The action began when Nicola Grieco raised to 300,000 from early position. David McConachie considered going all in but ultimately folded. Sergi Reixach, in the small blind, went all in. Grieco hesitated briefly before calling, revealing A♥A♣. Reixach laughed and showed K♦K♣.
The board of 6♣A♠9♥3♠2♠ offered no assistance to Reixach, and he was eliminated in eighth place.
Adrian State opened to 400,000 in middle position and called quickly once Javier Fernandez shoved from the small blind.
Adrian State: A♦10♦
Javier Fernandez: K♣K♦
Fernandez was in a commanding position after the 3♠7♥8♠ flop and Q♠ turn. State then celebrated as the A♣ river gave him top pair, cracking kings to earn the double up.
After Javier Fernandez went all in for his remaining 800,000 chips, Jamie Flynn decided to make a three-bet to 1,500,000. David McConachie and Mohamed Mehalleg asked for a count as they considered calling, but both folded, leading to a showdown:
Javier Fernandez: A♣2♠
Jamie Flynn: A♠Q♦
Flynn flopped two pair on 8♠A♥Q♥ and there was no more help for Fernandez on the turn and river 4♠6♦.
Adrian State called the all in from Mohamed Mehalleg in the small blind, leaving Nicola Grieco with the option to join the action. Grieco ultimately decided to fold.
State revealed 10♠10♣ and Mehalleg, at risk, expressed displeasure as he showed 7♦7♣.
The board failed to improve Mehalleg's hand, displaying 9♣A♥6♣A♠J♠. Mehalleg had made several good decisions throughout the day, but this last one ultimately led to his exit.
David McConachie shoved from the cutoff for a bit more than 1,000,000 and was called by Jamie Flynn in the big blind who had a covering stack to put McConachie at risk.
David McConachie: 7♣7♦
Jamie Flynn: A♣A♠
"I need my one time here," McConachie declared before the board was dealt. He found no help on the 5♠2♠5♣3♦Q♦ runout and was sent to the rail in fifth place.
The action commenced when Jamie Flynn raised to 500,000 from the button. Romain Lewis went all in from the small blind, prompting Adrian State, seated in the big blind, to ask the dealer for a count. Ultimately, State not only called the 2,700,000 from Lewis but also went all in himself. Flynn folded, leading to a showdown:
Romain Lewis: 10♥10♦
Adrian State: A♦Q♥
There was no sweat for Adrian as the queen showed as the first card the dealer turned on the flop of Q♠J♠4♥. The 3♠ turn brought the flush draw, but no one had a spade, so the 4♣ on the river sealed the deal and sent Lewis to the rail.
After briefly discussing an ICM deal, Flynn proposed dealing, but State declined, saying, "Let's play." Both sportsmen shook hands, and the tournament continued.
In the very first hand after that, State went all in against Flynn's open-raise, and Flynn called.
Adrian State: 9♥8♣
Jamie Flynn: 7♠7♣
"Let's flip it," State said to his friend, who was at the rail.
The flop revealed 7♦3♥10♥. "Not too bad," State's friend claimed.
The turn showed a K♠, and State eagerly awaited a jack on the river. Although no jack appeared, the 6♦ completed State's straight draw. He doubled up, taking a 2:1 chip lead.
After a prolonged back-and-forth, both players went all in before the flop.
Jamie Flynn: J♥10♥
Adrian State: 9♣9♦
With Flynn trailing, there was no assistance from the board, which showed A♠2♦8♣3♥3♦. Flynn finished in second place for €145,530. As a small consolation, Flynn managed to draw two of the three remaining €5,000 bounties.
The €3,000 Mystery Bounty event at Sporting Monte-Carlo, part of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Monte Carlo, was quite the ride with 743 entries creating a prize pool of €1,274,988 in addition to €743,000 in bounties.
Adrian State seized the top spot and the trophy after a thrilling journey, collecting the top prize of €232,898 along with €45,000 in bounties. Despite starting the day second in chips and slipping to third at the final table, State battled through some tough hands early on. But he didn't back down. Instead, he fought tooth and nail, overcoming challenges one by one. Notably, he outlasted contenders like Jamie Flynn, who was making steady progress throughout.
When they reached heads-up, Flynn and State briefly discussed an ICM deal. Flynn had almost double the chips of State, but State opted to play for the win, a decision that paid off. Just one hand later, he doubled up, and after a lengthy back-and-forth in the heads-up phase, he ultimately emerged victorious.
Although State is far from being an unknown face at live stops, according to The Hendon Mob, this is also his biggest career win. Upon realizing his victory, he became very emotional and was able to share his joy with his friends.
Adrian State
€3,000 Mystery Bounty Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize (EUR)
Bounties
Total Earnings
1
Adrian State
Romania
€232,898
€45,000
€277,898
2
Jamie Flynn
Ireland
€145,530
€15,000
€160,530
3
Nicola Grieco
Italy
€103,950
€14,000
€117,950
4
Romain Lewis
France
€79,950
€13,000
€92,950
5
David McConachie
United Kingdom
€61,510
€9,000
€70,510
6
Mohamed Mehalleg
France
€47,310
€47,310
7
Javier Fernandez
Spain
€36,400
€33,000
€69,400
8
Sergi Reixach
Spain
€28,000
€27,000
€55,000
9
Gediminas Uselis
Lithuania
€21,530
€7,000
€28,530
When it came to pulling bounties, Yiannis Liperis and Ghassan Bitar snagged the two largest ones, each worth €75,000, adding an extra payday as both players cashed in the event.
In second place for most collected bounties was finalist Sergi Reixach with nine, two of them worth €10,000 each. Reixach went on to finish in eighth place.
EPT Mystery Bounty
16 players returned to the felt for Day 3 of the €3,000 Mystery Bounty. With all the top bounties already claimed on the previous day, the tournament was set to play out like a freezeout.
In the first two hours of play, seven players were eliminated, leading to the final table being reached. Mathieu Di Meglio, who started third in chips, finished in 11th place. Paul Runcan was the final table bubble.
Nicola Grieco
Nicola Grieco, who secured third place, showed impressive consistency throughout the tournament. He kicked off the day as the chip leader and held onto that position until the final three. Grieco's bold moves paid dividends, with few losses incurred. Widely seen as a favorite at the table, Grieco eventually exited in third place after gradually losing his chips to Flynn and State.
Jamie Flynn
Flynn, who finished second, dominated the final day by eliminating most of the players from the tournament and collecting their bounties. In total, he secured five bounties. Flynn consistently built a solid stack throughout the day, steering clear of any major errors or situations that could have jeopardized his chip count. One of his most memorable hands was likely when he had trips jacks against another player's trips jacks, securing victory with the better kicker.
The heads-up battle between Flynn and State lasted for nearly another hour. Both players displayed a strong determination, refusing to concede anything to the other and maintaining a fair and competitive spirit throughout the tournament. At various points, they were almost evenly matched in chips, highlighting the intensity of the competition. Ultimately, State emerged victorious, claiming the title much to his delight.
Adrian State
With that, PokerNews wraps up its coverage of the event. Stay tuned for further updates from Monte Carlo, including the conclusion of the EPT Main Event.
