Cantu Busts, Soccer Pros Top Day 3 At EPT Vilamoura

Former England international star Teddy Sheringham seeks his first poker tournament title in Portugal.

Just 69 players of a record-breaking field of 384 survived the first two days of play at EPT Vilamoura, and the man at the front of the pack was looking to become only the third player to win poker’s Triple Crown. Brandon Cantu bagged up 557,400 in chips last night when play ended and guaranteed that he would make the final table, putting a little bit of pressure on himself for the start of Day 3 as he looked to add an EPT title to the WPT and WSOP wins he already has on his C.V. 

In the end, Cantu’s guarantee turned out to be a no-go. After cruising through the money bubble he ran into several stumbling blocks before losing two big hands in a row, including a crucial coin-flip with A-K against pocket nines, to send him to the rail with a minor cash but no Triple Crown honors.

As Day 3 has progressed, though, a few other stories have emerged. Two players from the suddenly poker-happy nation of Hungary - Janos Toth and Marton Czuczor – remain in the top ten with 33 players left. And two former professional soccer players from England – Sam Trickett, who turned to poker after his knee went out on him, and former international and Premier League standout Teddy Sheringham – also currently sit in the top ten chip counts.

Play at EPT Vilamoura will continue until only 24 players remain, and tomorrow will see them play down to a final table.