James Mitchell Leads EPT London

James Mitchell passed the million chip mark to take the chip lead at the end of Day 3 of the European Poker Tour London. Mitchell has 1,071,500 chips, and is the only player to cross one million chips so far.

The money bubble broke on Day 3, as the top 104 players were all able to cash. The day ended with 62 players left to return for Day 4. Several notable players snuck into the money before bowing out on Day 3, including Jeff Sarwer (95^th), Bryn Kenney (89^th), Sebastian Ruthenberg (76^th) and Doyle Brunson (77^th), who was playing in his first ever EPT event.

But it’s Mitchell who is still alive and at the front of the pack. The remaining players are all fighting for a £750,000 (about $1,160,000) first prize, and five of the top ten players – including the top three – are from the UK. Other leaders include Sam MacDonald, Martins Adeniya, and Kevin Iacofano.

While the turnout of 691 players was solid, it was actually a bit of a drop off for EPT London. In 2009, 730 players took part of the tournament, while last year, 848 entered. The drop in attendance has been attributed to several different factors. For instance, Andrew Feldman of ESPN.com pointed out that EPT London has traditionally taken place after the WSOP Europe concluded, meaning that many players were already in London and could play in both events. Now, the WSOP Europe will be taking place in Cannes, France. The aftermath of Black Friday was also cited as a factor, as it’s likely that fewer players were able to satellite into the event, particularly players from the United States.

Perhaps the biggest issue may have been the entry fee. While most tournaments have been moving to lower buy-ins to attack larger fields, EPT London stuck to a £5,000 buy-in, which may have discouraged foreign players from participating.

Chip leader James Mitchell is no stranger to success in European Poker circles. In April 2010, he won the Main Event at the Irish Open, and has a total of $1.25 million in live tournament winnings.