Francisco Benitez Among Chip Leaders as Final Day of �10,300 EPT High Roller Begins at 12:30 p.m.
The final day of the 2023 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) at Casino Barcelona festival is about to get underway, with just 40 players returning to their seats in the �10,000 EPT High Roller but only one will come out on top in this 475-entry tournament.
After two days and 20 levels of poker, Vlad Darie is currently leading the way with an impressive stack of 1,460,000 chips. Darie is in search of his largest career live tournament score but the competition will be tough when the cards go back in the air. Simone Andrian (1,335,000), Francisco Benitez (1,105,000) are the only other players with a seven-figure chip count.
There are plenty of others to keep an eye on moving forward including EPT Champions Razvan Belea (960,000), Dominik Panka (605,000), and Patrik Antonius (275,000). The list also includes PokerStars Team Pro Rafael Moraes (750,000), Simon Lofberg (600,000), and Alexandre Reard (390,000). Vinicius Pinheiro, and Song Xue are on the short stacks but they each have plenty of experience so don't count them out either.
Day 3 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vlad Darie | Romania | 1,460,000 | 97 |
| 2 | Simone Andrian | Italy | 1,335,000 | 89 |
| 3 | Francisco Benitez | Uruguay | 1,105,000 | 74 |
| 4 | Ren Lin | China | 980,000 | 65 |
| 5 | Razvan Belea | Romania | 960,000 | 64 |
| 6 | Francesco Pilato | Italy | 920,000 | 61 |
| 7 | Alessio Sardone | Italy | 910,000 | 61 |
| 8 | Ka Kwan Lau | Hong Kong | 870,000 | 58 |
| 9 | Jeferson Pinow | Brazil | 795,000 | 53 |
| 10 | Hwany Lee | Korea | 785,000 | 52 |
The action is scheduled to get underway at 12:30 p.m. local time. The blinds will resume on level 21 at 10,000/15,000 and a 15,000 big blind ante. The levels will remain at 60 minutes throughout for the time being with a 20-minute break after every two levels. Each player will receive additional time extensions to begin the day as well as at the final table.
There is still plenty of money up for grabs as the day unfolds with the remaining players having already locked up �19,350. There will be significant pay jumps throughout the day with the winner taking home a cool �910,400.
Follow along with the PokerNews live reporting team to find out who will come out on top of this star-studded field and become the champion.