Category Day 1E

Day 1F Wrap-Up!

Our final non-turbo flight, 1F, saw 212 entries vying for a spot in Day 2. After hours of intense play, only 32 players managed to bag their chips and move forward, all guaranteed a minimum of €1,000. Leading the way are the top 3 stacks:

1. Lawrence Bonnici – 1,134,000 chips – Only Bonnici managed to climb up over a million in 1F.
2. Daniel Prunster – 861,000 chips
3. Josef Jezek – 585,000 chips

Great job to everyone who advanced, and good luck as we head into Day 2!

Position	Name	Country	Chip Count
1	Lawrence Bonnici	Malta	1,134,000
2	Daniel Prunster	Austria	861,000
3	Josef Jezek	Czech Republic	585,000
4	Wayne Armstrong	United Kingdom	565,000
5	Mairus-Marcel Popescu	Romania	542,000
6	Rui Soares	Portugal	478,000
7	Ionut Arvatu	Netherlands	472,000
8	Marc Schembri	Malta	434,000
9	Miguel Sanchez	Spain	417,000
10	Daniel Mountford	United Kingdom	410,000
11	Leonardo Burdino	Italy	409,000
12	Hakan Uzun	Germany	406,000
13	Nikolaos Oikonomou	Greece	362,000
14	Angelo Virde	Italy	343,000
15	Elias Ennemoser	Austria	334,000
16	Fabio Roperti	Italy	314,000
17	Jennifer Knobloch	Germany	275,000
18	Terry Bowker	United Kingdom	255,000
19	Laurence O’kane	Ireland	252,000
20	Mary Kerr	United Kingdom	234,000
21	Ulf Grahs	Sweden	224,000
22	Gurvinder Shergill	United Kingdom	176,000
23	Krzysztof Mielnik	Poland	170,000
24	Daniele Sunzeri	Sweden	152,000
25	Kenneth Greaney	Ireland	145,000
26	Georgios Georgiou	Cyprus	127,000
27	AlejandroAsenjo	Spain	121,000
28	Alfredo Palmentieri	Italy	103,000
29	Taki Petros	Cyprus	103,000
30	Shane O’connell	Ireland	94,000
31	Adam Diamond	United Kingdom	79,000
32	Segrej Babincev	Lithuania	74,000

Check the photos from Day 1F of the MPF Grand Event:

With 508 entries battling it out, only 76 players secured their spot on Day 2, all guaranteed at least €1,000 min-cash.

Leading the pack, Italy’s Massimiliano Ferro bagged an impressive 1,287,000 chips, with Jens Nielsen close behind at 1,063,000, and Nils Jarefjall rounding out the top three at 941,000. Congratulations to all who advanced!

Position	Name	Country	Chip Count
1	Massimiliano Ferro	Italy	1,287,000
2	Jens Nielsen	Denmark	1,063,000
3	Nils Jarefjall	Sweden	941,000
4	Tanguy Pellerin	France	924,000
5	Ib Christian Djervil	Denmark	767,000
6	Antonin Hays	France	758,000
7	Danilo Mercuri	Italy	651,000
8	Davide Gelardi	Italy	638,000
9	Robin Ganpat	Netherlands	609,000
10	Marko Luksa	Serbia	578,000
11	Paul Looije	Netherlands	577,000
12	Dennis Mercier	Netherlands	517,000
13	Benjamin Rivera	Spain	487,000
14	Scott Ledingham	United Kingdom	481,000
15	Rami Awad	Germany	447,000
16	Andras Kovacks	Hungary	447,000
17	Simon Horn	United Kingdom	443,000
18	Fabio Berti	Italy	441,000
19	Aaron Fletcher	United Kingdom	437,000
20	James Clarke	United Kingdom	424,000
21	Ridas Bitauskas	Lithuania	416,000
22	Giulio Spampinato	Italy	398,000,
23	Francisco De Sousa	Portugal	389,000
24	Philip Mooring	United Kingdom	372,000
25	Fikri Basaran	Germany	364,000
26	Julien Stropoli	France	361,000
27	Mike Lange	Germany	360,000
28	Marvin Dubau	Germany	353,000
29	Erik Ostergaard	Denmark	348,000
30	Saverio Rizzello	Italy	338,000
31	John Santini	USA	326,000,
32	Atte Ftanssila	Finland	322,000
33	William Johnstone	United Kingdom	319,000
34	Mark Roovers	Netherlands	318,000
35	Andrew Corbin	United Kingdom	310,000
36	Skipp Assem	Netherlands	303,000
37	William Cannavo’	Italy	302,000
38	Mikael Tomas Skantze	Sweden	290,000
39	Seamus Mc Cafferty	Ireland	286,000
40	Giovanni Previti	Italy	283,000
41	Patrick Grabmann	Germany	279,000
42	Lars Halkier	Denmark	261,000
43	Giuseppa Coletta	Italy	259,000
44	Stavros Petychakis	Greece	255,000
45	Tomas Telek	Slovakia	251,000
46	Ellen Kerbey	United Kingdom	249,000
47	Peter Murray	United Kingdom	244,000
48	Francisco Femenias	Spain	244,000,
49	Martynas Racinskas	Lithuania	234,000
50	Gerard Jacky Lemee	France	222,000
51	Benjamin Barzilay	Switzerland	217,000
52	Theodoros Ampelikiotis	Greece	207,000
53	Raf De Wever	Belgium	203,000
54	Steven Smith	United Kingdom	183,000
55	Linda Nguyen	Unknown	179,000
56	June Jenkins	Canada	178,000
57	James Gray	United Kingdom	173,000,
58	Andrew Fleming	United Kingdom	170,000
59	Andrea Melluzzo	Italy	166,000
60	Neville Grech	Malta	164,000
61	Barry Oliver Smyth	Irelan	159,000
62	Thomas Panagopoulos	Greece	151,000
63	Simone Maciocia	Malta	149,000
64	Mohammed Meggouh	Netherlands	135,000
65	Scott Rodriguez	United Kingdom	98,000
66	Remond Schweig	Netherland	91,000,
67	Tommy Wiesiek Nyberg	Sweden	88,000
68	Thomas Paul Clack	United Kingdom	86,000
69	Johan Ekdahl	Sweden	83,000
70	Karolis Magodia	Lithuania	77,000
71	Luc Vanhaesendonck	Belgium	70,000
72	Martin Schulz	Germany	66,000
73	Gerard Shields	Ireland	60,000
74	Kevin Frame	United Kingdom	38,000
75	Steven Penney	United Kingdom	31,000
76	Paul-Vlad Craciunas	Romania	12,000

Check the photos from Day 1E of the MPF Grand Event:

Level 16: 4000/8000 (6000)
Entries: 91/508

We’re down to the wire in Day 1E, with just 15 players left to eliminate before the remaining field secures their spot in Day 2! The atmosphere is intense as everyone fights for those last coveted positions and a guaranteed payout.

With blinds escalating and stacks getting shorter, each decision counts. Good luck to those still in the running—Day 2 is within reach!

Level 15: 3000/6000 (6000)
Entries: 117/508

Players just returned from their 20-minute break and Day 1E is quickly closing in on the final 76 players who will bag up and advance to Day 2, with the field already battling it out on Level 15 at 3k/6k blinds. The pressure is on as players make their last moves to secure a spot, and stacks are shifting fast.

Check out some of the current chip leaders as the action heats up:

Name	Chip Count
Antonin Hays	500,000
Tanguy Pellerin	490,000
Marko Luksa	480,000
Skipp Van Den Assem	480,000
Andrew Corbin	473,000
Marvin Dubau	450,000
Nils Jarefjall	427,000
Paul Looije	420,000

Level 14: 2000/5000 (5000)
Entries: 120/508

Rosarie Roberts from under the gun +1 surprised the table with a bold raise to 32,000—six times the big blind. To her surprise, Andrew Corbin (pictured below) called immediately from her left, followed by another unexpected call from Remond Schweig. Despite the hefty raise, we had three players to the flop.

The flop came 9♦5♥K♣, and Roberts didn’t hesitate to shove her remaining 184,500 into the pot. Corbin, looking conflicted, eventually made the call, while Schweig folded, sending Roberts and Corbin to showdown:

• Rosarie Roberts: Q♠Q♣ (pair of queens)
• Andrew Corbin: A♠K♠ (top pair, ace kicker)

Both held monster hands, but the board brought no help for Roberts on the turn and river, leaving her with just 2,500 chips moments before the 20-minute break and she said “well, a chip and a chair”. Corbin on the other hand was quite happy with the outcome as he is heading for a place on Day 2 with the nice stack he acquired.

Rosarie Roberts – 2,500
Andrew Corbin – 465,000

Level 14: 2000/5000 (5000)
Entries: 124/508

Kieran Collins opened the pot, only to face a 3-bet to 25,000 from button player Marvin Dubau. Collins made the call, and the flop came 8♣J♥9♣. After Collins checked, Dubau bet 10,000, which Collins quickly raised to 40,000. Without hesitation, Dubau snap-shoved for 182,500 – call, and both went to a showdown:

• Marvin Dubau: 10♥4♥ (open-ended straight draw)
• Kieran Collins: J♠J♦ (set of jacks)

Dubau chuckled, “I don’t know why I did that,” as the dealer turned the 5♣. Then, the river 7♦ completed Dubau’s straight, prompting him to shout, “It’s coming! That’s why I’m doing it!”

Meanwhile, Collins was left reeling, shaken by the tough beat that his set of jacks cost him.

Kieran Collins – 40,000
Marvin Dubau – 430,000

Level 14: 2000/5000 (5000)
Entries: 134/508

Down to her last 7 big blinds, Kelly Ann Saxby shoved and was called by Mikael Skantze in the big blind. Saxby showed pocket tens 10♠10♥, while Skantze held A♣8♥.

The flop came 7♥A♥4♦, giving Skantze the lead with a pair of aces. The 9♣ on the turn prompted Saxby to quip, “You gotta stand up, because you know it’s gonna happen,” as she rose from her chair.

To everyone’s surprise, her prediction came true as the 10♦ hit the river, completing her set! Laughter erupted around the table as Saxby scooped the pot and stayed alive.

Kelly Ann Saxby – 75,000
Mikael Skantze – 120,000

Level 13: 2000/4000 (4000)
Entries: 142/508

Antonin Hays raised 3x from the small blind, and Barry Smyth quickly called from the big blind. The flop came J♣7♠K♠, and Hays continued for 12,000, with Smyth snap-calling.

On the turn Q♥, Hays fired again, this time for 35,000, and Smyth responded with another instant call. The river 3♣ saw Hays take his time before shoving all-in for 68,500. Smyth, who had a similar stack, asked for a count before ultimately folding.

A bold play by Hays, who scooped the pot and left Smyth wondering what could’ve been.

Antonin Hays – 201,000
Barry Smyth – 73,000

It’s a busy day here at the Malta Poker Festival, with multiple tournaments underway, and here’s the latest on each one:

• Main Event Day 1E: A massive 508 entries were recorded, with 156 players still in the running. Out of these, 76 will advance to Day 2 and secure a minimum cash.
  
• Main Event Day 1F: Currently at 135 players out of 188 entries, with late registration open for 3 more levels. Plenty of time for players looking to take their shot!
  
• Main Event Day 1G Turbo: The turbo flight has 65 out of 82 entries still in action, with just over an hour left for late registration. This is one of the final chances to join the Day 2 action.
  
• MPF – PLO Knight Crusaders hosted by Mayoman: Only 18 players remain out of a strong 117-entry field. With just 15 spots paying, competition is fierce for the top prize of €7,650.
  
• Luxon Pay Mystery Bounty Day 1: This popular event has 62 out of 420 players still competing, and the excitement is building as they approach the bounty phase, Day 2 will be played tomorrow at 10:00.

Best of luck to everyone still in action, and stay tuned as we get closer to the bubble and beyond in each of these thrilling tournaments!

Level 13: 2000/4000 (4000)
Entries: 169/508

Alessandro Florio opened the pot to 8,000 and was quickly 3-bet by Fikri Basaran seated just one spot to his left. The rest of the table folded, and Florio wasted no time, shoving his 48,500 chips into the middle. Basaran made an instant call, and the cards were revealed:

• Alessandro Florio: Q♠Q♦ – seat 3 on the picture
• Fikri Basaran: A♣J♦ – – seat 5 on the picture

Florio was ahead but at risk, and the flop was a nail-biter: 7♣8♣9♣ gave Basaran outs for both a flush and a straight with a ten. The turn 9♠ and river [invalid notations]7d paired the board twice, and Florio’s queens held strong, dodging an array of dangerous outs to secure an important double-up for the Italian.

Alessandro Florio – 107,000
Fikri Basaran – 60,000