Monte Carlo has a reputation for catering experiences towards the ultra-wealthy, and the 2025 European Poker Tour Monte Carlo series is simply the latest instance of the EPT offering some of the most lucrative high roller events of the year among their many tournament offerings.
The Sporting Monte-Carlo Casino has already awarded millions of dollars in prize money, including three seven-figure payouts in the EPT Monte Carlo €100,000 no-limit hold’em super high roller event won by Chris Nguyen.
Four other events with buy-ins in excess of $10,000 are also already in the books, with winners from all over Europe and some solid American representation as well.
Here’s a look at how the high roller action during the first week of EPT Monte Carlo played out.
EPT Monte Carlo €10,200 No-Limit Hold’em Mystery Bounty
Kayhan Mokri
From the very first day of the EPT Monte Carlo series, there were big buy-ins being fired off. Kayhan Mokri of Oslo, Norway ultimately walked away with the spade trophy in the €10,200 mystery bounty event, taking home $129,885 for his first-place payout and an additional $36,725 in bounty prizes. He outlasted a field of 91 entries and banked 540 Card Player Player of the Year points for his efforts.
It’s the latest in a long run of successes for Mokri on the tour, following back-to-back €100,000 no-limit hold’em super high roller wins at EPT Barcelona in 2023 and 2024. In total, Mokri has over $8 million in total career live earnings.
The biggest payout of this high roller event actually belonged to third-place finisher Manuel Carvalho of Portugal. With a stunning $113,000 in total bounties, Carvalho took full advantage of the format to bank over $170,000 in total.
Other notables at this final table included four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and high roller standout David Peters (6th) and two-time bracelet winner Aleksejs Ponakovs (8th).
| Place | Player | Earnings | Bounty Earnings | POY Points |
| 1 | Kayhan Mokri | $129,885 | $36,725 | 540 |
| 2 | Anonymous | $83,856 | $84,750 | 450 |
| 3 | Manuel Carvalho | $59,929 | $113,000 | 360 |
| 4 | Pedro Padilha | $46,029 | $22,600 | 270 |
| 5 | Aidyn Auyezkanov | $36,801 | $0 | 225 |
| 6 | David Peters | $29,509 | $67,800 | 180 |
| 7 | Alisson Piekazewicz | $23,584 | $31,075 | 135 |
| 8 | Aleksejs Ponakovs | $18,913 | $0 | 90 |
| 9 | Julien Sitbon | $15,039 | $0 | 45 |
EPT Monte Carlo €12,300 No-Limit Hold’em PokerStars Cuatro Knockout
Alisson Piekazewicz
Alisson Piekazewicz of Brazil was already off to a solid start to this series, with a final table appearance in the €10,200 no-limit hold’em mystery bounty, and then made it an even stronger showing in Monaco by winning the €12,300 no-limit hold’em cuatro knockout event.
Piekazewicz walked away with the trophy, a $208,626 first-place prize and 420 POY points by outlasting a field of 70. He also banked the largest collection of bounty prizes of any player in the tournament, adding an additional $81,360 to his payout. It is the largest live poker prize of Piekazeicz’s career.
The PokerStars Cuatro Knockout format has become a staple on the EPT in recent years, and it’s become a regular entry on the high roller side of things as well.
Other notable final table appearances were made by 2022 Triton Super High Roller Series winner Andras Nemeth (2nd), Morten Klein (4th), two-time bracelet winner Jesse Lonis (6th) and high roller standout Isaac Haxton (7th) and Byron Kaverman (9th).
| Place | Player | Earnings | Bounty Earnings | POY Points |
| 1 | Alisson Piekazewicz | $208,626 | $81,360 | 420 |
| 2 | Andras Nemeth | $135,433 | $40,680 | 350 |
| 3 | Juan Dominguez | $96,235 | $13,560 | 280 |
| 4 | Morten Klein | $73,966 | $27,120 | 210 |
| 5 | Christopher Nguyen | $56,923 | $27,120 | 175 |
| 6 | Jesse Lonis | $43,743 | $27,120 | 140 |
| 7 | Isaac Haxton | $33,745 | $13,560 | 105 |
| 8 | Govert Metaal | $26,019 | $13,560 | 70 |
| 9 | Byron Kaverman | $20,110 | $0 | 35 |
EPT Monte Carlo €30,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller Warm-Up
Jesse Lonis
Americans were well-represented to this point in the series, but things kicked up a notch in this €30,000 no-limit hold’em super high roller warm-up. US poker pros Jesse Lonis and Chris Brewer agreed to an even chop once they reached heads-up play in this 61 entry field, with Lonis ultimately claiming the trophy, $508,465 and 504 points and Brewer taking home $508,466 and 420 points.
Lonis has been on the run of a lifetime over the last two years, claiming three seven-figure payouts, his second bracelet, and major results across the World Poker Tour, PokerGO Tour, and Triton Poker circuits. With three titles and nine final-table finishes in 2025 alone, he is currently ranked ninth in this year’s POY standings.
Brewer has long stood out in the world of high roller poker tournaments with over $28 million in career earnings, including a breakout $5,293,556 win in the 2023 WSOP $250,000 no-limit hold’em super high roller.
Three-time bracelet winner Joao Vieira of Brazil finished in third place.
| Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points |
| 1 | Jesse Lonis | $508,465 | 504 |
| 2 | Chris Brewer | $508,466 | 420 |
| 3 | Joao Vieira | $291,987 | 336 |
| 4 | Mikalai Vaskaboinikau | $221,562 | 252 |
| 5 | Mario Navarro | $171,145 | 210 |
| 6 | Alexander Zubov | $130,902 | 168 |
| 7 | Markkos Ladev | $100,720 | 126 |
| 8 | Alex Kulev | $80,599 | 84 |
EPT Monte Carlo €10,200 Pot-Limit Omaha
Cesar Garcia
One of the hallmarks of a EPT series is the vast opportunity for players to compete in non no-limit hold’em events, with buy-ins scaling from a few hundred dollars all the way up to the high roller level. Cesar Garcia of Spain was the primary beneficiary of a €10,200 pot-limit Omaha high roller in Monte Carlo, banking $187,430 and 300 POY points for his victory
Garcia outlasted a field of 56, ultimately defeating two-time bracelet winner Joao Simao of Brazil to capture the trophy. Garcia is also a bracelet winner in his own right, having won a $2,000 no-limit hold’em event in 2016. His victory in this tournament represents the second-largest live win of Garcia’s career, behind only that triumph at the series.
Other notables at the final table include bracelet winner Ka Kwan Lau (5th), Matthew Wantman (6th) and Farid Jattin (8th).
| Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points |
| 1 | Cesar Garcia | $187,430 | 300 |
| 2 | Joao Simao | $122,916 | 250 |
| 3 | Konstantinos Bouloutsos | $89,188 | 200 |
| 4 | Lautaro Guerra | $67,683 | 150 |
| 5 | Ka Kwan Lau | $52,290 | 125 |
| 6 | Matthew Wantman | $39,953 | 100 |
| 7 | Linagce Ni | $30,786 | 75 |
| 8 | Farid Jattin | $24,561 | 50 |
Photo credits: Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd./ Danny Maxwell, Jules Pochy, Eloy Cabacas.
