WPT Grand Prix de Paris Down to Final Eighteen

Eighteen players remain in contention at the World Poker Tour’s Grand Prix de Paris, led by chip leader Matt Waxman. The players will return to action on Friday to play down to a final table of six players.

The third day of play saw the money bubble break, as only 36 players out of the original field of 312 were set to receive prize money. The bubble saw one player, Rebecca Gerin, allow herself to chip down to less than a single small blind before finally taking a stand. Unfortunately for her, she was eliminated in 37^th place, one spot outside of the money. All players who made it into the money were guaranteed to win at least €11,100.

Several notable players remain in contention behind Waxman, who will enter Day 4 with just over 1.1 million in chips. Mikko Sundell enters the day in second place, and stands as the only other palyer over the 1 million chip mark. Several notables are still in contention, including Martin Jacobson, Guillaume Darcourt, Joe Cassidy, and Jean Noel Thorel.

The remaining players will play down to a televised final table of six players. The remaining 18 are all guaranteed to win at least €33,330; making the final table locks in a prize of €88,900 or more. The eventual winner will take home €518,750, including a free entry into the $25,000 WPT World Championship at the end of the season.

Update: As of the dinner break on Friday, there are now eight players remaining. Mikko Sundell has taken over the chip lead, holding 2.26 million in chips. He is followed closely by Byron Kaverman and Matt Waxman, both of whom are over 1.6 million in chips. After the dinner break, the players will return for two more eliminations before reaching the final table. The short stacks include Martin Jacobson (236,000), Dmitry Stelmak (650,000) and Frederic Magen (698,000).