Jaffe Leads Final 18 at WPT Montreal; Pahuja Knocking Again

A two-time WCOOP bracelet winner under the nickname "iftarii," Jaffe made headlines last year when he went deep in the 2013 WSOP Main Event.

As part of his backstory he told ESPN he was an "aspiring dolphin trainer," then admitted after the fact it was all just a prank.

His chances are very real in Montreal, though, and he'll return to action to play down to the final table of six with 2.5m in chips -- just ahead of the 2.38m of Ratharam Sivagnanam.

Ladouceur, Pahuja Lead Chase Pack

Jaffe has some very real contenders chasing him for the prestigious WPT title headed by local pro Marc-Andre "FrenchDawg" Ladouceur.

The PokerStars Team Online pro was the only other player to bag over 2m in chips and will have a decided home-field advantage on the rail as play gets more intense.

Pahuja: Magic touch in Montreal

 

Also coming in with a head of steam is last year's WPT Montreal runner-up and WPT Player of the Year Mukul Pahuja.

Pahuja bagged 1.78m chips to end Day 3 in sixth overall and a stone's thrown again from the final table.

Other intriguing names still in contention include another Quebec pro in Sam Chartier (863,000), Phil Hui (691,000), Maurice Hawkins (614,000) and EPT Berlin champ Kevin MacPhee (554,000).

The overall field topped out at 732 entries, slightly down from last year, but still making for a $2.48m prize pool. The payouts for the Top 6 (in CAD):

For a full rundown of the chip counts and the action, check the WPT Live Updates here.