Welcome to Day 2 of the 2022 PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo €5,300 Main Event
The second biggest EPT Monte Carlo €5,300 Main Event in the history of the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) presented by Monte-Carlo Casino® so far has attracted a field of 1,049 entries. In order to set a new record, another 50 new entries would be required prior to the start of the marquee event on the French Riviera at noon local time.
After two starting days have wrapped up, only 307 players remain and they are in for a long day at the poker tables. Due to the large field size, six levels of 90 minutes each are scheduled with a break after every level and a 75-minute dinner break upon completion of level 14.
All those jumping into the action as a late entry will start with 20 big blinds at 1,000-1,500 and a big blind ante of 1,500. Only one of the participants thus far has accumulated more than ten times of the 30,000 starting stack and Morten Hvam leads the way with a stack of 327,500.
2022 PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo €5,300 Main Event Top 10 Stacks Day 2
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morten Hvam | Denmark | 327,500 | 218 |
| 2 | Gangzhou Hu | France | 272,000 | 181 |
| 3 | Boris Kuzmanovic | Croatia | 259,500 | 173 |
| 4 | Merijn Van Rooij | Netherlands | 253,000 | 169 |
| 5 | Bruno Volkmann | Brazil | 249,000 | 166 |
| 6 | Andrew Hulme | United Kingdom | 238,500 | 159 |
| 7 | Kazuhiko Yotsushika | Japan | 233,500 | 156 |
| 8 | Didrik Mantor | Norway | 232,500 | 155 |
| 9 | Ramon Colillas | Spain | 231,000 | 154 |
| 10 | Claudio Di Giacomo | Italy | 231,000 | 154 |
Notables inside the overnight top ten include Boris Kuzmanovic (259,500), Bruno Volkmann (249,000), Andrew Hulme (238,500), Kazuhiko Yotsushika (233,500), and Claudio Di Giacomo (231,000).
PokerStars ambassador Ramon Colillas sits in ninth place overall with 231,000 in chips, which is good enough for 154 big blinds. Also representing the red spade will be Rafael Moraes (201,500), Benjamin Spragg (175,500), and Andre Akkari (23,500) with the latter among the shortest stacks in the field.
Plenty of other big names of the international circuit will return to their seats in the Salle des Etoiles at Le Sporting Monte Carlo. Those well above the average include Daniel Rezaei (230,500), Rocco Palumbo (226,000), Justin Saliba (224,500), Yuri Dzivielevski (205,500), Arnaud Mattern (202,000), Julien Martini (184,000), and Gaelle Baumann (181,500) to name all but a few.
One of only two two-time champions of the popular live poker circuit is also among the contenders on Day 2 as well. The UK's Victoria Coren Mitchell returns with a shorter stack of 47,500 while the defending champion from 2019, Manig Loeser, has 61,000 at his disposal.
Day 2 Level Structure
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 90 min | 1,000 | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Break | 20 min | |||
| 12 | 90 min | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| Break | 20 min | |||
| 13 | 90 min | 1,000 | 2,500 | 2,500 |
| Break | 20 min | |||
| 14 | 90 min | 1,500 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
| Dinner Break | 75 min | |||
| 15 | 90 min | 2,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| Break | 20 min | |||
| 16 | 90 min | 2,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
As of today and until the marquee event is down to the final three players, the level duration will be 90 minutes and it is expected that the €5,300 Main Event will get close or go beyond the money bubble throughout the six scheduled today. The live stream on the PokerStars YouTube and Twitch channels also commences today as well and will be broadcasted on a security delay of 30 minutes.
Stay tuned to find out if a new record for the venue on the French Riviera will be set and who advances to the next day in order to become the next EPT Main Event champion.