The 4,562 have been whittled down to 218 in the Irish Open €1,150 Main Event. All who return to the Royal Dublin Society at noon local time are are already in the money and guaranteed €4,140 for their efforts, but all in the field will have their eyes firmly on the €600,000 first place prize.
Michel Molenaar currently sits on pole position with 3,815,000, good for 153 big blinds. Molenaar already cashed in the biggest event this series, the €10,000 Super High Roller, for €34,000 having finished sixth. He will be looking to add another big score to his $1,699,320 in earnings.
Michel Karim, the Day 1b leader, is in hot pursuit with 3,415,000. He will be looking to add to his numerous EPT cashes and overall total of $173,955. No matter what happens, the Swede has guaranteed to walk away with his first cash in Ireland.
Tyler Spaugh shot up the chip counts towards the end of play yesterday. He has recorded a 68th placed finish in the €1,100 Luxon Mystery Bounty and in the 2-7 Triple Draw Championship. He claimed 13th in the €350 buy in event for €770 in return.
Day 3 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michel Molenaar | Netherlands | 3,815,000 | 153 |
| 2 | Michel Karim | Sweden | 3,415,000 | 137 |
| 3 | Tyler Spaugh | United Kingdom | 3,185,000 | 127 |
| 4 | Silviu Tanase | Romania | 3,050,000 | 122 |
| 5 | Robert Fluereci | Romania | 2,825,000 | 113 |
| 6 | Marc Sen | Switzerland | 2,750,000 | 110 |
| 7 | Carl Shaw | United Kingdom | 2,535,000 | 101 |
| 8 | David Pollock | Ireland | 2,440,000 | 98 |
| 9 | Georgios Skarparis | Cyprus | 2,345,000 | 94 |
| 10 | Simon Levy | United States | 2,300,000 | 92 |
Other notables in the field include: David Pollock, who has the most chips of any Irishman left in the field (2,440,000) Day 1c chip leader Borja Urrea (1,970,000) 2022 champion and all round crusher Steve O'Dwyer (1,050,000), Norwegian grinder Jon Kyte, and PokerStars Ambassador Parker Talbot (835,000).
Action returns at noon local with the blinds at 15,000/30,000 with a big blind ante of 30,000. Ten one hour long levels are scheduled to be played but this is subject to change depending on the size of the field towards the scheduled end of play. Cards up coverage will also be available via YouTube and Twitch and will be broadcast on a 30-minute delay.
Keep tuned to PokerNews as the excitement ramps up even further as the Irish Open Main Event approaches boiling point.
