First High Roller Title Up for Grabs in the 2023 PokerStars EPT Paris €10,200 Mystery Bounty Event
On the second day of the inaugural PokerStars European Poker Tour Paris festival, the first winner of a high-stakes contest will be crowned at the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile. An already big field of 71 entries has emerged thus far in Event #3 $10,200 Mystery Bounty, which is expected to grow further as of 12:30 p.m. local time.
The first High Roller tournament of the stop operated by Club Barriere Paris in the heart of the French capital has generated a cash prize pool of €326,600 so far but the registration on Day 2 remains open for the first two 30-minute levels until approximately 1.30 pm local time. All those who have not entered yet or only bowed out once can re-join the action as the event features a single re-entry option.
Leading the way so far is Nikita Kuznetsov with 376,500, followed by Kayhan Mokri (346,500) and fellow countryman Viktor Ustimov (334,000).
Mokri surpassed $1 million in live tournament cashes according to his Hendon Mob profile during the 2023 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure on The Bahamas, during which he came runner-up in a $10,200 Mystery Bounty Event and furthermore pulled two golden $100,000 bounty envelopes.
Among the local contenders, 2022 Master Classics of Poker Main Event winner Julien Sitbon fared the best and sits in fourth place with 330,500. Further big names with above-average stacks include Alexandros Theologis, Stefan Schillhabel, Tom Vogelsang, Chris Brewer, and Davidi Kitai, among others.
Top 10 Chip Counts for Day 2
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds Day 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikita Kuznetsov | Russia | 376,500 | 126 |
| 2 | Kayhan Mokri | Norway | 346,500 | 116 |
| 3 | Viktor Ustimov | Russia | 334,000 | 111 |
| 4 | Julien Sitbon | France | 330,500 | 110 |
| 5 | Alexandros Theologis | Greece | 298,500 | 100 |
| 6 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | 291,000 | 97 |
| 7 | Tom Orpaz | Israel | 271,500 | 91 |
| 8 | Stefan Schillhabel | Germany | 265,000 | 88 |
| 9 | Andre Marques | Portugal | 252,000 | 84 |
| 10 | Casimir Seire | Finland | 243,500 | 81 |
Many eyes especially from the rail will also focus on football striker Neymar Jr., who joined the high-stakes competition alongside a slate of poker pros and friends from his home country of Brazil. The PokerStars Cultural ambassador will return with 103,500 in chips in the middle of the pack, surrounded by some of the biggest names of the international poker circuit.
Returning blinds for Level 9 will be 1,500/3,000 with a big blind ante of 3,000. Those jumping into the tournament at the very last minute with a fresh stack of 100,000 will have 20 big blinds at their disposal for Level 11, which features blinds of 2,000/5,000 and a 5,000 big blind ante.
The tournament features 30-minute levels until a deal has been made or three players remain in contention. Once the registration closes, the 20-second preflop shot clock increases to 30 seconds each, and all players receive one additional time bank extension for each even level they are seated in.
Approximately 15% of the field will earn a cash prize. Furthermore, at the start of Level 13, after the first break of the day, the Mystery Bounty prizes will come into effect. From each entry, €5,000 is allocated for the bounty prize, and players can redeem their earned bounty tokens for envelopes at their leisure going forward.
Stay tuned for the conclusion of this High Roller contest right here on PokerNews, as the live reporting team will be on the floor from start to finish.