Mustapha Kanit Leads Final Eight in �25,750 High Roller
Eight players will return for the final table of the 2016 PokerStars European Poker Tour Dublin �25,750 High Roller, each assured of �65,170 and all with a chance of the �501,640 awaiting first place.
It's a star-studded final table, with former EPT Monte Carlo High Roller champion Charlie Carrel (2,755,000), 2016 Aussie Millions $25,000 Challenge champion Chance Kornuth (1,310,000), qualifiers Anton Bertilsson (3,850,000) and Keith "The Silver Pigeon" Johnson (1,155,000), and high-rolling regulars Nick Petrangelo (570,000), Jeff Rossiter (1,120,000), and Ivan Luca (1,265,000) still in the hunt.
However, they are all chasing the heels of chip leader Mustapha Kanit, who has a staggering 5,460,000 in chips going into the final table.
Kanit started the day as one of the short stacks with just 151,000, but soon vaulted through the chip counts thanks to first cracking the kings of Sam Chartier before getting into a big pot with the Day 1 chip leader, Bertilsson.
Bertilsson raised to 60,000 from the hijack seat to start the action. On the button, Luca made the call before action got to the player in the big blind, Kanit. The Italian high roller squeezed to 215,000 with 1,324,000 behind. Bertilsson thought about it for just a bit before shoving all in for almost 1,900,000. Luca folded, and Kanit made the call. Bertilsson tabled the 
and Kanit showed the 
. The board ran out 
and Bertilsson handed over a large portion of his chips to Kanit, in what was at that stage the largest pot of the tournament.
After that hand, Bertilsson was down to just a couple of big blinds, but he made an impressive recovery, ending the day second in chips.
As play approached the bubble, the quality of the players was nothing short of exceptional. But, not everyone could make the money. The likes of Davidi Kitai, Sam Chartier, Timothy Adams, and Christoph Vogelsang were all eliminated without cashing.
With 10 players left and nine places paid, the bubble had arrived. In what was a relatively short bubble, Dario Sammartino exited in 10th place after his two pair was cracked by a rivered gutshot for Bertilsson. While Sammartino departed with hanging shoulders, the nine remaining players were redrawn to the unofficial final table, all assured of cashing for at least �49,730.
There was just enough time for Martin Jacobson to bust. He shoved his last couple of big blinds in with 
, but got called by Luca with 
. No deuce on the flop, turn, or river, and Jacobson made his exit in ninth.
With that, play was halted with 55:53 left on the clock in Level 19 (30,000/60,000/10,000), and the final eight players are seated as followed:
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Petrangelo | United States | 570,000 | 10 |
| 2 | Jeff Rossiter | Australia | 1,120,000 | 19 |
| 3 | Chance Kornuth | United States | 1,310,000 | 22 |
| 4 | Anton Bertilsson | Sweden | 3,850,000 | 64 |
| 5 | Keith Johnson | United Kingdom | 1,155,000 | 19 |
| 6 | Mustapha Kanit | Italy | 5,460,000 | 91 |
| 7 | Ivan Luca | Argentina | 1,265,000 | 21 |
| 8 | Charlie Carrel | United Kingdom | 2,755,000 | 46 |
The remaining eight players will return at 12.30 p.m. local time on Sunday with all eyes on the �501,640 first-place prize and the trophy for the winner. PokerNews.com will bring you coverage of the final table on a one-hour delay with hole-card information.
Sunday isn't just time for the final table of the �25,750 High Roller, either, as the �5,300 Main Event also starts. PokerNews will be on hand for that as well, so expect updates all day long from both events.
In the meantime, check out a short interview Sasha Salinger did with Kanit on the dinner break today: