Big One for One Drop - €1,000,000 No-Limit Hold'em

Hand #49: Elton Tsang opened to 1,100,000 from under-the-gun and both blinds (James Bord and Anatoly Gurtovoy) called. On the     flop Tsang continued for 1,400,000, Bord check-raised to 6,000,000 total and Gurtovoy folded. With action back on Tsang, he began riffling the 1,000,000 denomination plaques that have been introduced. It was as if he was saying. "Hey, I'm the chip leader buddy."

He smiled though and released his hand. Pot to Bord.

Hand #50: Anatoly Gurtovoy raised it up to 1,200,000 from the small blind and Elton Tsang smooth called out of the big blind. A bet of 1,600,000 from Gurtovoy on the     flop was enough to earn him the pot.

Hand #51: Cary Katz had just three big blinds left and one of those was in the pot already as he was the big blind. Action folded to Elton Tsang and the chip leader joked that he shouldn't even look. He did look. Bad move. He folded    face-up and Katz had gotten a walk! He showed   .

Hand #52: Elton Tsang raised to 1,100,000 from the button and won the blinds and antes.

Hand #53 Anatoly Gurtovoy opened to 1,100,000 and although Brandon Steven tanked for a long time - it looked as if he was considering a shove - he folded and Gurtovoy took the pot.

Hand #54: Another raise and take, this time, Rick Saloman was the man collecting the blinds and antes.

Hand #39: From the cutoff, Elton Tsang raised to 1.1 million and he took down the blinds and antes.

Hand #40: Andrew Pantling received a walk in the big blind.

Hand #41: Under the gun Anatoly Gurtovoy raised to 1.2 million and he took down the pot uncontested.

Hand #42: James Bord raised to 1.4 million from the small blind and big blind Anatoly Gurtovoy called. The flop came     and Bord wanted to bet, before eventually deciding to check. Gurtovoy bet 1 million and Bord called.

Bord check-called another 3 million on the   on the turn and the   hit the river. Bord checked and Gurtovoy checked behind. Gurtovoy showed    and Bord tabled    for the rivered straight. Bord apologized multiple times for showing later than his neighbor, but Gurtovoy didn't seem annoyed.

Hand #43: Elton Tsang received a walk in the big blind and he showed   .

Hand #44: Anatoly Gurtovoy raised his button to 1.2 million and Elton Tsang three-bet to 3.2 million from the small blind. Cary Katz folded his big blind, Gurtovoy folded as well.

Hand #29: Andrew Pantling moved all in for 7,150,000 from the cutoff and everyone else folded.

Hand #30: Rick Salomon raised to 1,000,000 from middle position and won the blinds and antes.

Hand #31: Elton Tsang raised to 850,000 from the button and Cary Katz called from the small blind. The flop came     and Katz checked. Tsang eyed Katz's stack, then bet 2,000,000. Katz quickly folded.

Hand #32: Andrew Pantling raised to 1,000,000 from under the gun and got no action.

Hand #33: Cary Katz raised all in for 1,875,000 from cutoff and Andrew Pantling called from the big blind.

Katz:   
Pantling:   

Katz was in a dominating position, and Pantling received no help as the board rolled out      . Katz wins the pot to doubled.

Elton Tsang	50,500,000	-8,100,000
Andrew Pantling	6,700,000	-500,000
Cary Katz	4,300,000	-5,250,000

Hand #19: A walk for Andrew Pantling, who showed   .

Hand #20: Action folded to Andrew Pantling in the small blind, he raised to 1,200,000 and James Bord smooth called. There was no betting on the     flop, but Pantling came out firing on the   turn, betting 1,700,000. "How much do you have?" asked Bord and Pantling cut his chips down to show he had about 8,000,000 behind. Call from Bord. The   river was quickly checked through and Bord's    proved the winner.

Hand #21 "A limped pot between friends," was how James Bord described this hand. It got unfriendly on the     flop when Bord check-folded to a 500,000 bet from Anatoly Gurtovoy. The Russian showed the   as he took the pot. "I think I saw a spade there too," joked Brandon Steven.

Hand #22: Another pot for Anatoly Gurtovoy, who raised to 900,000 from the small blind and picked up a call from Elton Tsang. A continuation bet of 800,000 on the     flop was enough to earn Gurtovoy the pot.

Hand #23: Anatoly Gurtovoy completed the hat-trick, he raised to 1,200,000 from the button and met no resistance.

Andrew Pantling

8,000,000

-775,000

Hand #9: From the small blind, Elton Tsang raised to 1 million. Cary Katz folded his big blind and the pot went to Tsang.

Hand #10: First to act, Rick Salomon opened for 1.1 million. James Bord made the call in position, all other players opted to fold. The flop came     and Salomon check-folded to Bord's 1.5 million bet.

Hand #11: Action folded to Brandon Steven in the small blind and he pushed all in. Rick Salomon folded his big blind and the pot was for Steven.

Hand #12: Andrew Pantling received a walk in the big blind.

Hand #13: From middle position, Elton Tsang raised to 900,000. Brandon Steven, seated in the cutoff, shoved all in for 7.5 million. From the small blind, Pantling asked for a count and upon receiving that shoved over the top all in. Bord folded his big blind after having seen just one card and Tsang folded as well.

Brandon Steven:   
Andrew Pantling:   

The flop came     and Katz said: "You're freerolling Brandon"

"So am I" Pantling said with a smile.

The   on the turn indeed gave Pantling a flush draw but the   on the river blanked and the two chopped the blinds, antes and Tsang's raise.

Hand #4: James Bord raised to 1,000,000 from under the gun and Andrew Pantling called from the big blind.

The flop came     and both players checked. Pantling led out for 2,000,000 on the   turn and the river was the  . Both players checked again and Bord turned over    for nines up. Pantling mucks, and Bord takes the pot.

Hand #5: Action folded to Andrew Pantling in the small blind and he pushed all in. James Bord was in the big blind and he asked for an exact count. The dealer broked down Pantling's stack, and his all-in raise was for 7,975,000 total. Bord thought for another minute, but then folded.

Hand #6: Elton Tsang raised to 900,000 from early position and everyone else folds.

Hand #7: Action folded to Andrew Pantling in the cutoff, he opened to 1,000,000 and won the blinds and antes.

James Bord	22,000,000	3,875,000
Andrew Pantling	8,775,000	-2,225,000

Hand #2: This hand featured the first flop, the first multi-way pot and the first big pot of the final table all rolled into one. Andrew Pantling raised to 850,000 from under-the-gun+1 and picked up calls from Elton Tsang (button), Cary Katz (small blind) and Brandon Steven (big blind).

A     flop hit the felt, Pantling continued for 1,700,000 and Steven was the only player who folded. Pantling bet a further 3,500,000 on the   turn but both he and Katz folded when Tsang raised to 9,000,000 total. With that pot Tsang has taken the chip lead.

Elton Tsang	32,150,000	8,600,000
Andrew Pantling	25,725,000	-6,050,000

While a couple guitarists play entry music beside the main stage, tournament director Jack Effel is introducing each player one by one – starting with chip leader Andrew Pantling and ending with short stack Haralabos Voulgaris – and the tuxedo-clad players are taking their seats.

One Drop founder Guy Laliberte and jeweler Richard Mille and making additional introductory remarks, and play will begin in a few minutes.

In a little under 2 hours time, the final day of the 2016 Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza €1,000,000 buy-in Big One For One Drop kicks off.

The prize pool of a whopping €24,888,892 is still to be divided, but just 6 players will take part in that. That means 2 unfortunate souls will go home empty-handed and a big bubble awaits when the players return at noon.

Leading the pack of recreational poker players is former poker pro and Matchbook CEO Andrew Pantling with almost 32 million in chips. The shortest stack still in it is Haralabos Voulgaris who'll bring 13 big blinds when play resumes.

Here's how the players rack up with a single minute left in level 150,000/300,000 before play moves to limits 200,000/400,000 with a 50,000-ante.

The first place prize is €11,111,111 ($12,189,918), the third biggest first-place prize in the history of poker after the 2012 Big One for One Drop (Antonio Esfandiari won $18,346,673) and 2014 Big One for One Drop (Dan Colman won $15,306,668). Min cashing this event is worth €1.5 million. Noteworthy is that chip leader Andrew Pantling needs to place 4th or better to make a profit, he's the sole player left in that reentered the event and thus is in for €2,000,000.

Andrew Pantling	31,775,000	0
Rick Salomon	26,900,000	0
Elton Tsang	23,550,000	0
James Bord	18,125,000	0
Anatoly Gurtovoy	16,775,000	0
Cary Katz	9,550,000	0
Brandon Steven	8,000,000	0
Haralabos Voulgaris	5,375,000	0