The WPT Legends of Poker $5,000 buy-in Main Event is down to the final six players who are set to return today to the host venue, The Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, California, to determine the tournament’s champion.
Gueorgui Gantchev, originally from Bulgaria but now residing in Las Vegas, is leading the pack of six final tablists with a stack of 5.56 million in chips.
Action is set to resume today at 2 pm local time at the host casino and the remaining hopefuls will play down to a champion. The tournament’s victor will collect $474,390 in prize money, including a $15,000 seat into the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions.
After a two-year hiatus, the WPT Legends of Poker returned to the WPT Main Tour schedule to see players from all over the United States as well as international ones flock to The Bike to take part in the second stop of Season XVIII of the popular poker series.
The Legends of Poker Main Event drew 520 entrants who crushed the $2 million guarantee to generate a prize pool of $2.392 million. The prize money was split into payouts for the top 65 finishers, min-cashes starting from $8,190.
Each of the six remaining players has secured a minimum payout of $96,955. But all eyes are set on the first-place prize and the title. None of the six final tablists has won a WPT Main Tour Main Event so far.
The Six Finalists
As mentioned above, it was Gantchev who bagged the largest stack last night to enter the final day of the tournament as the chip leader. Originally from Bulgaria, the player now calls Las Vegas his home as he runs a luxury car rental business there.
Securing a spot among the final six in the WPT Legends of Poker, Gantchev has more than doubled his poker bankroll. The player started playing only a few years ago and has made the majority of his winning in daily Las Vegas tournaments.
Recalling how he entered the world of poker, Gantchev told WPT staff that it all started when he played a home game his neighbor, poker pro Ben Lamb.
Of his performance on the third day of the WPT Legends of Poker, Gantchev said that he “definitely ran very well” and that he “tried to slowplay some hands and trap a lot.” The player played more aggressively during the closing stages of Day 3. He picked off Brian Altman’s bluff once and never looked back from that point on.
Gantchev built a solid stack and is set to enter the final day of the tournament with significant advantage over his remaining opponents.
Jisup Hwang collected the second largest stack last night, good for 4.38 million. Vahan Sudzhyan is set to enter the final day of action third in chips with 3.335 million. Jared Griener with 2.75 million, Antonios Roungeris with 2.72 million, and Aaron Van Blarcum with 2.05 million were the other three players to secure a seat at the final table of the tournament.
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