This Week's Big Winner: Nicolas Dumont Wins EPT Monte Carlo Main Event

Nicolas Dumont spends a lot of time in the passenger seat as a driving instructor in Paris, France. The 31-year-old was in the driver’s seat the final table of the 2018 European Poker Tour Monte Carlo €5,300 no-limit hold’em main event, coming into the eight-handed final table with the chip lead and leaving with the title and the €712,000 ($854,400 USD) first-place prize.

Dumont had not even planned on playing the tournament, and only entered when his friend Julien Perouse found himself unable to make the trip. Perouse offered to put Dumont into the event if he could find accommodations. The arrangement turned out quite profitable for both Dumont and Perouse, with the former outlasting a field of 777 total entries to become an EPT champion.

“I feel great,” Dumont told PokerStars reporters after coming out on top. “It’s my first EPT, my first win. What can I say? It’s crazy.”

This was only Dumont’s fifth recorded live poker tournament, having only about $20,000 in prior cashes to his name. While Dumont was relatively inexperienced, he was joined by several of poker’s biggest stars including German high roller Ole Schemion (8th – $81,960 USD), high stakes cash game crusher Patrik Antonius (6th – $166,860 USD) and 2016 Card Player Player of the Year award winner David Peters (4th – $278,400 USD).
Here are five key hands that propelled Dumont to victory.

Tournament – EPT Monte Carlo Main Event
Buy-In — €5,300 ($6,471)
No. of Entries – 777
Prize Pool – €3,768,450 ($4,522,140)
1st Place Prize – €712,000 ($854,400)

The Action

After already doubling through Jiang earlier in the day, Dumont got another chance with ten players left when he limped his small blind. Jiang raised to 120,000 from the big blind, and Dumont shoved for 1,000,000. Jiang called with A J, and was racing against pocket tens. Jiang failed to connect on a board of 9 8 4 Q 5 and the tens held to double up Dumont.

The Action

On the nine-handed unofficial final table bubble, Antonius raised to 120,000 from the cutoff and was called by Schemion on the button. Saleh then moved all-in for his last 560,000 from the small blind and Dumont reshoved from the big blind. Antonius folded, and Schemion instantly called with pocket jacks. Schemion was well ahead of Saleh’s pocket deuces, but Dumont had the best of it with pocket queens. The board fell Q 9 5 4 K and Saleh was eliminated in ninth place, earning €54,000 ($64,800). Dumont more than doubled up to the chip lead and Schemion was left short stacked.

The Action

Antonius raised to 225,000 from under-the-gun and Dumont three-bet to 600,000. Antonius called and the flop fell K 8 7. Antonius checked and Dumont checked behind. The turn was the Q and Antonius checked again. This time, Dumont bet 450,000. Antonius called and the river was the K. Antonius checked for the third time and Dumont bet 525,000. After using two time extension chips in the tank, Antonius made the call with pocket tens, only to be shown pocket kings for quads. Dumont increased his chip lead while Antonius was left short stacked.

The Action

Antonius moved all-in from the button for his last 1,305,000 and Dumont called from the small blind. The big blind folded and Antonius revealed K Q, which was drawing live against the A 8 of Dumont. According to the Card Player Poker Odds Calculator, Antonius was a 3:2 underdog to double up, but he did pick up additional outs to a straight when the flop fell 10 9 4. The 9 on the turn left him drawing to any paint card, but the 7 was a brick, ending his tournament run in sixth place. He earned €139,050 ($166,860), while Dumont took a commanding chip lead over his four remaining competitors.

The Action

Dumont limped in from the button and Jiang raised to 650,000. Dumont then re-raised to 2,200,000 and Jiang shoved for 10,075,000. Dumont instantly called with pocket queens, which were a 4:1 favorite over Jiang’s pocket sixes. The board ran out K 7 3 8 3, and Jiang was eliminated in second place, earning €434,000 ($520,800). Dumont took home the title, the $30,000 Platinum Pass, and the €712,000 ($854,400) first-place prize.

Final Table Results

1. Nicolas Dumont — €712,000 ($854,400)
2. Honglin Jiang — €434,000 ($520,800)
3. Tomas Jozonis — €308,000 ($369,600)
4. David Peters — €232,000 ($278,400)
5. Krisztian Gyorgyi — €184,000 ($220,800)
6. Patrik Antonius — €139,050 ($166,860)
7. Javier Fernandez — €99,900 ($119,880)
8. Ole Schemion — €68,300 ($81,960)