€1,100 FPS Main Event | 2023 PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo

04-30-2023 11:17 UTC+1

Final Table Player Profiles: Seat 7: Anatoly Chen, 49, St. Petersburg, Russia - 8,525,000

Andrew Knowles

Anatoly Chen used to be a regular competitor on the EPT circuit. In fact, his first reported live cash came eight years ago here at EPT Monte Carlo. The 22nd place from what was then called the EPT Grand Final remains his best result. But if he fades the earliest exit tomorrow, he'll set his new career-high score.

Chen doesn't worry about that. He said he is just enjoying his time playing poker, for which he didn't have much time in recent years. While the businessman now retired, he laughed when asked if he has time for more hobbies: "I have four children," he explained.

Chen splits time between his hometown St. Petersburg and Barcelona, where he has a house. He's now on the way to Barcelona. Chen said his wife told him not to tell the kids about the live stream. But cards have run through the Chen family DNA anyway. "My grandpa and my dad both played cards," Chen revealed.

Tags: Anatoly Chen

04-30-2023 11:15 UTC+1

Final Table Profiles: Seat 6: Quentin Laugt, 31, Cannes, France, resides in Porto - 10,725,000

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Andrew Knowles

An experienced online grinder, Quentin Laugt started building his live tournament profile here at EPT Monte Carlo. Back in 2014, he scooped his first live cash in the €330 Mini FPS.

Nine years later, the 31-year-old from Cannes will be playing the biggest final table of his career. Laugt already knows how it feels to win a live tournament on the EPT stage --he snagged a spadie in an EPT Malta 2015 turbo side event.

This time, he will be playing for the shard, though. If he ladders one more position, he'll top his best live result, a €42,000 first-place prize from the Mini USDO Cannes 2022. A top-five finish would beat Laught's largest career payday, a €72,000 online paycheck.

Tags: Quentin Laugt

04-30-2023 11:12 UTC+1

Final Table Player Profiles: Seat 5: Maksym Mamon, 41, Zurich, Switzerland - 2,625,000

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Andrew Knowles

You may not find many results when searching for Maksym Mamon's poker pedigree. But make no mistake, Mamon started playing poker about 20 years ago. Mamon is a recreational player; he runs a business at home in Switzerland. But he says he tries to play every week, be it online or live.

"My problem is that it takes so much time, so I can't play too often," Mamon admitted. So he won't stay in Monaco for the EPT part of the festival — the business won't wait. Still, Mamon is looking forward to playing on the live-streamed feature table as he's never experienced that.

He came to Monte Carlo with his family, but it's mostly the sea that draws their attention. "It's the only thing we miss in Switzerland," Mamon said after naming hiking, skiing, and cycling among his hobbies --activities that suit his Swiss address.

Tags: Maksym Mamon

04-30-2023 11:10 UTC+1

Final Table Profiles: Seat 4: Adel Rahou, 32, Marseille, France - 6,550,000

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Andrew Knowles

Encouraged by friends who love live tournaments, it was only last year when Adel Rahou started playing MTTs. A seasoned cash game player, the 32-year-old from Marseille abandoned his favorite format to make waves in live events.

Last year, he was on the last two tables at WSOP Circuit in Cannes. But now he finally got the first final table under his belt. It's no doubt that Rahou will try to capitalize on his live poker experience and the numerous hours he's spent at cash game tables in southern France.

Rahou will enter the final table with a clear goal — to honor his friends, thanks to whom he is now able to battle for a tournament trophy.

Tags: Adel Rahou

04-30-2023 11:07 UTC+1

Final Table Profiles: Seat 3: Daisuke Ogita, 43, Tokyo, Japan - 13,725,000

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Andrew Knowles

Daisuke Ogita picked up poker six years ago. Since then, he's racked up more than $800,000 in live cashes and already knocks on the door of Japan's all-time top 10, according to the Hendon Mob. An outright victory here in the FPS Main Event would push him from 15th to 10th.

Ogita isn't a professional player, though. He works in advertising. But he also likes to travel and combines his trips with poker. The 43-year-old is fresh off winning a spade-shaped trophy; he scooped one on the very last day of EPT Paris after topping the €5k 6-Handed Turbo. So Ogita won't be stressed on the big stage. He's taking it easy, enjoying the run and doesn't worry about the result.

Tags: Daisuke Ogita

04-30-2023 11:04 UTC+1

Final Table Profiles: Seat 2: Stefan Dimitrov, 29, Burgas, Bulgaria - 3,525,000

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Andrew Knowles

Stefan Dimitrov's tournament résumé is modest so far, but that might change very soon. Dimitrov, a 29-year-old poker pro from Burgas, has been mostly grinding spin & go’s. He only started adding tournaments to his sessions lately: "Because they're fun." Dimitrov wouldn't call it a transition; he still focuses on his bread-and-butter game.

But he found tournaments enticing and is already proving to be a versatile player. Dimitrov admits he still struggles to adjust to the live tournament scene. "I'm used to seeing all the numbers on the screen. I like to take time to process things."

That said, Dimitrov has felt that every day at a physical poker table helps him gain the experience required to be able to play his best. It also helps that he likes to play all sorts of sports, from football to tennis. Being in shape comes in handy if he plans to run deep, just like in the FPS Main Event. It won't be his last tournament in Monaco, as he's qualified for the EPT Main Event online at PokerStars.

Tags: Stefan Dimitrov

04-30-2023 11:01 UTC+1

Final Table Profiles: Seat 1: Rubens Sellam, 51, Marseille, France - 2,150,000

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Andrew Knowles

Rubens Sellam arrived at the EPT Monte Carlo this week with his son. And while the son was playing the FPS Cup, his very first live tournament, the father was busy running deep in the FPS Main Event.

The 51-year-old from Marseille is a regular fixture on the FPS circuit. He cashed in the same tournament in 2022, but, with less than $8,500 in total live winnings, tomorrow will be Sellam's biggest payday.

The French amateur was on a nub on the final table, but he bounced back and secured a couple of extra pay jumps. He'll try to do the same again when he enters his first televised final table with fewer than nine big blinds.

Tags: Rubens Sellam

04-30-2023 09:33 UTC+1

A Winner Will Be Crowned In The €1,100 FPS Main Event

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Andrew Knowles

Welcome to the fourth and final day of the €1,100 France Poker Series (FPS) Main Event as part of the 2023 PokerStars European Poker Tour presented by Monte-Carlo Casino®️ at the beautiful Sporting Monte-Carlo. After close to 11 hours of play on Day 3 only eight hopefuls remain in the hunt for FPS glory.

A total of 2,138 entries joined the blue felts over three days of action-packed poker and soon will have a single winner crowned as play kicks off at noon local time.

Slovakia’s Tomas Patka bagged the top stack with 16,350,000 in chips after having a smooth sailing day sitting around the middle of the pack, until the last level of the night when he took a massive multi-way pot with a big river bet that got through, and in the last hand of the evening when he eliminated Maher Achour in ninth place.

€1,100 FPS Main Event Final Table

SEAT	PLAYER	COUNTRY	CHIP COUNT	BIG BLINDS
1	Rubens Sellam	France	2,150,000	9
2	Stefan Dimitrov	Bulgaria	3,525,000	14
3	Daisuke Ogita	Japan	13,725,000	55
4	Adel Rahou	France	6,550,000	26
5	Maksym Mamon	Switzerland	2,625,000	11
6	Quentin Laugt	France	10,725,000	43
7	Anatoly Chen	Russia	8,525,000	34
8	Tomas Patka	Slovakia	16,350,000	65

The action is scheduled to recommence with 21:57 minutes remaining in Level 33 at blinds of 125,000/250,000 and a big blind ante of 250,000.

The biggest slice of the €2,052,480 prize pool is still up for grabs and the eight finalists have locked up a payday of €36,940. However, the prestigious FPS Main Event title and top prize of €307,160 are reserved for the winner.

Remaining Payouts

Place	Prize
1	€307,160
2	€191,940
3	€137,100
4	€105,460
5	€81,130
6	€62,410
7	€48,010
8	€36,940

The final showdown will be broadcasted on a delay of 30 minutes on the PokerStars YouTube and Twitch channels. All PokerNews live updates will be published according to the delayed cards-up coverage.

Tags: Adel Rahou Anatoly Chen Daisuke Ogita Maher Achour Maksym Mamon Maksym Mamon's Quentin Laugt Rubens Sellam So Ogita Stefan Dimitrov Stefan Dimitrov's Tomas Patka