by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Mar 15, 2012 | Updated on Mar 15, 2012
Day 2 of the European Poker Tour Madrid Main Event saw just over six hours of play, but that was enough to eliminate over half of the remaining field. When the dust settled, only 112 players remained, and Mike “Timex” McDonald had grabbed the chip lead with 409,800 chips.McDonald is a familiar name to poker fans, thanks in part to his strong record of success on the EPT. He has made three EPT final tables in his career, including scoring a win in the 2008 German Open, which earned him his largest payday of his career (€933,600). More recently, McDonald won the second Epic Poker League event last September, and reached two final tables during December’s EPT Prague series.Of course, McDonald still has a ways to go before cashing in EPT Madrid (only 72 players make the money), let alone making a run to the final table. Hot on his heels is Frederik Jensen, who has also ed the 400,000 chip mark. Jensen is a formidable player in his own right, as he has won over $1.4 million in his poker career.Many of the biggest names remaining in the tournament after the first day flights found themselves hitting the rail on Day 2. Big names like Jake Code, Chris Moorman and Martin Jacobson were bounced from the tournament early enough to catch Real Madrid score a comfortable 4-1 win over CSKA Moscow at Bernabeu Stadium.But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few interesting pros hanging around with a shot at making deep runs. McLean Karr has one of the largest stacks in play, while former champions like Toby Lewis and Kevin Mahee are still looking for a second title.The field, which began with a total of 477 players, will see itself reduced to 24 players on Thursday’s Day 3. The players still in contention are battling for the first prize of €545,000, while all players who make the money will take home at least €7,500. 24453a
