€5,300 Main Event
Day 1a Started
2022 PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo
€5,300 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2022 PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo
Buy-in
€5,000
Prize Pool
€5,204,050
Entries
1,073
Level
33
Blinds
125,000 / 250,000
Ante
250,000
Entries
418
Players Left
121
The flagship tournament of the 2022 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) presented by Monte-Carlo Casino® awaits as of May 2, 2022. At noon local time, Le Sporting Monte Carlo will welcome poker enthusiasts from near and far for the marquee event of the EPT stop, which has returned to the French Riviera after a three year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
All signs point towards a very successful EPT Monte Carlo €5,300 Main Event as the attendance numbers of the early events all convinced. Not only the high-stakes competitions but also the FPS €1,100 Main Event gathered large fields and the latter set a new record for the venue in Monte Carlo with a field of 1,918 entries.
The first EPT Main Event since the return to the live poker arena in Prague attracted a field of 1,190 entries and missed out on a record for the stop in the Czech capital by just three entries. Whether or not a similar performance can be expected for the French Riviera remains to be seen.
History of the EPT stops in Monte-Carlo
| Stop # | Year | Entries | Prize Pool (EUR) | Winner | Country | First Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 2005 | 211 | € 1,983,400 | Rob Hollink | Netherlands | € 635,000 |
| 14 | 2006 | 298 | € 2,801,200 | Jeff Williams | United States | € 900,000 |
| 22 | 2007 | 706 | € 6,636,400 | Gavin Griffin | United States | € 1,825,010 |
| 33 | 2008 | 842 | € 8,420,000 | Glen Chorny | Canada | € 2,020,000 |
| 44 | 2009 | 935 | € 9,350,000 | Pieter De Korver | Netherlands | € 2,300,000 |
| 57 | 2010 | 848 | € 8,480,000 | Nicolas Chouity | Lebanon | € 1,700,000 |
| 83 | 2012 | 665 | € 6,650,000 | Mohsin Charania | United States | € 1,350,000 |
| 91 | 2013 | 531 | € 5,310,000 | Steve O'Dwyer | Ireland | € 1,224,000 |
| 99 | 2014 | 650 | € 6,500,000 | Antonio Buonanno | Italy | € 1,240,000 |
| 106 | 2015 | 564 | € 5,640,000 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | € 1,082,000 |
| 112 | 2016 | 1098 | € 5,325,300 | Jan Bendik | Slovakia | € 961,800 |
| 117 | 2018 | 777 | € 3,768,450 | Nicolas Dumont | France | € 712,000 |
| 121 | 2019 | 922 | € 4,471,700 | Manig Loeser | Germany | € 603,777 |
PokerStars first headed to Monte Carlo back in 2005 during Season 1 of the EPT and returned for most of the years. Until 2016 it was referred to as the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final, wrapping up the season of the live poker tour before the operator switched to an annual schedule instead. The very first EPT Monte Carlo champion was Rob Hollink and another Dutchman lifted the trophy in 2009 when Pieter de Korver took home a top prize of €2,300,000 when he came out on top of a 935-entry field in the €10,600 buy-in.
Other big names to win their maiden EPT Main Event title on the French Riviera were Jeff Williams, Gavin Griffin, Mohsin Charania, Steve O'Dwyer and Adrian Mateos. In 2016, the buy-in was lowered to €5,300 and Jan Bendik was the first winner thereafter in a record-setting field of 1,098 entries. French driving instructor Nicolas Dumont followed and Manig Loeser is the defending champion following his victory back in 2019.
All players aiming to follow in the footsteps can enter throughout two starting days and prior to the start of Day 2 on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. The two flights feature a total of ten levels of 60 minutes each and each participant is allowed a total of two entries during the registration period.
With blinds of 100-100 and a big blind ante of 100, the EPT €5,300 Main Event is renowned for its deep structure and each participant has 30,000 chips available, good enough for 300 big blinds in the very first level. There will be a break every two levels and a 75-minute dinner break upon completion of level six with the action concluding just after midnight local time.
Approximately 15% of the field will be paid and a 30-second shot clock will be implemented as of Day 3 when the tournament is expected to be near the money bubble. As of Day 2, the level duration also increases to 90 minutes each and will be halved once there are three players remaining or a deal has been made.
The PokerNews live reporting team will provide exclusive updates from the flagship Main Event until a winner has been crowned and live-stream action will be available as of Day 2 on the PokerStars YouTube and Twitch channels as well.
Cards are now in the air for Day 1a of the €5,300 Main Event. There are 100 players in the event at the start with registration open until the beginning of Day 2 on Wednesday.
Level: 1
Blinds: 100/100
Ante: 100
Level 1
: 100/100, 100 ante
Some 85 players are registered so far with many tables running short-handed and the action involves the following notable players early on Day 1a.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 |
Level 1
: 100/100, 100 ante
The 2021 EPT Prague Main Event finalist Armin Rezaei has been spotted in the field. Only a few weeks ago, the Austrian finished in 6th place for €181,800 and will aim to finish a couple of spots higher this time around.
Rezaei opened to 300 on a short-handed table and earned a call from Alessio Curia out of the big blind. They checked the 
flop and Curia bet the 
turn for 500 in order to claim the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,500
30,500
|
30,500 |
|
29,700
29,700
|
29,700 |
Level 1
: 100/100, 100 ante
With plenty of chips in the middle in the biggest pot of the day so far, the completed board showed 
. Kitty Kuo had checked and then faced a bet worth 10,000 by Japan's Rintaro Kagawa. Without much hesitation, Kuo called and Kagawa tabled the 
for aces and jacks to win the first big pot of the day.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
45,500
45,500
|
45,500 |
|
|
14,500
-15,500
|
-15,500 |
Level 1
: 100/100, 100 ante
Picking up the action on a four-handed table and turn of 
, Vicente Delgado in the big blind and Richard Abad on the button invested 7,500 each. They headed to the 
river on which Delgado moved all-in.
Abad gave it short consideration and sent the cards into the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
40,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
|
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
Level 1
: 100/100, 100 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 |
Level 1
: 100/100, 100 ante
Marco Monello raised to 400 from early position and Daisuke Ogita called from the big blind. The flop was 
.
Both players checked and the turn was 
. Ogita bet 800 and Monello called quickly.
Both players checked the 
river and Ogita turned over 
. Monello tossed the losing hand in the muck and Ogita took the early pot with a pair of tens.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
33,400 | |
|
27,600 |