000 that will be awarded to the eventual champion on Sunday.
As always, keep it locked in with PokerNews to keep up with all the action from EPT Cyprus.