button in SafariFinal Starting Flight of EPT Monte-Carlo €5,300 Main Event Begins at Noon
As the sun battles through the grey clouds over the Mediterranean coast, attention in Monte-Carlo shifts from the beaches to the felt for the 2026 PokerStars European Poker Tour as the Sporting Monte-Carlo hosts Day 1b, the second and final starting flight, of the €5,300 Main Event.
Yesterday’s opening flight drew a field of 374 entries, generating a prize pool of €2,192,200, with 111 players advancing to Day 2 after navigating ten levels of play.
When those entering today look back at yesterday’s Day 1a flight for inspiration, they will see Mehdi Chaoui atop the leaderboard. The Moroccan high roller bagged 357,000, finishing well clear of the chasing pack after leaving the rest of the field in his wake.
Joining Chaoui inside the top ten stacks from the opening flight, accomplished French pro Florian Ribouchon bagged 210,500, with Finnish poker legend Juha Helppi ending the day with 188,500.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mehdi Chaoui | Morocco | 357,000 | 238 |
| 2 | Jose Malpelli | France | 263,000 | 175 |
| 3 | Leonardo Pires | Brazil | 243,000 | 162 |
| 4 | Florian Ribouchon | France | 210,500 | 140 |
| 5 | Andrei Shmakov | Russian Federation | 206,500 | 138 |
| 6 | Laurent Polito | France | 204,000 | 136 |
| 7 | Stanislau Shylkou | Belarus | 199,000 | 133 |
| 8 | Ravi Sheth | United Kingdom | 191,000 | 127 |
| 9 | Juha Helppi | Finland | 188,500 | 126 |
| 10 | Hamza Nasir | United Kingdom | 187,000 | 125 |
Players in Day 1b will each start with a 30,000 stack with blind levels starting at 100/100 and a 100 big blind ante. Each level will last 60 minutes, with late registration remaining open until the beginning of Day 2. Players are permitted one re-entry during that period.
Upon the completion of Level 10, the remaining players will bag their chips and advance to Day 2, scheduled for 12:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday, May 6th.
Day 1b Schedule
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 min | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2 | 60 min | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 15 min break | ||||
| 3 | 60 min | 100 | 300 | 300 |
| 4 | 60 min | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 15 min break | ||||
| 5 | 60 min | 200 | 500 | 500 |
| 6 | 60 min | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 75 min dinner break | ||||
| 7 | 60 min | 400 | 800 | 800 |
| 8 | 60 min | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 15 min break | ||||
| 9 | 60 min | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
| 10 | 60 min | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
Stay tuned into PokerNews where you will find live coverage of all the major moments until an EPT Monte-Carlo Champion is crowned.