On Day 5 of the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event, Bernhard Binder leads the pack with 7.25 million chips as he enters the final table, closely followed by PokerStars ambassador Raul Mestre with 4.525 million chips. The eight finalists will compete for the €825,000 champion's prize.
Generally, the penultimate day of the EPT Main Event is tense, with chip leads constantly changing hands. If this was the expected script for Day 5 of this year's EPT Monte Carlo €5,300 Main Event, then clearly no one told Bernhard Binder. The Austrian player led from start to finish, maintaining his starting chip lead until the end of the day.
Binder will be 7,250,000 He entered the final day with a chip stack that led second-place Raul Mestre by more than 20 big blinds. The PokerStars team pro bagged 4,525,000 chips.
However, Binder was clearly unaffected by the big stage; he eliminated all four opponents that day and remained at the top of the leaderboard for almost the entire day. Although his lead narrowed for a moment later in the day due to some unfavorable hands, this situation did not last long, and he remained calm throughout.
"That's tournament poker for you, there are always ups and downs," Binder told PokerNews after bagging his chips that night. "You just have to adjust to the new situation; that's all you can do."
EPT Monte Carlo Main Event Final Table Seating Draw
| seat | player | country | Chip quantity | Big Blind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Malpelli | France | 2,300,000 | 18 |
| 2 | Bernhard Binder | Austria | 7,250,000 | 58 |
| 3 | Roman Stoica | Moldova | 3,200,000 | 26 |
| 4 | Samuel Ju | Germany | 4,000,000 | 32 |
| 5 | Longmao Fan | China | 2,475,000 | 20 |
| 6 | David Djian | France | 3,625,000 | 29 |
| 7 | Oshri Lahmani | Israel | 2,950,000 | 24 |
| 8 | Raul Mestre | Spain | 4,525,000 | 36 |
Day 5 Match Results
Only 20 players returned to participate in the penultimate day of the tournament, and the atmosphere was tense from the start. Chips were flying everywhere, and bad beats occurred at an alarming rate.
In the very first hand of the day, Miguel Franco was practically forced to leave the table as soon as he sat down. He went all-in pre-flop with a short stack, seemingly in a winning position, but ultimately finished the tournament in 20th place with a bad beat.
At another table, Ognyan Dimov's luck was on the other side of the coin, as he miraculously survived the river with only two live cards left.
However, the ugliest early showdown of the day was yet to come. Laurent Polito played a pivotal hand that would determine his fate in the tournament. He went all-in pre-flop with pocket aces, but his opponent eventually came up with four jacks, leaving the Frenchman with less than a small blind. Shortly after, he was eliminated in 19th place.
In summary, by the end of the first level, a quarter of the returning players had been eliminated, including Mehdi Chaoui (17th place). By the second break, with Day 2 chip leader Rodrigo Selouan (14th place), the last remaining former EPT Main Event champion Ognyan Dimov (13th place), and EPT Main Event regular Jason Wheeler (11th place) all out of the game, the number of players had dwindled to just 11.
Next, Xavier Cortazar was also eliminated. He had survived earlier by hitting four of a kind, but this time he couldn't pull off another miracle. Once again, he paid a heavy price in his pre-flop battle, finishing in 10th place, just one step away from the final table.
With the final table lineup finalized, one player was eliminated before the end of the day. Unsurprisingly, chip leader Binder eliminated Leonard Maue in 9th place, leaving only eight players with their chips in hand, awaiting the final day.
Every returning player is now guaranteed a prize of €99,450. After the next elimination, all remaining players will receive a six-figure prize.
Of course, all players will have their eyes firmly on the €825,000 prize money for the champion, as well as the golden trophy and the unparalleled glory of winning the EPT Main Event.
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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