EPT Barcelona 2018: Indian Challenger Kunal Punjwani Finishes 176th in Main Event, Mark Buckley Leads 56 Runners For Day 4

Kunal Punjwani
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  • PG News August 31, 2018
  • 6 Mins Read

The €5,300 Main Event at the 2018 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona is going strong at Casino Barcelona. The record-breaking 1,931 entry-field, which had been reduced to 259 on Day 2, has further dwindled down to 56 by the end of Day 3.

Kunal Punjwani (cover image) was the sole Indian who had made the cut for Day 3. He played well, even orchestrating the elimination of six-time WSOP bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu, however, his dream run came to an end in 176th place for €10,770 (~₹8.91 Lakhs).

Five other Indian pros were also seen in action including PokerStars India Team Pro and GPL India Delhi Diehards Manager Muskan Sethi, Young Gun Abhinav Iyer, Samay Parikh, Charu Vikram Kaushik, PokerBaazi Team Pro Abhisek Panda and Punjwani. While Panda was eliminated on Day 1B, Sethi, Iyer, Parikh and Kaushik exited the event on Day 2 before the money bubble.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s Mark Buckley (2,650,000) leads the remaining field of 56 runners coming into Day 4. With three more days of play left and a top prize worth €1,611,500 on the line, the Main Event is heading for a nail-biting finish.

Day 3 Recap

The only Indian challenger left in the fray, Kunal Punjwani had started Day 3 with 232,000 in the bag. He was seated at a star-studded table alongside pros like Victor Chong (321,000), Patrik Antonius (310,000), Jack Wu (219,000), Ahmad Shams (129,500), Tomasz PajÄ…k (86,000), Jimmy Kebe (59,000) and Viktor Blom (50,000).

During level 16, he lost a big pot to Chong, when the latter opened for 12,000 from middle position and found two callers in Wu in the cutoff and Punjwani in the big blind. The flop fell card 2card 1card 3 and the action checked to Chong who bet 13,500. Wu and Punjwani called to see the turn card open card 3. Chong bet 33,000, while Wu folded and Punjwani called again. Punjwani checked when card 2 was dealt on the river and Chong used a time bank card before moving all-in. Punjwani responded by using two of his time bank cards, but he couldn’t match the bet and conceded the pot to Chong. Punjwani slid down to 190,000 in chips after this hand.

Punjwani eventually finished his stellar run in 176th place and banked €10,770 (₹8,91,271) for his efforts.

Kunal Punjwani
Kunal Punjwani

Of the 203 eliminations that occurred through the course of the day, several prominent pros were sent packing including Aaron Rivero Daly (57th for €19,760), Shaun Deeb (61st for €19,760), Dominik Panka (64th for €19,760), Pavel Plesuv (69th for €19,760), Leo Margets (118th for €14,330), Day 2 Pineapple Flip Out Platinum Pass winner Eric Lenoir (117th for €14,330), Day 2 chip leader Ben Wilinofsky (123rd for €12,080), Patrick Stacey (135th for €12,080), Niall Farrell (149th for €10,770) and former professional footballer Jimmy Kebe (174th for €10,770).

Jaime Staples was the last pro standing from the PokerStars Team. He had almost made the cut for Day 4 but unfortunately became the penultimate elimination of the day when his pocket fours ran into Ben Heath‘s pocket sixes, resulting in his 60th place elimination for €19,760.

The 56 survivors are now being led by Irishman Mark Buckley, who has accumulated a massive stack of 2,650,000. He will be joined by Oliver Weis (1,485,000), Julien Sitbon (1,450,000), Danny Tang (1,155,000) and Patrick Clarke (1,150,000), all of whom bagged healthy stacks for Day 4.

Mark Buckley
Mark Buckley

Top 10 Chip Counts At The End of Day 3

1. Mark Buckley – 2,650,000

2. Fabiano Kovalski – 2,530,000

3. Matthias Tikerpe – 2,350,000

4. Rodrigo Marques Carmo – 2,175,000

5. Enrico De Rosa – 1,925,000

6. Haoxiang Wang – 1,850,000

7. Jamie O’Connor – 1,840,000

8. Ognyan Dimov – 1,720,000

9. Renato Kaneoya – 1,710,000

10. Tom Alner – 1,530,000

Keep following all the latest updates from EPT Barcelona right here on PokerGuru!

Related Articles:

1. EPT Barcelona 2018: Andras Nemeth Wins €25,000 Single-Day High Roller For €605,600

2. EPT Barcelona 2018: Alexander Petersen Takes Down €10,300 PLO High Roller For €213,400

3. EPT Barcelona 2018: India’s Kunal Punjwani Makes Day 3 of Record-Breaking Main Event With 259 Players Remaining

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