Aleksandr Shevliakov Wins EPT Monte Carlo Main Event Amid Controversy

EPT Monte Carlo Final Table Recap: Drama and Deep Stacks

Let’s start from the beginning. Six players returned to Sporting Monte Carlo for the final day of play. Leading the field was Bulgaria’s Boris Angelov, making back-to-back EPT Monte Carlo final tables after finishing runner-up the year before. But it didn’t take long for the dynamic to change.

With blinds at 60,000/120,000, the drama began early. Jamil Wakil opened under the gun to 270,000 with J K , and action folded around to Shevliakov in the small blind. Distracted mid-sip of tea, Shevliakov verbally announced a raise to 360,000 — less than the legal minimum. After the floor was called, he was forced to make it 420,000. Wakil, appearing to believe Shevliakov hadn’t seen the original raise, shoved for 3.9 million. Shevliakov snap-called with A K , ending Wakil’s tournament in sixth.

From there, Shevliakov took over. He eliminated Mariusz Golinski next, calling a 3.7 million shove from the Pole with A K again. Golinski held A 9 , but the flop came Q J 10 , immediately giving Shevliakov a straight and the nut flush redraw. The 5 on the turn sealed it.

Enrico Coppola was out in fourth, jamming with J 3 into Shevliakov’s 6 6 , and the board bricked. That gave Shevliakov over 20 million chips — more than his two opponents combined.

Angelov doubled twice to stay alive but was eventually undone by Kokhestani. Angelov had A 8 for an overcard and straight draw, but missed the river and took third for €439,200.

Heads-up began with Kokhestani holding 18.25 million to Shevliakov’s 17.45 million. The battle was long and tactical. Shevliakov flopped two pair and got max value. Kokhestani later showed a successful 4-high five-bet bluff. There were big laydowns too — most notably when Shevliakov folded a king-high flush on a double-paired board.

Eventually, the cooler came. On the next hand, Shevliakov shoved K 2 , and Kokhestani called with A 6 . The board ran out 7 2 9 Q 8 , and Shevliakov was the champion.

The Controversy: Wakil vs. Shevliakov

The hand that knocked out Jamil Wakil has become the most talked-about moment of the final table. Wakil later took to X (formerly Twitter) to accuse Shevliakov of angle shooting. In a detailed post, he claimed the small blind “misclick” was not an honest mistake, but a deliberate act designed to bait him into an all-in shove.

Wakil laid out his reasoning in a lengthy statement, noting three main points:

1. He verbally announced his raise after nearly using up his full shot clock.
2. The dealer verbally announced the raise again.
3. It was the only time Shevliakov verbally declared a raise all final table.

Additionally, Boris Angelov allegedly told the table that Shevliakov had pulled the same move earlier in the tournament against a friend of his. Wakil also posted a still image that appears to show Shevliakov looking directly at him during the action.

The incident followed an earlier dispute where Shevliakov refused to consistently place both hole cards on the RFID sensor for the livestream. After a prolonged floor discussion, a new rule was implemented: players must place both cards on the reader, and no electronic devices were allowed on the rail.

Shevliakov maintained it was an honest error and expressed sympathy for Wakil post-game, saying, “It’s my mistake, but he’s a victim. I’m very sorry.“

While Wakil conceded that the move was technically within the rules, he argued it was “unethical” and against the spirit of the game. His full post, which sparked significant discussion in the poker world, can be found here.

I’ve been receiving a lot of messages about the situation with Aleksandr Shevliakov, leading to my 6th place finish in the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event yesterday, so I’ve made some comments below to address it. The reason for this post is strictly because I believe that it is… pic.twitter.com/CiJXQDLptg

— Jamil Wakil (@JamWakil) May 11, 2025

A Win With an Asterisk?

Controversy aside, Aleksandr Shevliakov’s win was technically clean. He played with calm, balance, and aggression. The stoic Russian rarely showed emotion at the table — even when lifting the trophy. His post-tournament plans? Perhaps a few high rollers, maybe the WSOP — but still just a hobby.

His win marks the first time a Russian player has captured an EPT title outside of Russia since 2011.

Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Aleksandr Shevliakov		€1,000,000
2	Khossein Kokhestani		€615,000
3	Boris Angelov		€439,200
4	Enrico Coppola		€337,900
5	Mariusz Golinski		€259,900
6	Jamil Wakil		€199,750
7	Miguel Capriles		€153,600
8	Leon Zeaiter		€118,150

Photo Credit: Manuel Kovsca