Main Event
Day 4 Started
Epic Poker League Event #1
Main Event
Day: 4
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Epic Poker League Event #1
Buy-in
$20,000
Prize Pool
$3,085,200
Entries
137
Level
23
Blinds
25,000 / 50,000
Ante
5,000
Seat 6: Huck Seed - 396,000
Huck Seed's biggest claim to fame is winning the 1996 World Series of Poker Main Event for a cool million. Although he begins the final table at a severe chip disadvantage, Seed will be able to claim the second seven-figure score of his career if he can maneuver his way to the winner's circle.
With over $7.15 million in career tournament earnings, 26 wins, 105 cashes and four World Series of Poker gold bracelets, Seed is the holder of a five-year Epic Poker League eligibility card.
He only has 396,000 chips to begin the day, but Seed hasn't had much to work with all tournament so he should be used to grinding the shortest stack at the table. If it wasn't for a lucky double up last night just before the dinner break, Seed could have busted in seventh place and just missed out on the official final table.
Seat 5: Jason Mercier - 1,495,000
Sitting third on the Global Poker Index ranking list is Jason Mercier and he will enter this final table second in chips behind the leader Hasan Habib. His GPI ranking is already set to change and with a better performance than Erik Seidel, Mercier will hop into first place overall on that list.
At the young age of 24, Mercier already boasts a career record with over $6.35 million in lifetime earnings. He has 12 wins out of 54 cashes, including two World Series of Poker gold bracelets. Mercier holds a five-year card to the Epic Poker League that's good through 2016 and is often in the talks as to who is the best overall player in the game today.
Seat 4: Gavin Smith - 766,000
One of only two players entering the final table under a million in chips, Gavin Smith comes in with 766,000 in chips. He has a career record that boasts 13 wins, 95 cashes and just shy of $5.6 million in lifetime earnings. In 2005, Smith earned the largest win of his career with a $1,128,278 victory at the World Poker Tour Mirage Poker Showdown. In 2010, Smith earned his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet and officially took himself off the "best players without a bracelet" list.
Smith has a three-year card to the Epic Poker League and it's good through 2014. He is currently ranked 102nd on the Global Poker Index ranking list.
Seat 3: Chino Rheem - 1,432,000
Chino Rheem will come into the final table third in chips, but he's not too far behind Jason Mercier.
Rheem first came into poker fame during the 2008 World Series of Poker. Rheem made the first-ever WSOP November Nine and went on to finish in seventh place in that event for nearly $1.8 million. Later on that year, Rheem won the World Poker Tour Doyle Brunson Classic for over $1.5 million.
With career earnings over $4.7 million, eight lifetime wins and 40 cashes, Rheem has earned himself an Epic Poker League eligibility card for three years and it's good through 2014.
Seat 2: Erik Seidel - 1,109,000
Erik Seidel needs no introduction. The man has $16,011,752 in career tournament earnings, 27 lifetime wins and nearly 200 cashes. He holds eight World Series of Poker gold bracelets, one World Poker Tour title and numerous other accolades.
Seidel comes into the final table fourth in chips and has a chance to become the number one player on the Global Poker Index ranking list if he can outperform Jason Mercier today. Seidel holds a five-year eligibility card to the Epic Poker League that's good through 2016.
Seat 1: Hasan Habib - 1,655,000
Hasan Habib will enter the final table with the chip lead, bagging up 1.655 million in chips at the end of the day yesterday. Over his career, Habib has racked up nearly $5.2 million in career tournament earnings and owns one World Series of Poker gold bracelet. Habib's largest money finish came in April 2004 when he placed second in the World Poker Tour World Championship for $1,372,223.
Habib owns a three-year eligibility card to the Epic Poker League that's good through 2014.
It's Final Table Time!
Welcome to the final table of the Epic Poker League's first Main Event here at Palms Resort Casino in Las Vegas. We've got a superstar lineup of competitors vying for the title and $1 million first-place prize and it's set to be a great day on the felt.
Leading the way into the final table is Hasan Habib with 1.655 million in chips. He's followed by Jason Mercier and then Chino Rheem isn't too far behind him. Below is the seating assignments for the final table and you can read a short bio on each player even further down in the blog.
Final Table Lineup
| Seat | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hasan Habib | 1,655,000 |
| 2 | Erik Seidel | 1,109,000 |
| 3 | Chino Rheem | 1,432,000 |
| 4 | Gavin Smith | 766,000 |
| 5 | Jason Mercier | 1,495,000 |
| 6 | Huck Seed | 396,000 |
Play was set to kick off at 2:00 PM local time, but things are running a little bit behind schedule. There is a long line of spectators outside the arena waiting to get in and catch the action. We can't wait for things to start and we're sure you can't either, so stay tuned to PokerNews as we'll have all the coverage live from the EPL final table once the cards are in the air!
Plenty of Notable Railbirds
As we wait for the final table to start, the stands have been filling up with plenty of spectators. Some of the faces are very notable. In Chino Rheem's section two Mizrachi brothers, Michael and Eric, are seated along with Theo Tran and Mark Newhouse. Over in Jason Mercier's section, Allen Bari and Dan O'Brien are seated along with Mercier's father and girlfriend.
Greg Mueller just entered and is seated down in front of media row. He's actively been tweeting about rooting for Hasan Habib, Huck Seed and Rheem. Mueller literally just got off a plane to come back to Vegas and sweat the action. Shannon Shorr and Sam Chauhan are also here. Chauhan being the mindset coach of Gavin Smith.
Level: 18
Blinds: 8,000/16,000
Ante: 2,000