Day 1B – MPF Spring 2024

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Matte Karjalainen and Ronny Albrigtsen Chip Millionaires on Day 1b

Day 1b of the €300,000 guaranteed 2024 Malta Poker Festival Spring Edition €550 Grand Event is in the books with a banner turnout of 291 entries to bring the total up to 468 entries when taking into account yesterday’s Day 1a with still four opening flights to go.

The day was scheduled to end once the field was down to 45 hopefuls to join the 27 players that found a bag on Day 1a into Sunday’s Day 2. However, Norway’s Ronny Albrigtsen sent two players packing in the same hand by delivering a bad beat to both Svajunas Seduikis and Pavle Peclej to end the day with more than 1 million in chips.

While this was better than the 858,000 that Day 1a chip leader Indre Stanaityte bagged on Wednesday, it wasn’t good enough to take the overall chip leader as Finland’s Matte Karjalainen earned that honor with nearly 1.3 million in chips after cruising most of the day.

Several other notable players found a bag including John Forsman, Garry Spinks, Angelo Vietti, Andrew Cutajar, Richard Kellett, Jonty Willis, poker author and The Chip Race podcast cohost Dara O’Kearney, Maltese all-time leading live tournament poker winner according to The Hendon Mob Joseph Grech, Cory Desmond, Mark Attard, and Antoine Talvard.

The action will resume on Friday at 1 p.m. with Day 1c. In the meantime, check out the chip counts from the Day 1b survivors below:

PlacePlayerChipsBig Blinds
1Matte Karjalainen1,269,000127
2Ronny Albrigtsen1,046,000105
3John Forsman695,00070
4Simon Taylor693,00069
5Kai Vater683,00068
6Lennart Bernett628,00063
7Emanuele Napolitano614,00061
8Jordan Dumas600,00060
9Garry Spinks578,00058
10Angelo Vietti546,00055
11Vilde Ekren506,00051
12Damjan Pulejkov477,00048
13Ian Tabone425,00043
14Krystian Nalepka413,00041
15Enes Hasic401,00040
16Niel Adams375,00038
17Andrew Cutajar370,00037
18Richard Kellett288,00029
19Aleksi Heikkinen284,00028
20Jonty Willis280,00028
21Dara O’Kearney265,00027
22Joseph Grech238,00024
23Igor Bukowski211,00021
24Stephen Barnes204,00020
25Lee McRoe204,00020
26Jan Stigter201,00020
27Per Alstig194,00019
28Thomas Cazaletz194,00019
29Paul Coles192,00019
30Gary Morgan158,00016
31Terence Newton150,00015
32Cory Desmond149,00015
33Ivan Furniet Martinez143,00014
34Alexander Jank136,00014
35James Paris128,00013
36Stefan Trevelyan117,00012
37Sven Lorenz114,00011
38Mark Attard87,0009
39Thore Boedefeld82,0008
40Julija Drevina82,0008
41Paul Hopper75,0008
42Antoine Talvard48,0005
43Matthew Gray30,0003

Albrigtsen Destroys Two Players Dreams

Level 15: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 44/291

It was a brutal ending for Pavle Pecelj and Svajunas Seduikis by the hands of Ronny Albrightsen. Pavle effectively jammed for 70,000, leaving just 1,000 back from middle position. Seduikis called off for slightly less from the hijack before Albrightsen called from the button.

Peclej’s remaining chip went in the middle on the 4Q7 flop. The hands at the others tables were being finished before players turned over their cards.

Svajunas Seduikis: AK
Pavle Pecelj: KK
Ronny Albrigtsen: A6

“Running hearts, please,” pleaded the big-stacked Albrigtsen.

Albrigtsen got his wish to the delight of the other players after the 9 turn and [/pcn]Th[/pcn] river completed the board for Albirghtsen to oust two players on the money bubble.

The remaining field of 44 players each locked up at least a €900 min-cash. They will collect a payout slip tonight after bagging and tagging their chips into Sunday’s Day 2.

Stay tuned for the final chip counts from the 44 Day 1b survivors shortly.

Ronny Albrigtsen – 1,046,000
Pavle Pecelj – 0
Svajunas Seduikis – 0

Two Players Double

Level 15: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 45/291

Two players doubled their stacks on the fourth hand for hand-for-hand play. Lorenz Sven doubled his short stack when his AK proved to be more than good against the K9 held by Andrew Cutajar.

Meanwhile, to the dismay to most of the field that want to finish the day in the money, Svajunas Seduikis tripled up against Lee McRoe and Ronny Albrightsen when his sixes improved to a full house.

Lorenz Sven

Lucky Bubble Double for Tabone

Level 15: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 45/291

Ian Tabone just earned a lucky double on the second hand of the bubble action on Day 1b. Tabone jammed for about 10 big blinds on the K49 flop and was called by Jordan Dumas.

Ian Tabone: 42
Jordan Dumas: KQ

A crowd emerged in hopes for the end of the day. It appeared likely that would happen after the blank 3 turn. However, the poker room erupted after Tabone survived and doubled up with two pair with the 2 river completing the board.

Jordan Dumas – 310,000
Ian Tabone – 300,000

Ian Tabone

Money Bubble Reached

Level 14: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 45/291

The clock was just stopped with less than two minutes remaining in Level 14 after Yigit Isilsoy hit the rail in 46th place on Day 1b.

Two minutes will be ran off after each hand during hand-for-hand play.

Meanwhile, the rich appear to be getting richer. This is especially true for Matte Karjalainen who became the first player in the Grand Event to become a chip millionaire.

Callum Hamilton & Isilsoy Yigit
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