PokerStars' Benjamin Bruneteaux Chasing Best-Ever Score on Day 3 of PSO Campione Main Event
PokerStars Open Campione (PSO) €1,100 Main Event's record-setting field of 2,423 has been whittled down to just 189 contenders as Day 3 dawns upon Casino di Campione. All are guaranteed a slice of the €2,326,080 prize pool as the bubble burst midway through Day 2. Among them is PokerStars Ambassador Benjamin Bruneteaux, who bagged 227,000 chips yesterday.
Bruneteaux is known for his commentary on the French broadcasts of EPTs but has proven to be a formidable force on the felt as well. PSO Campione marks Bruneteaux's sixth cash in a €1,100 PokerStars Main Event, with his highest lifetime cash being the €2,620 he earned for his 36th place in the 2024 FPS Aix-les-Bains Main Event. The field is only six spots away from a pay jump, and if Bruneteaux does not meet an early demise, he is guaranteed to beat his previous record.
Bruneteaux's stack will be worth 28 big blinds when play resumes at 12:30 p.m. local time. Although he will have plenty of maneuverability thanks to the deep structure, his stack can't hold a candle to that of chipleader Yossi Maymon's. Maymon had a dominating end of Day 2, bagging 1,754,000. Meanwhile, Alessandro Giordano and Vincenzo D'Agostino were Italy's best performers, occupying second and third place with 1,341,000 and 1,286,000, respectively.
Start of Day 3 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 3 Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yossi Maymon | Israel | 1,754,000 | 219 |
| 2 | Alessandro Giordano | Italy | 1,341,000 | 168 |
| 3 | Vincenzo D'Agostino | Italy | 1,286,000 | 161 |
| 4 | Sebastian Kotowicz | Poland | 1,075,000 | 134 |
| 5 | Michele Galeotafiore | Italy | 990,000 | 124 |
| 6 | Manel Sala | Spain | 924,000 | 116 |
| 7 | Roberto Cilia | Italy | 918,000 | 115 |
| 8 | Karim Radani | Italy | 882,000 | 110 |
| 9 | Axel Tambolla | Italy | 848,000 | 106 |
| 10 | Daniele Casino | Italy | 840,000 | 105 |
Day 1a chipleader Darius Neagoe is the only starting flight leader to make it to Day 3, doing so with a stack of 451,000. Italy still has plenty of notables in the field, including Fabio Peluso (768,000), Luigi D'Alterio (687,000), and the short-stacked Alessandro Pichierri, whose 96,000 represents 12 big blinds.
Other regulars with a shot at glory include Antoine Labat (530,000), Adrian State (475,000), Ivan Banic (386,000), Gabi Livshitz (308,000), and Thomas Clack (156,000). All players are guaranteed €2,360 for making Day 3, but eyes will be set on the gigantic sum of €363,000 reserved for first place.
PSO Campione Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €363,000 | 16-17 | €14,860 | |
| 2 | €225,200 | 18-20 | €12,370 | |
| 3 | €160,880 | 21-23 | €10,320 | |
| 4 | €123,760 | 24-27 | €8,600 | |
| 5 | €95,190 | 28-31 | €7,280 | |
| 6 | €73,210 | 32-39 | €6,330 | |
| 7 | €56,330 | 40-55 | €5,490 | |
| 8 | €43,340 | 56-71 | €4,780 | |
| 9 | €33,320 | 72-95 | €4,160 | |
| 10-11 | €25,650 | 96-119 | €3,600 | |
| 12-13 | €21,380 | 120-143 | €3,130 | |
| 14-15 | €17,820 | 144-183 | €2,720 | |
| 184-189 | €2,360 |
Day 3 will kick off with 30 minutes left to play in Level 21: 4,000/8,000 with an 8,000 big blind ante. All subsequent levels will be 75 minutes long, and a break can be enjoyed after every two levels. A 65-minute dinner break is scheduled after Level 26, at 8:05 p.m. local time. A shot clock of 30 seconds will also be in play from the start of today. Day 3 is expected to last well into the night, so another long day is in the cards for the players.
PokerNews will be on the floor from start to finish, providing big hands, chip counts, and eliminations. Keep your eyes peeled on this page as PokerStars Open Campione gets deeper and deeper into its Main Event.