One of poker's enduring myths is the curse of the chip leader and here at the stunning Casino de Monte-Carlo that came true as Al De Carolis, who began the day in top spot, was the last man out today. In keeping with the day, it was a cooler as De Carolis ran queens into Rick Salomon’s kings for his final 25 big blinds.
When the final eight return tomorrow at noon to play for the first prize of €11,111,111, this is how they stack up:
| Seat | Player | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandon Steven | 8,000,000 | 40 |
| 2 | Rick Salomon | 26,900,000 | 135 |
| 3 | Andrew Pantling | 31,775,000 | 159 |
| 4 | James Bord | 18,125,000 | 91 |
| 5 | Haralabos Voulgaris | 5,375,000 | 27 |
| 6 | Anatoly Gurtovoy | 16,775,000 | 84 |
| 7 | Elton Tsang | 23,550,000 | 118 |
| 8 | Cary Katz | 9,550,000 | 48 |
It took just under five hours of play to go from 24 to 8 and for most of that time, Andrew Pantling, who started the day seventh in chips, held the chip lead.