Jean-Noel Thorel Wins 2022 EPT Monte Carlo Mystery Bounty Event

The first major event of the 2022 EPT Monte Carlo is now in the books. The €10,200 buy-in no-limit hold’em mystery bounty event attracted 83 high rollers, building a main prize pool of €390,100 while another €415,000 was set aside for the ‘mystery bounty’ payouts. There were two €100,000 bounties up fro grabs, that ultimately went to fourth-place finisher Imad Derwiche and runner-up Sergi Reixach, who was the player to ultimately cash for the most money in this event when totaling cash payouts and bounty earnings.

In the end, the ultimate victor of the tournament was French entrepreneur Jean-Noel Thorel. He took home €107,290 from the main prize pool and another €77,500 in bounties after defeating Reixach heads-up. Thorel is no stranger to high-stakes tournament action, with nearly $7.2 million in prior cashes under his belt before winning this title. This was just his third recorded live tournament victory, though. His top five largest scores have all come from runner-up and third-place finishes.

While Thorel didn’t draw one of the two six-figure bounty envelopes, he did secure a €50,000 bounty to make up the majority of his earnings from that segment of the prize money.

The top 11 finishers made the money in this event, with 2021 World Series of Poker Europe main event runner-up finisher Johan Guilbert eliminated on the money bubble. Other big names hit the rail inside the money, including WSOP bracelet winner Boris Kolev (10th – €9,750), bracelet winner and two-time Super High Roller Bowl ring winner Timothy Adams (9th – €11,120), and another high-stakes regular and bracelet winner in Sam Greenwood (6th – €23,800). Greenwood joined Thorel as one of the winners of the €50,000 bounties.

Recent Irish Poker Open main event winner Steve O’Dwyer placed fifth for €30,430 and €10,000 in bounties when his J-4 suited was unable to win a four-way all-in against Thorel, Reixach and Belarmino De Souza.

Imad Derwiche got all-in with 10-8 suited and found himself at risk against A-K for both Thorel and Reixach. The board double paired and Derwiche with the rail with €38,420 and the six-figure bounty payout he earned for busting Adams earlier in the day.

Reixach took a sizable lead into three-handed action. He further added to his stack when his 5Spade Suit4Spade Suit suited, which he shoved preflop, was able to outrun the ADiamond SuitAClub Suit of short stack De Souza. A flush on the turn left De Souza drawing dead. He took home €49,930 as the third-place finisher.

Reixach held a healthy lead going into heads-up, but the tables were soon switched thanks to a chop that wasn’t. All the chips went in preflop with both players holding A-Q. Four hearts rolled off the deck to give Thorel a flush and the double into the lead. Reixach eventually got the last of his stack in on a 7Spade Suit4Diamond Suit2Diamond Suit flop with JDiamond Suit9Diamond Suit. Thorel held 5Diamond Suit4Heart Suit for middle pair. The AHeart Suit turn and 2Heart Suit river changed nothing and Reixach was knocked out in second place (€76,260 and €177,500 in bounties).

Here’s a take a look at the outcomes from the ultimate desk:

Photograph credit score: Danny Maxwell / Rational Mental Holdings Ltd.