€10,000 EPT Grand Final Main Event Day 4 | 2009 PokerStars.com EPT Grand Final

When a player gets to the point of four tables left in a big buy-in, large-field tournament, he starts to let himself think, "What if...? What if I won this thing? Why not me?" It's an intoxicating thought with an allure that few poker players can resist. It represents the culmination of all those long hours of hard work crafting a player's game -- the idea of hoisting the trophy and tilting your head back to laugh in triumph, like Mark Messier holding Lord Stanley's Cup in 1994. Oh, and let's not forget the 2.3 million euro cash prize.

For 31 players, those thoughts are starting to form from wisps of nothingness in the backs of their heads. There's just one more day of poker to get through before the thoughts take tangible form: Day 4 of the 2009 PokerStars.com European Poker Tour Monte Carlo Grand Final. The sun is shining here on the Cote d'Azur; we'll see how brightly it shines on the remaining 31 runners.

When we left off last night, Matthew Woodward bagged the most chips. His 2.72 million chips represents three times the average of 904,000. That gives him the currency (literally) to play lots of pots and put his opponents to the ultimate test for all of their chips. One mistake is all that separates most of these players from the rail. And if they're on the rail, those wispy thoughts of fortune and glory will vanish back into the ether.

Based on the number of chips in play, we estimate that it will take roughly six levels to reduce the field to our elite eight who will come back tomorrow to play for the title of champion. With 75-minute levels and play kicking off at noon, we hope to be out of here no later than 10:30pm local time. But however long it takes, PokerNews will report all of the action live from the tournament floor.

See you in an hour!