by Mario Alfonsi | Published on May 1, 2012 | Updated on May 1, 2012Mohsin Charania had made several deep runs at major poker tournaments, which made some observers think he was overdue for a big win. Few, however, could have imagined that his first major victory would be quite this lucrative. Charania took first place at the European Poker Tour Grand Final in Monte Carlo, winning a massive prize worth €1,350,000.While Mohsin, a poker pro from Chicago, Illinois, was certainly a major story at the final table, he was far from the only one. Many eyes were on two other players who also came close to taking down the title – one coming in as the chip leader, and the other breaking new ground on the EPT.First, there was chip leader Bernard Guigon. The Frenchman took an extremely conservative approach to the final table, possibly deciding that it would be better to lock a life-changing amount of money rather than go all-out for first place. Guigon came in with a large lead over the field, but his stack slowly dwindled away. Though he managed to fight back a couple times when short-stacked, he would ultimately go out in 3rd place. Still, he was likely happy with his €545,000 prize.The other big story was that of Lucille Cailly. A French player who had some decent success on the EPT in the past, Cailly became the first woman ever to make it to the final table of an EPT Grand Final – a feat that was all the more impressive after having won her seat through an online poker satellite. Cailly wasn’t content with just reaching the final stage, however, and fought through to a heads-up confrontation with Charania.Before heads-up play began, Charania and Cailly spent 20 minutes forging a deal. This ultimately led to both players winning over €1 million. On the final hand, both players moved all-in preflop with strong hands: pocket queens for Charania, and AK for Cailly. The tournament had come down to a coin flip, and when no help appeared on the board for Cailly, Charania had won the EPT Grand Final. Cailly took home €1,050,000 for her second place finish.
