This Week's Big Winner: Jean Montury Wins European Poker Tour Malta Main Event A Hand-By-Hand Breakdown Of Montury’s Huge Score

Jean Montury has begun to make a name for himself in the poker world over the last five years, winning small side events on the European Poker Tour, Partouche Poker Tour and Barriere Poker Tour in his native France. In total, the part-time poker player, and full-time golf course owner had racked up about $400,000 in live tournament earnings.

But then came the inaugural EPT Malta main event at the Portomaso Casino in St. Julians, where Montury tore through a field of 895 players to win his first major tournament title, along with a massive €687,400 ($743,585) first-place prize after making a deal heads up. As a result of his win, along with two other final tables, Montury now sits in fourth place in the Card Player Player of the Year race.

Here’s a look at the five biggest hands that propelled Montury to victory.

Tournament: EPT Malta main event
Buy-In: €5,300 • No. of Entries: 895 • Prize Pool: €4,340,750 • 1st Place Prize: €687,400

Montury Cracks Aces To Bust Holz In Ninth Place

The Action

With nine players remaining at the unofficial final table, Fedor Holz raised to 125,000 from under the gun, and Jean Montury called in the big blind. The flop came down K 5 4, and Montury checked. Holz bet 150,000, and Montury called. The turn was the 3, and Montury checked again. Holz bet 445,000, and Montury check-raised enough to put Holz all in. Holz tanked for about three-minutes before calling with A A, but was dejected to see Montury’s 5 5 for a flopped set. With just two outs in the deck, Holz whiffed on the 10 river card, ending his tournament run in ninth place. The huge pot went towards Montury, who vaulted near the top of the leaderboard.

Montury Picks Off A Bluff To Take The Chip Lead

The Action

With just three players remaining in the tournament, Valentin Messina raised to 400,000 from the button, and Jean Montury called from the big blind. The flop fell A Q 7, and Montury checked. Messina bet 450,000, and Montury called. The turn was the J, and both players checked. The river was the 5, putting four diamonds on board, and Montury checked. Messina then bet 1,050,000, and Montury thought about it for a few moments before announcing call. Messina could only show down 7 2 for a small pair, but Montury revealed K 10 for a turned Broadway straight. His great call gave him nearly 13 million in chips and the overall chip lead.

Montury Busts the Always Dangerous Panka In Third Place

The Action

After losing his chip lead to Valentin Messina, Jean Montury raised to 425,000 on the button. Messina folded, and Dominik Panka three-bet to 1,050,000 from the big blind. Montury then moved all in, and Panka called all in for his tournament life. Panka showed down 9 9 and found himself in a coinflip with Montury’s A Q. The flop came down K 7 2 to keep Panka in the lead, but the J on the turn gave Montury a gutshot straight draw to go with his overcards. According to the Card Player Poker Odds Calculator, Panka was a 77 percent favorite to double up. Unfortunately for the former EPT champion, the river was the 10, giving Montury the winning straight while setting up the start of a four-hour heads-up match.

Montury Cracks Aces Again To Even The Match

The Action

After getting grinded down to a 2-1 deficit, Jean Montury raised to 525,000 on the button, and Valentin Messina three-bet to 1,325,000. Montury then four-bet to 2,800,000, and Messina just called with his aces. The flop came down J 9 4, and Messina checked. Montury checked behind, and the 8 hit the turn. Messina checked again, and Montury moved all in. Messina snap called with A A, but saw he was in trouble against Montury’s 4 4 for a flopped set. Messina needed one of two aces to end the tournament, but the 7 hit the river to even out the stacks.

Messina Counterfeits Messina To Win the Tournament

The Action

With the blinds getting really high, Valentin Messina open-shoved for his last 8.7 million, and Jean Montury called with A 10. Messina showed pocket fives and needed to win the flip to take back the chip lead. The flop of J J 6 was relatively safe for Messina, but it gave Montury additional outs with a six counterfeiting Messina’s hand. The turn was the 4, which was a great card for Messina and increased the likelihood of him winning the hand to nearly 80 percent. But the river was the 6, and Messina was eliminated in second place, earning €615,000. Montury was kind enough to console his dejected opponent, nonetheless still happy that he had picked up the win and the €687,400 first-place prize.

Final Table Tournament Results

1. Jean Montury — €687,400
2. Valentin Messina — €615,000
3. Dominik Panka — €347,300
4. Stefan Schillhabel — €260,500
5. Javier Zapatero — €205,300
6. Hossein Ensan — €153,700
7. Antonin Duda — €108,200
8. Remigiusz Wyrzykiewicz — €76,000
9. Fedor Holz — €60,290