Flashback: Derk van Luijk Wins 2024 EPT Monte-Carlo Main Event
There were times during the final table of the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte-Carlo Main Event that it seemed like it was fate for Derk van Luijk to be the one to hoist the gold-plated trophy at the end.
The 43-year-old Dutchman was all in on the penultimate day with ace-jack against aces but caught running jacks to make trips and earn a miracle double up. He was a card away from elimination on the final day but spiked two pair to stay alive. Van Luijk doubled up six different times over the course of the day. He ended up winning the most important all-in of all, the last one, as he defeated Boris Angelov at the end of an epic heads-up match to win the EPT title and the €1,000,000 top prize.
“That’s an amazing feeling. I cannot even realize still that I’ve won. It feels like I’m spacing right now. You don’t realize it yet, but it’s an amazing feeling,” Van Luijk said after conquering the largest field in EPT Monte-Carlo history with 1,208 total entries.
Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Derk van Luijk | Netherlands | €1,000,000 |
| 2 | Boris Angelov | Bulgaria | €620,500 |
| 3 | Rania Nasreddine | United States | €442,900 |
| 4 | Jovan Kenjic | Serbia | €340,500 |
| 5 | Jonathan Pastore | France | €261,700 |
| 6 | Niclas Thumm | Germany | €201,000 |
| 7 | Jonathan Guedes | Brazil | €154,900 |
| 8 | Jozef Cibicek | Slovakia | €119,000 |