The 2022 European Poker Tour Monte Carlo €5,300 no-limit hold’em main event saw 1,073 entries build a prize pool of €5,204,050 (nearly $5.5 million USD). After two starting flights and four more days of tournament action, that lion’s share of that prize money was ultimately awarded to 55-year-old Marcelo Simoes Mesqueu. The Brazilian player earned €939,840 ($986,832 USD) for the win, while also becoming the first player from his home country to ever win an EPT main event.
This was Mesqueu’s seventh recorded career title, with his largest prior victory being a win in a Brazilian Series of Poker event for $109,350. He now has more than $1.4 million in earnings to his name.
In addition to the title and the money, Mesqueu was also awarded 1,920 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win. This was his first POY-qualified final-table finish of the year, but it alone was enough to catapult him into 17th place in the 2022 POY race, which is sponsored by Global Poker.
The final day of this event began with just six players remaining, with 2019 PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em Players Championship (PSPC) champion Ramon Colillas eliminated in seventh place ($131,691 USD) at the end of the previous night’s action.
Morten Hvam came into the final day with the lead, while Mesqueu sat in second chip position.
Six-handed play lasted for several hours, with the first elimination of the day not taking place until after four levels had been completed. During that time, Mesqueu had overtaken the lead and pulled away from the pack. He added to his total when his 5-3 outran the A-2 of short stack Erkan Soenmez (6th – $175,402 USD) to finally send a player to the rail.
The knockouts came fast and furious after that. Mesqueu open-shoved with K-9 and received a call from Hugo Pingray, who held A-K. Both players flopped a king, but a nine on the turn gave Mesqueu two pair and a big lead. The river changed nothing and Pingray was eliminated in fifth place ($239,883 USD).
Jaime Cervantes’ run in this event concluded when his A-J failed to win a preflop race against the pocket nines of Hvam. He was down to needing an ace or jack on the river by the turn, and when a blank rolled off the deck he settled for $313,645 USD as the fourth-place finisher.
Dragos Trofimov got the last of his short stack in with A-4 facing the J-8 of Mesqueue and the J-6 pf Hvam. The flop gave Hvam jacks and sixes, which remained best through the turn and river. Trofimov secured $417,469 USD for his third-place showing.
Heads-up play began with Mesqueu holding 25,250,000 to Hvam’s 6,950,000. The two discussed a deal, but ultimately played on without having come to an agreement. In the final hand, Hvam min-raised on the button with K
10
and Mesqueu three-bet with K
K. Hvam called and the flop came down 976
. Mesqueu made a continuation bet of 1 million, only to have Hvam move all-in for 3.4 million. Mesqueu made the call with his overpair. The turn brought the 5 and the river the J, locking up the pot for Mesqueu and his pocket kings. Hvam earned $592,872 USD as the runner-up finisher.
Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded on the final day:
| Place | Player | Earnings (USD) | POY Points |
| 1 | Marcelo Simoes Mesqueu | $986,832 | 1920 |
| 2 | Morten Hvam | $592,872 | 1600 |
| 3 | Dragos Trofimov | $417,469 | 1280 |
| 4 | Jaime Cervantes | $313,645 | 960 |
| 5 | Hugo Pingray | $239,883 | 800 |
| 6 | Erkan Soenmez | $175,402 | 640 |
Photo credit: Tomas Stacha / Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd.
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