EPT Glory Awaits One of the Remaining Seven Players at the EPT Paris Main Event Final Table
A week ago, a crowd of thousands flocked to Le Palais des Congres in the heart of the French capital, all with the shared dream of becoming the PokerStars European Poker Tour Paris Main Event champion. That dream is starting to feel like reality for the seven players who return for the final table today at 12:30 p.m. local time.
Portugal’s Jorge Abreu is the player everyone will be trying to track down today. Abreu takes a commanding chip lead with 22,425,000 into the final table, the Golden Shard trophy firmly within his grasp as he controls half the chips in play at the start of the day. The 35-year-old online grinder has had some success on the virtual felt, but his run here this week in Paris has already eclipsed all of his previous live earnings combined.
Final Table Lineup
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Counts | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felix Schneiders | Germany | 1,950,000 | 13 |
| 2 | Jorge Abreu | Portugal | 22,425,000 | 150 |
| 3 | Thierry Gogniat | France | 2,950,000 | 20 |
| 4 | Enrico Coppola | Italy | 2,250,000 | 15 |
| 5 | Tomas Jozonis | Lithuania | 3,200,000 | 21 |
| 6 | Nazar Buhaiov | Ukraine | 5,025,000 | 34 |
| 7 | Casimir Seire | Finland | 6,400,000 | 43 |
Leading the pack trying to snatch the title away is Casimir Seire. The youthful Finnish pro can usually be found playing some of the highest stakes tournaments online and has quickly amassed a sizeable live resume, as well, that includes more than $700,000 in earnings and five prior EPT cashes already. He’ll be looking to add a trophy to his collection as he starts the day in second place with 6,400,000.
Among the final seven are two players who have been here before. Tomas Jozonis (3,200,000) finished third in EPT Monte Carlo back in 2018. For Enrico Coppola (2,250,000), the experience of an EPT final table is still fresh in his memory as he was fourth in Monte Carlo just last May. Nazar Buhaiov (5,025,000) and Thierry Gogniat (2,950,000) have also navigated their way through the 1,474-player field to make it this far. Gogniat, a restaurant owner from the Bordeaux region of France, joins his wife Isabel Baltazar, who finished eighth in EPT Barcelona in 2011, as the only couple to make it to an EPT final table.
Felix Schneiders is used to EPT final tables, just not as a player. The GRND on Tour pro is usually doing commentary on the live stream, but this time he finds himself among the final seven, albeit as the short stack with 1,950,000. Schneiders has been followed throughout his entire journey to the final table by his film crew, chronicling his every move for his large community of online followers as the German finally achieved his dream of making it to the grand stage.
The action at the final table picks up with 14 hands remaining in Level 31 with blinds of 100,000/150,000 and a 150,000 big blind ante. Each subsequent level will be 30 hands long. The final seven have all locked up €179,350 for making it here, while the Golden Shard trophy and €1,148,600 first prize awaits one of them by the end of the day.
Final Table payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €1,148,600 | ||
| 2 | €717,350 | ||
| 3 | €512,400 | ||
| 4 | €394,150 | ||
| 5 | €303,150 | ||
| 6 | €233,200 | ||
| 7 | €179,350 | ||
| 8 | Sami Bechahed | France | €137,950 |
The final table will be streamed on a 30-minute delay on PokerStars’ official YouTube channel. PokerNews will also be providing updates on a delay to match the stream.
The allure of EPT glory brought thousands to the City of Light this week, and the journey finally ends today with one lucky player getting to hoist the trophy in the air. PokerNews will be following the action the entire way, so stay tuned for updates.