2017 Cash Game Festival Malta
Day 5 Started
2017 Cash Game Festival Malta
2017 Cash Game Festival Malta
Day: 5
Welcome to Day 5 of the 2017 Cash Game Festival Malta
Welcome to the final day of the 2017 Cash Game Festival Malta at Casino Malta by Olympic Casino. The festival has been a success with the casino with some great poker action at the casino and possibly the most epic side events away from the tables experienced by players in Cash Game Festival history.
Today began with many players recovering from a long night of partying while playing poker at the casino and experiencing the vibrant Maltese nightlife. At 2 p.m., players with the hospitality package headed on a guided tour of a different part of Malta led by Cash Game Festival vlogger and French blogger Maxime "The French Hunter" Roseau. The French Hunter nickname came earlier in the day as Cash Game Festival veteran Niklas Blomqvist, who is celebrating his 28th birthday today, gave Roseau a t-shirt as a present that says his new nickname on the back of his t-shirt.
The first of two feature tables will begin at 5:40 p.m. CEST and will be streamed on a 20-minute delay with stakes at €1/€2 no-limit on a variety of medium including the Cash Game Festival website and PokerNews by clicking on the Live Stream tab in our coverage.
As a treat, Cash Game Festival Commentator Brandon Allen will be heading to the other side and appear on the feature table. Taking control of the booth will be Betsafe Ambassador Monika Zukowicz. Last year's Cash Game Festival Commentator Petteri Vanhapelto is expected to join as Zukowicz's sidekick.
Brandon Allen will return to his commentating duties for the second feature table at 8:40 p.m. CEST on a 20-minute delay.
The PokerNews Live Reporting is on hand to report on all the excitement during Day 5 starting at around 5 p.m. CEST complete with recaps, quotes, pictures and videos.
Photos From Last Night's VIP Pool Party
Players Return From Mdina
Players are beginning to return from the tour to Mdina, otherwise known as the Silent City, hosted by Maxime Roseau. Pictures will be shared later in today's coverage.
Roseau was one of the first people to pop back into the casino after the tour and shared some of the highlights.
"We visited a cathedral from the 17th century, said Roseau. It featured both beautiful art and an amazing structure. The rest of the city was as equally as beautiful.
Roseau went on the explain the city is one of the oldest in the world.
"This the city is the symbol of the heritage of Malta and used to be the country's capital," Roseau explained. "The population is now less than 300 people. There is a proof that the city existed 4,000 years ago."
Seeing the sites and sounds of Mdina wasn't the only part of the guided tour experience.
"Of course, we found time for other things besides the sites of the city," said Roseau. "We enjoyed some ice cream before seeing a beautiful panorama of Malta. Then when we got back to near the casino we enjoyed some local pastries and reflected on the experience."
Birthday Boy Hits Trips While Going for a Flush
Niklas Blomqvist is busy playing poker on his birthday and just had a fun hand. Blomqvist led out on an ace-king-four flop with two diamonds holding ten-seven of diamonds.
His opponent shoved his short stack of around 40 big blinds and Blomqvist called. A seven on the turn gave Blomqvist more outs and he shipped the hand after another seven appeared on the river.
Allen Out of the Booth and On the Table & Chevalier Attempting History
The first televised feature table of the day has just begun with stakes at €1/€2 no-limit hold'em. You can check out the coverage on the Cash Game Festival Twitch website and on PokerNews by clicking on the Live Stream tab in our coverage.
It is hard to say who is headlining the table as there are many Cash Game Festival "celebrities" at the table.
France's Tristan Chevalier, in Seat 2, is attempting to tie history. If he is the biggest winner at this feature table, it will make it three times during one festival which will tie him with Italy's Federico Drassich (CGF Slovenia - March 2017) and Norway's Knut Rysstad (CGF Gibraltar - May 2017).
In Seat 3 is Norwegian teacher Magnus Grötvik. This is his first televised feature table experience and is sporting a Guts.com patch at the table.
Finland's Tommi Verkasalo is also making his first televised feature table experience in Seat 4. Verksalo lives in Malta and has been playing poker for 11 years.
The newly dubbed "The French Hunter" aka Cash Game Festival's vlogger and French blogger Maxime Roseau is in Seat 5. Roseau tested his luck late last night on a low limit hold'em table and walked away with a few extra bucks in his wallet. The French Hunter also led the guided city tour of Mdina earlier in the day.
The man, the myth, and the legend Brandon Allen is in Seat 6. Allen is best known for hosting the Cash Game Festival commentary for the past eight festivals and is looking forward to see if he can win money in front of his Twitch fans.
Guts.com Head of Poker Eirik Thorvaldsen is in Seat 7. Thorvaldsen isn't going for a record like Chevalier but is attempting to be the biggest winner at the feature table for the second time in the festival after accomplishing that feat during the first feature table on Day 1.
Monika Zukowicz and Veli-Matti Puumala in the Booth
Sometimes it takes two to replace one. Brandon Allen normally handles the commentary but is giving his fans a treat by competing on the televised feature table.
Taking his spot in the commentary booth are Betsafe Ambassador Monika Zukowicz who hosts her own stream for online poker and Finnish comedian and poker player Veli-Matti Puumala. The dynamic should be both interesting and fun, so check it out by heading to the Cash Game Festival website or on PokerNews by clicking on the Live Stream tab in our coverage.
[Check out @VeluPuumala and @HeyMonia in the @CashFestival #Malta commentary booth https://t.co/R2ES6GhchO @PokerNews pic.twitter.com/UpEK84dSfi
— Jason Glatzer (@JaxonPoker) June 18, 2017
Feature Table Photos
Can Finland's Petteri Vanhapelto Do it Twice?
Finland's Petteri Vanhapelto, who was last year's commentator when the Cash Game Festival visited Malta, has joined the table to add another interesting dynamic. He was the biggest winner of the second feature of the festival and is trying to become the latest player to do so on multiple feature tables during the same festival.
Also joining the table is another Finn, Arttu Iisakka, who has been an exciting player to watch both on and away from the tables.
Finland's Petteri Vanhapelto Off to a Hot Start
Finland's Petteri Vanhapelto, who lives locally in Malta, is off to a hot start on the €1/€2 no-limit hold'em televised feature table. In a recent hand, he raised from early position with 
to €10 before calling a three-bet to €25 from his fellow countrymate Arttu Iisakka, who was holding 
.
Both players checked the 
flop despite Vanhapelto flopping two pair and his opponent holding top pair. This is where things got interesting. Vanhepelto jammed his stack of around €175, which represented a huge overbet of the pot when the 
appeared on the turn and was snap called by Iisakka. A blank appeared on the river and Vanhapelto was awarded a huge pot.