Raoul Kanme will return as the chip leader when the $25,500 Main Event reaches its final table, with only nine players still competing for the title.
The penultimate day started with 38 players, but the field was reduced at a rapid pace. Around four hours of play were enough to determine the final nine and bring the session to an early conclusion.
The 255 entries created a total prize pool of $6,120,000. Every player who returned for the day had already secured a payout, while the eventual champion will collect $1,250,000.
Kanme finished the session with 10,830,000 chips, equal to 108 big blinds, making him one of only two players above the 100 big blind mark. The Dutch player made his biggest move on the final table bubble, first applying pressure to Ravi Sheth in a major preflop confrontation before later eliminating him in tenth place.
That knockout gave Kanme the outright lead heading into the final day.
Rezaei and Fritz stay close to the leader
Daniel Rezaei is Kanme’s closest challenger after ending the session with 10,210,000 chips, or 102 big blinds. The gap between the top two is small enough to leave the final table wide open from the opening hand.
Manuel Fritz will begin in third position with 6,880,000. Aliaksandr Shylko follows with 6,525,000, while Anze Smajd carries 5,445,000 into the final session.
Jordan Woodall, who entered the previous day as chip leader, remains firmly in contention with 4,785,000. Matthias Lipp has 3,285,000, and Italo Modena returns with 2,750,000.
The shortest stack belongs to Fahredin Mustafov. He reached the final table with only 260,000 chips, leaving him with roughly three big blinds and very little room for patience.
For poker followers on BCPoker, the stack distribution makes the opening stages especially important. Several players have enough chips to apply pressure, while Mustafov will likely need to find a double up quickly to extend his run.
Final table seat draw
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
| 1 | Italo Modena | Italy | 2,750,000 | 28 |
| 2 | Jordan Woodall | Germany | 4,785,000 | 48 |
| 3 | Raoul Kanme | Netherlands | 10,830,000 | 108 |
| 4 | Manuel Fritz | Austria | 6,880,000 | 69 |
| 5 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | 260,000 | 3 |
| 6 | Aliaksandr Shylko | Belarus | 6,525,000 | 65 |
| 7 | Anze Smajd | Slovenia | 5,445,000 | 54 |
| 8 | Daniel Rezaei | Austria | 10,210,000 | 102 |
| 9 | Matthias Lipp | Austria | 3,285,000 | 33 |
Fast start cuts the field almost in half
The action moved quickly from the first hand. Aleksandras Rusinovas became the first player eliminated after losing a three way all in, setting the pattern for a session full of rapid exits.
After roughly 90 minutes, only 20 players remained.
David Coleman finished in 33rd place, Matthew Wantman exited in 28th, Sondre Stormyr took 27th and Nicholas Seward finished 26th. Stormyr and Seward were eliminated in the same hand after Fritz came out ahead in a three way all in.
Mikalai Vaskaboinikau’s departure brought the field to the first break, but the pace did not slow once the players returned.
Another nine eliminations followed during the next 90 minutes. Aleksejs Ponakovs finished 19th, Boris Kolev 17th, Sergio Aido 16th, Eelis Parssinen 14th and Weiran Pu 12th.
At that stage, only two more eliminations were required to establish the official final table.
Sheth becomes the focus of the bubble
Danilo Velasevic was eliminated in 11th place only around ten minutes later, leaving ten players and creating the final table bubble.
Ravi Sheth quickly became the central figure in the hand for hand phase. He was the only player to face elimination twice while the table was still ten handed.
On the first occasion, Sheth survived by doubling through Anze Smajd. That hand gave him additional time, but nobody else was eliminated during the following hour.
Eventually, Sheth found himself all in again. This time he faced Kanme in a major coin flip and could not stay alive. His tenth place finish ended the bubble and confirmed the final nine.
The chips Kanme collected in that confrontation were enough to move him into first position at the end of the day.
Kanme enters final day with strongest position
Kanme’s stack gives him the most flexibility at the table, but Rezaei is close enough to challenge immediately. Both players begin with more than 100 big blinds, while Fritz, Shylko and Smajd also have deep enough stacks to avoid unnecessary risks in the early levels.
Woodall sits in the middle of the standings after surrendering the lead he held at the start of the previous day. His 48 big blinds still provide enough room to rebuild without needing an immediate confrontation.
Modena and Lipp have shorter stacks but remain far from desperation. Mustafov faces a completely different situation, as three big blinds leave him vulnerable to the blinds and antes from the opening orbit.
The contrast between the largest and smallest stacks could shape the first phase of the final table. The bigger stacks can pressure medium stacks, while the shorter players will have to balance survival against the need to accumulate chips.
$1.25 million awaits the champion
The final day is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. local time on August 14.
All nine finalists have already guaranteed themselves at least $143,000. From there, each elimination will produce a substantial jump in prize money, with $800,000 reserved for the runner up and $1,250,000 for first place.
Only eight eliminations separate the remaining field from determining the champion.
$25,500 Main Event remaining payouts
| Place | Prize |
| 1 | $1,250,000 |
| 2 | $800,000 |
| 3 | $600,000 |
| 4 | $420,000 |
| 5 | $320,000 |
| 6 | $250,000 |
| 7 | $200,000 |
| 8 | $171,000 |
| 9 | $143,000 |
With Kanme holding the lead and Rezaei only a few big blinds behind, the final session begins with two clearly established front runners. The rest of the table, however, remains close enough for a single major pot to change the standings quickly.
