€5,300 Main Event | 2025 PokerStars EPT Monte-Carlo

Event Info

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05-10-2025 09:37 UTC+1

Seat 6: Khossein Kokhestani, 43, from Kyiv, Ukraine, resides in Hamburg, Germany (3,860,000)

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David Salituro

Khossein Kokhestani burst onto the live tournament scene with victory in the Eureka Hamburg event in July last year, besting a field of 645 entries to win more than €110,000. It was his first documented poker cash, but he told reporters at the time that it was the product of 10 years' hard work on his poker game.

"I've always been a hard worker—and to see it pay off is crazy," he told reporters in Hamburg. "I'm truly just happy."

Originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, Kokhestani relocated to Hamburg, Germany, during the hostilities, so the Eureka event represented something of a hometown triumph. He is a dentist by trade and says that poker is still just a hobby, even though he is now well set for a second massive score within a year.

This tournament has been a lot of fun for him, he says, and the 43-year-old comes into the final day sixth in chips.

Final table bios courtesy of PokerStars

Tournament Progression

Day 1: 140,000 (1b, 29/259)
Day 2: 145,000 (94/149)
Day 3: 1,800,000 (2/52)
Day 4: 3,590,000 (3/18)
Day 5: 3,860,000 (6/6)

Career Statistics

Earnings: $125,172
Best EPT result: None
EPT cashes: None

Event Highlights

Kokhestani made a massive leap up the leaderboard on Day 3 when he called all in on the river for 592,000 with two pair, aces and sixes, while [Removed:533] could only show a bluff.

On Day 4, Kokhestani raised to 500,000 on the flop and Leon Zeaiter called. He bet another 200,000 on the turn and Zeaiter again called before both players checked down the river. Kokhestani showed a pair of fours, fourth pair on the board, and that was good enough to win the big pot.

Kokhestani then moved all in for 800,000 on the river and Zeaiter took a few minutes before calling with two pair, but Kokhestani had rivered the nut flush to double up.

Tags: Khossein Kokhestani

05-10-2025 09:37 UTC+1

Seat 5: Aleksandr Shevliakov, 37, from Saratov, Russia, resides in Ljubljana, Slovenia (7,250,000)

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David Salituro

Aleksandr Shevliakov had previously been to two major EPT final tables – both in €10,000 high roller events. He came close to lifting the famous shard trophy at EPT Paris 2023, but left as the runner-up (with €505,800). Later that year, he took €142,300 for seventh place in the same tournament in Barcelona.

Shevliakov calls poker only his hobby – he works in IT – but the results indicate he’s a very experienced player. He splits time between online and live action; a €530 online satellite propelled him to an EPT ticket here, but he required a reentry for him to hit the ground running.

Born and raised in Saratov, the 37-year-old now lives in Ljubljana. “I play two or three EPTs every year,” Shevliakov said, mentioning Paris and Barcelona as his typical go-to destinations. He also confirmed he will be in Malta when the EPT returns to the island after a nine-year hiatus.

He will be aiming to become Russia’s eighth EPT champion and the first since Artur Martirosian in March 2021. “The trophy is important,” Shevliakov said, but added that the €1 million prize is an even stronger motivation for him to bring it home.

Final table bios courtesy of PokerStars

Tournament Progression

Day 1: 135,000 (1b, 39/259)
Day 2: 255,000 (56/149)
Day 3: 565,000 (31/52)
Day 4: 4,000,000 (1/18)
Day 5: 7,250,000 (2/6)

Career Statistics

Earnings: $1,096,806
Best EPT result: 116th, 2023 EPT Barcelona
EPT cashes: 1

Event Highlights

Shevliakov ended Day 4 as the chip leader after winning a massive three-way all in with two aces.

On Day 5, Shevliakov continued his climb by taking out two players on back-to-back hands. He first rivered a straight to crack Mateusz Moolhuizen's set of nines, then spiked a flush on the river to beat Diego De Martino's set of threes.

Tags: Aleksandr Shevliakov

05-10-2025 09:37 UTC+1

Seat 4: Boris Angelov, 28, Sofia, Bulgaria (8,400,000)

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David Salituro

What a year it's been for Boris Angelov! Twelve months after his runner-up finish here, he's back at the EPT Monte-Carlo final table, and in between, he has also reached the final of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. It has taken the Bulgarian to a whole new level and made him a familiar face on the international circuit.

Angelov, from Sofia, Bulgaria, began playing poker around seven years ago, mainly in online cash games, surrounded by some very good countrymen and fellow pros, including Alex Kulev, whom he describes as a close friend. He then moved into the live tournament circuit after the pandemic and made his debut on the EPT in March 2022. That proved to be a successful decision: he finished 59th in the EPT Prague Main Event and hasn't missed an EPT event since.

“I hope to win the title this time, even if there's still a long way to go,” he said just after he took his place at the official eight-handed final.

Angelov admitted that his life revolves around poker, leaving him little time for other hobbies. With 8,400,000 he’ll be approaching this final as the chipleader, with one goal in mind: to win it this time.

Final table bios courtesy of PokerStars

Tournament Progression

Day 1: 210,000 (1b, 7/259)
Day 2: 194,000 (75/149)
Day 3: 686,000 (21/52)
Day 4: 3,450,000 (4/18)
Day 5: 8,400,000 (1/6)

Career Statistics

Earnings: $4,097,989
Best EPT result: 2nd, 2024 EPT Monte-Carlo
EPT cashes: 3

Event Highlights

Angelov doubled up early on Day 4 when he picked up two jacks and beat Julien Mariani's ace-nine. He then eliminated [Removed:533] with queens against eights, and Matthew Davenport by spiking a queen on the flop against Davenport's ace-jack.

On Day 5, Malcolm Franchi was all in for 940,000 with ace-king and had Angelov's ace-three dominated, but Angelov hit a three on the river to win the pot and bust Franchi in 13th. Angelov brought the day to a close when he flopped top pair and Miguel Capriles missed a flush draw to fall in seventh place.

Tags: Boris Angelov

05-10-2025 09:37 UTC+1

Seat 3: Mariusz Golinski, 36, Poznan, Poland (6,495,000)

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David Salituro

Mariusz Golinski burst onto the live scene at the World Series of Poker Europe 2024 when he reached the final table of the Main Event. His fourth-place finish for €415,000 didn’t change the 36-year-old’s life – he was already playing high stakes online tournaments from his home in Poznań, Poland – but it did give him a welcome confidence boost. “I really hadn’t played a lot live,” he says. “It made me think I should play more and more.”

Two months after that score, he cashed both the Main Event and High Roller at EPT Prague, final tabling the latter, so he’s no stranger to PokerStars events either. Now, after ending EPT Monte Carlo’s two previous days in the middle of the pack, he’s at the final table of Europe’s most prestigious event. “I’m very excited but trying to stay calm and be humble,” he says.

It’s his first time playing in Monte Carlo and he’s thoroughly enjoyed both the Principality and the venue. “I will be back here in the future for sure,” he says. “Everything is great at the EPTs so if anyone is thinking or hoping to take part, I fully recommend it.”

Final table bios courtesy of PokerStars

Tournament Progression

Day 1: 201,000 (1a, 8/123)
Day 2: 820,000 (3/149)
Day 3: 429,000 (36/52)
Day 4: 1,045,000 (13/18)
Day 5: 6,495,000 (3/6)

Career Statistics

Earnings: $713,891
Best EPT result: 42nd, 2024 EPT Prague
EPT cashes: 1

Event Highlights

Golinski began Day 5 as one of the shorter stacks but doubled up three times over the course of the day. First, his ace-king held up against Jamil Wakil's king-queen. He then picked up aces as Kestutis Jungevicius missed a flush draw. Golinski finally won a flip with two sevens against Leon Zeaiter's ace-ten.

Golinski finished off Zeaiter shortly afterward when the German tried an audacious bluff for 1,740,000 with just a pair of sevens, but Golinski called him down with a pair of aces to win the massive pot and bust Zeaiter in eighth place.

Tags: Mariusz Golinski

05-10-2025 09:37 UTC+1

Seat 2: Enrico Coppola, 45, from Turin, Italy, resides in Geneva, Switzerland (4,715,000)

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David Salituro

In the first hands of Day 5, Italy’s Enrico Coppola soared to the top of the chip counts, thanks to a wild hand against fellow countryman Andreas Goeller with 18 players remaining. He remained quite solid since then and will start the six-handed play with 40 big blinds.

After spending 30 years in Turin, Coppola relocated to Geneva, Switzerland, 15 years ago, where he now runs his own business. A hospitality professional, he operates several establishments across Switzerland, Italy, and even Dubai.

"Poker is the game of my life," says Coppola, who took home over €87,000 at the EPT High Roller in Barcelona in 2024, his best cash so far. Just a few months later, he found himself at the final table of an EPT Main Event — a rare appearance, given that he admits to playing almost exclusively cash games or High Rollers, finding Main Events too long for his taste.

Final table bios courtesy of PokerStars

Tournament Progression

Day 1: 111,000 (1b, 67/259)
Day 2: 297,000 (47/149)
Day 3: 238,000 (47/52)
Day 4: 3,180,000 (5/18)
Day 5: 4,715,000 (5/6)

Career Statistics

Earnings: $235,023
Best EPT result: None
EPT cashes: None

Event Highlights

Coppola went on a tear at the end of Day 4, first turning a set of sevens as Nicolas Tytgat called him down with a pair of aces and handed over a double up. Diego De Martino then tried a move with a pair of eights but Coppola had turned a flush to win another big pot. Coppola won a flip to bust Valeriano Toledano, then flopped the nut straight to send out Ari Engel.

On the last hand of the day, Juan Pardo moved all in for 1,095,000 on the turn with a straight draw but ran into Coppola's trip queens and fell in 19th. Coppola then started Day 5 with a bang, picking off Andreas Goeller's 1,800,000 turn shove with trip aces as Goeller could only show two pair.

Coppola later flopped a set of jacks to bust Artem Shaganov in 10th place and set the nine-handed final table.

Tags: Enrico Coppola

05-10-2025 09:37 UTC+1

Seat 1: Jamil Wakil, 35, Toronto, Canada (4,975,000)

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David Salituro

When Jamil Wakil first made the final table of a major PokerStars-sponsored event – the 2023 PCA Main Event in the Bahamas – he had only just taken the plunge to go pro, despite spending much of the previous decade playing poker around the world. The Toronto native had stuck with a job in mutual funds at a major Canadian bank, even as he rose through the ranks as a poker player.

If the PCA run, which ended in a sixth-place finish for $307,500, suggested he had made the right choice, the subsequent year-and-a-half has further confirmed it. Wakil has added a further six six-figure scores since then, including this run in Monte Carlo, which could yet earn him his first $1 million result.

"When I left my finance job, of course I was leaving more stability, but it's a trade-off for getting to travel and make your own schedule, and also doing something I really love," Wakil said. "It's been amazing. I feel blessed."

He has now travelled around the world a couple more times, playing all the major events, and still evidently loving every minute of his new career. He remains a force at the online tables, too. He continues to rack up results under his PokerStars screenname "Jamil11", including making the final table of the $10,000 WCOOP Main Event in 2023.

Wakil added that he had some "unfinished business" in Monte Carlo, referencing a near miss last year when he reached the penultimate day well stacked, but perished earlier than he'd hoped. "To make another deep run is pretty incredible," he said. "Last year I came in fourth in chips out of 16 for Day 5, and I ended in 13th. Now, obviously, I've got past that. I'm at the final table and then some."

Final table bios courtesy of PokerStars

Tournament Progression

Day 1: 105,000 (1a, 52/123)
Day 2: 60,000 (134/149)
Day 3: 912,000 (14/52)
Day 4: 1,560,000 (10/18)
Day 5: 4,975,000 (4/6)

Career Statistics

Earnings: $2,658,100
Best EPT result: 13th, 2024 EPT Monte-Carlo
EPT cashes: 5

Event Highlights

At the feature table late on Day 4, Wakil was down to 255,000 and was all in with king-ten but dominated by Diego De Martino's king-jack. The flop, however, gave Wakil the nut straight and a fortunate double up.

Wakil again victimized De Martino on Day 5 as De Martino bet 800,000 on the turn of a ten-high board and Wakil came back with an all-in shove for 1,375,000. De Martino took several minutes before folding and Wakil raked in the big pot without a showdown. At the final table, Khossein Kokhestani four-bet to 1,200,000 and Wakil five-bet shoved for 3,440,000 with two queens as Kokhestani snap-folded an ace.

Tags: Jamil Wakil

€5,300 Main Event

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