Day 3 of Event #89: $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship is in the books. Out of a total field of 3,797, 26 players will be returning to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas fighting it out to become the next World Series of Poker (WSOP) champion. The winner will be taking home the prestigious WSOP gold bracelet and top prize of $1,189,408 from the $10,137,990 prize pool.
Bagging the biggest stack is Eshaan Bhalla with 13,150,000 chips. Bhalla propelled to the top when he doubled up in a hand against Bogdan Munteanu, who had stood second in chip lead through most of the evening.
Coming in second is Mikhail Zavoloka with 11,800,000 chips, and completing the top three is George Tomescu with 11,100,000 chips. Tomescu had an amazing comeback after being left with only three big blinds after the dinner break.
Day 3 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eshaan Bhalla | United States | 12,575,000 | 63 |
| 2 | Mikhail Zavoloka | Russian Federation | 12,200,000 | 61 |
| 3 | Bahar Musa | Bulgaria | 11,580,000 | 58 |
| 4 | Ian O'Hara | United States | 10,825,000 | 54 |
| 5 | George Tomescu | Romania | 10,550,000 | 53 |
| 6 | Jacopo Achille | Italy | 9,850,000 | 49 |
| 7 | Simon Wilson | Ireland | 9,525,000 | 48 |
| 8 | Yannick Jobin | Switzerland | 8,375,000 | 42 |
| 9 | Bogdan Munteanu | Romania | 6,300,000 | 32 |
| 10 | Francisco Benitez | Uruguay | 6,000,000 | 30 |
Each player has locked up a guaranteed cash out prize of $48,190, but everyone is eyeing the life-changing $1,189,408 top prize.
Notables still in contention are WSOP bracelet winners Jacopo Achille (9,750,000) and Xixiang Luo (1,800,000), chasing another bracelet to add to their collection.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,189,408 | 8 | $152,009 |
| 2 | $792,714 | 9 | $118,785 |
| 3 | $589,980 | 10-11 | $93,602 |
| 4 | $442,604 | 12-13 | $74,383 |
| 5 | $334,718 | 14-17 | $59,615 |
| 6 | $255,186 | 18-26 | $48,190 |
| 7 | $196,145 |
Action will resume Sunday at noon with their seats unchanged. Blinds will continue at Level 30 with 100,000/200,000 and 200,000 ante.
There will be 15-minute breaks every two levels, and a dinner break yet to be announced. Play will continue until a champion is crowned, so remain tuned in with PokerNews for live updates and find out who the next WSOP champion will be.
