Oktoberfest: Frenchman Axel Santoni turns €330 into €30,718

Axel Santoni wins the Oktoberfest (€30,718)


After two victories in France in recent weeks, Axel Santoni has won the €330 PKO Okteberfest Main Event at the Circus Casino Resort in Namur, Belgium.

The Frenchman won after dominating head's up from the second to the last hand. Monaco regained the lead by doubling up on the first hand with the Aces and then conceded the vast majority of the moves, right up to the final hand. Down to 10 blinds, he 3-bet shove with 7 and 5 suit to lose on Santoni's call with King Queen.

The Main Event drew 1,467 entrants and there were still 37 to go going into Sunday's Final Day. The last player in the running and last on the provisional leaderboard at the start, Audrey Petitjean, went straight out the door. Daniel Pirlot, Mike Niegho, Charly Mouline and Greg van der Wecken then followed in the rail.

The semi-finals were quickly reached, in less than three hours. The final, without Rico Chevalot or Steeve Daulon, began in the late afternoon and lasted 4 hours. A victim of fate and a cracked premium, Yannick Ansenne (5th) will have to make do with a 5-figure buy-in of €330.

Still on the right track, Axel Santoni set the pace and came out on top after a 4-way deal in which he still had to pick up a €3,000 leftover.

The top three finishers in the tournament won a €2,200 CPS Main Event ticket, while the last 8 survivors from this huge new field in Namur will also go home with a magnum of Tripick 10, the partner of this Oktoberfest Progressif KO that had the poker room buzzing all week.

See you on 22 October for the 7-handed festival!


Payout Day 3 Oktoberfest 2023 (€250,727 prizepool - KO Bounty €146,700)
Winner - Axel Santoni €30,718 CPS Main Event €2,200* ticket
Runner-Up - Dove Monaco 27.966 ticket CPS Main Event 2.200€*
3rd - Erwin Vu Duc €23,541 CPS Main Event €2,200* ticket
4th - Taner Ayhan €25,097* ticket
5th - Yannick Ansenne €10,420
6th - Gerardus van Capelleeven €7,895
7th - Antonio Almeida €6,115
8th - Artan Harizaj €4,390
9th - Ruben Steenhuis €3,495

4 ICM deal, players keep their prize money and the top three take a €2,200 CPS ticket to the festival's Main Event

The full Oktoberfest Main Event Report

Payout Final Day Oktoberfest

They skipped before the final but they made it to Day 3 in this tournament of 1,467 entrants!