Joris Ruijs Triumphs at PokerStars Open Monte Carlo Main Event

Joris Ruijs has made a career out of success at European Poker Tour stops across the continent, but he reached a new milestone in the PokerStars Open Monte Carlo €1,650 no-limit hold’em main event. The Dutch player outlasted over 1,600 entries to secure his biggest EPT-branded victory and one of the most lucrative live results of his career.

Ruijs won $371,356 and the trophy in the €1,650 no-limit hold’em event, defeating high-stakes standout Leon Sturm heads-up following a deal. Sturm earned $321,799 following the chop, securing his second significant payout of the festival following a victory in a €10,200 no-limit hold’em mystery bounty event just a few days earlier.

There were a total of 1,634 entries in this tournament, with 857 unique players from 62 different countries, and 777 re-entries over the course of four starting flights. Poker triple crown winner Davidi Kitai, 2022 World Series of Poker main event champion Espen Jorstad, two-time bracelet winner Blaz Zerjav, and back-to-back WSOP ladies championship winner Shiina Okamoto were among the 242 players who finished in the money.