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Over the past year, Roman Stoica has made clear he is a force to be reckoned with at PokerStars European Poker Tour stops. In addition to winning over €300,000 by shipping a mystery bounty event at last year's EPT Barcelona, Stoica made back-to-back deep runs in the prestigious Main Events at EPT Malta and EPT Prague, where he finished 16th and 27th, respectively.
However, Stoica absolutely blew those accomplishments out of the water in the 2026 EPT Monte-Carlo €5,300 Main Event. This time around, Stoica made the final table in a field of 1,011 entries. Once there, it only took him four hours to clean up the competition, etching his name in EPT history as a champion as he walked away with the coveted trophy and €825,000, his largest-ever poker haul. But for Stoica, it was about more than just the money.
"I'm a bit tired, but I'm very happy to become a winner of EPT," he shared in an interview after his victory. "This is the dream of every poker player." This was Stoica's third deep Main Event run in four EPT stops, a consistency he attributes to putting lots of hours into the game: "The secret is to play and practice as much as you can. That's what brings you to the final table and winning the tournament."
Heads-up, Stoica dispatched high-stakes phenom Bernhard Binder in just a couple of hands of play, with Binder adding €515,000, the second-largest share of the €4,903,350 prize pool, to his recent flurry of monster scores. Also at the final table were online qualifier Jose Malpelli, who turned a €250 satelite into €218,300 by finishing in fifth place, and Team PokerStars Pro Raul Mestre, whose third EPT final table was cut short as he exited in seventh.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roman Stoica | Russian Federation | €825,000 |
| 2 | Bernhard Binder | Austria | €515,000 |
| 3 | David Djian | France | €368,750 |
| 4 | Samuel Ju | Germany | €283,550 |
| 5 | Jose Malpelli | France | €218,300 |
| 6 | Longmao Fan | China | €167,850 |
| 7 | Raul Mestre | Spain | €129,050 |
| 8 | Oshri Lahmani | Israel | €99,450 |
Stoica Secures Victory at Breakneck Speed
Stoica entered the final day in the middle of the pack, and at the start, he mostly kept quiet as the other players battled. After Oshri Lahmani and Mestre had booked quick exits from the final table, Stoica doubled up in a crucial flip against Longmao Fan. Stoica moved up to third in chips, while Fan was left short and was eliminated a few hands after.
Stoica won another flip not much later. He knocked Malpelli out in fifth with ace-queen, spiking an ace on the river against Malpelli's pocket nines. Stoica really started to pick up steam at that point and captured the tournament chip lead for the first time shortly after.
With the chip lead acquired, Stoica started pressuring his opponents at every opportunity. Although Binder was the one to bust Samuel Ju in fourth place, Stoica kept winning pots and increasing his lead over his two remaining opponents. Eliminating David Djian in third with a flush against two pair meant Stoica started the heads-up battle against Binder with a three-to-one chip lead.
It only took a few hands for Stoica to claim the title, as he triple-barreled with flopped trips, putting Binder all-in on the river. Binder had made two pair and saw no choice but to call, setting Stoica's victory in stone.
Four hours after sitting down for the final day, Stoica saw his dream of winning an EPT Main Event fulfilled. However, the celebrations would have to wait a bit, as Stoica explained the past six days of tournament poker had taken its toll. "I just want to get to bed and get some rest," he admitted. "At home when I'm back, I will celebrate."
That concludes the PokerNews coverage of the EPT Monte-Carlo Main Event. The EPT will return in the summer as its iconic Barcelona stop runs from August 16-29. Until then, check out our live coverage hub for all the latest from events across the world.
