Of the starting grid of 376 players in a $3,000 HORSE event at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, just three remain. Longtime PocketFiver Matt Plattsburgh Vengrin (pictured) leads the final three, hunting for his first WSOP bracelet and the corresponding $261,000 first place payday.

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Vengrin has a commanding lead and will enter Friday’s finale with a stack of 3.1 million, which represents 56% of the chips in play.

However, as coverage on WSOP.com relayed, his path to a bracelet will be anything but a cakewalk: “Standing in his way is second place in chips Kevin kice32Iacofano. Though he’s also searching for his first gold bracelet, Iacofano has amassed over $314,000 in lifetime earnings at the WSOP. Bringing up the rear is none other than two-time bracelet winner Daniel Idema. Idema is in the hunt for his third piece of WSOP jewelry and will return with the shortest stack of 1.08 million.”

In addition to his two bracelets, Idema has over $1 million in career WSOP winnings. He collects Pez Dispensers and won bracelets in 2013 in a $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split Eight or Better event and in 2011 in the $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship.

Former November Niner John $JMONEY$Racener was the final elimination of Thursday’s play. The Floridian called all-in pre-flop against Iacofano(pictured) during Omaha Hi-Lo. As coverage explained, “Iacofano flopped a low and turned a straight to end Racener’s hopes at winning a bracelet.”

Vengrin has $2.7 million in career online tournament winnings, the largest of which came as a result of winning an FTOPS jersey in 2009 for $209,000. He calls New York home and has exactly 37 first place, 37 second place, and 37 third place finishes in online MTTs.

Iacofano has $3.2 million in career online tournament winnings. He won and finished second in the Sunday Million in 2012 for almost $380,000 total and was ranked as high as #61 in the world on PocketFives in 2013. He entered the eight-handed HORSE final table in seventh place.

When play stopped on Thursday, the price of poker was 60,000-120,000-15,000. Here’s how the chip stacks look:

1. Matt PlattsburghVengrin – 3,175,000
2. Kevin kice32Iacofano – 1,390,000
3. Daniel Idema – 1,080,000

The $3,000 HORSE event restarts at 2:00pm PT on Friday.

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