After five days of intense action at the Monte-Carlo Casino, just six players remain with the opportunity to claim the title of 2023 PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo Main Event champion. The turnout was impressive, tying the record for the largest EPT Monte Carlo in PokerStars history (with 2016) as 1098 entries put up the €5,300 buy-in to generate a prize pool of €5,325,300 (~ $5.87 million) and a first-place prize of €890,000 (~ $981,136).
After the UK’s Leo Worthington-Lesse flopped a set and held against a flush draw to knock out tournament pro Jason Wheeler in seventh place (€139,150), he assumed the chip lead headed into the final table with 82 big blinds. However, right behind him is the table headliner, prolific tournament crusher Mike Watson who finished the day second in chips with 81 big blinds and a virtual lifetime of big-time final table experience.
No matter what happens, the final six are guaranteed to walk away with a significant score of no less than €180,900 (~ $200,000) which for half of them will set a new mark for their biggest live score of all time.
Let’s check out the final six of the 2023 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event.
Leo Worthington-Lesse | 8,270,000 (82 bb)
Nationality: United Kingdom
Lifetime Live Earnings: $541,784
Largest Live Cash: $62,399 (5th place, 2019 €550 Battle of Malta Main Event)
Other Prominent Scores: 8th place 2019 WPT UK/partypoker LIVE $3,300 for $46,000; 1st place WPT Cambodia $650 Mega Stack for $23,699
No doubt about it, this is a big spot for Leo Lesse. The U.K. grinder and final table chip leader has put himself in a position to not only have a career-defining win but add on to what is already a new high score.
Lesse has experience, with more than a decade of live results. However, his average buy-in is typically under $1,000, making this €5,300 one of the biggest buy-in events of his career. In limited larger buy-in events he has taken shots at in the past, he’s produced results, including a 57th-place finish in the 2017 WSOP Europe Main Event in Rozvadov and an ITM finish at the 2019 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas. While he hasn’t exactly been here before, he’s got a ton of live poker experience and perhaps this is the culmination of all his previous efforts.
End of Day 1 chip count: 97,500
End of Day 2 chip count: 506,000
End of Day 3 chip count: 985,000
End of Day 4 chip count: 2,920,000 (4th in chips)
Name: Mike Watson | 8,135,000 (81 bb)
Nationality: Canada
Lifetime Live Earnings: $18,583,194 (45th All-Time)
Largest Live Cash: $1,673,770 (1st place, 2008 WPT Bellagio Cup IV for $1,673,770)
Other Prominent Scores: 1st place 2012 $51,000 WSOP Europe ‘Majestic Roller’ for $1,304,648; 1st place 2016 PokerStars $5,300 PCA Main Event for $728,325; 1st place 2023 Triton Super High Roller Vietnam $50,000 Short Deck for $695,000
It’s never really a surprise to see Mike Watson making a run in a major tournament. By most accounts, the Canadian is one of the most accomplished tournament players of all time. Whether live or online, if Watson’s in the mix he’s a threat to win it all – no matter the stakes. He has more than $18 million in live earnings and no less than $12 million in lifetime online earnings and, for a time, was a fixture in the Online Poker Top 10 rankings on a weekly basis.
What’s there to say? He’s got two seven-figure scores on his live resume with results dating back to 2006 and simply too many six-figure scores to count. He’s the most experienced player at the table and is the only one who has really been in this situation before. Should Watson take home the EPT Monte Carlo trophy, he’ll be able to place that right next to his 2016 PokerStars PCA Main Event trophy as he joins the extremely exclusive club of two-time EPT champions.
End of Day 1 chip count: 31,000
End of Day 2 chip count: 675,000 (5th in chips)
End of Day 3 chip count: 1,280,000 (6th in chips)
End of Day 4 chip count: 2,020,000 (8th in chips)
Name: Joachim Haraldstad | 5,130,000 (51 bb)
Nationality: Norway
Lifetime Live Earnings: $616,353
Largest Live Cash: $289,630 (5th place, 2022 WSOP $10,000 PLO 8-Handed Championship)
Other Prominent Scores: 5th place, 2023 EPT Paris €2,100 Mystery Bounty for $68,344; 1st place 2021 Norwegian Poker Championships for $62,958; 2nd place 2013 WPT National Dublin for $62,154
Norway’s Joachim Haraldstad could prove to be a dangerous player at the final table with a decade’s worth of scattered live experience and a robust online WSOP resume. Haraldstad started Day 4 as the overall chip leader and, essentially, kept the ship steady by finishing the day with more than 50 big blinds.
His largest live cash may not be of the No Limit Hold’em variety, but one of his largest online cashes certainly is. He finished in 6th place in the 2021 WSOP Super Millions High Roller on GGPoker for more than $276,000 and, just as importantly, faced off at that final table against legends like Erik Seidel, Isaac Baron, and Thomas Muhlocker giving him experience he can rely on a big pressure situation like this.
End of Day 1 chip count: –
End of Day 2 chip count: 314,000
End of Day 3 chip count: 675,000
End of Day 4 chip count: 5,635,000 (chip leader)
Name: Leonard Maue | 4,405,000 (44bb)
Nationality: Germany
Lifetime Live Earnings: $2,123,456
Largest Live Cash: $670,527 (1st place, 2022 EPT Barcelona €25,000 NLHE)
Other Prominent Scores: 4th place 2019 WSOP $10K 6-Handed Championship for $174,252; 1st place 2021 WPT Five Diamond $10,000 High Roller for $146,200
German tournament crusher Leonard Maue may have half as many chips as the chip leader, but he’s got all the experience necessary to turn his 40 big blinds into an EPT Trophy. In fact, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time Maue took down an EPT trophy. A staple on the tour, Maue’s career-high cash from taking down the 2022 EPT Barcelona €25K for more than $670,000. On the flip side, he ran hot to win the 2022 €2,000 Hyper Turbo Knockout event at the 2022 EPT London for just under $40,000.
Maue is another in the long list of German tournament crushers, sitting 28th in all-time tournament winnings for his country, which boasts some of poker history’s top talent. Even sitting fourth in chips, with his experience and talent, he’s got to be considered one of the favorites among the final six.
End of Day 1 chip count: –
End of Day 2 chip count: 563,000
End of Day 3 chip count: 1,085,000 (10th in chips)
End of Day 4 chip count: 2,920,000 (4th in chips)
Name: Samy Boujmala | 3,675,000 (36bb)
Nationality: France
Lifetime Live Earnings: $330,981
Largest Live Cash: $33,305 (375th, 2018 WSOP $10,000 Main Event)
Other Prominent Scores: 1st place 2018 France Poker Open €1,100 High Roller for $23,957; 6th place 2023 WSOP International Circuit High Roller $29,565
The first of two French players at the final table, Samy Boujmala may have had the cleanest path to the final six. He finished Day 1b at the chip leader and, outside of Day 2, was in the top 10 in chip counts the rest of the way.
Boujmala doesn’t lack experience – he has recorded results dating back nearly a decade – however, he doesn’t exactly have the same kind of results up to this point in his career as some of his tablemates. That’s not to say he doesn’t know how to close, he does have a handful of small live victories, but he will be at a chip and experience disadvantage at the final table. But a win for Boujmala would be a win for career grinders everywhere. Also of note, a third-place finish for the Frenchman would more than double his career live earnings.
End of Day 1 chip count: 339,000 (Day 1b chip leader)
End of Day 2 chip count: 487,000
End of Day 3 chip count 1,120,000 (8th in chips)
End of Day 4 chip count: 2,275,000 (7th in chips)
Name: Arnaud Enselme | 3,415,000 (34bb)
Nationality: France
Lifetime Live Earnings: $1,201,038
Largest Live Cash: $119,303 (2nd place, 2022 €2,500 All Poker Open)
Other Prominent Scores: 1st place 2019 $1,100 DeepStack Championship for $95,453; 3rd place 2017 €2,150 PokerStars Championship Barcelona for $64,689
The second player from France will start the day as the short stack. However, 34 bigs still gives Arnaud Enselme plenty to work with making him as dangerous as anyone left. Add to that Enselme’s track record and this simply is not an instance where people can wait around for him to grind down.
Enselme is a two-way player having tons of experience both live and online. In addition to his over $1.2 million in live earnings, he booked a massive victory in the 2021 WSOP Online series, taking down the $500 Closer for $360,223 and a gold bracelet. His average buy-in has been climbing year after year, making him comfortable at this price point and used to battling the kind of talent seen in this final six. The one thing he doesn’t quite have is that signature, top-line resume win. Sure, he has a bracelet…but that’s behind a screen name. Yea, he won the PokerNews cup in 2019 for $50,000 – which is nice – but that’s not an EPT. So, don’t sleep on Enselme as a legit short-stacked threat to come from behind.
End of Day 1 chip count: 98,000
End of Day 2 chip count: 376,000
End of Day 3 chip count: 810,000
End of Day 4 chip count: 1,945,000 (9th in chips)