This Week's Big Winner: Jan Bendik Wins EPT Grand Final Main Event In Monte Carlo

Jan Bendik is no stranger to final tables on the European Poker Tour, having finished sixth in the 2010 EPT Prague main event and fifth in the 2011 EPT San Remo main event. He even recorded three EPT preliminary wins in London, Monaco, and Deauville in 2013. But, until May of this year, he hadn’t broken through yet for a major score.

It was the EPT Grand Final main event in Monte Carlo where Bendik got his big win. The Slovakian poker player navigated his way through a field of 1,098 players to earn his first EPT main event title and a whopping €961,800 payday. Bendik now has more than $3.1 million in career tournament earnings, which gives him the most winnings of any poker player from Slovakia, more than three times his closest competitor.

Here are the five biggest hands that propelled Bendik to the win.

Tournament: EPT Grand Final Main Event
Buy-In: €5,300 ($6,106)
No. of Entries: 1,098
Prize Pool: $6,074,676
1st Place Prize: $1,097,077

The Action

With 11 players remaining in the tournament, Jan Bendik got into a huge confrontation with Jimmy Guerrero and lost two-thirds of his stack in a flush over flush situation. On the very next hand, and seemingly a little tilted, Bendik squeezed all in for his last 1.845 million after Mohamed Aissani raised to 110,000 and was called by Guerrero. Aissani called and Guerrero folded. Bendik showed pocket jacks and was a big favorite to double up against Aissani’s pocket tens. The board fell A 6 4 2 9 and Bendik chipped up into second place.

The Action

The action folded around to Oren Rosen in the cutoff, and he moved all in for his last 14 big blinds. Jan Bendik called from the button with A K and was pleased to see he had Rosen’s A J dominated. The board ran out 10 3 2 3 6 and Rosen was eliminated in sixth place, earning €170,950.

The Action

Jimmy Guerrero raised to 350,000 on the button and Jan Bendik called from the big blind. The flop came down K 7 4 and Bendik checked. Guerrero bet 375,000 and Bendik check-raised to 925,000. Guerrero reraised to 1.85 million, and Bendik shoved. Guerrero called with pocket aces, but he was behind to Bendik’s K 7 for two pair. The turn was the 2, reducing Guerrero’s chances to 18 percent. Guerrero could still win the pot with any ace, four, or deuce, but the river was the Q and Bendik doubled up.

The Action

Down 3-1 in chips, Jan Bendik moved all in from the big blind for his last 8.86 million after Adrien Allain limped in on the button. Allain instantly called with his slow-played A K and Bendik turned over pocket sixes for a huge coin flip. The flop came down J 5 2, keeping Bendik in the lead. The turn was the Q, however, giving Allain additional outs to the straight. According to the Card Player Poker Odds Calculator, Allain had a 22 percent chance of hitting one of his ten outs. Instead, the river was the 3 and Bendink doubled up to take a slight chip lead in the heads-up match.

The Action

With both players sitting with at least 63 big blinds, it would take a massive cooler to end the tournament. Adrien Allain had the button and raised to 525,000 and Jan Bendik three-bet to 1.65 million from the big blind. Allain called and the flop came down A 8 4. Bendik bet 1.6 million and Allain called. The turn was the 10 and Bendik checked. Allain bet 1.5 million and Bendik check-raised to 4.25 million Allain called and the river was the 3. Bendik moved all in and Allain called with pocket eights for a set. Bendik, however, revealed pocket tens for a bigger set and Allain was eliminated in second place, earning €577,800. Bendik picked up the title and €961,800, the largest score of his career.

Final Table Results

1. Jan Bendik — $1,097,077
2. Adrien Allain — $659,068
3. Jimmy Guerrero — $464,073
4. Asan Umarov — $348,651
5. Pierre Calamusa — $266,684
6. Oren Rosen — $194,994
7. Antoine Saout — $146,308
8. Dario Sammartino — $104,720
9. Benjamin Phillips — $81,657