Former champion Eychenne leads the final 48 of the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event.

2025 EPT Barcelona champion Thomas Eychenne leads with 1.846 million chips after Day 3 of the EPT Monte Carlo €5,300 Main Event, followed closely by Mehdi Chaoui. The fourth day features 48 players, with the champion receiving €825,000.

Less than a year after Thomas Eychenne's iconic victory at the 2025 EPT Barcelona Main Event, the Frenchman is preparing to make it to the deep rounds again.

After Day 3 of the 2026 EPT Monte Carlo €5,300 Main Event, Eychenne leads the pack, continuing his pursuit of the coveted EPT trophy and the €825,000 winner's prize.

The top ten chip stacks at the end of the third day

Eychenne was one of 48 survivors who emerged from a field of 1,011 entries in the Sporting Monte-Carlo tournament that evening. He will spend a huge sum of money... 1,846,000 The chips were bagged, and when the tournament resumed, they were equivalent to more than 150 big blinds.

 

Ranking	player	country	Chip quantity	Big Blind
1	Thomas Eychenne	France	1,846,000	154
2	Mehdi Chaoui	Morocco	1,686,000	141
3	Ognyan Dimov	Bulgaria	1,634,000	136
4	Raul Mestre	Spain	1,627,000	136
5	Leonard Maue	Germany	1,236,000	103
6	Stanislav Anufriiev	Ukraine	1,103,000	92
7	Boris Kolev	Bulgaria	1,058,000	88
8	Miroslav Rizov	Bulgaria	1,044,000	87
9	Derk van Luijk	Netherlands	963,000	80
10	Longmao Fan	China	935,000	78

Mehdi Chaoui, the all-time leader in Morocco's prize money rankings, also had a great day, sitting in second place with 1,686,000 chips. He's followed by 2015 EPT Deauville champion Ognyan Dimov (1,634,000 chips) and Team PokerStars' Raul Mestre. Mestre made a spectacular heroic call during his run to the next round, ultimately accumulating 1,627,000 chips.

Leonard Maue, the 2023 EPT Monte Carlo runner-up, and Derk van Luijk, the 2024 champion, both finished Day 3 with top-ten chip stacks, hoping to relive their success at this legendary venue and aim for a larger share of the €4,903,350 total prize pool.

The remaining players were no less skilled than the top ten. Dimitar Danchev and Jason Wheeler recorded their 21st and 20th cashes in the EPT Main Event, respectively. Both advanced to Day 4, with Danchev boasting 340,000 chips and Wheeler pocketing 508,000. High-stakes prodigy Bernhard Binder finished the night with 740,000 chips, while Rodrigo Selouan, who started the day as chip leader, finished with 547,000 chips after a tough day. Meanwhile, Benny Glaser and Joao Vieira were among the shorter stacks, entering Day 4 with 278,000 and 105,000 chips, respectively.

On the other hand, Christophe Benzimra, the 2009 EPT Warsaw champion (151st place – €9,200), was the first player eliminated on Day 3. Shortly after, fellow champion Hossein Ensan and PokerStars ambassador Maria Konnikova also won the same amount. David Lappin, making his debut as a member of the Red Spade team in the EPT Main Event, finished in 74th place, earning €12,150. Finnish poker legend Juha Helppi, after a crucial showdown with Eychenne, became one of the last players eliminated that night, finishing in 55th place and earning €16,100.

The remaining 48 players have already secured the same amount of prize money, which will jump to €18,500 when 39 players remain. A six-figure prize awaits the first seven finishers, while reaching the final table guarantees €99,450.

Remaining bonus distribution

The fourth day of the tournament will begin tomorrow (Friday, May 8th) at 12:00 PM local time. Blinds will start at level 20: 6,000/12,000, with a big blind ante of 12,000. Five more 90-minute levels are expected. There will be a short break after each level, and the day's tournament is expected to conclude around 9:00 PM local time.

PokerNews will return to the field at the start of Day 4, so please come back and follow the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event as it enters its crucial final stages.

Common Mistakes Review: Why Do You Keep Losing? The Problem Lies Here

Most players lose money not because of luck, but because they repeat the same mistakes.

These debriefings will help you identify the most common mistakes and understand how to correct them:
Why does constantly calling cause you to lose money?
[Bluff Imbalance] What are the costs of excessive bluffing?
Why do you always lose on the last street? [Never fold]
[Slow Play Error] Why do I lose big pots when I play slowly?
What's the problem with betting too small?
Why do people lose money when they bet too much?
[Emotional Issues] How do emotions affect your decision-making?
[Range Misjudgment] Analysis of Errors Caused by a Lack of Understanding of Range
[Location Ignore] What are the consequences of ignoring location?
[Misinterpreting People] The Impact of Misinterpreting an Opponent's Behavior

Avoiding mistakes is more important than learning new skills. By reviewing these common mistakes, you can quickly identify your weaknesses, correct your decision-making habits, and reduce unnecessary losses.

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