The 10th Anniversary PokerStars PCA Main Event is now getting down to the nitty gritty, with just 59 players out of the original starting field of nearly 1,000 players still in the hunt for the coveted title.
Among the players vying for the $1.8 million first place prize are some of the biggest names in poker, as well as a player who is making a Moneymaker-esque run in the event, Nicholas Godoy, who won his way into the PCA Main Event in a $10 satellite and has been among the chip leaders throughout the tournament.
Godoy is guaranteed to pocket at least $26,000 for his run, and if he can survive just a few eliminations on Friday (which is almost assured considering his stack is the 7th largest) he will move up another rung on the payout ladder, to $32,000 – not too shabby off a $10 buy-in.
A win by Godoy, a 19 year-old poker player, could help spark some renewed interest in online poker, considering it has been a long time since a satellite winner binked a big time tournament.
Joining Godoy on Day 4 will be a slew of big names, including Robert Mizrachi (who outlasted his brother Mike on Day 3), Joe Serock, Olivier Busquet, 2001 WSOP Main Event champ Carlos Mortensen, Team PokerStars Pros Eugene Katchalov and newly signed Jake Cody, Greg Mueller, Scott Clements, and Mohsin Charania.
Sprinkled in with bigger names are a number of other well-known players in the poker community. While these players may not be as universally well-known as the ones mentioned above, they are just as dangerous and have a great shot at breaking through with a big tournament win.
Here is a look at the chip-leaders heading into Day 4 of the PCA Main Event:
Patrick Kelly — 1,750,000
Joe Serock — 1,320,000
Darren Elias — 1,040,000
Michael Lipman — 1,035,000
Owen Crowe — 1,000,000
Maxim Panyak — 989,000
Nicolas Godoy — 848,000
Yann Dion — 829,000
Jerry Wong — 808,000
Anthony Borde — 796,000
The remaining players will reconvene at the Atlantis Resort at Noon local time, and the remaining players will battle down to the final three tables, with 24 players making it through to Day 5.
Two players will become instant millionaires when all is said and done, and ten players will take home six-figure scores. Here is a look at the Top 10 payouts for the tournament:
1st place: $1,859,000
2nd place: $1,190,000
3rd place: $725,000
4th place: $560,000
5th place: $435,000
6th place: $325,000
7th place: $230,000
8th place: $165,900
9th place: $120,000
10th place: $120,000
