button in SafariTo Daher is to Dream: EPT Monte Carlo €100k High Roller for One Drop Crowns Champion
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It was the largest €100,000 buy-in tournament in European Poker Tour history, and in Monte Carlo it was Albert Daher crowned champion.
He defeated poker legend Stephen Chidwick heads-up at a star-studded final table in the EPT Monte Carlo €100,000 High Roller for One Drop to win €2,055,000, moving atop Lebanon's All-Time Money List in the process.
And after €25,000 EPT High Roller titles in Monte Carlo in 2018, and Cyprus in 2023, Daher finally has a €100,000 title to his name.
€100,000 EPT High Roller for One Drop Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albert Daher | Lebanon | €2,055,000 |
| 2 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | €1,325,700 |
| 3 | Leonardo Drago | Italy | €947,000 |
| 4 | Bryn Kenney | United States | €728,500 |
| 5 | Artsiom Lasouski | Belarus | €560,300 |
| 6 | Wiktor Malinowski | Poland | €445,400 |
| 7 | Enrico Camosci | Italy | €356,400 |
| 8 | Teun Mulder | Netherlands | €284,900 |
Winner's Reaction
The result also sees Daher record back-to-back seven-figure scores after a third-place finish in last December's Triton Invitational, but this time it comes with a shiny new trophy.
"It always feels great to just run super hot and hit every flop," he told Joe Stapleton following his victory. "I've never been this lucky in my life, so it was a really good time."
December wasn't the only time Daher missed out on a WSOP bracelet, final tabling the $50,000 Poker Players Championship last year, as well as a runner-up result in the $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. a year prior. His first recorded cash came in 2011, and he reflected on the journey he's had in poker thus far.
"Once you start a poker career, it's pretty hard to predict where you're gonna go. I'm happy to have reached that level."
The tournament also raised money for the One Drop Foundation, which focuses on improving global access to safe water, with €228,000 for the organization.
"It's always good to support charity. And One Drop has been a charity that supports poker. We all love these One Drop tournaments and I'm happy to support it," said Daher."
Final Table Action
Wiktor Malinowski led the final eight players into the final table, with Bryn Kenney sitting as the shortest stack. However, it was Teun Mulder who departed in eighth place after running his A♥J♦ into the A♠A♦ of Daher.
That elimination, combined with Daher also sending Enrico Camosci to the rail, saw Daher move atop the counts having started third. He never relinquished his chip lead.
Kenney had managed to stay alive, thanks in part to a two-outer with tens against Artsiom Lasouski's aces, and he would eventually send start-of-day chip leader Malinowski out in sixth.
However, Daher was unstoppable, sending Lasouski out in fifth. He was followed out the door by Kenney, who moved closer to $82 million in career earnings with his fourth-place finish.
Compare that with third-place finisher Leonardo Drago, who almost tripled his career earnings with his $1.1 million cash in this event. He ran his 2♠2♣ into the 8♦8♥ of Stephen Chidwick, but it wasn't enough for Chidwick to take the lead into heads-up, with Daher ahead 3:1 in chips.
And there wasn't even a sniff of a comeback, with Daher expertly shutting the door on Chidwick who still recorded the 17th seven-figure score of his career, as Daher closed out victory with a flip.
