Derk Van Luijk Wins 2024 European Poker Tour Monte Carlo Main Event

This 12 months’s operating of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Monte Carlo €5,300 no-limit maintain’em most important occasion attracted 1,208 entries, the most important turnout but for this storied occasion. This marks the fourth total time that the match has drawn a discipline of over a thousand entries, together with every of the final 3 times it was held. The report turnout resulted in a prize pool price practically $6.3 million. After every week of motion, the sphere was narrowed right down to a single participant: Derk van Luijk.

The 43-year-old Dutchman was practically out the door in eighth place, however managed to win an all-in with A-J trailing pocket aces to remain alive late on day 5, and in the end walked away with the title and the highest prize of $1,080,000 the next night.

“I still can’t realize it. I’m serious, it’s amazing,” Van Luijk informed PokerStars reporters.

This was far and away the most important recorded rating but for Van Luijk, blowing away the $101,053 he secured for a win in a 2022 EPT Barcelona €2,200 facet occasion. He now has greater than $1.3 million in recorded earnings to his identify after this marquee title run.

Van Luijk additionally earned 1,920 Card Player Player of the Year factors because the champion of this occasion. This was his first POY-qualified rating of the 12 months, nevertheless it alone was adequate to catapult him up the rankings and into thirty eighth place on the 2024 POY leaderboard introduced by Global Poker.

The high 176 finishers made the cash on this occasion, with large names like Dan Smith (twenty ninth), Mustapha Kanit (twenty sixth), and 2015 champion of this occasion Adrian Mateos (eleventh) amongst those that ran deep.

The last day started with Boris Angelov within the lead and Van Luijk sitting in sixth chip place among the many remaining seven contenders. Angelov received a preflop race to eradicate Jonathan Guedes (seventh – $167,292). He added to his lead once more when his pocket kings got here from behind towards the A-8 suited of Niclas Thumm, who had flopped journey aces after committing most of his stack preflop. Angelov rivered kings full to ship Thumm packing in sixth place ($217,080).

Bracelet winner Jonathan Pastore was the following the autumn. His high pair high kicker couldn’t fade the 2 overcards and open-ended straight draw of Angelov, who rivered a pair of queens to earn his third knockout of the day. Pastore earned $282,636 because the fifth-place finisher, his third-largest rating but.

Van Luijk turned the primary participant aside from Angelov to ship somebody to the rail when his pocket jacks held towards the A-Okay of Jovan Kenjic (4th – $367,740). Despite successful the essential flip, he remained the brief stack heading into three-handed motion.

Rania Nasreddine and Van Luijk squared off in an enormous pot that catapulted Van Luijk into the lead. With a board of J435 Van Luijk guess 3,000,000 into an already sizable pot with J10. Nasreddine shoved and Van Luijk referred to as for 8,450,000. Nasreddine confirmed 54 for 2 pair and the lead, however the 10 on the river gave Van Luijk a better two pair and the double up.

Nasreddine was left with simply three large blinds after the hand and was quickly eradicated in third place ($478,332). The World Series of Poker Circuit ring winner from Tulsa, Oklahoma now has practically $1.1 million in profession earnings after this enormous outcome.

Heads-up play started with Van Luijk holding greater than a 2:1 lead over Angelov, with the shorter stack nonetheless on practically 40 large blinds. The two went on to battle it out for a number of hours, with loads of swings alongside the way in which. Van Luijk was forward when he picked up AQ on the button and limped. Angelov shoved for 13 large blinds with Okay7 and Van Luijk rapidly referred to as. The board got here down QJ439 and Angelov was eradicated in second place ($670,140). The Bulgarian now has greater than $1.2 million in lifetime cashes to his identify.

Here is a have a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the last desk:

Photo credit: Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd. / Manuel Kovsca.