Two dealers from the Casino de Monte-Carlo secured a top-three finish and dominated the technical categories at the 2026 European Dealer Championship in Germany, competing against nearly 40 professionals from 20 nations.
Manon Martire, who has worked as a gaming employee at the casino since 2022, claimed third place in the overall championship standings. Her colleague, Christopher Elena, a gaming employee since 2016, stood out for his technical precision. Elena won the ‘Best Push Stacks’ and ‘Best Chip Cutting’ awards, and he went on to sweep the side competitions, where he was named Best Chipper, Best Card Handler, and Best Mathematician.
The results follow a period of international recognition for the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer. The group’s recent achievements include a first-place finish by Noémie Serra in 2024, the ‘Best Slot Machine Team’ title in 2025, and the ‘Best Overall Casino 2026’ award at the European Casino Awards in Barcelona this past January.
The role of internal training
The team’s success in Baden-Baden from 8th to 10th June reflects the strength of Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer’s in-house training programme. Established in 2014 under the direction of Christophe Teissier, the Monte-Carlo SBM Academy is managed by training manager Alexis Schroeter and coordinator Jean-René Manfredi. The programme provides comprehensive instruction across six casino games: blackjack, Texas Hold’em Ultimate Poker, English roulette, craps, punto banco and European roulette.
Designed to pass on specialist expertise from one generation of gaming professionals to the next, the Academy continues a tradition that has been central to the Casino de Monte-Carlo since its opening in 1863. Open to candidates without prior casino experience, the programme focuses on developing talent internally, helping to maintain the high standards of professionalism and operational excellence for which Monte-Carlo SBM is known.
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From left to right: Jean-René Manfredi, Christopher Elena, Manon Martire and Alexis Schroeter. Photo Credit: Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer