Seat 1: Samy Boujmala, 29, Marseillan, France – 3,675,000 | 2023 PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo

Samy Boujmala is a real grinder. He has been playing in French-facing online card rooms for almost 10 years, using the screen-name "chlagito."

He qualified for this EPT Monte Carlo Main Event in a live satellite the day before Day 1B and the 29-year-old from South of France has had a dream tournament since then. He was overall chip leader after Day 1 and always close to the top of the rankings ever since.

"I'm putting all my focus on playing well and ignoring everything else," Boujmala says. “I'm almost surprised at myself for that."

Boujmala says he owes his trip to Monaco to another Frenchman, Virgile Turchi, who qualified online for the event. "He's been coaching me for three months and he brought me on board for this EPT," Boujmala says. “I also owe a lot to another Frenchman, Hedi Boussetta, who has helped me progress enormously.”

He’s also delighted to be alongside Arnaud Enselme at the finale. "It's a great pleasure to run deep with Arnaud, I could never have imagined that. We were playing €3 tournaments ten years ago online together and now we're in the final of an EPT, it's wonderful."

With $330,000 in live winnings, Boujmala has already smashed his best score from the 2018 WSOP Main Event. Guaranteed a six-figure payout, he will be aiming for his first major tour victory.