Gruissem, Germany Get Another Monte Carlo Title

While ARIA have seemed to have perfected single-day High Rollers on this side of the Atlantic, PokerStars has patented them on the European side. For years, PokerStars branded events have drawn massive crowds for High Rollers and another played out on Tuesday in Monte Carlo.

A field of 85 came together to build an over €2,000,000 prize pool and when the dust settled, German crusher Philipp Gruissem and Steve O’Dwyer, sans lucky melon, were chopping it up in the winner’s circle. The two veteran pros negotiated a deal that awarded O’Dwyer €494,665 and Gruissem €465,135. They then flipped for the remaining €20,000, with Gruissem picking up the extra cash and the title.

The win, which comes a few days after Germany’s Ole Schemion won the opening €10,000 event, is Gruissem’s sixth in an event with an over $25,000 buy-in and his first since the spring of 2014. He won the €25,000 EPT Grand Final High Roller, an event that was held in Monte Carlo, for nearly $1,400,000. Clearly, Gruissem and the rest of the Germans know a thing or two about winning in Monaco.

Following along through PokerNews live updates, Gruissem and O’Dwyer were near the top of the charts for the majority of the single-day event. While big name players like Fedor Holz, Igor Kurganov, Erik Seidel and the white-hot Bryn Kenney failed to make the money, a who’s who of High Rollers did navigate their way to pay dirt.

After Brazilian Rafael Moras bubbled, another Brazilian, Joao Simao fell in 11^th. He’d record the same €52,060 score as final table bubbler David Peters. Another American, Nick Petrangelo, was bounced in 9^th, with the lone-cashing Red Spade, Jason Mercier, bowing out in 8^th place.

All three of those Americans will be playing in this year’s Super High Roller Bowl, along with Justin Bonomo, who nearly notched a podium finish in this event. He was denied a medal though and had to settle for 4^th, with a few international bust outs, Canada’s Daniel Dvoress, Belarus’ Mikita Badziakouski and Germany’s Oliver Weis, rounding out early final table places from 7^th to 5^th, respectively.  

Another that looks to be warming up for the year’s biggest event, is John Juanda. The five-time bracelet winner finished 3^rd, meaning he could carry some momentum into the Super High Roller Bowl. The top two finishers will not be competing in the $300,000 buy-in event but will try to parlay their success into another €25,000 High Roller run, as a three-day event begins at the end of the week. Gruissem will also try to, albeit under different PokerStars branding, attempt to win that event for the second time in his career.

A complete list of the PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo €25,000 High Roller final table results are listed below:

1. Philipp Gruissem – €485,135
2. Steve O’Dwyer – €494,665
3. John Juanda – €266,550
4. Justin Bonomo – €205,100
5. Oliver Weis – €162,450
6. Mikita Badziakouski – €127,030
7. Daniel Dvoress – €100,000
8. Jason Mercier – €78,100
9. Nick Petrangelo – €59,350