2017 Cash Game Festival Malta
Day 1 Completed
2017 Cash Game Festival Malta
2017 Cash Game Festival Malta
Day: 1
Finland's Petteri Vanhapelto Experiences Great Success to Kick off the 2017 Cash Game Festival Malta
Day 1 of the 2017 Cash Game Festival Malta at Casino Malta by Olympic Casino has been a huge success.
The day began with welcome drinks. At the same time, the poker began with a €1/€2 no-limit hold'em side table. A short time later, the first feature table, a €1/€2 no-limit hold'em game, of the day began which included many players well-known in the industry including Nordicbet Head of Poker Jostein Grødum, Guts.com Head of Poker Eirik Thorvaldsen and Guts.com Poker Coordinator Lars Erik Isaksen. Cash Game Festival Commentator Brandon Allen and Betsafe Ambassador Monika Zukowicz teamed up to announce the action.
Thorvaldsen was the big winner on the first table, banking a profit of around €400, after taking down a huge pot against Isaksen who works with him day in and day out. The duo then went out to dinner before teaming up together splitting a stack at the roulette wheel.
The game changed to €1/€2 pot-limit Omaha at the second feature table. Finland's Petteri Vanhapelto was the biggest winner at this table after booking a profit of around €1,200. Last year at this time, instead of playing, Vanhapelto was the commentator for the 2016 Cash Game Festival Malta.
Other players from previous Cash Game Festivals got into the action on the first day and plan on playing through the evening including Sin Menis Melin, Jack Fenton, Niklas Blomqvist, Niklas Blomqvist, Sami Pulliainen, Dusan Hajek and Jostein Grødum, who is the Nordicbet Head of Poker. Another regular calling in at midnight from the airport to let us know he was here is United Kingdom's Michael Fletcher.
As the clock ticked to midnight, the action was still running strong with five tables in action. This is one short of the day's high of six tables. Many players shared they plan to play through the evening.
Tomorrow's activities off the felt begin very early with a catamaran trip. Players have been buzzing with excitement about the site seeing, while others plan to see some sites on the land on their own time before heading to the poker tables.
Stay tuned at PokerNews as the action unfolds through the 2017 Cash Game Festival Malta.
Petteri Vanhapelto Wins Big
Last year at this time, Finland's Petteri Vanhapelto was commentating for the 2016 Cash Game Festival Malta. He returned again this year to appear on the other side of the coin as a player at the feature table.
The decision to play today was a good one for Vanhapelto. He not only won but won big taking down over €1,200 in profit.
Guts.com Poker Team Playing Roulette
Guts.com Head of Poker Eirik Thorvaldsen and Guts.com Poker Coordinator Lars Erik Isaksen work closely together day in and day out. This didn't stop the duo from battling against each other in a big pot a few hours ago to end the feature table that was won by Thorvaldsen.
They are now back as a team once again, this time at the roulette wheel where they are rooting strong for numbers 17 and 20. Also sitting next to them, but playing on her own, is Guts.com Poker Ambassador Silje Nilsen.
Six Tables In Action
The action has picked up at the 2017 Cash Game Festival Malta. There are now six tables running including four €1/€2 no-limit hold'em tables, one €2/€5 no-limit hold'em table and the €1/€2 pot-limit Omaha feature table.
Welcome Drink Photos
Here is a look at some photos from the Welcome Drinks ceremony that kicked off the 2017 Cash Game Festival Malta earlier today.
Monika Zukowicz Testing Her Luck
Betsafe Ambassador Monika Zukowicz, who spent a few hours in the commentary booth with Cash Game Festival Commentator Brandon Allen discussing poker on the stream, just sat down at a €1/€2 no-limit hold'em table. Before her first hand, she made sure she was playing at the stakes she wanted and checked with the table.
Latvia's Trumulis confirmed that it was a €1/€2 no-limit hold'em table and pointed to a €2/€5 table that will likely kick off soon sharing she could play higher stakes there.
Zukowicz laughed since €1/€2 is usually up her alley before stating, "I need to see how things go here first before heading to that table."
Marika Nowak in the Booth
Betsafe Ambassador Monika Zukowicz has left the commentary booth. However, Cash Game Festival Commentator Brandon Allen was not left alone.
Betsson Poker Manager Marika Nowak joined Allen to give her perspective on the pot-limit Omaha televised feature table. We will catch up with Nowak during the festival about her experience behind the booth and at the tables.
Click on the Live Stream tab to check out the action.
Sami Pulliainen Wins a Huge Pot With Quad Fives
It doesn't happen very often in no-limit hold'em where one player flops a full house and another flops quads. In pot-limit Omaha it is a little more common, but still not something happens all the time.
Malta's Antoine Degiorgio found himself on the bad side of a cooler as he flopped queens over fives on a 
board, which was well behind the quad-fives held by Finland's Sami Pulliainen.
The duo got it all in and Pulliainen was able to snag a huge pot of €944 after his opponent was unable to nail his one outer on the turn or river.
One Stack is Bigger Than the Other
While most players bought in for a fairly standard amount of €200 to €300 for the televised €1/€2 pot-limit Omaha table, one player decided to step things up a bit.
Sweden's Mikael Viggander began the action with a huge stack of €3,000 and it has just grown slightly more to around €3,200 after a flopped set held for him.