Domenico Gala Claims Day 1B Chip Lead in Malta Poker Festival's Grand Event
The second day of the newly minted Malta Poker Festival was busier than the first starting day of the €550 Grand Event with 451 entries coming in over the first eight levels of the day. After fourteen 45-minute levels, 78 of those managed to overcome the many hurdles their competitors threw their way and bagged their chips for Day 2, Sunday, November 4. The Portomaso Casino was once again the stage of a day filled with action.
The Day 1B chip lead honors go to Domenico Gala (lead photo) with 329,000 in chips. The Italian player will be looking forward to running deep again here in Malta and hoping to claim his first ever live tournament win after having come close several times.
Day 1B's top three players are Italian as the players trailing Gala are Emanuele Napolitano with 320,000 and Claudio Pagano with 317,000. The Swede Serdar Dermican with 300,000 and Israel’s Yotam Bar-Yosef with 293,000 round out the top five for the day.
| Position | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Domenico Gala | Italy | 329,000 |
| 2 | Emanuele Napolitano | Italy | 320,500 |
| 3 | Claudio Pagano | Italy | 317,000 |
| 4 | Serdar Demircan | Sweden | 300,000 |
| 5 | Yotam Bar-Yosef | Israel | 293,000 |
Other notable players making it through to Day 2 include Monika Zukowicz, Traian Bostan, [Removed:155], Gabriele Re, Paul Romain, Espen Uhlen Jorstad, Daiva Byrne, and Daniel Stacey.
Some of the players expected to try again tomorrow on Day 1C as they failed to make the end of the day include David Lappin, Andy Hills, Ronni Borg, Andrew Hedley, Niko Koop, Fabrice Soulier, Jon Kyte, and a planeload of players from Israel as they have arrived to not only play the IPC but also the Grand Event.
Grand Event Schedule
| Day | Date | Starting Time | Late Reg | Entries | Survivors | Further Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | Thursday, November 1 | 14:00 | ~21:30 | 302 | 64 | 75 minute-dinner break after Level 6 |
| 1B | Friday, November 2 | 14:00 | ~21:30 | 451 | 78 | 75 minute-dinner break after Level 6 |
| 1C | Saturday, November 3 | 14:00 | ~21:30 | - | - | 75 minute-dinner break after Level 6 |
| 2 | Sunday, November 4 | 13:00 | N/A | - | - | 20-minute breaks and 75-minute dinner break after Level 23 |
| 3 | Monday, November 5 | 14:00 | N/A | - | - | 20-minute breaks and 75-minute dinner break after Level 35 |
| 4 | Tuesday, November 6 | 14:00 | N/A | - | - | Play down to a champion |
Make sure to come back today at 2 PM local time to read all the Malta Poker Festival Day 1C updates as this will be the last chance for players to earn their seat for Day 2and the PokerNews live reporting team will be here to bring you all the action!
