On the first hand of the feature table, Derk van Luijk opened to 80,000 from under the gun with 7♥7♣ and was called by Jonathan Guedes from the hijack with 8♦8♣. Adrian Mateos folded A♥J♣ from the cutoff, with the remaining players also getting out of the way.
Guedes' superior pair remained best on the K♦5♦2♦ flop and he bet 85,000 when Van Luijk checked. The latter then folded.
On the first hand of Day 5, Boris Angelov raised to 90,000 in early position and received calls from Jozef Cibicek in the hijack and big blind Natan Chauskin.
All three players checked down the 2♣5♥9♥3♥10♥ board and Angelov turned over A♥K♦ for a flush to win the pot.
Angelov again raised the next hand, making it 85,000 from under the gun. Chauskin called once more in the small blind.
The 8♠6♠4♦ flop was checked and the A♦ fell on the turn. Angelov then bet 150,000 and Chauskin called.
Both players checked the 7♠ river and Angelov again turned over A♠K♦ as Chauskin tossed two jacks into the muck.
"Again? Do you know him?" Jonathan Pastore joked with Angelov, pointing to the dealer.
"It wasn't aces. If it was aces, it would be a little suspicious," Angelov replied.
Day 5 of the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour €5,300 Main Event is underway, with 16 players returning to Sporting Monte-Carlo in pursuit of the title, trophy, and the €1,000,000 prize awaiting the champion.
Action begins at 12 p.m. local time, expected to conclude when the tournament reaches its final six players.
Day 4 started explosively, with 14 players eliminated in the first level of play, many within the first half-hour. At the forefront heading into the finale is Philipp Wenzelburger (6,545,000), who staged an impressive comeback from just 13 big blinds.
Following at a considerable distance is Jonathan Guedes, holding the second spot with 3,570,000 in chips. In close pursuit are Jovan Kenjic (3,255,000), Natan Chauskin (3,180,000), and Canadian player Jamil Wakil, ending the day with 2,470,000.
EPT Monte Carlo Main Event Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chips
Big Blinds
1
Philipp Wenzelburger
Germany
6,545,000
164
2
Jonathan Guedes
Brazil
3,570,000
89
3
Jovan Kenjic
Serbia
3,255,000
81
4
Natan Chauskin
Belarus
3,180,000
80
5
Jamil Wakil
Canada
2,470,000
62
6
Adrian Mateos
Spain
2,405,000
60
7
Boris Angelov
Bulgaria
2,395,000
60
8
Rania Nasreddine
United States
2,135,000
53
9
Jonathan Pastore
France
2,060,000
52
10
Francisco Benitez
Uruguay
1,845,000
46
11
Derk van Luijk
Netherlands
1,660,000
42
12
Niclas Thumm
Germany
1,430,000
36
13
Jozef Cibicek
Slovakia
1,400,000
35
14
Javier Caballo
Spain
1,105,000
28
15
Nathan Tetart
France
750,000
19
16
David Docherty
United Kingdom
40,000
1
Rania Nasreddine, the last woman standing, held the second-highest chip count on Day 2. However, she started Day 4 with one of the lowest chip stacks, but managed to climb back into the middle of the field. Nasreddine typically plays live poker in the USA and is only on her second tour stop.
David Docherty
David Docherty still clings to the chip-and-a-chair dream after losing almost his entire stack on the final hand of the previous day, attempting a bluff against Adrian Mateos. Docherty was left with just one big blind as the day concluded.
It was Docherty who dealt the final blow to Alexander Seibt, known as "Wolfgang Poker," eliminating him in 18th place, with only one more player remaining before the tournament's temporary conclusion.
Kenjic sealed the end of yesterday's proceedings by sending Vladimir Troyanovskiy to the rail in 17th place.
EPT Monte Carlo Trophy
All players have secured a minimum payout of €40,600, which increases to €48,800 after the first elimination of the day. Today's goal is to play down to the final six players, who will compete tomorrow to determine the champion. Currently, there are 47 minutes and 20 seconds left in level 25, with blinds set at 20,000-40,000 and a big blind ante of 40,000. After this level, the blinds will increase to 25,000/50,000.
You can catch all the live stream action, featuring cards-up coverage and commentary, on the PokerStars YouTube and Twitch channels. PokerNews updates will be posted with a 30-minute security delay to align with the broadcast.
Keep following PokerNews for live updates as the tournament progresses towards the final table.
