Hasan Habib Leads First Epic Poker League Final Table

Day 3 of the first Epic Poker League Main Event saw the field cut down to a final table of just six players. Hasan Habib enters the final table as the chip leader, and will lead the field as they battle it out for the $1 million first prize.

As was the plan when the Epic Poker League was formed, there are a number of recognizable names at the final table – making it a true battle between top professionals. Habib, the chip leader, has won over $5 million in his poker career, along with a WSOP bracelet.

And yet, there are probably at least three players at the final table who are better known than Habib to most poker fans. Short stack Huck Seed has four World Series of Poker bracelets, as well as over $7 million in lifetime winnings. Erik Seidel is the winningest tournament poker player of all-time, with over $16 million in total winnings – much of which has come in the last year, when Seidel has been red hot in high-roller events. Jason Mercier may be one of thee few players who has run even better than Seidel, having just won his second WSOP bracelet this summer. Add in Gavin Smith, who has over $5.5 million in earnings, and David “Chino” Rheem, who has won $4.7 million in his career, and it’s clear that the final table is an impressive collection of poker talent.

Every player who reached Day 3 of the EPL Main Event was guaranteed to make the money, as a total of 18 players cashed in the tour’s first event. Players who came close but couldn’t quite reach the final table included former chip leaders Eugene Katchalov (8^th) and Sam Trickett (11^th), Hoyt Corkins (17^th), and final table bubble boy Adam Levy (7^th). Levy’s elimination was especially noteworthy; his pocket queens ran into Rheem’s pocket kings, but a QAA flop put him way ahead. However, the river brought another ace, giving Rheem a higher full house and setting the final table.

The first Epic Poker League event saw a total of 137 players participate, with a buy-in of $20,000. Combined with $400,000 added to the prize pool by the league, the total prize fund was just over $3 million.