The partypoker Caribbean Poker Party $5,300 Main Event is underway, with three starting flights and two more days of play now being completed. A field of 1,061 entries was reduced to just 43 survivors who are set to return today at the host venue, Meliá Caribe Tropical, and to play down to a final table.
The final 43 will be led by UK player Michael Zhang who bagged the top stack of 83.1 million last night. Zhang is a one-time Grosvenor UK Poker Tour £1,100 Main Event winner. The player captured his title back in February, winning £113,000 for his victory. He currently has nearly $540,000 in live tournament earnings. The player has mostly cashed in tournaments to have taken place in his homeland. He has also participated in a number of international events, but a victory in the Caribbean Poker Party Main Event could secure his entry into the big poker scene.
Day 3 Action Recap and the Upcoming Day 4
There were 222 players to return to the poker tables at the host venue on Thursday. Troy Quenneville was the chip leader at the time with a significant advantage over his remaining opponents. The player survived through the day, although it can be said that he lost some of his initial momentum over the course of play. He will start Day 4 with a total of 23.45 million in chips.
Action unfolded quite quickly when cards were thrown in the air for a third day of action at the host venue. It actually took only several hours before the start-of-the-day field was halved, which also marked the burst of the money bubble.
The top 111 finishers are set to leave the prestigious event with a payout, with min-cashes starting from $10,000. Kevin Eyster became the unfortunate bubble boy on Thursday after he lost an all-in confrontation against Graham Ivany. And Jakub Michalak was the first player to leave with a payout.
Notables who failed to reach the money bubble on Day 3 included David Peters, Benjamin Pollak, and Johnny Lodden, who is part of partypoker’s cluster of sponsored poker professionals. The Aria Poker Masters champion Steffen Sontheimer and 2014 WSOP Main Event winner Martin Jacobson were among those to cash from the tournament. However, being forced to make their way to the payout desk, they will not be able to win the major title and add it to their impressive portfolios.
Day 4 action is scheduled to kick off at noon local time. The 43 survivors will return at the poker room of the host venue to play down to a final table. Each of the remaining players is guaranteed a minimum payout of $25,000. However, it is more than clear that they are all hoping for the $1 million in prize money that will be granted to the tournament’s champion.
