Adrian State's Bold Move: Rejecting a Deal and Securing Victory in the €3,000 Mystery Bounty
The €3,000 Mystery Bounty event at Sporting Monte-Carlo, part of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Monte Carlo, was quite the ride with 743 entries creating a prize pool of €1,274,988 in addition to €743,000 in bounties.
Adrian State seized the top spot and the trophy after a thrilling journey, collecting the top prize of €232,898 along with €45,000 in bounties. Despite starting the day second in chips and slipping to third at the final table, State battled through some tough hands early on. But he didn't back down. Instead, he fought tooth and nail, overcoming challenges one by one. Notably, he outlasted contenders like Jamie Flynn, who was making steady progress throughout.
When they reached heads-up, Flynn and State briefly discussed an ICM deal. Flynn had almost double the chips of State, but State opted to play for the win, a decision that paid off. Just one hand later, he doubled up, and after a lengthy back-and-forth in the heads-up phase, he ultimately emerged victorious.
Although State is far from being an unknown face at live stops, according to The Hendon Mob, this is also his biggest career win. Upon realizing his victory, he became very emotional and was able to share his joy with his friends.
€3,000 Mystery Bounty Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (EUR) | Bounties | Total Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian State | Romania | €232,898 | €45,000 | €277,898 |
| 2 | Jamie Flynn | Ireland | €145,530 | €15,000 | €160,530 |
| 3 | Nicola Grieco | Italy | €103,950 | €14,000 | €117,950 |
| 4 | Romain Lewis | France | €79,950 | €13,000 | €92,950 |
| 5 | David McConachie | United Kingdom | €61,510 | €9,000 | €70,510 |
| 6 | Mohamed Mehalleg | France | €47,310 | €47,310 | |
| 7 | Javier Fernandez | Spain | €36,400 | €33,000 | €69,400 |
| 8 | Sergi Reixach | Spain | €28,000 | €27,000 | €55,000 |
| 9 | Gediminas Uselis | Lithuania | €21,530 | €7,000 | €28,530 |
When it came to pulling bounties, Yiannis Liperis and Ghassan Bitar snagged the two largest ones, each worth €75,000, adding an extra payday as both players cashed in the event.
The player with the most bounties was Sylwester Fortuna with 11, his biggest draw being €10,000. Unfortunately, Fortuna couldn't make it to the final day as he finished 17th for €10,450.
In second place for most collected bounties was finalist Sergi Reixach with nine, two of them worth €10,000 each. Reixach went on to finish in eighth place.
16 players returned to the felt for Day 3 of the €3,000 Mystery Bounty. With all the top bounties already claimed on the previous day, the tournament was set to play out like a freezeout.
In the first two hours of play, seven players were eliminated, leading to the final table being reached. Mathieu Di Meglio, who started third in chips, finished in 11th place. Paul Runcan was the final table bubble.
Nicola Grieco, who secured third place, showed impressive consistency throughout the tournament. He kicked off the day as the chip leader and held onto that position until the final three. Grieco's bold moves paid dividends, with few losses incurred. Widely seen as a favorite at the table, Grieco eventually exited in third place after gradually losing his chips to Flynn and State.
Flynn, who finished second, dominated the final day by eliminating most of the players from the tournament and collecting their bounties. In total, he secured five bounties. Flynn consistently built a solid stack throughout the day, steering clear of any major errors or situations that could have jeopardized his chip count. One of his most memorable hands was likely when he had trips jacks against another player's trips jacks, securing victory with the better kicker.
The heads-up battle between Flynn and State lasted for nearly another hour. Both players displayed a strong determination, refusing to concede anything to the other and maintaining a fair and competitive spirit throughout the tournament. At various points, they were almost evenly matched in chips, highlighting the intensity of the competition. Ultimately, State emerged victorious, claiming the title much to his delight.
With that, PokerNews wraps up its coverage of the event. Stay tuned for further updates from Monte Carlo, including the conclusion of the EPT Main Event.