A huge set-up just took place in the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event that saw a showdown between aces, kings and queens.
Valentino Konakchiev opened the action off his short stack from under the gun before Fabrice Bigot put in a three-bet to 7,000. Karo Nuri four-bet to 27,000 from the small blind, and Konakchiev called off for his tournament life for the same amount. Bigot then jammed as the big stack and Nuri, who had around 155,000, also called to set up a massive pot.
Valentino Konakchiev: A♣A♥
Karo Nuri: Q♥Q♦
Fabrice Bigot: K♣K♦
Konakchiev was the favorite to triple while Bigot had the chance to claim the much bigger side pot.
The Q♠J♦8♣ flop saw Nuri hit his two-outer to take the lead, but the K♠ turn put Bigot out in front with a higher set. The 8♥ river left Bigot as the winner as he took in both main and side pots just before the break.
The 2024 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event has shattered previous records, drawing an impressive 1,208 entries.
This edition marks the largest turnout in the event's history, surpassing the 1,098-entrant editions seen in 2016 and 2023. This year's total entries grew by 9% compared to the previous year's event, which attracted 1,098 players.
Among the 1,208 entries, there were 832 unique players and 376 reentries.
Breaking down the nationality of players, the event saw representatives from a remarkable 71 countries. The top five nations represented in the tournament were France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Germany.
France led the pack with 148 players, comprising 17.8% of the field, followed by Italy with 74 players (8.9%), the UK with 64 players (7.7%), Spain with 51 players (6.1%), and Germany with 39 players (4.7%).
Action folded to Robert Cowen in the small blind, and he asked Parker Talbot, who was in the big blind, how much he had behind.
Talbot confirmed his stack at 14,500 and Cowen moved all in.
"The first one's f****** great," said Talbot, who then called for his tournament life after peeling his second card.
Parker Talbot: Q♦9♦
Robert Cowen: K♥J♣
Talbot was behind but picked up a host of outs on the A♣A♦6♦ flop. The J♦ turn gave the PokerStars ambassador a flush but Cowen could still make a full house to take the pot.
The K♣ river kept Talbot ahead and he doubled up.
Robert Cowen
On the next deal, Louis Perez opened to 4,000 from the cutoff and called when Cowen moved all in for 11,000.
Perez tabled J♣5♣ while Cowen was ahead with A♥10♥.
"Jack-five, I respect it," said Cowen.
The J♠ was in the window but was followed by the A♣A♦ to give Cowen trips. The K♦ turn confirmed his double-up before the 7♦ completed the board.
The following hand, Cowen limped in from the cutoff, with Talbot doing the same from the button. Yudai Futai checked his option in the big blind.
Action checked to Cowen on the J♥10♣5♦ flop, and he fired out 2,000. Only Parker called. Cowen then check-folded to a bet of 3,500 on the 8♠ turn.
"Let's go," Gus Hansen said as he moved all in for 12,500 from under the gun. Hansen began twirling his finger encouraging his tablemates to let him have the pot. They folded around to Julien Mariani on the button, who called.
"He hasn't lost a pot," Rehman Kassam told Hansen as he peeked at his cards in the big blind and reshoved for 95,000. Mariani tanked for a minute before folding.
Gus Hansen 9♠9♣
Rehman Kassam: A♥Q♣
Hansen was racing for his tournament life and stayed in the lead through the 3♣2♣K♦7♦4♦ board to earn a triple up.
"I've never had this many chips before. Maybe in another tournament," Hansen said as he dragged in the pot.
In Monaco, the sun's shining bright, signaling yet another day of excitement at the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Monte Carlo, running at the stunning Sporting Monte-Carlo.
Across the two starting flights of the €5,300 Main Event, 1,149 entries were recorded, creating a massive prize pool of €5,572,650. The record for the EPT Monte Carlo, set during last year's Main Event, has been broken. Registration remains open until the start of Day 2 at noon local time today.
Leading the 375 surviving players from both starting flights is Elias Gutierrez, holding 336,000 in chips. Trailing closely behind are Rania Nasreddine (302,000) and Philipp Wenzelburger (283,500).
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
Place
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Elias Gutierrez
Spain
336,000
224
2
Rania Nasreddine
United States
302,000
201
3
Philipp Wenzelburger
Germany
283,500
189
4
Amaury Mamou-Mani
France
266,500
177
5
Vladyslav Martynenko
Ukraine
265,500
177
6
Kayhan Mokri
Norway
253,000
169
7
Alan Ferraro
Italy
243,500
162
8
Tudor Zapsa
Moldova
240,000
160
9
Alexandre Reard
France
234,500
156
10
Birger Ohl
Germany
229,000
153
Felix Schneiders
Among the notable players who bagged big by the end of the two starting flights are PokerStars AmbassadorsRafael Moraes (188,500), Felix Schneiders (115,500), Simon Wiciak (79,000) and Andre Akkari (22,500) as well as Peter Jorgne (226,000), Roman Hrabec (166,000), Ana Marquez (163,000) and Ankit Ahuja (103,500)
Further down the leaderboard are Niclas Thumm (124,000), Nikita Luther (95,500), Marle Spragg (95,000), Dominik Nitsche (92,500), Daniel Dvoress (92,000), Christopher Pütz (89,000), David Yan (52,500), defending champion Mike Watson (47,000) and Benny Glaser (37,000).
Marle Spragg
Day 2 is scheduled to commence at noon local time, starting at Level 11, where the blinds stand at 1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 big blind ante. Each level will be extended to 90 minutes, with players enjoying a 20-minute break after every level.
Shot clocks won't come into play until Day 3, allowing players more time to make decisions for now. Players have yet to reach the money as only 15% of the field will be paid. Information regarding payouts is expected shortly after registration closes.
Historically, Day 2 is the crucial moment when the bubble bursts in EPT Main Events. Stay tuned to the live report on PokerNews and don't forget to catch the cards-up stream on PokerStars' Twitch and YouTube channels.
