Przemyslaw Cebrat opened to 1,000 from under the gun, which collected calls from both the button and the small blind. The action was then on Ole Schemion in the big blind, who saw an opportunity, as he moved all in for 12,000. Cebrat responded by moving all in as well, prompting both callers to fold.
Ole Schemion: A♦J♠
Przemyslaw Cebrat: A♠Q♥
The 10♦8♣8♠ flop brought some hope of a chopped pot for Schemion, but the 5♣ turn and 9♥ river were unforthcoming, seeing him eliminated.
Roeland Peeks raised to 900 in early position, which only Joris Ruijs called on the button.
Peeks continued for 1,200 on the 2♠Q♦4♥ flop, and Ruijs continued with another call.
The 6♦ turn joined the board, and Peeks kept his foot on the gas. This time, he put 3,600 into the middle. Undeterred, Ruijs called again.
The dealer completed the board with the 3♥, and Peeks opted for one final bet, putting 3,000 into the pot. Ruijs made the call but was shown bad news. Peeks flipped over 4♠4♣ for a flopped set, and Ruijs mucked his hand.
Espen Jorstad kicked the action off with a raise to 800 in early position, which only Vladislav Dubanov called, a couple of seats to his left.
The dealer spread a 4♣7♠J♠ flop, which saw Jorstad check before calling a bet of 900 from Dubanov.
Jorstad took some time to deliberate on the A♥ turn before taking back his betting lead, as he put 1,100 into the middle. That was enough to see Dubanov cede, and another pot pushed in the direction of Jorstad.
Seeing a raise from the under-the-gun player to 700, Dmytro Smyrnov three-bet to 2,100, one seat to his left. The action folded to Efim Dorfman in the big blind, who called, and the original raiser folded.
Dorfman check-called a continuation bet of 2,100 on the 9♦3♥5♦ flop, before checking for a second time on the 3♦ turn.
There was no slowing down from Smyrnov, who continued for 5,000. Dorfman wasted no time at all in returning his cards to the dealer.
In the final hand of the previous level, Ravi Sheth opened to 400 from middle position. Action folded to Jun Lin on the button, who three-bet to 1,200, which Sheth called.
The dealer spread a Q♥7♠10♣ flop, on which Sheth check-called a continuation bet of 1,000.
Sheth check-called again on the 4♣ turn, this time matching a bet of 3,000 from Lin.
When Sheth checked for a third time on the 10♦ river, Lin waved the white flag.
Sheth flipped over A♣J♦ for ace-high, and Lin mucked his cards.
With roughly 15,000 already in the pot, three players were on the turn of a 10♠5♣8♣J♦ board.
Dimitrios Angelakos manoeuvred his stack into the middle from the big blind, having both other players covered. Abdullah Turan folded from under the gun, but when action was on Sameh Elamawy, he confirmed the tournament allowed one reentry and then called.
Sameh Elamawy: 5♠5♦
Dimitrios Angelakos: 9♥7♠
Elamawy had flopped a set, but Angelakos had snatched the lead on the straight-completing turn.
The river was the Q♣, which was no help to Elamawy, who was eliminated.
Turan then slammed his chips off of the table, claiming he folded a flush draw.
Each year, the ever-glamorous Monte-Carlo becomes the focal point of the poker world, as the Sporting Monte-Carlo welcomes the PokerStars European Poker Tour to its iconic setting on the Mediterranean coast.
With the 2026 EPT Monte-Carlo series already underway, today sees the spotlight shine on the €5,300 Main Event, which takes centre stage as the first of two starting flights begins at noon local time.
As one of the must-visit stops on the poker calendar, there is little doubt the opening flight will play to a full house, with players travelling from far and wide seeking to make their mark. Each of those players will have two opportunities to realise that dream, with a maximum of two entries permitted across the starting flights, including the ability to join the field up until late registration closes at the start of Day 2.
Each player will start with a 30,000 stack, with blinds opening at 100/100 and a 100 big blind ante.
Both starting flights are scheduled for ten hour-long levels, with a short break after every two levels. Players will take a 75-minute dinner break after Level 6, at around 6:30 p.m. local time.
Day 1a 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
Each of the players who advance from their respective flights will return for Day 2, scheduled for noon local time on Wednesday, May 6th, at which point the tournament will change to a 90-minute clock for each blind level. Day 2 will also see the introduction of a shot clock at the start of the day.
The event will crown a champion on May 10th, wrapping up seven days of competition with one player etching their name into EPT history.
Aleksandr Shevliakov
A little under 12 months ago, it was Aleksandr Shevliakov whose name was thrust into the limelight, as the Russian player bested a 1,195-strong field to claim the coveted Golden Shard trophy and take home a cool €1,000,000.
Just two places further down the payouts last year, Boris Angelov will be hoping to complete his podium hat trick in this year's edition, having finished 2nd in 2024 and finishing 3rd in 2025.
2025 EPT Monte-Carlo Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Earnings
1
Aleksandr Shevliakov
Russia
€1,000,000
2
Khossein Kokhestani
Ukraine
€615,000
3
Boris Angelov
Bulgaria
€439,200
4
Enrico Coppola
Italy
€337,900
5
Mariusz Golinski
Poland
€259,900
6
Jamil Wakil
Canada
€199,750
7
Miguel Capriles
Venezuela
€153,600
8
Leon Zeaiter
Germany
€118,150
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for all the major moments, chip counts, and live coverage throughout the 2026 EPT Monte-Carlo.
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