Players were put on the 30-second shot clock today at the EPT Cyprus Main Event as the field was reduced from 155 to just 53 in the chase for the $1,042,000 top prize and the coveted PokerStars trophy.
It was also a day that saw many of the favourites fall by the wayside, with last week’s $25k HR winner Alexander Tkatschew and $50k winner Juan Pardo both dropping, as well as EPT Barcelona Main Event victor Simon Wiciak, who was denied back-to-back titles. Three-time WSOP bracelet winner Joao Vieira also tumbled.
The fun and games weren't just about those who hit the rail, though, with hands such as the one you can watch in the tweet below, notable for the last-ditch save of a tournament life after being caught in a dastardly trap.
Nathan Tetart leads the remaining 53
Financially, it was a double-your-money day for those who survived, the remaining 53 now guaranteed $18,300 back on their $5,300 investment. They’ll need a top 20 finish to double that yet again, with the six-figure paydays kicking in at the final table.
France's Nathan Tetart will have his eyes on the bigger prizes after ending the day as a comfortable chip leader, a huge pick-up with pocket aces propelling him ahead of Jose Gonzalez Sanchez in second.
Still in the mix are two previous EPT Main Event winners, Sweden’s Anton Wigg, who took down Copenhagen 2010, and Nicolas Chouity, who the exact same year scooped the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final.
2019's Main Event fourth-place finisher, Dario Sammartino, will be looking to make a move when day 4 dawns, while Russia’s Nikita Kuznetsov and Belgium’s Kenny Hallaert will also fancy their chances. Sammartino will be hoping for better runouts than the following hand.
Dario Sammartino: 7♠ 7♣
Bjorn Kozenkai: A❤️ Xx
Hungarian player Kozenkai defended his big blind to Sammartino’s UTG raise, and both players checked after hitting a big piece of the A♠ 7♦️️ 2❤️ flop.
The A♣ turn filled Sammartino’s boat, and both players checked again, but when the A♦️️ river hit, Sammartino’s 25k bet was raised to 105,000 by Kozenkai. The Italian looked thoroughly grossed out by both the river and the raise and soon folded. Kozenkai graciously allowed his opponent to turn over one card, the case red ace – a good fold but a disgusting runout.
The Main Event resumes tomorrow on day 4, with blinds at 10,000/15,000/15,000. You can watch all the action on the PokerStars Twitch channel, re-starting at 11.30am CEST.
EPT Cyprus Main Event – top 10 chips
| Seat | Player | Chip Count |
| 1 | Nathan Tetart (France) | 3,465,000 |
| 2 | Jose Gonzalez Sanchez (Spain) | 2,665,000 |
| 3 | Bart Lybaert (Belgium) | 2,000,000 |
| 4 | Gilles Simon (Netherlands) | 1,455,000 |
| 5 | Gerard Carbo (Spain) | 1,380,000 |
| 6 | Kenny Hallaert (Belgium) | 1,330,000 |
| 7 | Ricardo Tannoury (USA) | 1,300,000 |
| 8 | Casimir Seire (Finland) | 1,240,000 |
| 9 | Renat Bohdanov (Ukraine) | 1,120,000 |
Photos by PokerStars
