EPT Monte Carlo: Alex Kulev Champions Super High Roller & Yiannis Liperis Ships FPS High Roller

The 2023 PokerStars European Poker Tour presented by Monte-Carlo Casino has crossed the mid-way stage, and two featured tournaments played down to closure recently.

Bulgarian player Alex Kulev navigated the 37-player field in the €100K EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller, a three-day event. This victory represented Kulev’s first major live title and came with a record-breaking €1,036,287 cash prize, getting him past the $2.50 Million mark in live tournament earnings. Belarusian high roller specialist Mikita Badziakouski finished in second place, securing €1,009,853 thanks to a heads-up deal that guaranteed him the seven-figure payday.

Former poker operator Santhosh Suvarna was among the 37 participants who paid the hefty $100K buy-in for the Super High Roller. Suvarna seems to enjoy the thrills of high-stakes poker and has become somewhat of a regular in such nosebleed-stakes tournaments. Even in such small but elite fields, the Indian has tasted decent success, making two standout final table finishes at the prestigious Triton Poker Series. Unfortunately, he faced a harsh exit from the Super High Roller final table, busting on the stone-cold money bubble in seventh place – missing out on a potential €251,300 min-cash.

Another featured tournament, the $2,200 France Poker Series High Roller, has crowned its champion. Cyprus’ top-ranked player, Yiannis Liperis, masterfully navigated the 1,234-player field to claim a career-best €406,670 and his first-ever PokerStars trophy. Returning for an unscheduled third day, Liperis defeated Malaysia’s Sim Kok Wai in a heads-up battle, with Sim taking home €254,350 as the event’s runner-up.

Alex Kulev Champions EPT Monte Carlo €100K Super High Roller For Career-Best €1,036,287

Bulgaria’s Alex Kulev recently hit many career milestones at the 2023 EPT Monte Carlo, all after taking down a 37-entry field in the €100K EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller. The victory marked his first live tournament win, getting him a personal-best €1,036,287 in prize money. Belarusian poker superstar Mikita Badziakouski locked in €1,009,853 as the runner-up, courtesy of an ICM-based heads-up deal.

“I was really fortunate throughout the whole event. This whole occasion is so very special to me. It’s my first big live event, and I love the city, I love PokerStars, and I really appreciate the chance that I get to perform on the stage,” an overjoyed Kulev told reporters after the win.

“I did have the confidence [to win]. But in our game, when especially with this caliber of players that were at this final table, luck plays a major factor. So I just got very lucky in all the right moments,” he modestly added.

Super High Rollers almost invariably bring out poker’s elite players, and Kulev pointed to that challenge as to why he loves playing in these fields.

“That’s one of the main reasons why I played this game. To play against opponents who, you know, are extremely good, and they give me a chance to improve by observing them. The whole challenge is what captivates me and excites me to play,” Kulev said.

The EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller, with a €100,000 buy-in, collected €3,589,740 in the prize pool. The top six finishers walked away with cash prizes.

India’s Santhosh Suvarna, a now regular fixture at the highest stakes, encountered misfortune on the €100K SHR final table after losing a flip to fall on the stone-cold money bubble.

The second shortest among the seven players who entered the final day, Suvarna was the first to exit after moving all-in from UTG with . The defending Monte Carlo SHR champion Adrian Mateos called with from the hijack. It was off to the races, but much to Suvarna`s dismay, the board opened , forcing the Indian out of his seat. He did so in good spirits, exchanging fist-bumps with the remaining competitors on his way out.

Suvarna has established himself as a tournament player of repute, especially in elite fields. In March, the casino operator secured a fourth-place finish in the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Vietnam $75K NLHE, earning $628,000. Last October, he came close to winning his first PokerStars live title in EPT London’s £3,000 Platinum Pass Mystery Bounty, placing runner-up for £96,700.

The final table was stacked with some of the best in the business, like Ben Heath (3rd for €556,400), Artur Martirosian (4th for €412,800), Adrian Mateos (5th for €323,100), and Orpen Kisacikoglu (6th for €251,300).

The final table was live-streamed (on delay) on PokerStars’ YouTube channel. You can watch the replay below.

Final Table Results (EURO)

1. Alex Kulev – €1,036,287*
2. Mikita Badziakouski – €1,009,853*
3. Ben Heath – €556,400
4. Artur Martirosian – €412,800
5. Adrian Mateos – €323,100
6. Orpen Kisacikoglu – €251,300

* denotes a heads-up deal

Yiannis Liperis Dominates FPS High Roller Final Table to Score a Personal-Best €406,670

Cyprus’ top-ranked player, Yiannis Liperis, showcased sheer dominance on the PokerStars European Poker Tour presented by Monte-Carlo €2,200 FPS High Roller final table. He eliminated seven players on the nine-handed final table, busting all six players up against him on the last day to win his first PokerStars trophy and a career-high €406,670, pulling further ahead on his home country`s poker standings.

Yiannis, best known for his back-to-back deep runs in the PokerStars Players Championship in 2019 and 2022, defeated Sim Kok Wai heads-up, the Malaysian player banking €254,350 in second place.

The event set a new tour record by clocking in a massive 1,234 entries, with 182 players assured a share of the €2,369,280 prize pool and a min-cash worth €3,340.

Notables who boarded the money bus but fell short of reaching the final table included WSOP bracelet winners Harry Lodge (169th for €3,340), Boris Kolev (133rd for €3,850), Arnaud Enselme (86th for €5,080), and four-time bracelet winner Dominik Nitsche (63rd for €5,840).

The final table included pros from across the globe, like Candido Cappiello (3rd for €181,680), Weiran Pu (4th for €139,750), Marco Regonaschi (5th for €107,500), Walter Ripper (6th for €82,690), Paolo Boi (7th for €63,610), WSOP bracelet winner Enrico Camosci (8th for €48,920) and Tom Orpaz (9th for €37,630).

Final Table Results (EURO)

1. Yiannis Liperis – €406,670
2. Sim Kok Wai – €254,350
3. Candido Cappiello – €181,680
4. Weiran Pu – €139,750
5. Marco Regonaschi – €107,500
6. Walter Ripper – €82,690
7. Paolo Boi – €63,610
8. Enrico Camosci – €48,920
9. Tom Orpaz – €37,630

Content & Images Courtesy: PokerNews

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