Alex Kulev Makes History at Monte Carlo, Dominates Record €250K Super High Roller

This exclusive event attracted 31 players, culminating in a total of 38 entries. The prizepool soared to an astronomical €9,310,000, with only the top six making it to the money. The tournament affirmed its world-class status with the unofficial final table boasting representatives from nine different countries.

Kulev's Resurrection on the Bubble

Alex Kulev's path to the title nearly ended before reaching the money. On the bubble, he went all-in against Biao Ding with nearly identical stacks. Ding held an advantage with A d K s against Kulev's A c 8 d, but an eight on the flop unexpectedly saved the Bulgarian. After this hand, Ding was left with less than one small blind and exited as the "bubble boy" in the next hand.

The exciting final table action can be watched in the official livestream recording on YouTube:

Once the bubble burst, events accelerated. The first to leave the money positions was Artur Martirosian, whose A d Q s did not stand up to Christopher Nguyen’s A s 5 d after a five appeared on the board. He was followed by Orpen Kisacikoglu, who found a straight with A d 4 h on a board of 3 h 5 s 4 s 3 d 2 h, but Kulev's full house with 5 h 5 d beat him.

Kulev went on to eliminate Aleksejs Ponakovs, and was joined by Bryn Kenney in the final heads-up showdown. The American played with a short stack for most of the final day but reached the title match by patiently eliminating Christopher Nguyen (3rd place).

Before the heads-up began, Kulev and Kenney agreed to a deal, each securing over €2.5 million, while playing for the trophy and the remaining €111,740.

The conclusion came swiftly on a board of K d T d 9 h 4 c. All the chips went in after Kulev hit two pairs on the turn with T s 4 s. Kenney held a pair of nines and a flush draw with A d 9 d, but the river 7 c did not improve his hand. Alex Kulev celebrated this career-defining success with his parents cheering from the audience.

Results of Event #25: €250,000 EPT Super High Roller

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Sources: PS Live, Flickr, X, YouTube