Nicola Grieco opened to 225,000 in middle position before Gediminas Uselis moved all in on the button. "All in and call," said Grieco as he turned over his cards one at a time.
Gediminas Uselis: A♦10♣
Nicola Grieco: A♠Q♥
Uselis was unable to find any help on the J♦K♣7♣J♠9♦ runout, hitting the rail in ninth place.
Paul Runcan made an open raise of 160,000 from middle position, and Jamie Flynn called from the cutoff.
Both players checked the flop of 6♣8♥7♥.
Runcan bet 120,000 on the turn, which revealed the J♦, and Flynn called.
After the J♣ appeared on the river, Runcan went all in, and Flynn snap-called. Both players had a jack in their hand, but Flynn had the better kicker with A♦J♠, and Runcan was eliminated.
Mathieu Di Meglio tanked after Adrian State raised from the small blind. With around 800,000 left, Di Meglio made the call.
State bet 125,000 on the flop of 3♣J♠6♥, and Di Meglio called again.
Both players checked through the turn, which was the 7♣.
When the river showed A♦, State went all in, and Di Meglio called, revealing K♣2x for king high. State revealed J♥5♠, showing a pair of jacks, and sent Di Meglio to the rail.
Yves Piacentino moved all in from early position and was at risk when Javier Fernandez also shoved in the cutoff. The rest of the table got out of the way, as both players held stacks of exactly 1,195,000 chips.
Yves Piacentino: Q♥10♥
Javier Fernandez: A♠K♠
Fernandez had the lead and smashed the 5♥K♦K♣ flop, improving to trip kings. Piacentino could only watch as the 7♣ turn and J♠ river completed the board, ending his run in 12th place.
Sonny Franco raised to 300,000, leaving himself with 115,000 behind. Jamie Flynn called from the small blind.
Before the flop was revealed, Franco asked, "Do you check dark?" Flynn responded, "No, but I bet dark," and placed enough chips in the middle to put Franco all-in. Both players went to showdown as the dealer revealed the flop of 2♥6♥7♣.
Sonny Franco: K♦J♣
Jamie Flynn: A♦10♥
The turn brought the A♣, sealing Franco's exit from the tournament.
After a raise to 100,000 and a call from Javier Fernandez on the button, Milos Petakovic went all in from the small blind with 650,000 remaining. Fernandez called.
Milos Petakovic: A♠K♣
Javier Fernandez: 8♥8♦
With the board showing 2d 4h 9s 3d 8c, there was no help for Petakovic, and he was eliminated in 14th place by Fernandez.
Sergi Reixach moved all in from the small blind and Fiodor Martino made the call for his tournament life in the big blind.
Fiodor Martino: 6♣6♥
Sergi Reixach: 8♠7♠
Martino was flipping, but Reixach took control by flopping a flush on the J♠6♠10♠5♣7♣ board to claim the bounty. Martino wished everyone good luck as he hit the rail in 15th place.
The 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Monte Carlo series continues to produce exciting action and the final day of the €3,000 Mystery Bounty should be no different. With notable contenders and bounty tokens on the line, the event is shaping up to provide a dramatic day in Monaco.
When Day 3 begins at noon local time, the 16 returning players will be led by Nicola Grieco's stack of 2,850,000 chips. Right behind him sits Romanian Adrian State and Frenchman Mathieu Di Meglio, who is looking for a second big score of the series at the beautful Sporting Monte-Carlo.
The tournament saw a total of 743 entries, creating a prize pool of €1,274,988. All of the remaining players have locked up at least €10,450, with the top prize of €232,898 still to be awarded. There are also 17 bounty prizes to be claimed, with the top figure sitting at €25,000 after a busy Day 2.
Day 3 Chip Counts
Place
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Nicola Grieco
Italy
2,850,000
71
2
Adrian State
Romania
2,330,000
58
3
Mathieu Di Meglio
France
2,000,000
50
4
Romain Lewis
France
1,835,000
46
5
Gediminas Uselis
Lithuania
1,785,000
45
6
Yves Piacentino
France
1,740,000
44
7
Milos Petakovic
Serbia
1,505,000
38
8
Paul Runcan
Romania
1,420,000
36
9
Javier Fernandez
Spain
1,350,000
34
10
Jamie Flynn
Ireland
1,150,000
29
11
Sonny Franco
France
940,000
24
12
Sergi Reixach
Spain
905,000
23
13
David McConachie
United Kingdom
805,000
20
14
Mohamed Mehalleg
France
670,000
17
15
Fiodor Martino
Italy
505,000
13
16
Martin Stausholm
Denmark
300,000
8
Martin Stausholm
Just three of the 16 players will begin play with less than 20 big blinds, including Martin Stausholm sitting as the short stack with 300,000 chips.
Action will resume at noon local time where Day 2 left off, late in Level 26 with blinds of 20,000/40,000 and a 40,000 big blind ante. Levels will continue to be 40 minutes in length, with breaks scheduled after every two hours of play.
Don't miss out on any of the Mystery Bounty action as the PokerNews team will continue to provide live updates from the felt until the winner's photos are being taken here in Monte Carlo.
