Rafael Moraes opened under the gun to 30,000, only to be faced with a three-bet to 75,000 from Lander Lijo on the button. Moraes rejammed for 250,000 and Lijo snap called.
Rafael Moraes: A♦Q♠
Lander Lijo: Q♦Q♥
Moraes needed some help but none was provided by the J♥2♣3♠5♥J♠ runout, sending PokerStars Ambassador Moraes to the rail.
Vladimir Troyanovsky moved all in from the button and for around 170,000 and was called by the short-stacked Rehman Kassam in the big blind, with Rehman at risk.
Rehman Kassam: J♣J♥
Vladimir Troyanovsky: A♠K♦
Kassam was ahead in a race, and remained so after the Q♠Q♦8♥ flop.
However the A♥ rolled off on the turn to give Troyanovsky the lead, and the 7♦ river changed nothing. Kassam said his goodbyes and wished the table luck.
Roberto Romanello moved his short stack all in from under the gun, Maher Nouira isolated by moving all in himself from the hijack and the hand went to a showdown.
Roberto Romanello: Q♠10♠
Maher Nouira: A♠Q♦
Romanello was crushed and the J♣J♦9♥Q♥2♦ didn't improve his hand against Nouira's hand, he was sent to the rail
The 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Monte Carlo at Sporting Monte-Carlo enters its final day today, with 24 players returning for Day 3 of the €25,000 EPT High Roller.
The event attracted an impressive 247 entrants, the field comprising some of the most accomplished players in the world, generating a prize pool of €5,930,470. All 24 players remaining are guaranteed a payday of €58,700, but all will have designs on the first-place prize of €1,253,070.
Players such as Sam Grafton, Damian Salas and Mustapha Kanit all started Day 2 but departed before the money.
After a lengthy bubble, the unfortunate Aliaksandr Shylko was the last player to leave empty-handed, being essentially forced all-in with his short-stack.
Aliaksandr Shylko
Following Day 2's conclusion, Japanese crusher Masashi Oya bagged the overall chip lead, taking through an impressive total of 1,290,000 for the final day.
Oya has had a fantastic festival here in Monte Carlo, taking the title in Event #25, €25,000 No Limit Hold'em for €504,300, and then finishing second in Event #35, €25,000 No Limit Hold'em for €403,240.
Oya put on a top-quality performance from start to finish, while he and fellow big stack Daniel Rezaeiclashed repeatedly on the bubble, where many players would have chosen to avoid such confrontations. Both players were seeking to establish table dominance on the bubble and take advantage of that scenario, and neither player was willing to back down, despite the potential risks to their own title aspirations.
Sergey Lebedev (965,000) and Andras Nemeth (955,000) complete the top three, trailing Oya by over 20 big blinds.
Andras Nemeth
Start of Day 3 Top 10 Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Masashi Oya
Japan
1,290,000
86
2
Sergey Lebedev
Russia
965,000
64
3
Andras Nemeth
Hungary
955,000
64
4
Mauricio Sanchez
Colombia
955,000
64
5
Daniel Rezaei
Austria
875,000
58
6
Felipe Boianovsky
Brazil
805,000
54
7
Lander Lijo
Spain
805,000
54
8
Kayhan Mokri
Norway
705,000
47
9
Arsenii Karmatckii
Russia
605,000
40
10
Elias Gutierrez
Spain
540,000
36
Details of the remaining payouts to be claimed are listed below.
Remaining Payouts
Place
Prize
Place
Prize (EUR)
1
€ 1,253,070
10 – 11
€ 135,700
2
€ 782,900
12-13
€ 118,000
3
€ 559,200
14-15
€ 102,600
4
€ 430,200
16-17
€ 89,200
5
€ 330,990
18-20
€ 77,600
6
€ 258,400
21-23
€ 67,400
7
€ 215,400
24
€ 58,700
8
€ 179,500
9
€ 156,100
The final 24 players will return at 12:00 p.m. local time to 60-minute levels to do battle for the trophy. Action will resume at Level 21 with blinds of 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 big blind ante.
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for all your the coverage of what is guaranteed to be an action-packed day as we crown a champion here in Monte Carlo.
