EPT Madrid Down to 24 Players
On Day 3 of the PokerStars EPT Madrid, the field decreased from 116 to just 24 players. The remaining players, including Joao Paulo Simao, Ilan Boujenah and Mike McDonald, will play down to an 8-handed final table on Friday.
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| Joao Paulo Simao |
Although all of the entrants at the EPT Madrid started the event with high hopes of reaching the final table, just 24 of them still have the opportunity to do it. All 24 have secured a €13,000 prize, but those who manage to survive Day 4 on Friday will guarantee themselves at least €48,000 and a chance to take down the €545,000 first-place prize.
Day 3 highlights
An overwhelming leader has emerged - Brazilian Joao Paulo Simao may not be a name poker fans are familiar with, but he has had some noteworthy success playing on PokerStars as "IneedMassari." Although the 23-year-old former WCOOP winner may not have much live experience, you wouldn't know that from looking at his chip stack. He ended the day with 1,973,000 chips (about 164 BBs) - over 800,000 more than Ilan Boujenah who sits in 2nd place.
Mike McDonald still going strong - Although he's no longer the chip leader, Canadian pro Mike McDonald can't be too displeased sitting in 5th place with 883,000 chips. This is McDonald's 7th time making the final 24 spots of an EPT event, and if everything goes well for him he could potentially make his 4th EPT final table or secure his 2nd EPT victory (his previous win was at the 2008 EPT German Open).
Who hit the rail? - McLean Karr busted in 73rd place, making him the event's bubble boy. Some of the players who busted after reaching the money include Melanie Weisner, Olivier Busquet, Alex Kravchenko, and Kevin MacPhee.
Day 4 will begin today at 12:00 CET, and you can watch the action live (without hole cards) via PokerStars.tv.
Live Stream at PokerStars.tv Live Updates Via PokerStars Blog
EPT Madrid
End of Day 3 Chip Counts |
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| Place | Name | Chips | ||
| 1st | Joao Paulo Simao | 1,973,000 | ||
| 2nd | Ilan Boujenah | 1,153,000 | ||
| 3rd | Bruno Lopes | 1,103,000 | ||
| 4th | Jason Duval | 946,000 | ||
| 5th | Mike McDonald | 883,000 | ||
| 6th | Siyu Sha | 848,000 | ||
| 7th | Clayton Mozdzen | 783,000 | ||
| 8th | Taylor Paur | 734,000 | ||
| 9th | Fraser Macintyre | 717,000 | ||
| 10th | Ricardo Ibanez Rodriguez | 635,000 | ||
| - | Melanie Weisner | €11,000 | ||
| - | Olivier Busquet | €11,000 | ||
| - | Alex Kravchenko | €11,000 | ||
| - | Kevin MacPhee | €11,000 | ||
| - | Dermot Blain | €9,000 | ||
| - | Johnny Lodden | €7,500 | ||
| - | Barny Boatman | €7,500 | ||
| Blinds: 6,000/12,000/1,000 | Players: 24 (116) | Prize pool: €2,313,450 |
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Check out some videos from Day 3 of the EPT Madrid:
by Matt Kaufman
