Jason Koon Wins €1,000,000 in EPT Monte Carlo High Roller Showdown

mrinal-gujare
By Mrinal Gujare
08 May 2026
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Mrinal Gujare 08 May 2026
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  • Jason Koon wins €1M winner-take-all Sit & Go at EPT Monte Carlo.
  • Main Event prize pool reaches €4.9M; 151 players guaranteed payouts.
  • Competition remains fierce with top pros still in contention.
Jason Koon
Images Credit: Danny Maxwell/Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd
Jason Koon secured a €1,000,000 prize after winning a nine-player winner-take-all Sit & Go at EPT Monte Carlo. Meanwhile, the Main Event reached the money bubble with 151 players remaining, led by Rodrigo Selouan heading into the third day of play.

The European Poker Tour (EPT) stop in Monte Carlo witnessed a unique high-stakes battle on Wednesday as Jason Koon emerged victorious in a specialized winner-take-all Sit & Go. 

Nine of the most accomplished figures in the poker world each put up a €100,000 buy-in to participate in the high-intensity event.

Originally, tournament organizers intended to broadcast a standard cash game stream. However, the participating players intervened to request a change in the format. 

PokerStars agreed to the modification, pivoting the event to a Sit & Go structure that offered a massive seven-figure payout to the lone survivor.

The competition featured a formidable lineup of talent, often described as a murderer’s row of high-stakes experts. The nine participants included:
  • Jason Koon
  • Stephen Chidwick
  • Mikita Badziakouski
  • Ben Tollerene
  • Kayhan Mokri
  • Daniel Dvoress
  • Aleksejs Ponakovs
  • Patrik Antonius
  • Artur Martirosian

According to data compiled by industry professional Garry Gates, the combined career earnings of these nine individuals totals $429,609,824.

To further elevate the stakes, PokerStars added €100,000 to the prize pool, resulting in a total winner-take-all prize of €1,000,000. Because no other positions received a payout, traditional Independent Chip Model (ICM) parameters were non-existent. 

This structure allowed the players to compete with a level of freedom and aggression rarely seen in standard tournament settings, leading to a highly competitive atmosphere where every move was aimed at total chip accumulation.

In addition to the high-stakes Sit & Go, the EPT Monte Carlo €5,300 buy-in Main Event continued its progression. 

The tournament drew 1,011 entries, generating a total prize pool of €4,903,350. The second day of play concluded with the bursting of the money bubble, marking the transition into the payout phase for the remaining field.

Morgan Aceto became the tournament’s "bubble boy" in a dramatic hand where he was forced all-in for his final 1,000 chip. His J-6 was unable to overcome the K-K held by Fabian Berraboukha. Following his exit, the remaining 151 players were guaranteed at least €9,200 in prize money.

As play moves into the third day, Brazilian player Rodrigo Selouan sits atop the leaderboard with a stack of 933,000 chips. He is closely followed by Team PokerStars Pro Raul Mestre, who bagged 868,000.

The field remains highly competitive, with five former EPT Main Event champions still in contention for the €825,000 top prize, including Thomas Eychenne, Ognyan Dimov, and Hossein Ensan.

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