Welcome to Day Three of the bwin WPT Grand Prix de Paris

Bonjour, and welcome to the third installment of the bwin WPT Grand Prix de Paris.

The Aviation Club de France (ACF) has welcomed 187 players into its rather comfortable arms and after two days of play we are down to the final 65.

One assumes the plan will be to get down to a field size of around 24-players before they head to nearby Queens for the WPT Player Party this evening, but we will confirm that after speaking to the Tournament Director later in the day.

So who do we believe will be in that final 24?

Here are five people that we believe have a good as a chance as any of getting there.

Matt Salsberg – 212,600

We know you may think we are cheating by choosing the chip leader as our number one pick, but even if Salsberg had not been handed that giftwrapped 100k in the last level of the night, we still would have plumped for the guy.

He is the reigning Grand Prix de Paris champion, the reigning WPT Player of the Year and he walks around the ACF as if he owns the place leading to a confident aura that transfers well into the pots he plays on the felt.

Hicham Hilmi – 200,700

Hicham Hilmi is a WPT National Series winner who is playing the best poker of his life.

Hilmi was the Day 1B chip leader and if Salsberg had not won that huge pot against Ekrem Sanioglu then he would have been leading today also. His second place showing tells us that he has the ability to cultivate and grow a big stack. That or he is just getting very lucky. Either way, we don’t care, because both attributes will get him into that final 24.

David Peters – 171,200

David Peters is one of the most in-form players at the moment. Just like Hilmi he is having the year of his life with over $1m in live tournament earnings growing out of six huge final table performances this year.

Peters has learned how to go deep and we expect to see him in the final 24.

Kimmo Kurko – 139,700

Another man having the time of his life is Kimmo Kurko.

The Finnish star has been on the live circuit for years, but it was his recent fourth place finish at Season XI WPT Baden that kick started greater things for Kurko, culminating in a runner-up spot against Tom Middleton at EPT Barcelona a month ago.

Not only is Kurko playing with a confident swagger, but also he has the rub of the green and a decent chip stack.

Darko Stojanovic – 93,700

Darko Stojanovic shocked quite a few people when he won defeated Dan O’Brien to take the €5k Mixed Max bracelet at the WSOPE in Paris just last week. That tournament boasted a field chocked full of the greatest players in the game proving that Stojanovic can hold his own.

He is extremely loose and very aggressive. Chips stacks grow and chip stacks blow. However, we believe he has luck on his side and that confidence that luck provides to elevate your game to the next level.

We expect to see Stojanovic in the final 24-players.

The action continues at 14:30 (CET) and all of the action will be spilling out of the pages at WPT.com.