Nik Takes Commanding Lead Into EPC Super Main Event Final 16
The Romanian bagged 77.2 million as a 7,013-entry field at King’s Resort narrowed to its last contenders for €862,300.
Nik carried the chip lead into the final 16 of the €1,150 EPC Super Main Event at King’s Resort in Rozvadov, bagging 77.2 million after Day 3. The Romanian player held a substantial lead over Mourad Tounnouti on 45.9 million, with Christophe Vincent, Mike Neuens and Erdinc Guentay next on the leaderboard.
The event drew 7,013 entries across eight starting flights and generated a €6.9 million prize pool. PokerNews reported that 108 players began Day 3, before 10 levels reduced the field to 16, all chasing the €862,300 top prize and the King’s Royal Scepter trophy.
As we reported in September, the Super Main Event was the €5 million-guaranteed centerpiece of King’s Resort’s new King’s Million European Poker Championship. The final prize pool comfortably cleared that guarantee.
Nik had led after the Day 1a flight and entered Day 2 with the biggest stack, making his Day 3 lead the latest stage of a sustained run. He had also placed seventh in the €1,000 Mystery Bounty earlier in the week for €23,600.
Behind Tounnouti, Vincent ended the day with 39 million and Neuens had 37.8 million. Guentay bagged 27.1 million, followed by Pavel Stribrny with 23.7 million, Hassibullah Hafizi with 21.1 million, Wiktor Weiner with 16.8 million, Lyubomir with 14.6 million and Antonio Sciacca with 11.4 million.
Hafizi’s stack represented one of Day 3’s biggest recoveries. He had less than one big blind at the final three-table redraw but doubled more than six times, including hands with pocket aces and kings, to reach seventh in chips overnight.
There was also a deep run for the married pair of Pokerhonta696 and Ulrich Ehlermann, who spent most of Day 3 at the same table. Pokerhonta696 exited in 35th when her short stack ran into Ondrej Ladner’s pocket jacks, while Ehlermann survived with 5.8 million after winning a Level 32 hand against two pairs of kings.
The 16 survivors were scheduled to resume Oct. 6 with 35 minutes left in Level 36, at blinds of 300,000/600,000 with a 600,000 big blind ante, and play 70-minute levels until a winner was decided.
