Welcome to Day 1a of the 2019 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino €5,300 EPT Main Event
At 12 p.m. local time, the flagship event of the 2019 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino European Poker Tour (EPT) festival kicks off at the Monte-Carlo Sporting and the Salle des Etoiles will feature poker enthusiasts from near and far in their pursuit to become the latest EPT Main Event champion.
Since 2005, the European Poker Tour has been visiting the home of the rich and famous on the French Riviera and the winner's list features some of the biggest names of the international poker circuit in Jeff Williams, Gavin Griffin, Mohsin Charania, Adrian Mateos, Steve O'Dwyer and Jan Bendik.
One year ago, it was French driving school instructor Nicolas Dumont that won his entry for the €5,300 Main Event by chance and defeated a field of 777 entries to lift the trophy. Dumont defeated New Zealand's Honglin Jiang in heads-up and claimed a top prize of €712,000 for his efforts, becoming the first Frenchman to win the elusive title in the Municipality of Monaco.
History of the EPT in Monte-Carlo at a Glance
| Year | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | Top Prize (in EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 211 | € 1,983,400 | Rob Hollink | Netherlands | € 635,000 |
| 2006 | 298 | € 2,801,200 | Jeff Williams | United States | € 900,000 |
| 2007 | 706 | € 6,636,400 | Gavin Griffin | United States | € 1,825,010 |
| 2008 | 842 | € 8,420,000 | Glen Chorny | Canada | € 2,020,000 |
| 2009 | 935 | € 9,350,000 | Pieter de Korver | Netherlands | € 2,300,000 |
| 2010 | 848 | € 8,480,000 | Nicolas Chouity | Lebanon | € 1,700,000 |
| 2012 | 665 | € 6,650,000 | Mohsin Charania | United States | € 1,350,000 |
| 2013 | 531 | € 5,310,000 | Steve O'Dwyer | Ireland | € 1,224,000 |
| 2014 | 650 | € 6,500,000 | Antonio Buonanno | Italy | € 1,240,000 |
| 2015 | 564 | € 5,640,000 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | € 1,082,000 |
| 2016 | 1098 | € 5,325,300 | Jan Bendik | Slovakia | € 961,800 |
| 2017 | 727 | € 3,525,950 | Raffaele Sorrentino | Italy | € 466,714 |
| 2018 | 777 | € 3,768,450 | Nicolas Dumont | France | € 712,000 |
The €5,300 Main Event will feature two starting days and players can enter as many times to take a shot at the title. The single re-entry option can be taken advantage of on Day 1a, Day 1b or before the start of Day 2 and the registration officially closes when the cards get back in the air for Day 2 on Wednesday, May 1st, 2019.
Each Day 1 will play a total of 10 levels of 60 minutes each and there will be a break every two levels including a dinner break after the sixth level. The tournament will feature the new popular big blind ante format and a 30-second shot clock will be implemented at the start of Day 3 and until the tournament comes to a conclusion.
Day 1 Level Structure
| Level | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 100 | |
| 2 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 3 | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 4 | 100 | 300 | 300 |
| 5 | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 6 | 200 | 500 | 500 |
| 7 | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 8 | 400 | 800 | 800 |
| 9 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 10 | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor to provide continued updates until a champion is crowned with highlight articles provided by the PokerStars Blog team, and the action will also be streamed live with hole cards displayed as of Day 2.