2023 PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo

€5,300 EPT Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info

2023 PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
109
Prize
€749,425
Event Info
Buy-in
€5,300
Prize Pool
€5,325,300
Entries
1,098
Level Info
Level
33
Blinds
125,000 / 250,000
Ante
250,000
Players Info - Day 3
Entries
126
Players Left
38

Kenan Taylor Battles Way to Top of Counts After Day 3 in EPT Monte Carlo €5,300 Main Event

Level 20 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Kenan Taylor
Kenan Taylor

The third day of the EPT Monte Carlo €5,300 Main Event as part of 2023 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) presented by Monte-Carlo Casino® wrapped up after five 90-minute levels of play and saw the field of 126 that started the day dwindle down to 38 hopefuls. Leading the way by a significant margin is the United Kingdom's Kenan Taylor with a stack of 3,650,000, followed not too closely by Arunas Sapitavicius of Lithuania (2,220,000) and Russia's Artur Martirosian (1,445,000).

Not only is Taylor after his first major live title, he's after his first live cash period. The 21-year-old told PokerNews he is primarily a $10/$20 online player and is mainly looking for a big live score to add to his online bankroll.

Despite his lack of live experience, the young Brit had no trouble going to bat against seasoned veterans like Mike Watson, who tangled with Taylor in more than a few big pots as they were seated together throughout the day. Watson managed to bag a stack of 1,280,000, while others who made it to Day 4 include Leonard Maue (1,085,000), Ori Hasson (1,065,000), Jason Wheeler (1,000,000), Arnaud Enselme (810,000) and PSPC champions Ramon Colillas (810,000) and Aliaksandr Shylko (500,000).

End of Day 3 Top 10 Chip Counts

 RANKPLAYERCOUNTRYCHIP COUNTBIG BLINDS
 1Kenan TaylorUnited Kingdom3,650,000243
 2Arunas SapitaviciusLithuania2,220,000148
 3Artur MartirosianRussia1,445,00096
 4Milos PetakovicSerbia1,385,00092
 5Maduka MeragalCanada1,345,00090
 6Mike WatsonCanada1,280,00085
 7Pieter AertsBelgium1,215,00081
 8Samy BoujmalaFrance1,120,00075
 9Apoorva GoelIndia1,090,00073
 10Leonard MaueGermany1,085,00072

Day 3 Action

There was no shortage of big names and notable players to start the day, and chief among them was five-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen. Carlsen, who spoke with PokerNews in an interview during a break on Day 2, entered the day with 127,000 chips and managed to run up a stack from there.

The Norwegian chess prodigy's deep run came to an end when he check-jammed with pocket fours and was called by the pocket tens of Mark Teltscher, who shook Carlsen's hand and gracefully thanked him for "growing the game." The 63rd-place finish earned Carlsen €15,000 as he adapts to life as a former chess champion.

Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen

Another big name to fall was Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel, who managed to grow his stack throughout the day before falling in 49th place for €17,250, shortly after the elimination of EPT London final tablist Harry Lodge (50th - €17,250).

Others to fall late in the day included PokerStars Team Pro Parker Talbot (42nd - €17,250), bracelet winner Orpen Kisacikoglu (40th - €17,250) and 2021 PokerStars Sunday Millions champion Vanessa Kade, who ran ace-queen into Big Slick after a "sneaky" early-position limp from Martin Guerrero.

Parker Talbot
Parker Talbot

Action will pick back up on May 4 with Level 21 and blinds of 10,000/15,000/15,000. There will still be two days left in the tournament on the quest to name the next EPT champion.

Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team will be back tomorrow as the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event draws closer to an end.

Tags: Aliaksandr ShylkoApoorva GoelArnaud EnselmeArtur MartirosianArunas SapitaviciusErik SeidelHarry LodgeJason WheelerLeonard MaueMaduka MeragalMagnus CarlsenMark TeltscherMartin GuerreroMike WatsonMilos PetakovicOri HassonOrpen KisacikogluParker TalbotPieter AertsRamon ColillasSamy BoujmalaVanessa Kade