Daniel James In Charge As 2014 GUKPT Reading Reaches Day 3
Matthew Pitt
Daniel James is the man in pole position as the 2014 Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Reading Main Event reached its third and final day. Only 19 players remain in contention for the title of champion and the £37,900 in prize money that comes with such an honour.
James fared the best over the eight hour-long levels, finishing in the early hours of Sunday morning with a tournament leading stack of 655,500. Should James manage to ride his current momentum and reach the final table, he will secure a career-best live cash. His current top score stands at £2,600, an amount he has won twice on the UKIPT circuit.
In second place going into Day 3 is the legendary Albert Sapiano, legendary because of his pure love of the game and the fact he usually re-enters to the maximum whenever he has the chance. Sapiano has a GUKPT title to his name after winning the six-max Thanet Main Event in 2012 and would be a popular champion if he takes down the Reading Main Event.
The returning crowd are a mix of keen recreational players and professionals, the latter group represented by the likes of Paul Vas Nunes (297,500), Willie Tann (159,500) and Iwan Jones (144,000), and having a mix of styles and skill levels like this always makes for an interesting affair.
Each of the Day 3 returnees have locked up £1,200 for their efforts thus far, thanks to the bubble bursting late on Day 2. The clock hadn’t long chimed for midnight when Daniel James opened to 12,000 and Ernest Waczkow called. Wai Yuen shipped in his stack, James folded and Waczkow called.
Yuen flipped over the 
, but was crushed by the 
of Waczkow. The aces held, Yuen busted and the bubble burst.
By the time the nine-handed final table is reached, the £1,200 that each player has locked up increases to £2,700, but with a whopping £37,900 up top, nobody will want to be leaving during the first few levels of the payout structure.
2014 GUKPT Reading Main Event Day 3 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel James | 655,500 |
| 2 | Albert Sapiano | 556,500 |
| 3 | Haresh Thakker | 554,000 |
| 4 | Jeff Hemmerman | 483,500 |
| 5 | Rob Whatsize | 419,500 |
| 6 | Neo Neophytou | 320,500 |
| 7 | Paul Vas Nunes | 297,500 |
| 8 | Ernest Waczkow | 267,000 |
| 9 | Gavin Kan | 266,000 |
| 10 | Steven Chennells | 250,000 |
| 11 | Vance Martin | 248,500 |
| 12 | Richard Turner | 216,000 |
| 13 | Willie Tann | 159,500 |
| 14 | Khizar Hayat | 154,500 |
| 15 | Iwan Jones | 144,000 |
| 16 | Tim Wright | 135,000 |
| 17 | Alex Liang | 126,000 |
| 18 | Janice Phillips | 107,500 |
| 19 | Tony Hallam | 57,000 |
Play resumes at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday and continues until the champion is crowned. Who will that champion be? Tune into UK & Ireland PokerNews on Monday to find out.
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