Sunday May 7, 2023 at 2:24 pm

Canadian pro Mike Watson came the third player in EPT history to win two events when he emerged as the last player standing at the 2023 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event. Watson outlasted a field of 1,098 runners and edged out Germany's Leonard Maue in a heads-up chop to win €749,425. Watson secured a second EPT title to go along with his epic run at the 2016 PCA Main Event in the Bahamas.

SirWattsEPTMonteCarlo

You might know Mike Watson by his online moniker of "SirWatts", but it doesn't matter if it's online or live poker, Watson is one of the best poker players to ever hail from Canada. The 10-time COOP champion dominated the red-spade branded virtual waters, but Watson recently etched his name in the poker books with an "EPT Double" or a second victory on the prestigious European Poker Tour.

It took Watson seven years to pull off a rare second title. He claimed his first victory at the 2016 PCA in the Bahamas before he returned to the winner's circle with an impressive victory in Monaco with a first-place finish in the 2023 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event championship.

Vicky Coren-Mitchell was the first to pull off dual victories on the European Poker Tour. She won the EPT London back in 2006 and it took her eight years before she followed up with a second EPT win. She became the first two-time EPT champ with a victory at the 2014 EPT San Remo in Italy.

Mikalai Pobal from the Belarus won the 2012 EPT Barcelona for his first title, and then added a second win at the 2019 EPT Prague. Pobal became the second player in history to pull off the rare EPT Double.

There were 1,098 total entries this year, including 323 re-entries, in the €5,300 buy-in EPT Monte Carlo Main Event. Only the top 159 places paid out with most of the cheesecake set aside to the champion.

American pro Jason Wheeler bubbled he final six when he busted in seventh place. The UK's Leo Worthington-Leese headed into the final table with the chip lead and 8.27M. Canada's Mike Watson was right behind the Brit with 8.135M. They had the two biggest stacks at the final table. Norway's Joachim Haraldstad was the token Scandi at the final table, and he was third in chips with 5.1M. Up and coming German pro Leonard Maue began the final table with 4.3M. The two Frenchmen at the final table were short stacks with Samy Boujmala at 3.7M and Arnaud Enselme at 3.4M.

Both shortstacks were the first players to meet their fate. Arnaud Enselme busted in sixth place in a cooler when he made a final stand with pocket tens, but Watson ambushed him from the big blind with pocket Jacks. Enselme was the first player to bid adieu at the final table, and he earned €180,900 for a sixth-place finish.

Samy Boujmala was the last French player standing at the EPT Monte Carlo (and Benjo presented him with the golden baguette for this dubious distinction), but he hit the bricks in fifth place. Boujmala made a final stand with Carte Roi de carreauCarte Dame de trèfle but Worthington-Leese picked him off with Carte As de cœurCarte Dame de pique. Boujmala busted in fifth place, but took home €235,150.

Norway's Joachim Haraldstad was knocked out on a brutal beat when his Carte Roi de cœurCarte 6 de pique. lost to Watson's Carte 10 de piqueCarte 8 de pique. Watson flopped trip tens and the Norwegian was sent packing in fourth place. Haraldstad earned €305,750 for his deep run in Monte Carlo.

With three to go, Worthington-Leese found himself as the shorty against Watson and Maue. The Brit got a little frisky and attempted to double up with a diamond flush draw and Carte 10 de piqueCarte 5 de carreau against Maue's pocket Jacks. Worthington-Leese turned a pair of fives, but whiffed on the river. Maue dragged the pot, and Worthington-Leese was knocked out in third place. The last player from the UK in the tournament secured a third-place payout worth €397,450.

With two players remaining, it came down to a heads-up battle between Canada and Germany to determine the next EPT champion. Watson held a slight chip edge with 17.5M compared to Maue's 15.4M. The two did not waste any time before they agreed to an ICM chop. They left €33,340 on the table to the winner, but agreed to the following deal: Watson (€716,085) and Maue (€697,175).

The final hand was a bit of a doozy. The board was Carte 10 de cœurCarte 7 de cœurCarte 5 de trèfleCarte As de carreauCarte 7 de pique. Maue tanked-shoved for his final 7.5M. Watson also headed into the tank and pondered his next move with Carte 10 de trèfleCarte 9 de trèfle. He held just two pair -- tens and sevens -- but decided to call. His instincts were correct, and Maue missed a draw. It wasn't a flush draw with two hearts on the board, but Maue missed a double belly buster with Carte 4 de piqueCarte 3 de trèfle. The German flopped a gutshot draw, but picked up more outs with a Wheel draw on the turn. Alas, Maue missed both draws and he tried to bluff-steal the pot with a river shove. Watson dragged the pot with two pair, and Maue was eliminated in second place.

Maue locked up €697,175 for a runner-up finish. Not too shabby, eh? The score marked the German's largest cash to date.

Watson banked €749,425 for the victory in Monaco. With nearly $19.5 million in live tournament earnings, Watson is now ranked #5 on the all-time Canada money list and moved into #41 overall in the world. The victory at the EPT Monte Carlo marked Watson's fourth-highest cash to date worth approximately $825K in US bucks. He earned a first-place score worth $728,325 when he won the 2016 PCA Main Event.

Among the notable players who went deep and cashed in the 2023 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event included... Jason Wheeler, Ori Hasson, Artur Martirosian, Stefan Huber, Renat Bohdanov, Ramon Colillas, Mark Teltscher, Orpen Kisacikoglu, Parker Talbot, Lars Kamphues, Erik Seidel, Harry Lodge, Paul Newey, Vanessa Kade, Magnus Carlsen, Daniel Dvoress, Arnaud Mattern, Dinesh Alt, Davidi Kitai, Romain Lewis, Sylvain Loosli, Pierre Calamusa, Lukas Zaskodny, Dario Sammartino, Julien Martini, Manig Loeser, Aleksejs Ponakovs, Benjamin Spragg, Pierre Fromage, Enrico Camosci, Marton Czuczor, Maria Lampropulos,and Sam Greenwood.

2023 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event

Buy-in: €5,300

Entrants: 1,098

Prize Pool: €5,325,300

 

Final Table Results:

1. Mike Watson (Canada) €749,425 **

2. Leonard Maue (Germany) €697,175 **

3. Leo Worthington-Leese (UK) €397,450

4. Joachim Haraldstad (Norway) €305,750

5. Samy Boujmala (France) €235,150

6. Arnaud Enselme (France) €180,900

** Heads-up ICM chop

Latest news
Monday November 13, 2023 at 11:20 pm
Sami Bechahed wins 2023 NAPT Las Vegas Main Event

The PokerStars-branded North American Poker Tour made its triumphant return, and Sami Bechahed shipped the NAPT Las Vegas Main Event at Resorts World. The $1,650 buy-in NAPT Main Event attracted 1,095 runners and a prize pool worth $1.6 million. Bechahed -- a poker dealer -- banked $268,945 for first place when he outlasted a final table that included Jonathan Borenstein, David Coleman, Ping Liu, Sergio Aido, and Nick Schulman.

Saturday October 21, 2023 at 8:46 pm
Jared Bleznick ships $1.3 million at Super High Roller Bowl PLO

Jared Bleznick was the last player standing at the first-ever Super High Roller Bowl PLO $100,000 buy-in event at the Aria Casino in Las Vegas. Bleznick outlasted 38 runners and won $1,292,000 in the record-setting high roller PLO affair. Meanwhile, Isaac Haxton finished in second place but he moved into first place on the PokerGo Tour Leaderboard after his deep run.

Tuesday October 10, 2023 at 3:09 am
RIP Anthony Holden, ‘Big Deal' poker author passes away at 76

The poker world lost one of its finest authors when Anthony Holden passed away at age 76. Holden penned, translated, and edited nearly 40 books during his illustrious career as a journalist and writer. “Big Deal: A Year as a Professional Poker Player” is considered one of the best books ever written about poker, and it chronicled Holden's journey into the gambling underworld in Las Vegas in the late 1980s.

Tuesday September 19, 2023 at 12:27 am
2023 Poker Masters: Darren Elias, Vladas Tamasauskas early winners

The 2023 Poker Masters is underway at the Aria Casino in Las Vegas and two events are in the books. Lithuania's Vladas Tamasauskas outlasted a record-setting field of 114 entries to win Event #1 $10K NL for a score worth $239,400. American pro Darren Elias was the last player standing in Event #2 $10K NL and he banked $223,100 and his second PGT title.

Wednesday September 6, 2023 at 1:52 am
Simon Wiciak wins 2023 EPT Barcelona Main Event for €1.1 million

France's Simon Wiciak was the last player standing at the 2023 EPT Barcelona €5,300 buy-in Main Event, and he outlasted 2,120 runners to win €1,134,375 at a rowdy final table that included a pair of Brazilians. The final three players cut a money deal with Wiciak besting Brazil's Joao Sydenstricker and British pro Carl Shaw. The final table in Barcelona also included Canada's Santiago Plante, Brazil's Andre Akkari, and Argentina's Ezequiel Waigel.

Thursday August 24, 2023 at 7:19 pm
Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk meet in High Stakes Duel 4

The next big matchup in PokerGo's High Stakes Duel will feature Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk. The two pros will meet once again in the latest installment of HSD 4 Round 2. Polk defeated Negreanu in their own High Stakes Feud than ended in early 2021 with Negreanu losing $1.2 million after logging 25,000 hands of heads-up NL.

Friday August 18, 2023 at 5:35 pm
PokerStars releases 2023 WCOOP schedule

PokerStars released the schedule for the upcoming 2023 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP). This year's epic and popular online series features 110 tournaments with three different tiered buy-ins and $80 million in guaranteed prize pools starting on Sunday, September 10 and running for 25 days through October 4. There are 12 championship events on the docket at the 2023 WCOOP.

Wednesday August 16, 2023 at 8:16 pm
Billy Kopp and Tobias Schwecht win WSOP Circuit Main Events

The World Series of Poker Circuit handed out gold rings to a pair of Main Event champions. German pro Tobias Schwecht was the last player standing at the World Series of Poker International Super Circuit London in the UK, and he banked £480K or approximately $610K USD for winning the Main Event. American pro and WSOP bracelet winner Billy Kopp locked up a third-career ring when he shipped 2023 WSOP Circuit Harrah's Cherokee Main Event in North Carolina for $376,154.

Tuesday August 15, 2023 at 12:13 am
2023 WSOP Paradise releases schedule

The WSOP released an official schedule of events for the inaugural WSOP Paradise at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The WSOP Paradise kicks off on December 3 and final event begins on December 14 with 15 bracelets events up for grabs. There's two online events and cards go in the air for the Main Event on December 9. The $25K GGMillion$ High Rollers Championship is slated for December 5.

Tuesday July 18, 2023 at 1:46 am
Breaking News
Dan Weinman wins 2023 WSOP Main Event for $12.1 million

The 2023 World Series of Poker Main Event finally played down from 10,043 entrants to the last player standing in Las Vegas. Atlanta-based pro Daniel Weinman is the 2023 WSOP Main Event champion and he earned a first-place payday worth $12.1 million. He also snagged a second-career bracelet. Americans finished 1-2-3 in this year's Main Event. Steven Jones was the runner up and he won $6.5 million for second place. Adam Walton won $4 million for a third-place finish.

Saturday July 15, 2023 at 10:46 pm
2023 WSOP: Adam Walton leads Main Event Final Table

The 2023 World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas reached a final table with nine players remaining in the hunt for $12.1 million and the coveted special bracelet. Adam Walton from Los Angeles leads the final table with 143.8M in chips. Also still alive are Americans Steven Jones and Dan Weinman, Toby Lewis and Dean Hutchison from the UK, Germany's Jan-Peter Jachtmann, Ukraine's Ruslan Prydryk, Juan Maceiras from Spain, and Daniel Holzner from Italy. The final table resumes on Sunday.

Tuesday July 11, 2023 at 2:35 pm
2023 WSOP Day 4 Update: Ryan Tosoc leads final 441

Day 4 of the 2023 WSOP Main Event saw the money bubble burst early on Monday and when they concluded the action, only 441 players survived and were left in the hunt. American pro Ryan Tosoc bagged the chip lead with 5.12M and two other players had stacks over 5M including Mitch Halverson and India's Aditya Systla. Also, John Racener is currently in the Top 10 in chips with 3.7M.

Free tournaments and added prizes

The Club Poker organizes freerolls and special tournaments with added prizes.
To qualify for free, register on our poker partners websites:

Tournaments Club Poker
6-MAX
$2.20
Big Poker League
today at 8:04 pm
$125 added