EPT Monte Carlo: Alex Kulev denies Bryn Kenney to win biggest buy-in EPT event in history
Alex Kulev etched his name into PokerStars lore in Monte Carlo on Tuesday night when he took down the biggest buy-in event ever hosted at a PokerStars-branded event.
Kulev outlasted a field of the game’s very best — the kind of players who can afford to back their own skills in a tournament costing €250,000 for a seat — and walked away with €2,786,332.
The total was the biggest score of Kulev’s career to date, even after he agreed to give up a tiny amount of equity during a heads-up deal. That’s because the player he faced at the end, after the rest of the 38-entry field had departed, was Bryn Kenney, the leader of poker’s all-time money list.
Kenney extended his lead at the top of the most important chart in the game by €2,520,268, the reward for his second place finish. Kenney already has two Super High Roller titles on the EPT, but fell short in his attempts to seal an unprecedented third.
Instead, Kulev drew level as he won his second.
Asked how this compared to his first win, which came in the same venue in 2023, albeit in a €100K buy-in tournament, Kulev said: “They’re both incredibly prestigious events. Both fields were incredibly tough. All the best players in the world come to play these EPTs, especially at this lovely stop. We all gather and try to perform as best as we can. But I’m very grateful that this tournament was organised and that I was able to have the fortune to win it.”
With his parents watching from the sidelines, Kulev made all the right moves to navigate his way through an exceptionally difficult line-up. He said, “What I care about is trying to perform from day to day and trying to give all I can and keep on improving.”
Alex Kulev got to celebrate with his parents
Turning to his family who had come a long way to support him, he added: “We can always make money in this world, but sharing these special moments with the people you love is something way more important in my opinion.”
TOURNAMENT ACTION
For only the second time in PokerStars events history, a tournament found its way onto the EPT Monte Carlo schedule with a buy-in of more than €100,000. And when 38 entries came across the cashier’s desk on Day 1, there was €9.31 million in the prize pool and a first prize of €3.212 million prepared for the winner — second only to Ramon Colillas’ boosted haul at the 2019 PSPC.
It was certain to be a tense and thrilling final day, which began with 14 players, needed to navigate the bubble, and then to crown a champion. With stars comprising the entire field, it was very difficult to make a case that the cream would rise to the crop. This was all cream.
Even so, the way Bryn Kenney began his rise from the middle of the pack seemed ominous, with Jean-Noel Thorel, Bernhard Binder, Mikita Badziakouski, Leon Sturm and Isaac Haxton falling short of the nine-handed final table.
Leon Sturm gathers his belongings and leaves
This period of the tournament took a while, so stacks were shortening. Then when Stephen Chidwick and Enrico Camosci fell in ninth and eighth, respectively, the tournament was on its stone bubble.
DING BURSTS THE BUBBLE
At this point, Alex Kulev was the short stack, with marginally less than Ding Biao. But when Kulev shoved his last nine blinds with A♣8♦ and Ding called with A♦K♠, it seemed the writing was on the wall for Kulev.
The dealer had other ideas, however. An eight fell on the flop to keep Kulev alive and kicking, leaving Ding with not even a solitary big blind. Ding found A♥3♥ with which to risk the very last of what he held, but with Chris Nguyen and Aleks Ponakovs calling from the blinds holding 6♥4♠ and J♠8♠, respectively, there were a lot of live cards that could spell doom for Ding.
The end of the road for Ding Biao
Nguyen flopped a four, bet it on the turn to shake off Ponakovs, and then stayed best after the blank river. That was the end of Ding, who was the last out with nothing. Everyone else was guaranteed €651,000.
After the formalities of a few final table photos, the last six lined up as follows:
Artur Martirosian – 2,165,000 (43 BBs)
Chris Nguyen – 2,095,000 (41 BBs)
Aleks Ponakovs – 1,835,000 (36 BBs)
Orpen Kisacikoglu – 1,590,000 (31 BBs)
Alex Kulev – 1,095,000 (21 BBs)
Bryn Kenney – 720,000 (14 BBs)
The last six in the Super High Roller
MARTIROSIAN CAN’T HOLD ONTO LEAD
The Russian titan Artur Martirosian had now assumed a narrow lead. But much as in the €100K event we watched the other day, the chip leader couldn’t hold it for very long. Martirosian lost a 1.25 million pot to his closest challenger Chris Nguyen (Martirosian’s speculative 5♦4♥ in the small blind didn’t amount to anything), and Nguyen, with position on Martirosian, continued to pinch small pots from his neighbour.
Martirosian was down to slightly less than 1 million in chips, or 12 blinds, when he found a great spot to potentially double and halt Nguyen’s momentum. He found A♦Q♠ in the small blind and Nguyen called his open shove holding A♠5♦ in the big blind.
Nguyen called and was in trouble, but a five on the flop vaulted Martirosian out of his seat and out in sixth. Martirosian’s dreams of €3.2 million evaporated and were replaced by €651,700 in tangible money.
Artur Martirosian’s chip lead evaporated
Kenney had been pinching small pots to stay alive, but then he picked up A♥K♠ in the small blind and saw Nguyen, with a dominant chip lead, open-shove the cutoff. Nguyen only had K♦3♦ and couldn’t win this one. Kenney doubled to around 30 blinds. He and Nguyen were essentially now neck and neck.
KISACIKOGLU FALLS IN FIFTH
Orpen Kisacikoglu was now in most danger and he picked up A♦4♥ in the small blind, which was enough to shove in his last nine blinds. Alex Kulev, in the big blind, didn’t have massively more than Kisacikoglu, but he found pocket fives and made the call.
A five on the flop left Kisacikoglu with only a gutshot wheel draw to survive. But Kulev turned a boat, which could not be beaten. With that, Kisacikoglu’s tournament ended in fifth and €837,900. The final four were guaranteed at least a million.
Success came for Orpen Kisacikoglu, but it was in the form of a fifth-place finish
The final four prepared to head for a dinner break, but there was still time for Kenney and Nguyen to play a four-bet pre-flop pot, with Kenney (holding A♣K♣) forcing a fold from Nguyen’s A♦2♥. Kenney opened, Nguyen three-bet and Kenney shoved. It put Kenney in the chip lead as they headed for their sustenance.
There was talk already about a possible deal, but they played on after the break. Kenney led with 47 blinds, while the others were up against the ICM wall holding 27 blinds (Nguyen), 22 blinds (Kulev) and 20 blinds (Ponakovs).
Kenney made them sweat even more by coming back a fashionably late from his break.
PONAKOVS MISSES HIS DRAW TO BUST
The tournament was far too close to predict, but Kulev now nosed ahead and Nguyen wasn’t going to sit around waiting to see what happened. He was down to 10 blinds when he shoved with K♣8♥ and picked up a call from Kenney’s A♠4♠. Nguyen needed to hit, and did so. There was a king on the flop and an eight on the turn. Nguyen was now back into second, with Kenney sliding to third.
The state of the tournament now meant that flops were scarce. Most hands ended with a solitary raise, and a three-bet pre-flop almost always got it done. However, Kulev and Ponakovs bucked the trend and went to a flop, with Kulev raising Q♦J♠ on the button and Ponakovs calling with Q♥10♠ in the big blind.
The flop of 4♠J♦9♠ meant the rest of the stacks were heading in.
Ponakovs had an open-ended straight draw. Kulev had top pair. But the turn and the river were blank and that left Ponakovs on the rail. He took €1,070,700.
Aleks Ponakovs banked seven figures for fourth
NGUYEN’S BACK-TO-BACK CHARGE FALTERS
Kulev was now in the lead, and picked up pocket queens on the very next hand, under the gun. Neither opponent called, but he had the momentum.
Kenney, obviously, was not going to allow him to get away, however. Only a few hands into the three-handed battle, Kenney picked up A♣J♥ on the button and put in a min-raise. Nguyen had 10♠7♠ in the big blind but, more crucially, had marginally the bigger stack and shoved his 14 blinds.
Kenney had enough to call off and held, leaving Nguyen with not even a small blind.
Although Nguyen managed to win the next two hands, he couldn’t pull off what would have been a miracle comeback. He eventually surrendered his last five blinds to Kenney. Nguyen’s K♠2♣ couldn’t beat Kenney’s A♣10♣.
Nguyen won the €100K Super High Roller here last year for more than €2 million. But the back-to-back was not to be.
Chris Nguyen couldn’t go back to back
A DEAL AND THEN A COOLER
The last two now decided to take some of the variance out of it and agreed a chop. Kulev had 5.375 million (43 big blinds) to Kenney’s 4.125 million (33 BBs), but Kenney said he’d deal only if Kulev gave up a bit of equity.
He agreed and they settled on €2,520,268 for Kenney, €2,674,592 for Kulev with €111,740 on the side for the champion. And the trophy.
Even though the deal had been done, there was no guaranteeing it would end quickly. Unless there was a cooler. And that’s what the dealer delivered to take this one to a rapid conclusion.
Heads-up play was only a few hands old when Kenney raised A♦9♦ from the button and Kulev called holding 10♠4♠. The K♦10♦9♥ gave something to both of them, and brought equities all but even. Kulev checked, then called Kenney’s small bet. The 4♣ turn seemed innocuous, but titled the balance in favour of Kulev.
Kulev check, Kenney bet and Kulev now shoved. Kenney seemed to recognise he was likely now behind in the hand, but called with his big draw.
Bryn Kenney couldn’t land a third SHR success
“I’m fortunate to be here,” Kenney said, acknowledging how well he had run in the tournament to that point. But the river couldn’t help him this time.
It was the 7♣, and the day was done.
Kenney draws even further clear of challengers at the top of the money list. But tonight Kulev is the No 1.
€250,000 EPT Super High Roller
Dates: May 4-5, 2026
Entries: 38 (inc. 7 re-entries)
Prize pool: €9,310,000
1 – Alex Kulev, Bulgaria – €2,786,332*
2 – Bryn Kenney, USA – €2,520,268*
3 – Chris Nguyen, €1,443,100
4 – Aleks Ponakovs, Latvia – €1,070,700
5 – Orpen Kisacikoglu, Turkey – €837,900
6 – Artur Martirosian, Russia – €651,700
*denotes heads-up deal
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