Recently in EPT Monte Carlo Category

by Stephen Bartley and Brad Willis
All photos © Neil Stoddart

Glen Chorny lifted his arms in the air. His A-5 had bettered Denes Kalo's K-Q and in that moment he had become the new PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Grand Final champion.

Glen Chorny, PokerStars qualifier, and EPT Grand Final Champion

It was the longest, the biggest, some of the best poker the EPT has ever seen. When play ended and the trophy was held aloft by Chorny, the faces of the players spoke thousands of words. Relief, mixed with fatigue, combined with an adrenaline daze. They had come through a mental exertion to get this far, but only one could come out winner and in keeping with the running theme of the week, it ended after some thrilling poker.

It was a final that could have gone all sorts of ways. Antonio Esfandairi stood on the verge of a remarkable Triple Crown, needing only an EPT title to go with this WPT and WSOP wins. Then there was Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano, making his third ever EPT final table and looking to recapture that season one form in what would be his record ninth EPT cash.

Then there was Isaac Baron, widely tipped as tournament favorite and known to his peers as the best player in the game. The story of internet hellraiser to live poker champion is an oft told one, but Isaac's first EPT win was not to take place here.

When we started today, ten players remained. After Stig Top Rasmussen and Henrik Gwinner were both eliminated, we moved on to the lights and cameras of the feature table, where the players lined up like this...

Seat 1. Denes Kalo -- Hungary -- 1,190,000
Seat 2. Michael Martin -- USA -- 1,320,000
Seat 3. Luca Pagano -- Italy -- Team PokerStars Pro -- 688,000
Seat 4. Valeriy Ilikyan -- Russia -- 1,396,000
Seat 5. Antonio Esfandiari -- USA -- 501,000
Seat 6. Maxime Villemure -- Canada -- 1,206,000
Seat 7. Glen Chorny -- USA -- PokerStars qualifier -- 3,613,000
Seat 8. Isaac Baron -- USA -- PokerStars qualifier -- 2,853,000

The EPT Grand Final final table players

With his father Claudio sitting nervous in the gallery, Luca Pagano put on an early show. He first doubled through Isaac Baron after raising and calling a re-raise with KJ. Baron, with a much bigger stack, pushed all-in on a jack-high flop and Pagano called to see AK. Pagano dodged the ace and got a key early double-up.

Just a few minutes passed before Pagano came in for another raise. This time, Antonio Esfandiari pushed all-in. Having to call 480,000, Pagano barely hesitated before making the call. Esfandiari showed A8 to Pagano's AJ. The flop came down and gave Pagano the stone cold nuts--QTK for Broadway. Esfandiari had three outs for a chop, missed, and exited in eighth place, earning €168,000.

Antonio Esfandiari -- 8th place -- €168,000

Upon Esfandiari's exit, the first person to shake his hand and congratulate him was Luca's father, Claudio Pagano. Esfandiari later said he'd made a good read on Pagano and put him on a decent hand, then promptly forgot it after seeing his own ace. Hear more in the PokerStars Video Blog below.

Antonio Esfandiari exit interview

After Esfandiari's exit, play continued for a bit without much incident. When American Michael Martin--decked out in a USA hoodie--came in for a raise, Russian Valeriy Ilikyan pushed all-in. He got a snap call from Martin.

"Bring on the Russians," he said with obvious confidence. He held AQ to Ilikyan's A4. The flop brought both the ace and queen. The turn and river were worthless to Ilikyan and he exited in seventh place for €253,000.

Valeriy Ilikyan--7th--€253,000

Two short stack eliminations seem to light a fire under Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano. In a pot that would define the next hour of play, Pagano bet 500,000 into a 9d 4d 2h 4s board, and pot amounting to 814K. Glen Chorny called. The Qh fell on the river and once again, Pagano fired out a bet, this time 400,000. Chorny called and showed pocket sixes, no good against Pagano's KdQd. Suddenly Pagano had the chip lead with 3.3 million chips.

Pagano has nine cashes on the European Poker Tour. This Grand Final marked his third final table. In all that time, he never managed to find a victory. This time, with his father on the rail, it was clear Pagano smelled his first EPT title.

Fifteen minutes later, Luca came in for a raise to 130,000 and Max Villemure re-raised to 400,000. Pagano did not wait long before re-raising all-in. It was no small proposition. The bet was nearly a million more chips. Villemure, however, was not deterred. He called quickly to see Pagano's pocket jacks. Villemure turned over his AK. The pot was worth more than 3.4 million and would go the way of the Canadian when an ace hit the flop.

That pot made it clear that the final table would not end early. At the 8:15 dinner break, the players' stacks remained so deep, some tournament veterans were predicting the final table may not finish until well into the morning. They would be right.

But things changed for Luca after the break and after just 15 minutes in his fortunes had taken him to the brink of elimination. He moved in from the button over a 125K raise from Denes Kalo. The quick call was not good for Pagano, showing his AJ only for Denes to turn over pocket queens. The K-7-7 flop was no good and Luca called out for an ace, just one more chance. But it didn't come and after gracious handshakes he left the final, collecting €337,000.

Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano -- 6th place -- €337,000.

Then after two levels of no eliminations we had a second 15 minutes later.

Michael Martin had surged ahead late yesterday and at times today had been atop the chip list, but the lead had changed several times, and big pots were able to quickly change the dynamic of the day. When Glen Chorny raised pre-flop to 125K, Michael called from the big blind. He then checked the 6-7-T flop before Chorny bet again, this time 225K. Martin then upped the stakes, making it 675K. It was a sudden change of pace and when Chorny pushed in there was never any other option for Martin than to call, showing QT to the pocket jacks of Chorny.

"Don't do it to me dealer," said Chorny as the dealer complied, laying out an ace and a deuce on the turn and river. Martin's tournament was over in fifth place for € 421,000. In just 20 minutes the final had gone from six to four-handed.

Michael Martin --5th place -- € 421,000

Thoughts had suddenly turned to the notion that this could all be over much quicker than anticipated when just a few minutes later Denes Kalo moved all-in. Glen Chorny had raised pre-flop with A3 of spades, called by Kalo with AQ. Chorny missed his outs, whilst Kalo had been catapulted into the chip lead, with 4.5 million.

But in keeping with the spirit of the event no one was in any mood to lay down and let their fate be controlled without a fight. Chorny picked up a 1.7million pot from Maxime Villemure with AJ, the jack on the flop good enough.

By now there was no clear chip leader and the final had developed into a battle between four players, none of whom held any significant advantage. But perhaps favorite, from the point of view of poker playing contempories, was Isaac Baron, often refered to by his peers to be one of the best players in the game today.

It would be close to three hours before the next elimination...

Then as level 29 got underway, the players saw a huge pot for Maxime Villemure, who came in for a raise, watched Isaac re-raise to 650K and then pushed all-in. Isaac raced him into the pot with a call, showing pocket eights. For Maxime it was pocket queens. Neither hand improved, doubling up Maxine to the tune of 4 million. Isaac had had the lead stripped from him and was suddenly the short stack with a mere one million chips.

But Isaac would have his twist of good fortune. He pushed all in with Q3 and Denes Kalo called with AT. All looked lost for Isaac, destined for a fourth place finish. Instead a miracle queen hit the river. The crowd erupted in an involuntary roar which almost carried Isaac back into contention as much as the boost to his stack did. He was back, with more than 2 million chips once more.

But even the best stories can sometimes end abruptly and for Isaac it was AQ against AA. The hand snuck up on everyone and sent the the tournament favourite crashing out. On a low flop of 6s2c7s Glen led out for 335K and Isaac began a period of deep thought. Glen then called the clock, the first move of its kind which nudged Isaac into his all-in move. Glen called immediately, showing his aces. The nine of spades on the turn sparked thoughts of a respeite for Isaac, holding a spade to go with the three on the board, but no flush came. Baron was out in fourth place for € 589,000.

PokerStars qualifier --Isaac Baron 4th place -- € 589,000

By now another issue had grown apparent. Maxime had shown signs of a bad cold all week and the stresses fo five days of play and all that came with that was beginning to show.

Glen was now edging ahead, up to 6 million, then 7 million as the others' did what they could to keep pace while the level 30 blinds grew in size. Max moved in with AQ on a near perfect flop T-Q-3, doubling up when Glen called him with Q-J.

The slow march continued as the clock nudged past 2am. But with Denes as the short stack, it was Max and Glen who tangled, reducing the field by one and sending the grand final heads-up.

Maxime limped in from the small blind to see a flop of ThAd4s. When the turn came Js Maxime made it 200K and was called. A 9d on the river and another bet, 450K from Maxime, prompting Glen to move all-in. Maxime called quickly. Max held Q8 for the straight, but Glen held KQ for the nuts. The cooler sent Maxime Villemure out in third place for € 715,000 and leaving just two players to battle it out for the title.

Maxime Villemure --3rd place -- € 715,000

From there it was less than a minute later that this mamoth contest was completed. After nearly 12 hours of play Glen held a ten-to-one chip lead over the Hungarian. Kalo knew his chances relied on acting fast. He found KhQd and made his move, raising first, finding Glen moving all-in and calling in a shot, showing his Ah5h. The board came AsQs6s6cTd, making Glen Chorny the Season 4 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final champion.

Denes Kalo, 2nd place, €1,179,000

Chorny took the applause after a handshake, first with Denes Kalo, his worthy opponent, and then with Tournament Director Thomas Kremser. For Denes, he'll pick up €1,179,000 on his way home tonight, whilst for Chorny € 2,020,000 and the honor that comes with winning the biggest poker tournament in European history.

Monte Carlo is nothing if not opulent, glamourous and well, expensive, a fact not lost even on players competing for what were millions of dollars. "It hasn't set in yet" said Glen in an interview with Kara Scott shortly afterwards. And when asked how he intended to celebrate his €2million haul tonight... "Maybe go to a bar, but I'm not going to Jimmy'z [Monte Carlo Bay's night club]. It's too expensive."

Maybe not anymore for Glen, a man who got here via PokerStars Steps qulaifiers. As the fireworks lit up the stage and crowds applauded a new champion, too young to play when the EPT started four seasons ago, it seems only right to salute him with some kind of celebration.

“There’s no better way to feel right now than like this," Chorny said. "It feels like you’re a rock star.”

You can find a full run down on the winners here.

Editor's note: Special thanks to the PokerStars Blog team for their tireless and selfless efforts throughout the Grand Final. To Stephen, Ed, Steve, Chris, Lina, Noelia, Klaus, Robin, and Mad: You are appreciated. Thank you. --BW

If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also read profiles of the final table players here, as well as keeping tabs on the latest chip counts here and winner information here.

2:36am--And quick it is.

Denes raises, Glen immediately moves all-in, and Denes calls in a split second. It's Ah5h for Glen and KhQd for Denes. The board runs out AsQs6s6sTd Glen Chorny is the Season 4 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final champion. He earns €2,020,000. Denes will receive €1,179,000 for his runner-up finish. We'll be back in a little bit with a full final table wrap-up.

2:32am--Players are returning for heads-up play. Glen has Denes 10-1 in chips right now. This could go quickly.

2:27am--Short break while we prepare for heads-up play.

2:22am----Max limps in the small blind and he and Glen saw a flop of ThAd4s. On the turn of Js and Max bets 200,000 and gets a call. Nine of diamonds on the river. Max bets 450,000. Glen moves all-in and Max calls. Glen turns KQ for the nuts. Max held Q8 for the lower straight. Max is out in third place, earning €715,000.

2:15am--Max raises on the button and got a call from Denes in the big blind. The flop came 7h7cJs and Max bets out. Denes raises to 575,000. Max raises all-in and Denes folds. Max flips T8 for the bluff and the win. Denes is down to 1.3 million chips. Glen still has a 2-1 chip lead on Max.

2:12am--Greg Raymer has joined James Hartigan on EPT Live.

2:04am--Isaac Baron's exit intervew.

2:00am--We're now eleven hours into final table play.

1:51am--If you're a fan of Kara Scott, she is currently doing commentary on EPT Live.

1:42am--Max comes in for a raise and gets calls from both opponents in the blinds. The flop comes out ThQh3d. It's checked to Max and he moves all-in. Denes calls with QJ but he's out-kicked by Max's AQ. Turn and river are banks and Max doubles up.

1:37am--Denes comes in for a raise to 300K and Max calls. The flop is As4s7c and the players check twice. A jack of hearts on the turn draws a check from Denes. Max bets out about half the pot and Denes raises to a million. Max folds.

1:35am--Back from break at the 60K/120K level.

1:18am--Break actually happening. Back soon.

1:17am--Blinds are going up soon but there will be no break. Or maybe there will be.

1:11am--Glen now has more than 7.2 million chips. Denes and Max both have less than 3 million.

1:01am--Isaac's departure has slowed down play a bit. If you're looking for a little more entertainment, check out PokerStars.tv for great archive footage of past EPT events.

12:56am--Max has returned. He looks pretty bad. The stress of the tournament plus running a fever for several days will take the its toll on just about anybody. Max thanked his opponents for his waiting.

12:55am--As Max is pretty ill right now...the players have agreed to wait for Max for a bit.

12:54am--Max has disappeared. No idea where's he gone, but play continues without him.

12:42am--Isaac raises to 225 and Glen calls. Flop is 6s2c7s. Glen leads for 335K. Isaac thinks for several minutes and Glen calls the clock. Isaac moves all in, Glen callls immediately with AA up against Isaac's AQ. The 9s on the turn gives Isaac the flush draw. The river is the Kc and Isaac Baron is out in fourth place for € 589,000.

12:38am--Denes came in for a raise and Glen re-raised out of the big blind. Denes mucked.

12:36 am--Glen made a raise from the button and Isaac immediately moved all-in. Glen showed an ace and mucked.

12:31am--Isaac comes in immediately after last hand for a 210K raise and Denes calls out of the blinds. The flop is 3h7dJc. Both players checked. Turn is Kh. Two checks. River is another J. Now Denes decides to bet out and Isaac insta-mucked.

12:28am--Isaac moves all-in with Q3, Denes calls fast with AT. J22 on flop. Turn is 6d. River....wait for it...Qd. Issac never moved from his seat and is now stacking double the amount of chips.

12:25am--Max raises to 220,000 and wins the blinds and antes.

12:23am--Isaac raises under the gun to 210,000 and Denes re-raises to 600,000. Isaac gives it up immediately. He's down to 15 big blinds. Look for Isaac to be trying to double soon.

12:21am--Video blog fun with Greg Raymer...

12:19am--Max comes in for a raise and Isaac re-raises to 650,000. Max immediately announces all-in. Isaac snap calls with 88. Max has QQ. Flop is 33A. Turn is 2. River is a six and Max doubles up too 4 million. Isaac is down to 1.5 million.

12:17am--Back from break with 40K/80K/5k blinds. Glen raised to 250,000 and Isaac called. Glen put out a bet on a 2c8c2d flop and Isaac folded.

12:07am--Break time. Back in five or ten minutes.

12:03am--Michael Martin's exit interview...

12:02am--With the end of the level winding down, play has slowed down quite a bit. Break is coming soon.

11:52pm--It's now been two hours since the last elimination.

11:47pm--Glen makes it 175,000 out of the small blind, Isaac bumps it to 475,000, and Glen goes away.

11:45pm--Luca Pagano exit interview...

11:43pm--It's a flop of ThJh5d and Isaac bets 250,000 and Denes calls. 5s on the turn and both players check. River 8c Denes held Ah8h and got there on the river. Isaac had AKo.

11:41pmGlen and Isaac see a flop of 7d3dKc. It's 60K form Glen and Isaac called. They see the 4c on the turn. Two checks this time. The river is Td Glen looked back at his cards and then bet 150,000. Isaac called with A6. Glen has A8. Bluffing with the best hand for Glen and he takes it down.

11:36pm--Isaac came in for a raise under the gun and Glen defended in the big blind. 2c8dTd. Check-check on the flop. It's the As on the turn. Isaace bet 270 got called. The river is the 9c. Checked on the river. Glen has A7 for the won.

11:35pm--Isaac came in for a button raise of 160,000, Denes folded in the small blind. Max re-raised out of the big blind to 570,000. Isaac thought for a moment for declaring, "I'm all-in." Max didn't think for too incredibly long before mucking.

11:33pm--Money, money, money, money!

11:19pm--All four players in a family pot and the flop is JhKs3d. The bet is 125,000 from Glen on the flop. Denes called. The turn was the Ac Glen checked, Denes checked. River is Jd. Glen checked and Denes bet 275,000 and Glen called. JT for Dene for trips. Glen said, "Every time."

11:26pm--Raise to 125,000 from Max and Denes called in the big blind. Flop is 3sKcJc. Max bet it and won it.

11:19pm--Heads up between small blind Isaac and big blind Denes. On the flop, 6s7s8c, Isaac bet out 100,000 and Denes called. 6c on the turn. Isaac checked and Denes bet 275,000 and Isaac called. The river is Kc. Isaac checked, and Denes bet 500,000. "Bluff?" Isaac asked and then thought for several minutes. Eventually, Isaac had the clock called on him by Denes. Isaac used up 53 seconds of his one minute and then mucked. "Nice hand," Isaac said.

11:18pm--Denes raised pre-flop and took it down uncontested.

11:16pm--Max called out of the small blind and Glen checked. They say a 3sJs9h. Both players checked and they saw a 4d on the flop. Max bet out 100,000 and Glen mucked.

11:11pm--In a battle of the blinds, Glen called form the small blind. Isaac made it 150,000 more to play and Glen checked. Flop came 3h9c7d. Glen checked, and Isaac bet 250,000. Glen hemmed and hawed then raised 400,000 more. Isaac, a bead of sweat on his lip, re-raised to 700,000 more. Glen barely thought before shooting his cards into the muck.

11:07pm--Denes came in for a raise to 180,000 and Glen called out of the big blind. Flop came 8cTc8h. Glen checked and Denes checked. The turn was the 2h. Both players checked again. River was 8d. Two checks. Glen's KQ takes it down.

11:06pm--Max came in for a raise and Isaac called out of the small blind. The flop came 4s2sTh. Both players checked. The turn was an ace. Two checks again. Three of diamonds on the river and Isaac checked again. This time Max bet, Isaac looked grouchy and folded.

11:03pm--A raise to 175,000 came from Glen Chorny out of the small blind. Isaac thought for a minute in the big blind before laying it down.

11:01pm--Denes came in for a raise to 180,000. Max thought for a long enough time that he knocked over his chip stacks. After two minutes, he re-raised to 525,000. Back to Denes it was his turn to tank. Obviously not that good a hand. His cards go in the muck.

10:59pm--Glen raised to 160,000 a and Isaac smooth called. The board came out 3s3d3h. Glen checked, Isaac bet, and took down the pot. Glen asked what he had. Isaac responded, "I'll tell you after."

10:57pm--Play has slowed down a bit. If you want to hear from Gavin Griffin, he's on EPT Live right now.

10:55pm--Dennis comes in for a raise to 180,000 and gets a call from Glen Chorny. Flop comes out QcAd7s. It's checked twice and they see a turn of 6d. It is checked twice again. The river is the 8s. Glen checks and Denes decides to bet...any amount wins it for him and Glen fire-mucks.

10:52pm--Players are back from break..

10:36pmPlayers are on a ten-minute break and will be back at 30,000/60,000/5000.

10:32pm--On the last hand before the break, Isaac Baron came in for a raise and got callers in Glen and Denes. Everybody checked a Jh9h8d flop. On the turn, an ace of clubs Isaac bet out more than 400,000. Denes called. Both players checked the river. Isaac showed AQ for the win. Kalo held 6h7h.

10:30pm--After a couple of earlier hits, Glen Chorny has picked up a nice pot. Max limped in from the button and Glen raises more than the pot from the small blind. Max called and the flop came down Kc5dJh. Now, Glen bet 275,000 and Max called from the button. The turn came 4d. This time Glen checked and Max bet out 400,000. Chonry called. When the 6d came on the river, both players checked. Chorny turned over AJ, good for the pot 1.7 million pot.

10:28pm--As Mats Iremark becomes the sixth former EPT champion to stop by and watch a few hands form the rail, Sorel Mizzi has grabbed himself a press pass, armed himself with a camera and is stalking the final table taking pictures. He almost collided with the jib we were telling you about.

10:24pm--Don't miss the EPT Live feed for full live video of the final table, with expert commentary from a host of Team PokerStars Pros.

10:22pm--As we mentioned earlier, last year's champion Gavin Griffin has been hanging around the final table tonight.

Gavin Griffin

10:18pm--After some furious action post-dinner, play has finally slowed down a bit. The players are still playing aggressively, but a re-raise is often good to take down a pot pre-flop.

10:08pm--With four players remaining, the average stack has an M of 33 and 63 big blinds.

10:04pm--The crowd are quick to get to their feet for any all-in but there was a strange calm when Denes Kalo did so and was called by Glen Chorny. After a period of calm things have suddenly quickened, with two eliminations in this level alone. Could it really be three? When the hand came through for Denes he found himself with a new fan on the rail, Brandon Schaefer, who has taken to calling out “Budapest!” with every Denes hand.

Denes Kalo

10:00pm--New video blog featuring the linguistic talents of Tim Vance, Marcel luske, Joe Hachem, Ed de Hans, and Antonio Esfandiari.

9:55pm--Denes Kalo has just doubled though Glen Chorny. They got it all-in on a an ace high flop with two spades. Chorny had raised pre-flop with As3s and got a call from Denes Kalo who held AQ. Chonry couldn't hit any of his outs and Kalo doubled up. Kalo now has a substantial chip lead with 4.5 million chips.

9:47pm--Glen Chorny came in for a raise to 125,000 and Michael Martin called out of the big blind. On a flop of 67T, Martin checked, and Chorny continued for 225,000. Martin then made it 675,000. Chonry moved all-in and Martin was forced to call. It's QT for Martin, and pocket jacks for Chorny.

"Don't do it to me dealer," Chorny said.

The dealer complied and put out an ace deuce on the turn an river. Martin exits in fifth place, earning €421,000.

Michael Martin shook hands with the other finalists but he was still in shock as he made his way off the stage. As Glen’s parents, front and centre on the rail all day, cheered their boy, Michael was in that moment of disorientation that follows busting out, an expression of “what do I do now?” after five whole days of play.

Mike Martin

9:46pm--Michael Martin has been eliminated. Details to come.

9.35pm -- Maxime Villemure is the current chip leader with 3,345,000. Click here for the full list.

9.32pm -- Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano of Italy, eliminated in sixth place for € 337,000
Denes Kalo had raised pre-flop, a total of 125K. Luca then shoved all-in from the button but must have taken Denes's quick call as a bad sign. Luca turned over A-J but it was Denes ahead holding pocket queens. K-7-7 on the flop and Luca was looking for an ace. The turn came a ten. "Just one time" asked Luca, but the river was jack, sending him to the rail. A gallant sixth place finish for Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano.

Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano

9.24pm -- A hand between an all-in Denes Kalo and Glen Chorny who declines the option to call Kalo's 1million all-in.

9.15pm -- Play resumes after the dinner break. Blinds are now 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante.

If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also read profiles of the final table players here, as well as keeping tabs on the latest chip counts here and winner information here.

8.10pm -- A few bars of Vivaldi mark the end of the level and a one hour dinner break. The final six players return at 9.10pm for 25K/50K/5K blinds.

8pm -- Luca makes it 120K pre-flop and Denes Kalo calls for a 9-K-J flop. Now Luca carries on betting, 160K which Denes calls in a flash. The turn, a 3, sees the momentum shift with Denes moving all-in. It's a tough decision but Luca lets this one go, a pot worth over 1.3million.

7.57pm -- A stark reality is starting to become more noticable by the fans. These players are pretty deep stacked. Even if players return by 9pm after dinner, they will only be at 25K/50K/5K level. The shortest stack at this moment is 1.2 million. The average stack is a little over 2.1 million--an M of 20. The reality...some people are going to be pushing it to hit their early morning flights home.

7.53pm -- A potentially lethal pot developed between Glen and Isaac, all unraised pre-flop for a board reading 7c Ac 6c 7s. Glen raised to 300K which Isaac called. At this point Denes was still in but chose now to get out. The river was the 6c and the pot was now 844K high. Isaac checked first before Glen made it 300K. Isaac called but didn't like the outcome - K-9 of clubs for Glen for a flush, with a costly jack-high flush for Isaac. A blow for him, but you sense it could have been a lot worse.

7.50pm -- Maxime made it 100k from the button, Isaac called from the big blind for a flop of 2-Q-6. Isaac checked, as did Maxime. The turn cards brings Qs and Isaac makes it 265K. Max is still with him, calling to see the river 7h. Max bets and Isaac quickly folds. A mistake in the amount he bet? He starts punishing himself for something. The pot goes to Maxime.

Maxime Villemure

7.45pm -- Luca's father, Claudio jumped to his feet to sweat Luca's big race with Max Villmure. He hasn't sat down since. Luca's crowd has grown as his chip stack has jumped all over the leaderboard. Once a U.S. friendly crowd, the Italians have started to crowd in what could become an international incident. Currently left at the table...one Italian, two Canadians, two Americans, and a Hungarian.

7.36pm -- Glen and Isaac get togethter to see a flop Jd-7s-Kd and they both check the flop. The turn card is the 4h which Glen checks leaving Isaac to bet 155K. Glen calls for a river card 8. Glen checks once more and Isaac goes to his chips, bumping up the pot again by 230K. Glen calls and is shown J-T by Isaac whilst his own cards are only good for the muck.

7.31pm -- A lot of betting in a hand that eventually goes to Denes Kalo in the big blind. Maxime Villemure bet pre-flop, a raise from Denes and a Kalo call. The flop came K-J-6 which Kalo checks. When Maxime bet Kalo re-raised, enough to end this hand before any further cards are seen.

7.30pm -- It probably goes without saying (we're going to say it anyway) that Luca's pot with Max is not only the biggest of the tournament so far, but one that drastically affects how we move forward. If Luca had won the race, he would have had more than 40% of the chips in play. Instead, the stacks are more evenly distributed, meaning play will likely go on for much longer.

7.25pm -- Luca bets 130K pre-flop and Canadian Maxime Villemure re-raises to 400K. It didn't stop there with Luca re-raising all in. Max eventually calls and shows A-K whilst Luca turns over pocket jacks. The board brings an ace on the flop, running Q-A-4-5-4, and Maxime doubles up.

7.20pm -- Denes Kalo has been all-in, and Michael Martin has tried the same but neither found any takers. Kalo may be the short stack but it's hardly short, measuring just under 1million.

7.15pm -- Whether it's a case of stage fright, clumsiness, or caffeine jitters, Michael Martin needs a towel. One false move in his chair sent a can of Red Bull tumbling onto the stage. Martin looked at the spill briefly before realizing there was little he could do about it. He shrugged and turned back to the table. A towel arrived a few minutes later and a stage hand cleaned it up.

7.08pm -- Chorny was visibly rattled by the big hit he took from Pagano. Impossible to say whether he's mad at Pagano for hitting or mad at himself for letting Pagano hit. Regardless, Chorny took a short walk to the rail to cool off after losing more than a million chips in the hand.

7.05pm -- With a board reading 9d 4d 2h 4s, and a pot amounting to 814K, Luca Pagano fired out a bet of 500K, a threatening stack of the new purple chips that put Glen Chorny on the spot. Glen went into the tank for a while, eventually re-emerge to call. The Qh on the river gets Luca betting big again, 400K this time which Glen wastes no time in calling, showing his pocket sixes. But Luca is ahead, showing Kd Qd. It's a massive pot that takes Luca Pagano into the chip lead with 3.3million.

6.55pm -- From the small blind Glen makes it 95K and Isaac calls for one of few flops in this level so far - 4c-6d-7h. Both players check the turn, a 3c, and the river 5c and split the pot playing the board.

6.40pm -- Play resumes after the break with Denes Kalo moving all in almost right away. It's 856K to call but he gets no takers.

6:23pm--The players are taking a break before coming back to level 26 and the 20,000/40,000/4,000 level.

6:16pm--You might remember, Gavin Griffin was quite sick when he won the Grand Final last year. Jason Mercier didn't feel well when he won San Remo. This year, Max Villemure has been running a fever for days. He's now at the final table. Repeat of the flu win? Check it out in the PokerStars Video Blog.

6:11pm--Clashing with Isaac Baron is never fun. Michael Martin just learned this. Michael came in for a raise and Baron called from the blinds. The flop came 36J. Isaac check-called a 110,000 bet. Both players checked the four on the turn. An ace came on the river. Isaac checked again and Michael put out a 250,000 bet. This time, Isaac made it 425,000 more. Martin gave it up. As it stands now, Isaac and Glen Chorn both have more than three million chips. Michael, Max, and Luca all have about half that. Denes is on the short stack with around 600,000 chips.

6:10pm--If you have been watch EPT Live, you've probably see the high-angle jib shots. One of the behind the scenes aspects of any EPT feature table is the jib. To the layman this is a remotely controlled camera strapped to the end of a metal pole about 30 feet long. It comes within inches of set lights and could potentially destroy the set were it not for the expertise of the operator who can manoeuvre this metal girder across the tournament floor like he’s conducting a ballet. It makes for some great shots for the EPT Live teams but can creep up on you like giant metal beast when you least expect it.

6:07pm--About 15 minutes left in the level and the flops are few.

5:51pm--Glen Chorny just came in and got a call from Denes Kalo. It went check-check on a ATK flop. Chorny bet out 105,000 on the turn, a nine. The river was 3. This time, Chorny bets out 225,000 an gets snap-called by Kalo. Chorny turns over pocket nines for the turned set and the win.

5:50pm--On a 7-Q-5 flop Glen bets 95K which Denes eventually calls. Both players check the six on teh turn but when a ten hits the river Denes moves all in. "How much?" asks Glen but the numbers are too much. "I fold" he says.

A few more faces have made their way to the rail. Danny Ryan sits on the back row and PokerStars passport winner Dustin Mele and Anna Wroblowski are looking for seats, but having no luck. Maybe later. One man at the back of the set has found a novel way of improving his viewing experience. He’s brought a pair of opera glasses with him to watch through.

We’ll save references to fat ladies singing until later.

5:45pm--On a 7-Q-5 flop Glen bets 95K which Denes eventually calls. Both players check the six on the turn but when a ten hits the river Denes moves all in. "How much?" asks Glen but the numbers are too much. "I fold" he says.

5:40pm--There’s a heavy US and North American bias in the crowd, and an Italian tricolore flag is draped over the rail. But there were at least some here who represent the east side of that divide. Russian player Valeriy Ilikyan had two supporters on the front row all afternoon who made up for their lack of number by making twice as much noise when Valeriy played and won a hand. But Valeriy’s exit had everyone applauding a great performance

5:35pm--Valeriy Ilikyan eliminated in 7th place--It's all-in for Valeriy Ilikyan with AcQc and a quick call from Michael Martin with AdKd. The board offered not help for Ilikyan and he's out in seventh place for €253,000

Valeriy Ilikyan

5:28pm--The PokerStars Video Blog crew caught up with Antono Esfandiari upon his exit in eighth place. Here's what he had to say.

5:21pm--Michael Martin doubles up--Michael cames in for a raise to 80,000, Valeriy Ilikyan pushed all-in. Michael called immediately and said, "Bring on the Russians." Michael showed AQ to Valeriy's A4. An ace and queen on the flop mean a double up for Martin. He's up to nearly 1.3 million. Valeriy is now the short stack with half a million chips.

Michael Martin

The EPT Grand Final trophy

5:17pm--The PokerStars Video Blog team interviewed final table player Denes Kalo before the start of play today. Here's what he had to say.

5:13pm--Michael Martin is kicking himself. He just missed seeing four diamonds on board and called with pocket fours to Valeriy's jack high flush on a 6s7d3d2dTd board. It didn't cost him dearly, but annoyed him enough to keep him talking for a few hands. "I didn't see the flush," Martin said.

5:11pm--Maxime’s double up demonstrated how a few key words and actions can have a crowd doing exactly the same thing. Say “all-in” and a few people will shoot to their feet. If you then ask for a count a few others will stand up and the rest will begin slowly leaning forward. If you then count out the call the people who were leaning forward will brace themselves to stand. Announce “call” and you’ve got everyone’s attention– standing and leaning forward at the same time.

5:10pm--After a bad return from the break, Max Villemure has doubled up. Valeriy Ilikyan came in for a raise and Max pushed all-in for around 644,000 more. Ilikyan thought for a couple of minute before calling with red nines. Villemire showed AdKd. The board ran out Ac6cTsAs2c and Max doubled up to nearly 1.5 million.

5:02pm--PokerStars qualifier Glen Chorny has picked up a nice pot against Maxime Villemure. It was a battle of the blind with a flop of 3cThTs. It went check-check on the flop, then Max check-called a 150,000 bet on the turn. He checked on the river, a deuce. Glen bet 250,000 and Max tanked. Someone at the table started to get impatient and Max got a tad cranky.

"This is the first time I've taken time, so calm down," Max said. A few seconds later, he called. Glen showed pocket eights for the win.

4:59pm--Chip counts from the break:

Glen Chorny – PokerStars qualifier -- 3,188,000
Isaac Baron – PokerStars qualifier -- 2,730,000
Luca Pagano – Team PokerStars Pro -- 2,031,000
Maxime Villemure -- 1,390,000
Valeriy Ilikyan -- 1,324,000
Denes Kalo -- 1,257,000
Michael Martin -- 981,000

4:55pm--We're back in action after an extended break. Valeriy Ilikyan wins the first pot back in a battle of the blinds with Max Villemure on a KQQ66 board. Ilikyan got two bets in and checked the river and showed a king for the win.

4:45pm--A side note as we wait for play to begin again, Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso is currently at the final table of the €2000 side event. She is second in chips and looking for a big win today.

In other news, you should check out PokerStars newest online poker TV channel at PokerStars.tv. There's tons of great archive coverage of past EPT events.

4:43pm--When we return to play, we'll be at 15,000/30,000/3,000.

4:40pm--Here are your final table players.

4.31pm -- Play pauses for a 15 minute break. Get highlights from the last level of action at EPT Live.

4.30pm -- A nine-high flush for Isaac on the river in a hand against Valery. It takes Isaac up to 2.8million as the level ends.

4.28pm -- An interesting side note - whilst Luca has cashed eight times on the EPT and made two final tables, his total EPT winnings so far amount to €94,875. His minimum win today will be €253,000

4.25pm -- Denes Kalo raises to 74K and Michael Martin re-raises to 225K. Luca Pagano is in the big blind, looks at his cards, pauses, then announces 'all-in'. Denes passes, so too Michael. After starting with 688K Luca is now up to over 2million in chips.

4.15pm -- Upon Esfandiari's exit, the first person to shake his hand and congratulate him is Claudio Pagano. Of course, it's easier to be gracious when your son has just doubled up for the second time at a final table. Regardless, the gesture was nice and obviously sincere. However, I've also just noticed it's best not to cross Luca's father. An overzealous security guard blocked entry to the gallery for Claudio's companion Susanna. Claudio was, in a word, irate and let the security guard know. Pagano emotions go to the extreme on both sides. All smiles now as play resumes.

4.10pm -- Antonio Esfandiari of the United States, eliminated in eighth place for €168,000
Luca Pagano bets pre-flop and Antonio Esfandiari pushes his entire stack into the middle. It's 480K to call which Luca does without hesitation, showing A-J to Antonio's A-8. The flop could hardly be better for Luca who flops a straight - Q-T-K - leaving Antonio needing a jack to split the pot. But it was not to be for "The Magician." We're down to seven.

Antonio Esfandiari, eliminated in eighth place -- Photo © Neil Stoddart

4.05pm -- Don't forget you can watch each hand of the final table live form Monte Carlo on EPT Live.

4.02pm -- It's hard to tell who is more stressed out--Luca or his father, Claudio. While Luca maintains his poker face while in a hand, Claudio can't contain his nervousness. During the latest hands Luca played, Claudio has worn his heart on his sleeve. When Luca is re-raised and had to fold, Claudio had buried his head in his arm. When Luca doubled up, Claudio sprang from his seat, dance around, high-fived two people, and screamed, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano -- © Neil Stoddart

3.59pm -- Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano doubles-up
Luca Pagano raises pre-flop. He'd done the same a few hands prior and been pushed off. This time when Isaac Baron re-raised to 240K Luca tank-called for a flop of Jc 3s 4d. Isaac moved in and Luca called, showing K-J of diamonds. For Isaac A-K of clubs. the turn is the Qd, the river a 3d. It gives Luca a flush and doubles him up.

3.55pm -- Despite having more than two million Euros on the line, the final table players have taken a more relaxed air. Antonio Esfandiari has kicked off his sandals and is now barefoot. Glen Chorny has shed his suit coat, and Luca Pagano's black leather Ferrari jacket is having over the back of his chair. TV lights are always hot. With big money at stake, they seem even hotter

3.50pm -- Glen Chorny raises once more pre-flop, Valeriy re-raises and Glen calls, making this a 500K pot before the flop. It comes Ad Jd 3d which both players check for a 3s on the turn. Glen makes it 225K which Valeriy insta-calls for a Ks on the river. With close to a million in the middle both players check, Valeriy saying he just wants to see Glen's cards. Glen shows his A-Q but Valeriy has him beaten with A-K.

3.42pm -- It's a standing room only crowd at the final table stage. Among the notables in the crowd: Claudi Pagano (supporting his son Luca), Season 1 Deauville champion Brandon Schaefer, Season 3 Grand Final champion and Team PokerStars Pro Gavin Griffin, EPT San Remo champion Jason Mercier, Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari, 2007 PCA champ Ryan Daut, and well-known PokerStars players #1Pen, and -BBJ-

3.34pm -- Valeriy Alikyan raises pre-flop. It's folded to Antonio who re-raises, stands and begins shaking hands with the others, preparing to say goodbye. It's 280K to call. "If you call I'll show you the nuts, if you fold I'll show you the bluff" says Antonio, not for the first time this week. Alikiyan takes a few minutes and folds. Esfandiari takes the first pot.

3:31pm--Play is underway.

3.25pm -- Players are being introduced and cards should be in the air shortly.

All photos © Neil Stoddart

Seat 1: Denes Kalo, 31, Budapest, Hungary--1,190,000

Denes Kalo was born and lives in Budapest, Hungary. He works as the sales manager of a broker company and has been playing poker for three years with increasingly good results. He came second in the 2006 EPM Vienna for €50,440 and then came 2nd at EPT Baden last October for €375,000. Outside of poker, Denes is a sailing enthusiast. His wife Melinda was here at the weekend but has had to go back to work. She's a model. He said: "She's been watching EPTLive and supporting me from home."

Seat 2: Michael Martin, 23, Washing Crossing, Pennsylvania, USA--1,320,000

Michael has been playing poker for four years and turned pro in January 2007 after graduating in English from Penn State. Originally an athlete, he played college hockey for 2 years. He took up poker at the end of a hockey season and never look back. He said: "I got into it like everyone else, watching Chris Moneymaker at the WSOP. I started playing on Christmas Day and from then on, combined poker with my studies." His biggest result so far was coming 2nd to Trond Erik Eidsvig at the Master Classics of Poker in Amsterdam in November. Although cash games are Michael's bread-and-butter, he is now getting more into live tournaments. "My parents had different opinions about it all. My dad wasn't keen on me turning pro at all but my Mom was an enabler. She lent me my first $100 to play online with and when I made my first $1,000, I asked her if i should cash out and she said no!"Michael was virtual bubble boy at last year's EPT Grand Final -- 66th place, just two off the money.

Seat 3: Luca Pagano, 29, Treviso, Italy, (Team PokerStars Pro)--688,000

Luca Pagano: 29. Pagano was a computer programming student. Back then, the young Italian did not have much of a bankroll. When he started playing poker, he decided it would be best to start off playing for play money on PokerStars.com. One day, the man with a mind for computers and stock market trading decided he had honed his skills well enough to play with real money. In the few years that have passed since that fateful decision, Pagano has done what some people can only dream. While the exact number is not one he's willing to disclose, Pagano has amassed online poker winnings that can be described in two words: "A lot."

Pagano is also a perfect picture of how online poker success can translate to brick and mortar poker abilities. Since starting to play live poker tournaments, Pagano has put together thousands upon thousands of dollars in winnings. Among his many achievements in the past few years, Pagano has cashed in a record nine European Poker Tour events, and made two final table appearances. Pagano joined Team PokerStars Pro in 2005.

Seat 4: Valeriy Ilikyan, 40, Moscow Russia--1,396,000

Valeriy has been playing poker for nearly ten years and turned pro around three years ago. The former interior designer is already looking at his biggest result to date. He bought himself into last year's EPT Grand Final, but had little success. He mainly plays cash games, and also some of the big online Sunday tournaments including the Sunday Million. He started today as the one of the short-stacks but got up to 1.1 million when he busted Stig Top-Rasmussen. He said: "I can win this with a bit of luck, and some skill." It happens lots of times that a small stack wins. Valeriy's wife Alena couldn't make it to Monte Carlo but is watching Valeriy on EPT Live along with the couple's three children.

Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari , 29, Las Vegas – 501,000 chips

Antonio is the first player to reach an EPT Final Table and be in the running for the Grand Slam of poker: a WPT win, an EPT win and a WSOP bracelet. Originally from Tehran, Iran, Esfandiari moved to the US States in 1988. He grew up in the San Jose area but left home at 17. It was while working as a waiter that he took up magic - throwing tricks into his waitering work until eventually he dropped waitering altogether. At that time, Esfandiari also took up poker and has often said how the two professions complement each other. As a magician, he learned to gauge human behaviour and could use that skill when he moved on to cards.

In 2002, Esfandiari made a name for himself at the WPT 49'er Gold Rush Bonanza by placing third for $44,000. A year later he made the final table of the $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament at the 2003 WSOP. And in 2004 he beat out 382 to win the massive $1.4 million first-place prize at the L.A. Poker Classic, the youngest player at the time to win a WPT. A few months later, Esfandiari triumphed in the $2,000 Pot-Limit Event to win a bracelet and $184,860. Esfandiari now lives in Las Vegas where he plays, writes books and appears in video games. He also competes on High Stakes Poker and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Esfandiari, along with his friend Phil Laak, also starred in the reality show I Bet on You.

He is supported here in Monte carlo by his “true love” Victoria. This is only his 2nd EPT but he plans to come to a lot more. He said his best moment so far as when he had QQ and the BB moved all-in with AT. “I ’m not talking about what happened next, but that was my best moment of the tournament,” he said.

Seat 6: Maxime Villemure, 19, Montreal, Quebec, Canada--1,206,000

Despite suffering a fever for the last few days, Max has been forging ahead at the EPT Grand Final, encouraged by the knowledge that Gavin Griffin won last year despite having a really bad cold. Max took up poker just over a year ago after watching the World Series on television. Home games with his friends turned into online play and within a short time he was doing so well, he gave up his law studies to play full-time. This is Max's third EPT. He busted out of the PCA on Day 2, and San Remo on Day 1. It's also his first time in Europe. He is being supported here in Monte Carlo by his friends Jason Mercier (who won EPT San Remo two weeks ago) and Sam Chartier.

Seat 7: Glen Chorny, 22, Timmins, Ontario, Canada (PokerStars qualifier)--3,613,000

Glen hails from Timmins, north Ontario but is currently studying business and history at Wilfred Laurier in Waterloo, Ontario - the same city that Mike “Timex” McDonald lives in. He has been a full-time pro since January but reckons he has been playing at pro “levels” for the last 18 months. He mainly plays online cash games and big live tournaments. This is Glen’s second EPT - he came 13th at the PCA for $80k. Straight after PCA he won the Tunica World Poker Open in January 2008 PLO $5k. He took up poker after watching it on TV. He said: “I played live home games, really small; with like $50 buy ins. I had a bankroll before I started playing online so I started playing really big on the Internet because I thought I had the skills already.”

Glen says he’s had to play a lot tighter at the EPT than his usual style but has “managed to hang on and run really good.” He qualified online with PokerStars in the Steps satellites for $700.

Seat 8: Isaac Baron, 20, Menlo Park, CA, USA, (PokerStars qualifier)-- 2,853,000

Isaac began playing online poker at age 18 and two years later has established himself among peers as one of the best players in the world. He was Cardplayer's Online Player of the Year for 2007 and, with 40 players left on day 4 of the Grand Final, Brandon Schaefer said Isaac was the best player left in the tournament, something few would dispute. "Definitely flattering," said Isaac. "But there are so many good players."

A journalism student at the University of Oregon, Isaac hails from northern California. He dropped out of college to play poker full-time and see where that took him, and while he intends one day to get his degree, that poker journey has seen him cash six times in live events across North America and the Caribbean, as well as cement a much feared online reputation.

A former Sunday million winner netting $255,000, Isaac, known as "westmenloAA" on PokerStars, has won multiple tournaments online. Also a noted cash player, he plays at stakes anywhere between $25-$50 and $50-$100.

His first EPT was here at the Grand Final last year but he busted out early on Day 1. His first live cash came at the PCA 2006 and more have followed, with his first EPT cash coming in San Remo a few weeks ago where he finished in 11th spot, narrowly missing the final table. The EPT Grand Final will be his biggest cash to date.

All photos © Neil Stoddart

Players have re-started at the 12,000/24,000/3,000 level. If you’re following the action throughout the day you can press refresh for the latest news which will appear at the top of each post. You can also keep tabs on the latest chip counts here. Winner information is available here.

3pm -- Final table chip counts based on seating order...

Denes Kalo -- Hungary -- 1,190,000
Michael Martin -- USA -- 1,320,000
Luca Pagano -- Italy -- Team PokerStars Pro -- 688,000
Valeriy Ilikyan -- Russia -- 1,396,000
Antonio Esfandiari -- USA -- 501,000
Maxime Villemure -- Canada -- 1,206,000
Glen Chorny -- USA -- PokerStars qualifier -- 3,613,000
Isaac Baron -- USA -- PokerStars qualifier -- 2,853,000

2.08pm -- With the final table in place there will be a break for interviews and for any final adjustments to be made. Play is set to resume at 3.15pm.

Seat 1: Denes Kalo
Seat 2: Michael Martin
Seat 3: Luca Pagano (Team PokerStars Pro)
Seat 4: Valeriy Ilikyan
Seat 5: Antonio Esfandiari
Seat 6: Maxime Villemure
Seat 7: Glen Chorny (PokerStars qualifier)
Seat 8: Isaac Baron (PokerStars qualifier)

Coming soon to these pages...chip counts and bios of all the remaining players.

2.05pm -- With nine players remaining few pots had developed into anything more than a pre-flop bet followed by a series of folds. That was until now. Henrik Gwinner had been next in line for the short stack after Stig Top Rasmussen departed and moved in from the button with A-9 with close to 500K. Isaac Baron two seats along called showing A-T. The crowds closed in to see the board A-K-J-8-5, a board that brought no help for Henrik, who becomes our ninth place finisher.

1:56pm--The crowds are now beginning to press in. The original schedule had the televised final table start about this time today. As we were forced to break early last night, that didn't happen. Play has tightened up with the final nine as we sit on the TV-table bubble. It's a tense time that makes you wonder...if not for poker, what would everybody else be doing right now. The PokerStars Video Blog asked the same question.

1:34pm--We're down to nine players and it was not without a lot of drama. Antonio Esfandiari was getting quite active on one table, but losing chips one raise at a time. Finally, he came in for a raise and, as usualy, Isaac Baron re-raised. Antonio tanked. Meanwhile, on the other table, there seemed to be an all-in every hand. Never a call though until this last confrontation that saw Stig Top-Rasmussen stepped into a hole from which he could not extricate himself.

Facing a raise from Michael Martin, Valeriy Ilikyan was next to act. Before he could, Stig announced all-in. Say it with us..."woops."

The ruling: If Vaelriy ony calls, Stig must be all-in. If Valeriy raises, Stig can fold.

Valeriy simply called, Stig was forced to be all-in, Micahel folded as fast as he could. Then, Valeriy called again, to see Stig's pocket tens. Valeriy had jacks. The board bricked out, Stig was eliminated in tenth place, and we're down to a table of nine.

Sting Top-Rasmussen -- © Neil Stoddart

1:14pm--The final ten players have reconvened at two tables of five. When one player is eliminated, they will consolidate to one table. When the ninth place finisher exits, we will have the official TV final table.

As you might have read here on the blog, day four didn’t end as everyone expected it would. Having started with five tables the plan was to play down to one table of eight players – eight finalists who would slog it out for the most coveted prize in European poker.

Instead, as 1am struck, the tournament stopped with ten players left. Such was the hard slog these guys had put in that nobody was prepared to take any chances and there was some great poker because of it. So the result of that is we reconvene this afternoon still looking for two players to bust out before the final day officially begins. How long will that take? We’re about to find out.

Who are those last ten players?

Glen Chorny – Canada – PokerStars qualifier -- 3,370,000
Isaac Baron – USA – PokerStars qualifier -- 2,365,000
Michael Martin – USA -- 1,579,000
Maxime Villemure – Canada -- 1,220,000
Denes Kalo – Hungary -- 957,000
Antonio Esfandiari – USA -- 735,000
Luca Pagano – Italy -- Team PokerStars Pro -- 705,000
Valeriy Ilikyan – Russia -- 650,000
Stig Top-Rasmussen – Denmark -- 590,000
Henrik Gwinner – Denmark -- 466,000

Luca Pagano flies the flag for Team PokerStars Pro having guided his stack to 705K and a record breaking ninth cash finish for the Italian. But three PokerStars qualifiers lead the field into today with Glen Chorny on over 3.3million whilst closest to him is Isaac Baron on over 2.3million. Then there's Michael Martin, who turned his tournament around in the closing stages of the day yesterday, who starts with just over 1.5million.

It was a close call for Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem who busted out in 11th place moments before the close of play, an agonisingly short distance from a potential Triple Crown. But today attention turns to the action ahead of us. Ten players playing down to eight, before then playing down to one. Five days, 842 players, and no one wants to leave in a hurry.

You can follow every hand from the comfort of your computer’s surroundings on EPT Live which all the latest on chip counts and results will be updated throughout the day. We’re due to start at 1am.

Day four began with fourty players, many of whom had a legitimate shot at the final table. Among them, Team PokerStars Pros, young online wunderkinds, and seasoned tournament rounders. Each knew that, by the time they went to sleep, they'd know whether they would be sitting at Thursday's final table and shooting for the €2 million first prize.

More than twelve hours later, day four was complete...but not quite.

As level 23 came to a close, a change of plan was in the air. Instead of playing down to an eight-handed table, play would stop and re-start at 1pm Thursday. The rumour quickly became fact and at 1:05am, play stopped with ten players remaining.

You could ask yourself why all this took so long, why at any other time a day like this could fly past in a whirlwind of activity. Well the answer is simple. This is the PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final and if you’ve made it this far from a starting field of 842, you’re going to do everything in your power to stay here.

So just seconds after Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem was eliminated--ending any hope of the World Champion and WPT winner completing an incredible Triple Crown--play closed. It was quite a day.

Joe Hachem -- © Neil Stoddart

It started fast enough, with a quick succession of eliminations. But it would fast become a slow battle of attrition. At the dinner break, six hours from the start, 19 players remained. In scenes reminiscent of the bubble play yesterday, it would take some time before the eliminations continued.

Instead of any frenetic freefall action, each bust out was well earned, coming after each player had exhausted his options and had no choice but to shove in and place his glory hopes on the fortunes of a hot or cold deck. Exhaustion, raw hands, and mental anguish were the hallmarks of the defeated, all that and more were the hallmarks of those still in.

It was a mixed day for Team PokerStars Pro.

Raymond Rahme never pushed for the chip lead this week, never made bold all-in moves that defied the odds, or yelled about it afterwards. Instead he demonstrated that to get deep in an event like this you don’t always have to have the biggest stack, the biggest voice or the biggest moves – just know how important it is to survive.

Ray Rahme -- © Neil Stoddart

You could say that Raymond’s terrific run came to a halt on his terms when he shoved with pocket queens. The only problem was the aces he ran into, which ended his tournament in 27th place; a second cash in two EPT events following his result in San Remo. It made the long trip from South Africa all the more worthwhile.

Two other team PokerStars Pros would trail good stories on their journey through the day.

Whilst father Claudio chased son Luca all the way before ending his tournament in 22nd place, Team PokerStars Pro's Luca Pagano made EPT history with this, his ninth cash. He was hell bent on making his first final table since a double appearance in season one; a final that had eluded him for so long. At the end of play, he still has chips and an eye on bagging himself an EPT title.

Luca Pagano -- © Neil Stoddart

Another record was at stake and came painfully close for Joe Hachem. The 2005 World Champion and 2006 WPT North American Poker Classic champion stood on the brink of equalling one of the most impressive achievements in the game – winning the Triple Crown. But it was not to be for the Australian. PokerStars qualifier Isaac Baron, one of the uber-generation of internet players who had caused frustration for everyone all day, sent Joe to the rail in eleventh place.

Like I said, no one went easily from this day and the same fighting spirit will grip the last ten players when they restart tomorrow.

Notable others today included three PokerStars Supernova elites. Thomas Boekhoff busted in 14th place, ahead of Anders Berg and Alexander Morozov who departed in 37th and 35th place respectively.

A word should be said about PokerStars qualifier Vincent Secher. You may remember from a post earlier this week that Vincent was spending nights in a campsite, such was a chronic shortage of hotel rooms in Monte Carlo this week. On hearing this, PokerStars got him a room at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel which he was grateful for (there have been some cold nights) and, as a mark of this step up in surroundings, played the day wearing a hotel bathrobe and slippers. When I spoke to him it was clear that he was enjoying every minute of his grand final, and despite busting out in 13th place, had the time of his life and is a little richer for it.

Now, a tense night before we reconvene tomorrow afternoon to bust two more players and play down to a winner. Glen Cherny, watched by his parents on the rail, may sleep the most sound, holding the overnight chip lead with around 2 million, whilst American Michael Martin, whose parents are following his progress avidly online from back home in the States, is behind him with over 1.5million.

Today marked the start of the EPT Live coverage and that continues tomorrow, starting at 1pm local time. In the meantime you can get a chip count recap of the last ten players HERE, and a roundup of the results so far HERE.

To catch up on all of the day's action check out the links below...

From five tables to one – day four begins
Sneak peak of PokerStars.tv
Live Action from Level 18/19
Level 20 Live Action
Level 21 Live Action
Level 22 Live Action
Level 23 Live Action