Shevliakov’s Controversial Move Sparks Uproar After EPT Monte Carlo Final Table

A hand played at the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event final table has sparked intense discussion within the poker community. At the center of the controversy is Russian amateur player Aleksandr Shevliakov, who went on to win the tournament – but his questionable move has kept him in the spotlight. Many argue that he attempted to gain an unfair advantage with unsportsmanlike behavior.

In the hand in question, Canadian player Jamil Wakil opened to 270,000 from UTG with Q♦J♦. After a series of folds, the action reached Shevliakov in the small blind, holding A♥K♥. A standard 3-bet was expected – but Shevliakov instead placed 360,000 chips into the pot, more than a call but less than the required minimum raise of 420,000.

Following a ruling by the floorman, Shevliakov was required to complete the raise to the minimum. The action was then officially treated as a 3-bet.

The big blind folded, leaving Wakil in a tough spot. He couldn’t be sure whether Shevliakov had simply misread the situation, perhaps not noticing the UTG raise and assuming it was a blind battle, or whether he had deliberately tried to mislead everyone into thinking he had a wider range – while actually holding a premium hand.

If Shevliakov truly believed it was a blind-versus-blind situation, his raise range could have been much wider, potentially making an all-in shove from Wakil a reasonable play. But if Shevliakov had knowingly tried to confuse his opponent, this would constitute an angle shoot – an unethical move in poker.

Wakil shoved, and Shevliakov snap-called. The Russian won the hand, and Wakil was eliminated in sixth place for €199,750.

Before leaving the table, Wakil turned to Boris Angelov – who eventually finished third – and asked if he’d seen Shevliakov do something similar before. Angelov replied: “Against about twenty people.” Shevliakov later denied any intention of acting unethically.

The EPT Monte Carlo Main Event once again drew a massive field, with 1,195 entries in the €5,300 buy-in tournament. Shevliakov claimed the €1,000,000 first-place prize. Notably, it marked the first time in over a decade that a Russian player had won an EPT Main Event held outside Russia.