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EPT MONTE-CARLO 2025 : Davenport wants to be a prince instead of a prince!
2025-05-08 - RICHARD Fabien
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The dream has taken shape. Fifty-two players made it through to Day 3 in the Hall of Stars, where the cards carve the legends.

Under the gilded ceilings of the Sporting Monte-Carlo, the chips fly to the rhythm of ambition. And at the end of Day 3, one name stood out above the rest: Matthew Davenport.

The final showdown is getting closer, the favorites are stepping up, and the stars are fading...

 

We had missed him on the circuit, Jérôme Sgorrano, like a jack-in-the-box unleashed!

 

Englishman Matthew Davenport, named UK Player of the Year, surged at the very end of the day to grab the chip lead. A fierce five-bet war against Rafael Navas, followed by pocket aces to bust Dimitri Joubert, propelled him to 1,939,000 chips, or 162 big blinds. A triumphant return for the player who finished 48th here back in 2016.

Just behind him, Khossein Kokhestani from Ukraine (1,800,000) claimed the tournament's biggest pot after calling a river shove with two pair against Charles La Boissonnière’s king-high. A brilliant call from the 2024 Eureka Hamburg champion, who’s now dreaming big again.

Third in chips, Sebastian Malec, the 2016 EPT Barcelona winner, bulldozed his way through Day 3. The former Polish student knocked out both Andras Nemeth and Jozef Cibicek, climbing back to the top with 1,684,000 chips. A win here would place him among the elite few with multiple EPT titles.

The Top 5 is rounded out by Valeriano Toledano (1,582,000) and France’s Julien Mariani, proudly carrying the tricolour with 1,400,000 chips. Fellow Frenchman Malcolm Franchi also made it to the top 10, ranked 9th with an even million.

Other strong contenders include Fahredin Mustafov (1,386,000), Jerome Sgorrano (1,115,000), Georgios Karakousis (1,110,000), and Sebastian Gaehl (1,004,000).

Further down the leaderboard, big names are still in contention: Boris Angelov (686,000), runner-up in 2024, Ari Engel (655,000), Nacho Barbero (559,000), and Juan Pardo (580,000) all remain threats heading into the next phase.

On the elimination side, several giants have fallen: Patrik Antonius ran into a full house, Antonio Buonanno, 2014 champion, Manig Loeser, 2019 titleholder, and Conor Beresford all made early exits.

Now only 52 players remain out of the original 1,195 entries, each guaranteed at least €17,150. But the real targets lie ahead: a final table worth €118,150, and the ultimate prize of €1,000,000 for the champion.

 

Day 4 promises fireworks, with 45 minutes left in level 20 at 6,000/12,000/12,000. Could this dream turn into reality?

 

TOP 10 CHIP COUNTS AT THE END OF DAY 3:

Matthew Davenport – United Kingdom – 1,939,000

Khossein Kokhestani – Ukraine – 1,800,000

Sebastian Malec – Poland – 1,684,000

Valeriano Toledano – Spain – 1,582,000

Julien Mariani – France – 1,400,000

Fahredin Mustafov – Bulgaria – 1,386,000

Jerome Sgorrano – Belgium – 1,115,000

Georgios Karakousis – Greece – 1,110,000

Malcolm Franchi – France – 1,012,000

Sebastian Gaehl – Germany – 1,004,000

 

All chipcounts and live results available now on the Google Play app HERE or on the App Store HERE 

(Photo credit: PokerStars)

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