One was the dramatic restoration of the full €5 million guarantee by PPT founder Patrick Partouche before the day began.
The other was the reversal of fortune for American Dan’O’Brien, who over the course of five levels of poker went from 21k in chips to 1.83 million and a spot in second on the overall leaderboard.
O’Brien now trails only Russian Karen Sarkisyan by just 5,000 in chips with 14 players remaining, giving him a huge leg-up on a spot at the final table.
Change of Heart from Partouche Brightens Mood
After two days of intense drama which seemed to end in the shorting of the advertised prize pool and the cancellation of the PPT for good, Day 4 started on a much more encouuraging note.
Releasing a letter to the press, PPT founder Patrick Partouche restored the full prize pool and acknowledged the advertising of the event was misleading.
The full transcript of Partouche’s letter can be read here but here’s an excerpt:
"Although the official rules clearly onlt guaranteed 500 000 euros to the winner I recognize the character of the clumsy media coverage of this event, and the confusion that is out.
"I asked my group to accept the consequences, and despite the current regulations, to add the 736,880 euros to the prize pool!”
Partouche continued on to say he refused to accept the letter of resignation from Marketing Director JJ Ichai but that unfortunately he can’t go back on his word and the PPT is no longer.
O’Brien, Smith Make Moves
Meanwhile at the poker tables a field of 47 – already in the money but now looking at increased payouts – was busy playing its way down to the final two tables.
Making the most notable move was O’Brien, who over the course just five levels went from virtually bust to top of the leaderboard.
Luck, he says, had a it to do with it:
I've been extremely fortunate the last 5 levels of this event. Went from 21k to 1.828m. Hope to keep it rolling tomorrow. Being lucky is fun
— Dan O'Brien (@DanOBrienPoker) September 7, 2012Another American quietly making his way towards the final table is Dan "KingDan" Smith.
The noted high-roller tournament masher has hovered around the top 20 for the last couple of days and will hit Day 5 10th overall with just under 1 million in chips.
Befitting a tournament of international renown, a truly international field is left to play down to either a final table or winner tomorrow, depending on the speed of the first eliminations.
Twelve different nations spot the final 14 with France, Russia, Australia, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Azerbaidjan, Italy, the UK, Pakistan and Denmark all represented along with the US.
Action picks up again at 1 pm local time in Cannes. Follow the live updates in French here.
Official chip counts heading into Day 5:
Karen Sarkisyan (Russia) 1,833,000 Dan O'Brien (USA) 1,828,000 Aaron Lim (Australia) 1,667,000 Fabrice Touil (France) 1,697,000 Tomeu Gomila (Spain) 1,590,000 Ole Schemion (Germany) 1,506,000 Ramin Hajiyev (Azerbaidjan) 1,497,000 Marcello Marigliano (Italy) 1,335,000 Tom Alner (UK) 1,110,000 Dan Smith (USA) 906,000 Gaston Onana (Belgium) 732,000 Paul Tedeschi (France) 554,000 Aurangzeb Sheikh (Pakistan) 429,000 Simon Ravnsbaek (Denmark) 383,000The new prize pool and payouts for the final 14:
1. €1,172,850 2. €693,494 3. €417,499 4. €341,991 5. €267,492 6. €223,498 7. €179,496 8. €139,499 9. €105,404 10. €74,992 11. €64,999 12-13. €54,995 14e. €49,999Visit www.pokerlistings.com