EPT Monte Carlo 2026: Aleksejs Ponakovs Nets Almost €840,000 After High Roller Deal

Ponakovs Triumphs with Million-Euro Wins in Monte Carlo

One of the festival’s most anticipated tournaments, Event #51 with a buy-in of €25,000, recorded a total of 200 entries. A massive prizepool of €4,802,000 was formed by some of the biggest names in global poker.

In the final heads-up, Aleksejs Ponakovs faced off against Brazilian Kelvin Kerber. Both players agreed to a heads-up deal, leaving Ponakovs with the trophy and a winning prize of €839,430. Although Kerber didn’t take the trophy, he walked away with an impressive €809,020.

Ponakovs claimed his third EPT circuit title and triumphed at EPT Monte Carlo for the second year in a row. During this festival, he notched two notable wins, one being in the €250K High Roller (4th place), amassing over €2 million in total.

Final Table Results of Event #51: €25,000 High Roller

Stephen Chidwick Dominates a Small but Elite Field

While Ponakovs reigned over a field of 200, another high-stakes luminary ruled Event #60. The €20,000 buy-in NL Hold'em tournament with unlimited re-entries attracted a small yet exceptionally skilled group of players. A total of 11 entries created a prizepool of €211,288.

Stephen Chidwick from England emerged victorious in this exclusive field, pocketing €115,835 for his win. He defeated Italian pro Enrico Camosci in heads-up play, who took home €95,453 for second place.

Big names like Benjamin Tollerene and Isaac Haxton, who made five unsuccessful attempts, remained out of the money behind this duo.

Results of Event #60: €20,000 NL Hold'em

The European Poker Tour will now take a brief pause before returning in full force in August at the popular stop in Barcelona.

Sources: PS Live, Flickr