The EPT Barcelona is taking place right this moment. A number of events have already concluded and quite a few lucky winners have been able to take home significant cash prizes. Now, Austrian poker pro Matthias Eibinger is preparing to take on nine other opponents and win the €100,000 Super High Roller.
Eibinger Leading in EPT Super High Roller
Money is on the line and every participant would rather be on the receiving end. It’s no difficult to imagine why Eibinger is excited. He’s on his way to claiming the 2018 PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona €100,000 Super High Roller event and become a few millions richer. Of course, nothing is so easy at Casino Barcelona where the competition is rather stiff. There are still 9 remaining challengers and even though the 54 original entrants have been reduced to that number, there is still sufficient reason for concern.
Matthias Eibinger’s chip lead is palpable although not as threatening. The runner-up, Mikita Badziakouski, the Belarusian high-roller with over $6.6 million in all-time winnings, is behind Eibinger just 500,000 chips. Third comes Ahadpur Khangah who has a still respectable pile of chips at 2,105,000.
Cary Katz with his 1,425,000 chips and Timothy Adams with 1,245,000 are also going to continue and apply pressure for the title. And there’s a few others who shouldn’t be overlooked. That includes the names of Rui Neves Ferreira, Benjamin Pollak, Jean Ferreira, and Byron Kaverman. Their riches, modest as they may be, vary between 610,000 and 1,000,000 in total chip count.
The Nine to Make the Cut
Of course, there were many others who have decided to give the competition an honest shot, but they seemed to have faltered very early on. Take for example, Stanley Choi and Sam Greenwood who did enter the race but were eliminated very early on. On top of that, Jan-Eric Schwippert and Daniel Dvoress didn’t get much of a chance either.
But most notably, and somewhat surprisingly, Ivan Leow and Michael Soyza also were eliminated very early on. This is particularly surprising in the case of Soyza who had just won an EPT event. And yet, the results are a clear way to signal that competition in poker is stiff and in order to make it to the top, you will have to play outstandingly.
However, it’s not always possible to keep track of fresh faces and playstyles you haven’t seen before and even the most accomplished professionals are often caught unawares.
The people who have made it into Day 3 are as follows:
- Benjamin Pollak
- Byron Kaverman
- Ahadpur Khangah
- Rui Neves Ferreira
- Mikita Badziakouski
- Cary Katz
- Timothy Adams
- Matthias Eibinger
- Jean Ferreira
The contenders will definitely see a problem in the face of Matthias Eibinger, but the table still features sufficient players who may end up biting a substantial chunk out of his chip lead. Even the short-stacks can put a significant dent in the fortunes of the leaders as long as they manage to play a situation well. As we wait for the action to continue, players are surely counting their blessings and chip stacks.
