2026 PokerStars EPT Monte-Carlo

€5,300 Main Event
Day: 4
Event Info
2026 PokerStars EPT Monte-Carlo
Event Info
Buy-in
€5,300
Prize Pool
€4,903,350
Total Entries
1,011
Players Left
18
Average Chip Stack
1,685,000
Total Chips
30,330,000
Next Payout
Place 18
€32,350
Level Info
Level
25
Blinds
20,000 / 40,000
Ante
40,000
Players Info - Day 4
Entries
48
Players Left
20
Players Left 18 / 1,011
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Rizov Rakes Four-Bet Pot

Level 20 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Miroslav Rizov raised to 25,000 under the gun. Hijack Derk van Luijk three-bet to 75,000, which Rizov clicked back to 165,000 once the action got back to him.

Van Luijk called to the 482 flop, but he quickly gave up on the pot when Rizov added another 125,000 to the pot with a bet.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Miroslav Rizov bg
Miroslav Rizov
1,165,000
121,000
121,000
Profile photo of Derk van Luijk nl
Derk van Luijk
440,000
165,000
165,000
EPT Main Event Champion
EPT 1X Winner

Tags: Derk van LuijkMiroslav Rizov

Too Many Outs for Mestre

Level 20 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Raul Mestre
Raul Mestre

Vid Zagar moved all in for roughly 120,000 from the hijack, and Raul Mestre called, putting Zagar at risk.

Vid Zagar: 22 All in
Raul Mestre: A10

The 698 flop offered Mestre a straight draw, with the 9 turn providing yet more outs, as he now had a flush draw and counterfeit outs.

The 9 river only served to improve Zagar to a full house.

Mestre didn't call for any specific river card, and when the hand was complete, he remarked "I didn't know which one to ask for."

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Raul Mestre es
Raul Mestre
1,500,000
127,000
127,000
pokerstars
Profile photo of Vid Zagar si
Vid Zagar
264,000
194,000
194,000

Tags: Raul MestreVid Zagar

Doubles for Short Stacks Shmakov and Blaison

Level 20 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Andrei Shmakov got his 146,000 in preflop from the big blind against Vid Zagar in the small blind, and was at risk.

Andrei Shmakov: K10 All in
Vid Zagar: A6

Shmakov paired up on the K74 flop to take the lead. Zagar turned extra outs on the 5, but the 2 river remained clean for Shmakov to double up.

Shortly after, Hugo Blaison moved in his 138,000 from the hijack. It folded to Derk van Luijk in the big blind, who called.

Hugo Blaison: A7 All in
Derk van Luijk: KQ

Blaison locked up the pot by making two pair on the 672A turn, and he raked in the chips as soon as the meaningless Q river hit the felt.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Derk van Luijk nl
Derk van Luijk
605,000
88,000
88,000
EPT Main Event Champion
EPT 1X Winner
Profile photo of Andrei Shmakov
Andrei Shmakov
304,000
146,000
146,000
Profile photo of Hugo Blaison fr
Hugo Blaison
294,000
190,000
190,000
Profile photo of Vid Zagar si
Vid Zagar
70,000
170,000
170,000

Tags: Andrei ShmakovDerk van LuijkHugo BlaisonVan LuijkVid Zagar

Pollak Applies Maximum Pressure

Level 20 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Benjamin Pollak
Benjamin Pollak

Benjamin Pollak raised to 25,000 on the button, and Lucas Blanco called in the big blind.

The action checked through on the 1048 flop, prompting Blanco to lead out with a bet of 50,000 on the 3 turn. Pollak called.

The 4 completed the board, and Blanco slid out a stack worth 95,000. After a moment's thought, Pollak moved all in for 415,000 covering Blanco's remaining 195,000.

A pained-looking Blanco used two time extensions before opting to fold.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Benjamin Pollak fr
Benjamin Pollak
678,000
157,000
157,000
Profile photo of Lucas Blanco es
Lucas Blanco
195,000
183,000
183,000

Tags: Benjamin PollakLucas Blanco

Johnson and Lasouski Get Folds

Level 20 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Keith Johnson and Boris Pesic were heads up on the 43K flop. Johnson checked from the big blind to Pesic on the button, who bet 32,000. Johnson called to the A turn, which both players checked.

Johnson then fired an overbet of 135,000 on the K river. Pesic went deep into the tank, spending several time banks before finding a fold.

Simulteanously, at another table, Artsiom Lasouski was in the big blind and checked the 697 flop over to Nikita Kuznetsov in the cutoff. Kuznetsov slid in a bet of 20,000, which Lasouski raised to 85,000.

Kuznetsov called, but he quickly folded once Lasouski continued for 100,000 on the 8 turn.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Artsiom Lasouski by
Artsiom Lasouski
1,140,000
144,000
144,000
Profile photo of Nikita Kuznetsov ru
Nikita Kuznetsov
524,000
114,000
114,000
Profile photo of Keith Johnson gb
Keith Johnson
435,000
50,000
50,000
Profile photo of Boris Pesic si
Boris Pesic
425,000
85,000
85,000

Tags: Artsiom LasouskiBoris PesicKeith JohnsonNikita Kuznetsov

Nerve Settler for Lasouski

Level 20 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

On the first shuffle of the day, Artsiom Lasouski opened to 25,000 from under the gun. Directly to his left, Benjamin Pollak three-bet to 85,000. The action returned to Lasouski, who called.

Both players checked on the 975 flop, encouraging Lasouski to take over the betting lead on the 4 turn.

His bet of 95,000 was enough to see Pollak surrender the pot, and Lasouski pulled in the first pot of the day.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Artsiom Lasouski by
Artsiom Lasouski
996,000
115,000
115,000
Profile photo of Benjamin Pollak fr
Benjamin Pollak
521,000
85,000
85,000

Tags: Artsiom LasouskiBenjamin Pollak

Level: 20

Blinds: 6,000/12,000

Ante: 12,000

History Beckons as 48 Players Return for Day 4 of EPT Monte-Carlo Main Event

EPT Monte Carlo 2026 Main Event Trophy
EPT Monte Carlo 2026 Main Event Trophy

An action-packed day awaits at Sporting Monte-Carlo, as the PokerStars European Poker Tour sees 48 players return for Day 4 of the €5,300 Main Event.

The remaining players have outlasted a field of 1,011 entries, and are edging ever closer to collecting the title, trophy and €825,000 first-place prize.



Play resumes at 12 p.m. local time with plenty of compelling storylines beginning to take shape, not least the prospect of a two-time EPT Main Event champion being crowned.

Leading the field, Thomas Eyehenne (1,846,000) is one of four players still in contention to achieve a rare feat in EPT history. Alongside Ognyan Dimov (1,634,000), Derk van Luijk (693,000), and Dimitar Danchev (340,000), the Frenchman has the chance to become just the fourth player ever to win two EPT Main Event titles.

Top Ten Chip Counts

RankPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
1Thomas EychenneFrance1,846,000154
2Mehdi ChaouiMorocco1,686,000141
3Ognyan DimovBulgaria1,634,000136
4Raul MestreSpain1,627,000136
5Leonard MaueGermany1,236,000103
6Stanislav AnufriievUkraine1,103,00092
7Boris KolevBulgaria1,058,00088
8Miroslav RizovBulgaria1,044,00087
9Longmao FanChina935,00078
10Diego ZeiterSwitzerland904,00075

Further down the leaderboard, a whole host of poker powerhouses will look to upset that narrative. Players such as Bernhard Binder (740,000), Dietrich Fast (694,000), Benjamin Pollak (606,000), Jason Wheeler (508,000), Benny Glaser (278,000), and Joao Vieira (105,000) all return with plans of extending their own deep runs.

The Day 4 schedule will see players compete for five more 90-minute levels or until just 16 players remain, beginning on Level 20, with blinds of 6,000/12,000 and a 12,000 big blind ante. A short break will be taken after each level, with no plans currently in place for an extended dinner break.

Each of the players returns safe in the knowledge that they have already locked up €16,100, but also mindful of the significant pay jumps still to come.

Remaining Payouts

PlacePrizePlacePrize
1€825,00012-13€51,400
2€515,00014-15€42,800
3€368,75016-17€37,200
4€283,55018-20€32,350
5€218,30021-23€28,150
6€167,85024-27€24,450
7€129,05028-31€21,300
8€99,45032-39€18,500
9€76,50040-48€16,100
10-11€61,700  

Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews, where you will find live coverage of all the major moments until an EPT Monte-Carlo Champion is crowned.


Tags: Benjamin PollakBenny GlaserBernhard BinderBig BlindsBoris KolevDerk van LuijkDimitar DanchevJason WheelerJoao VieiraLeonard MaueLongmao FanMehdi ChaouiMiroslav RizovOgnyan DimovRaul MestreStanislav AnufriievThomas EychenneThomas EyehenneVan Luijk