The excitement reached fever pitch at Dusk Till Dawn as the field in the UK and Ireland Poker Tour Nottingham Main Event was dramatically reduced from 193 hopefuls to just 21 players over the course of Day 2.
Leading the charge into the third and final day is Michael Casson, whose explosive finish saw him bag an impressive 4,165,000 chips, securing the top spot on the leaderboard. Casson's electrifying journey to the chip lead, including pivotal moments where fortune favored him, sets the stage for a thrilling finale.
Each of the remaining players has locked up a guaranteed payout of £6,310, but all eyes are fixed on the ultimate prize of £201,900, which awaits the eventual champion. With the stakes at an all-time high, the final day promises to be full of adrenaline.
End of Day Top Ten Chip Counts
Place
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Michael Casson
United Kingdom
4,165,000
69
2
Jean-Emmanuel Lhuillier
United Kingdom
3,235,000
54
3
Christopher Brammer
United Kingdom
3,190,000
53
4
Arian Kashani
Iran
2,970,000
50
5
Matthew Kerry
United Kingdom
2,575,000
43
6
Justin Tsui
United Kingdom
2,160,000
36
7
Connor Lewis
United Kingdom
1,995,000
33
8
Marvis Cooper
United Kingdom
1,895,000
32
9
Stephen Ayres
United Kingdom
1,750,000
29
10
Steven Lewzey
United Kingdom
1,670,000
28
At one point, it didn't seem likely that Casson would even make Day 3 at all as his pocket jacks were all-in against the pocket aces of Marvis Cooper. However, a jack on the flop gave Casson the victory, and set him on his way.
Moments later Casson was involved again, but this time it was he who had the aces. Roni Tal opened, and then four-bet shoved with pocket nines, only to be snapped off by the best starting hand in poker of Casson. This time, the board didn't bring any surprises, and Casson catapulted himself to the summit of the leaderboard.
Jean-Emmanuel Lhuillier bagged up the second-biggest stack of 3,235,000, largely thanks to an epic hero call he made against Philip Joyce during the penultimate level of Day 2. Joyce had check-shoved the river as a bluff, and Lhuillier, after being put on the clock, called with just one second remaining on his countdown.
Christopher Brammer
Another familiar name to make Day 3 is bracelet-winner Christopher Brammer, who rounded out the podium spots with 3,190,000 chips. Brammer surged into an early chip lead and maintained his stack throughout the day, and will certainly be a threat on the final day.
Four PokerStars qualifiers made it through to the last day of play with Arian Kashani leading them with 2,970,000 chips. Connor Lewis (1,995,000), Stephen Ayres (1,750,000), and the previously mentioned Joyce (1,040,000) complete the quartet, who all made it into the Main Event via PokerStars.
Day 3 starts at noon on Monday, November 18 with blinds resuming at Level 27 - 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 big blind ante. The average stack sits at just over 1,800,000, which is around 30 big blinds.
Once the final table is reached, the action will be streamed on the DTD Player channel on YouTube.
As always, PokerNews will be on hand to deliver all of the latest action from the felt inside Dusk Till Dawn, as the Main Event plays down to a champion.
