Binder Leads as Eychenne Crashes Out of EPT Monte-Carlo Main Event

It was October 2023 when Bernhard Binder, roughly one yr after he began his poker journey, recorded his first money in an occasion on the PokerStars European Poker Tour – a twenty third place at a $1,100 buy-in event at EPT Cyprus.

Not even three years later, he performs the very best stakes conceivable, each stay and on-line, and has amassed over $13,000,000 in lifetime earnings on The Hendon Mob. Now, within the 2026 EPT Monte-Carlo €5,300 Primary Occasion, which boasts a €4,903,350 prize pool, Binder finds himself in a dream spot so as to add one other six-figure rating to his resume.

After 4 days of poker at Sporting Monte-Carlo, Binder bagged an enormous chip lead when play concluded with solely 20 gamers remaining out of the sector of 1,011 entries, and leads the hunt for the €825,000 prime prize. He was the one participant to accumulate greater than 100 huge blinds for the beginning of Day 5, and obtained a couple of and a half occasions the chips of his nearest contender, PokerStars Ambassador Raul Mestre

Finish of Day 4 High Ten Chip Counts

Binder’s Ideas

Most of Binder’s stack got here from doubling up in an enormous four-bet pot towards then-chipleader Mehdi Chaoui.

“It is a great place, having an enormous chip lead with 20 left in a 1,000-person area”

“We are able to each have ace-five, so the river (a 5 which paired the board) just isn’t a clean,” Binder shared with PokerNews after he was performed bagging his piles of chips. “I can solely verify and get showdown with my prime pair towards jacks or tens. As soon as he places me all-in, I beat no worth. However I’ve good blockers, and he’s a succesful participant, so I referred to as, and fortunately I used to be good.”

When requested about his outlook on Day 5, Binder mentioned, “I am excited to play. It is a great place, having an enormous chip lead with 20 left in a 1,000-person area.”

Chaoui had sufficient chips left to outlive the day, though his stack of 805,000 locations him on the decrease finish of the leaderboard, together with high-stakes common Leonard Maue (460,000) and Spanish skilled Miguel Franco (405,000). In the meantime, Ognyan Dimov is the final remaining participant in rivalry for a second EPT title, discovering himself in the course of the pack with 1,040,000 in chips.

Casualties of Day 4

Day 4 began with 48 gamers, amongst whom was 2024 EPT Monte-Carlo champion Derk van Luijk. Sadly for him, he bumped into an enormous cooler towards Wheeler early on, eliminating him in forty seventh for €16,100 and kickstarting Wheeler’s rise. Wheeler additionally busted Benny Glaser in twenty seventh for €24,450, and Maue took care of 2013 PCA champion Dimitar Danchev, who acquired the identical quantity for his Twenty sixth-place end.

For almost all of the day, it regarded like Thomas Eychenne might make one other remaining desk only some months after his 2025 EPT Barcelona win. Nonetheless, the Frenchman had a disastrous final degree, doubling up two gamers to ultimately be eradicated in twenty second for €28,150. EPT common Boris Kolev took residence the identical quantity when he grew to become the ultimate departure of Day 4, falling to Binder within the dying minutes of the day.

The remaining 20 gamers have every locked up €32,350 by making it to Day 5, with the following pay leap going down when 17 gamers stay. With the ultimate desk tantalizingly shut, nonetheless, all eyes shall be on the six-figure sums reserved for the highest seven.

Remaining Payouts

Day 5 will start at midday native time tomorrow, Saturday, Might 9. The event will restart with blinds at 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 huge blind ante. The degrees will stay 90 minutes lengthy till the ultimate desk has been reached, at which level the Primary Occasion will change to a sure variety of palms per degree as a substitute. The plan for Day 5 is to succeed in the ultimate six gamers, though play could also be halted earlier if the day will get too lengthy.

PokerNews shall be again on the ground for Day 5 of the EPT Monte-Carlo Primary Occasion to supply an in-depth stay report on the best way to the ultimate desk and past, so be certain that to tune again in for all the most recent information and updates.