EPT Monte Carlo has finally concluded, and it was quite a ride to see the winners, especially with two big winners, one is the young Swiss poker sensation, Luca Marki, and the other one, Derk Van Luijk, an EPT pro.
Luca Marki won his first seven-figure income and his first-ever EPT live, while Derk Van Luijk made his comeback by winning his second EPT title.
Derk Van Luijk Clinched his Second EPT Title at the €5,300 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event
The 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo €5,300 No Limit Hold’em Main Event saw a record-breaking turnout with 1,208 entries, making it the largest field in the event’s history. The massive participation created a prize pool of almost $6.3 million. After a week of intense competition, Derk Van Lujik outlasted the field to claim the coveted title.
The player found himself on the brink of elimination in eighth place. However, he managed to stay alive until the final table. Throughout the final day, Van Lujik managed to double up six times, and eventually won the title after the epic heads-up battle against Boris Angelov, securing not only the prestigious EPT title but also the impressive €1,000,000 prize money.
2024 EPT Monte Carlo €5,300 No Limit Hold’em Main Event Final Table and Recap
1 – Derk van Luijk – €1,000,000
2 – Boris Angelov – €620,500
3 – Rania Nasreddine – €442,900
4 – Jovan Kenjic – €340,500
5 – Jonathan Pastore – €261,700
6 – Niclas Thumm – €201,000
7 – Jonathan Guedes – €154,900
8 – Jozef Cibicek – €119,000
In the three-handed battle. Van Luijk raised Jack-Ten from the button, and Rania Nasreddine called with five-four from the big blind. Van Luijk quickly bet after getting a top pair on the flop. Nasreddine, who had a pair of fours, shoved and his opponent called. Van Lujik won the hand after he hit a ten on the river. Nasreddine was eliminated in 3rd place for €442,900.
Heads-up play commenced with Van Luijk enjoying a commanding lead of over 2:1 against Boris Angelov, who still had around 40 big blinds in his stack. The intense battle lasted for more than one hour. In a crucial hand, Van Lujik, holding the ace-queen on the button, chose to limp. Angelov, with his king-seven, shoved for 13 big blinds, prompting a swift call from Van Luijk. The flop revealed a queen, sending Angelov out in 2nd place for €620,500.
Luca Mark turns into Millionaire at €25k EPT Monte Carlo High Roller Event
The emerging Swiss poker sensation Luca Marki has been gaining significant attention on the European Poker scene in 2024. Following his amazing performance in the EPT Paris, where he finished in 2nd place at the €10,300 No Limit Hold’em for €606,750, Marki surpassed his own achievement by claiming a career-best €1,085,970 in the €25k High Roller event at the 2024 EPT Monte Carlo.
The €25k High Roller Main Event attracted a field of 247 entries, taking the prize pool to €5,930,470, with Mark seizing the majority of the prize pool amount. In the final showdown, Marki faced off against Mauricio Sanchez from Colombia, striking a heads-up deal.
The €5,930,470 prize pool was distributed among the top 31 places, with Christopher Puetz exited in 10th place (€135,700), Bogdan Capitan (16th for €89,200), PokerStars Ambassador Ramon Colillas (19th for €77,600), Rafael Moraes (22nd for €67,400), Rehman Kassam (23rd for €67,400), Roberto Romanello (24th for €58,700), and 2021 EPT Sochi Main Event champion Artur Martirosian (31st for €51,000) being the notables to finish in the money.
2024 EPT Monte Carlo €25k EPT High Roller Final Table Recap and Standings
1 – Luca Marki – €1,085,970*
2 – Mauricio Sanchez – €950,000*
3 – Kayhan Mokri – €559,200
4 – Masashi Oya – €430,200
5 – Sergey Lebedev – €330,900
6 – Pedro Gois Neves – €258,400
7 – Lander Lijo – €215,400
8 – Arsenil Karmatckii – €179,500
9 – Felipe Bolanovsky – €156,100
During the final stages, the remaining 4 players considered a deal, but Kayhan Mokri, holding a slight chip advantage, wanted more than just ICM.
Shortly thereafter, Masashi Oya, who started the day as the Chip leader, engaged in a post-flop battle with Mokri with his pair of queens. However, Mokri managed to hit a flush on the river, leading to Oya’s elimination in 4th place for €559,200.
Later, Mokri raised from the button with most of his stack, and Mauricio Sanchez shoved from the big blind. Sanchez won the flip with pocket fours, knocking out Mokri in 3rd place for €559,200.
After a short break, Luca Marki and Sanchez decided to make an ICM deal. Following an eventful hour at the final table, Mauricio Sanchez secured €950,000 for his runner-up finish, while Luca Marki claimed the top spot with €1,085,970 and the coveted PokerStars trophy.
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