Belea Bags Biggest With 15 Left in EPT Paris Main Event
A day that started with 47 hopefuls eyeing the bulk of the remaining €7,708,800 prize pool has been thinned to the final 15 in the PokerStars European Poker Tour Paris 2023 Main Event, led by Razvan Belea of Romania.
While Belea’s 7,285,000 chips hold the lead, the PokerStars online qualifier is far from a runaway chip leader, with Johan Schultz-Pedersen of Denmark (6,620,000) and Denzel Spekman of the Netherlands (5,440,000) within striking distance heading to Saturday’s fifth day of play.
Besides those players at the top of the chip counts, there is plenty of star power remaining in the field as well. Harry Lodge (2,325,000), Fabrice Bigot (1,940,000), and Niklas Astedt (1,415,000) are all still in the final 15.
The remaining players have all locked up a guaranteed €59,300 in prize money, but the big prize of €1,170,000 and the prestigious EPT Main Event champion's trophy still await the winner on Sunday.
Top Ten Chip Counts After Day 4
| Position | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Razvan Belea | Romania | 7,285,000 | 121 |
| 2 | Johan Schultz-Pedersen | Denmark | 6,620,000 | 110 |
| 3 | Denzel Spekman | Netherlands | 5,440,000 | 91 |
| 4 | Peter Jorgne | Sweden | 4,815,000 | 80 |
| 5 | Henri Kasper | Estonia | 4,790,000 | 80 |
| 6 | Konstantin Held | Germany | 2,640,000 | 44 |
| 7 | Brian Delaney | United Kingdom | 2,355,000 | 39 |
| 8 | Harry Lodge | United Kingdom | 2,325,000 | 39 |
| 9 | Sven Stok | Netherlands | 2,100,000 | 35 |
| 10 | Mathieu Di Meglio | France | 2,000,000 | 33 |
The Day’s Action
Belea built his stack steadily Friday, but really started causing trouble for the rest of the field later in the day when he racked up a couple of eliminations. His oustings of Mark Roovers in 24th place (€32,600) and Alex Kulev in 22nd place (€37,450) boosted him over five million chips and he was suddenly hot on the heels of the chip leader entering the day, Konstantin Held.
Held remained one of the largest stacks throughout the day, but a bluff gone wrong near the end of the night versus Henri Kasper dropped him down to 6th place by night’s end and solidified Belea’s place atop the counts.
Earlier in the day, it didn’t take long for the field to begin thinning, as nine players were sent packing before the first break including Stefan Schillhabel in 46th place (€21,450) and Teun Mulder in 43rd place (€21,450).
The final two women in the field were eliminated soon after as Hala Karam, who picked up her largest career tournament score, fell in 40th place for €21,450 and French star Gaelle Baumann busted in 33rd for €24,650.
From there, it was the former EPT Main Event champions’ turn to fall, as 2018 EPT Barcelona winner Piotr Nurzynski went out in 30th place for €28,350, 2019 EPT Monte Carlo champ Manig Loeser in 18th place, (€43,100), and 2012 EPT Madrid champion Frederik Brink in 17th place (€49,550), meaning a first-time champion is now guaranteed.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €1,170,000 | 10-11 | €85,400 |
| 2 | €780,100 | 12-13 | €71,150 |
| 3 | €535,850 | 14-15 | €59,300 |
| 4 | €412,200 | ||
| 5 | €317,050 | ||
| 6 | €244,000 | ||
| 7 | €187,650 | ||
| 8 | €144,300 | ||
| 9 | €111,000 |
Day 5 Lies Ahead
That new champion will be one step closer to being crowned on Saturday as the remaining 15 will return to the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile at noon local time for the final levels leading up to Sunday’s official final table of six. Blinds will start at 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 big blind ante.
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