Lars Kamphues Leads Final Ten Players; Vojtech Ruzicka Hot on His Heels
Only ten players out of an 748-entry strong field remain in contention for the biggest slice of the �1,101,430 prize pool in the 2022 WSOP International Circuit �1,700 Main Event Autumn Edition at the King's Resort in Rozvadov.
All of them have locked up a payday of �13,525 and an entry into the 2022 WSOP Europe �10,350 Main Event in one month from now. However, all eyes are set on the top prize of �189,650 that is reserved for the eventual champion in Europe's biggest poker arena.
Seven different countries are represented among the last ten contenders and Germany's Lars Kamphues leads the way with a stack of 7,745,000. Second in chips is Denis Gergoc (6,860,000) while Vojtech Ruzicka is arguably the biggest name still in the mix. The former WSOP Main Event final tablist, from the Czech Republic, sits in third place on the leaderboard with 5,985,000.
Frenchman Dorian Melchers won a WSOP Circuit ring during the stop at the King's Resort and follows with 4,685,000 in chips, right in the muddle of the pack. The same also applies for Alireza Keyvar (3,680,000), Alessandro Pagliuso (3,000,000), and Natale Allegra (2,660,000).
A trio of shorter stacks will aim to secure the pay jump by making the nine-handed final table. Frans Van Staalduinen (1,485,000) holds nearly three times as many chips as Berkan Munar (560,000) and Samir Boudeliou (510,000) who are under immediate pressure.
The blinds in level 28 will recommence at 50,000-100,000 with a big blind ante of 100,000, giving the two shortest stacks very little room to manoeuvre.
Seat Assignments for the Final Day
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 1 | Dorian Melchers | France | 4,685,000 | 47 |
| 37 | 2 | Natale Allegra | Italy | 2,660,000 | 27 |
| 37 | 3 | Vojtech Ruzicka | Czech Republic | 5,985,000 | 60 |
| 37 | 5 | Berkan Munar | Germany | 560,000 | 6 |
| 37 | 8 | Alireza Keyvar | Iran | 3,640,000 | 36 |
| 39 | 1 | Frans Van Staalduinen | Netherlands | 1,485,000 | 15 |
| 39 | 3 | Denis Gergoc | Switzerland | 6,860,000 | 69 |
| 39 | 5 | Samir Boudeliou | France | 510,000 | 5 |
| 39 | 6 | Lars Kamphues | Germany | 7,745,000 | 77 |
| 39 | 7 | Alessandro Pagliuso | Italy | 3,000,000 | 30 |
The top 12 finishers all earned an entry into Day 1a of the 2022 WSOPE Main Event and that also included Elias Abou Saleh and Radu Pitic while 2021 WSOP Europe bracelet winner Sergiu Covrig earned the same payday as countryman Pitic (�11,475) but missed out on the additional tournament entry.
Among those running deep on the penultimate tournament day and reaching the final three tables were also David Hu, Waheed Ashraf, Georgios Tsouloftas, Marek Blasko and the Day 2 chip leader Matthew Bushell.
An additional three WSOP bracelet winners cashed on Day 3 including Jason Wheeler, Renat Bohdanov, and Albert Hoekendijk. The 48th place of Bohdanov was perhaps a surprise as the Ukrainian burst the money bubble in the first level of the day by sending Rachid El Yaacoubi to the rail.
However, his stack was melted within two hands and he had to settle for a payday of �3,725. Day 1a chip leader Narcis Nedelcu reached the final five tables to collect �4,100 for his efforts. The former WSOPC King's Main Event champions Volkan Alkan and Andrea Ricci also cashed but bowed out soon after the bubble had burst to miss out on a potential repeat victory.
During the second half of the day, Kamphues continued to add chips and especially assumed control after the three-table redraw. On the feature table it was all about the duel between Ruzicka and Melchers while the shorter stacks were fighting for their survival.
Upon completion of nine levels of 60 minutes each, the nine-handed final table was all but reached and the ten hopefuls will return at 2pm local time to determine a champion. All PokerNews updates for the final day will be published on a 30-minute delay in accordance with the live stream action on the King's Resort Twitch channel.