Oya Eyes Second €25,000 Title of 2024 EPT Monte Carlo
The 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Monte Carlo at Sporting Monte-Carlo enters its final day today, with 24 players returning for Day 3 of the €25,000 EPT High Roller.
The event attracted an impressive 247 entrants, the field comprising some of the most accomplished players in the world, generating a prize pool of €5,930,470. All 24 players remaining are guaranteed a payday of €58,700, but all will have designs on the first-place prize of €1,253,070.
Players such as Sam Grafton, Damian Salas and Mustapha Kanit all started Day 2 but departed before the money.
After a lengthy bubble, the unfortunate Aliaksandr Shylko was the last player to leave empty-handed, being essentially forced all-in with his short-stack.
Following Day 2's conclusion, Japanese crusher Masashi Oya bagged the overall chip lead, taking through an impressive total of 1,290,000 for the final day.
Oya has had a fantastic festival here in Monte Carlo, taking the title in Event #25, €25,000 No Limit Hold'em for €504,300, and then finishing second in Event #35, €25,000 No Limit Hold'em for €403,240.
Oya put on a top-quality performance from start to finish, while he and fellow big stack Daniel Rezaei clashed repeatedly on the bubble, where many players would have chosen to avoid such confrontations. Both players were seeking to establish table dominance on the bubble and take advantage of that scenario, and neither player was willing to back down, despite the potential risks to their own title aspirations.
Sergey Lebedev (965,000) and Andras Nemeth (955,000) complete the top three, trailing Oya by over 20 big blinds.
Start of Day 3 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Masashi Oya | Japan | 1,290,000 | 86 |
| 2 | Sergey Lebedev | Russia | 965,000 | 64 |
| 3 | Andras Nemeth | Hungary | 955,000 | 64 |
| 4 | Mauricio Sanchez | Colombia | 955,000 | 64 |
| 5 | Daniel Rezaei | Austria | 875,000 | 58 |
| 6 | Felipe Boianovsky | Brazil | 805,000 | 54 |
| 7 | Lander Lijo | Spain | 805,000 | 54 |
| 8 | Kayhan Mokri | Norway | 705,000 | 47 |
| 9 | Arsenii Karmatckii | Russia | 605,000 | 40 |
| 10 | Elias Gutierrez | Spain | 540,000 | 36 |
Details of the remaining payouts to be claimed are listed below.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | € 1,253,070 | 10 – 11 | € 135,700 |
| 2 | € 782,900 | 12-13 | € 118,000 |
| 3 | € 559,200 | 14-15 | € 102,600 |
| 4 | € 430,200 | 16-17 | € 89,200 |
| 5 | € 330,990 | 18-20 | € 77,600 |
| 6 | € 258,400 | 21-23 | € 67,400 |
| 7 | € 215,400 | 24 | € 58,700 |
| 8 | € 179,500 | ||
| 9 | € 156,100 |
The final 24 players will return at 12:00 p.m. local time to 60-minute levels to do battle for the trophy. Action will resume at Level 21 with blinds of 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 big blind ante.
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for all your the coverage of what is guaranteed to be an action-packed day as we crown a champion here in Monte Carlo.