Seat 2: Thomas Muehloecker (2,290,000)
Young Austrian Thomas Muehloecker will enter the final table third in chips, but he's bunched in a trio with Max Altergott and Erik Seidel who contain just about the same amount.
Prior to September 2013, Muehloecker had a handful of cashes in live tournaments, but it wasn't until that year's European Poker Tour Barcelona festival that he made a name for himself. The event was the €10,300 High Roller, and Muehloecker was one of the two final players. His opponent? None other than Daniel Negreanu.
In that event, all eyes were on "Kid Poker." Negreanu had a massive chip lead going into heads-up play and it seemed like nothing more than a formality that he would defeat Muehloecker en route to another poker title. Muehloecker had other plans, though, and battled back to earn the €390,700 top prize and more than double his live tournament earnings at the time.
Since then, Muehloecker has continued cashing in big events all over the globe. From different countries in Europe, Las Vegas, and even all the way Down Under in Australia, Muehloecker has put together nearly $1.8 million in earnings and he'll be adding at least another €261,800 to that here. Previously this year, he's cashed in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event and $25,500 High Roller, the Aussie Millions $25,000 Challenge, and the EPT Malta €10,300 High Roller.
Muehloecker currently ranks No. 1 on Austria's all-time money list and will be widening the gap over Josef Klinger in second place. The only question is, by how much?