Welcome to Day 1a of the 2018 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo©Casino EPT €5,300 Main Event
After a one year hiatus under the umbrella of the PokerStars Championship, the popular European Poker Tour returns to the Cote d'Azur for the 12th time and the flagship event of the 2018 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo©Casino EPT festival is the €5,300 Main Event.
In its history, the biggest-ever prize in the history of the tour was awarded in Monaco when Pieter de Korver took home €2,300,000 back in 2009. Some of the biggest names in poker were competing year after year for the prestigious title at Le Sporting complex with Steve O'Dwyer and Adrian Mateos featuring in the winner's spotlight previously.
Defending champion of the EPT Main Event title in Monaco is Slovakia's Jan Bendik, while 2017 PokerStars Championship presented by Monte-Carlo©Casino Main Event winner Raffaele Sorrentino will be back for another shot at a title after qualifying online for the event.
PokerStars and Monte-Carlo©Casino EPT Main Event history at a glance
| Year | Buy-In | Players | Prize Pool | Winner | First-Place Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | €10,000 | 211 | €1,983,400 | Rob Hollink (Netherlands) | €635,000 |
| 2006 | €10,000 | 298 | €2,801,200 | Jeff Williams (USA) | €900,000 |
| 2007 | €10,000 | 706 | €6,636,400 | Gavin Griffin (USA) | €1,825,010 |
| 2008 | €10,600 | 842 | €8,420,000 | Glen Chorny (Canada) | €2,020,000 |
| 2009 | €10,600 | 935 | €9,350,000 | Pieter De Korver (Netherlands) | €2,300,000 |
| 2010 | €10,600 | 848 | €8,480,000 | Nicolas Chouity (Lebanon) | €1,700,000 |
| 2012 | €10,600 | 665 | €6,650,000 | Mohsin Charania (USA) | €1,350,000 |
| 2013 | €10,600 | 531 | €5,310,000 | Steve O'Dwyer (Ireland) | €1,224,000 |
| 2014 | €10,600 | 650 | €6,500,000 | Antonio Buonanno (Italy) | €1,240,000 |
| 2015 | €10,600 | 564 | €5,640,000 | Adrian Mateos (Spain) | €1,082,000 |
| 2016 | €5,300 | 1,098 | €5,325,300 | Jan Bendik (Slovakia) | €961,800 |
There have been a few changes to the structure and nature of the EPT Main Event, as each Day 1 will now feature a total of 10 levels of 60 minutes each with a break every two levels and a 75-minute dinner break at the end of the sixth level. The tournament will feature the new and popular big blind ante format and 30-second shot clocks will be introduced at the start of Day 2.
The registration will close when the cards get back underway for Day 2 and the players can take advantage of a single re-entry option during the registration period, a maximum of two total entries are permitted. Action for Day 1a of the €5,300 Main Event kicks off at 12 p.m. noon local time and the PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor to provide all the action.