Kulev, Oya, Barbero, and Nouira Win European Poker Tour Monte Carlo High Rollers

The 2024 European Poker Tour Monte Carlo festival features six tournaments with buy-ins of €25,000 or more. The €100,000 super high roller wrapped up on Apr. 29, with Patrik Antonius securing the $2.1 million top prize, while the final multi-day high roller is currently ongoing. Below we take a look at the four other high roller events from Monaco that have already played down to winners.

EPT Monte Carlo €30,000 No-Limit Hold’em

A total of 77 entries were made in the €30,000 buy-in affair, building a prize pool worth more than $2.4 million when rendered in US dollars. The top 11 finishers earned a share, with the largest chunk going to Bulgarian top all-time tournament earner Alex Kulev. The bracelet winner and 2023 EPT Monte Carlo €100,000 event champion walked away with $684,056 for his efforts.

This was the fifth-largest score of his career. He went on to finish ninth in this year’s six-figure buy-in at this festival as well for another $235,764. He now has nearly $10.9 million in career tournament earnings. The 658 Card Player Player of the Year points he earned across those two scores brought his total for 2024 to 2,221, which places him inside the top 25 in the POY standings presented by Global Poker.

Kulev overcame a stacked final table that included the likes of Christoph Vogelsang (7th), two-time bracelet winner and EPT Sochi main event champion Artur Martirosian (5th), bracelet winner Jose ‘Nacho’ Barbero (3rd), and two-time bracelet winner Daniel Dvoress (2nd).

EPT Monte Carlo €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em

Next up on the high-stakes agenda was the first of several €25,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em events. Japan’s Masashi Oya was the last player standing from a field of 70 total entries. He earned $544,644 after defeating Steve O’Dwyer heads-up for the title.

This was the third recorded title for the 2023 WSOP Paradise $100,000 buy-in event winner. He now has more than $6.7 million in lifetime earnings, with this being his second-largest score yet.

O’Dwyer ticked past $42 million in career cashes thanks to his $353,916 payday. Martirosian finished sixth for his second final-table showing of the series.

EPT Monte Carlo €50,000 No-Limit Hold’em

Jose ‘Nacho’ Barbero is backing up his breakout performance on the lice circuit in 2023 with another impressive run in 2024. Barbero, who finished third in last year’s POY race final standings, has made four final tables and won two titles already this year. His latest saw him best a field of 79 entries in the €50,000 buy-in high roller.

Barbero earned $1,165,633 for the win., as well as 714 POY points. He has climbed to 29th place in the this year’s rankings.

The top 11 finishers earned a piece of the $4.1 million prize pool, with players like Steve O’Dwyer (10th), Jean Noel Thorel (7th), and Ole Schemion (3rd) running deep.

Felipe Boianovsky earned the second-largest payout in this event, taking home $752,004 as the runner-up.

EPT Monte Carlo €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em

The penultimate €25,000 buy-in of the festival attracted 65 entries. Maher Nouira emerged victorious, denying Mashashi Oya heads-up to secure the title and $398,747. The two struck a deal to redistribute the prize money, and Oya actually walked away with the largest payout despite going on to finish second. He earned $435,499 as the runner-up. Oya now sits just outside the top 50 in this year’s POY standings.

Plenty of big names cashed in this event, including two-time POY award winner Stephen Chidwick (9th), Sergio Aido (8th), Christoph Vogelsnaf (7th), Orpen Kisacikoglu (5th), Juan Pardo (4th), and Daniel Dvoress (3rd).

Dvoress cashed for $675,000 across two final-table finishes in high rollers at this festival. With ten final tables and two titles this year, he is currently ranked fourth on the POY leaderboard.

Photo credits: Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd. / Manuel Kovsca, Eloy Cabacas.