Another Shot at Seven-Figure Prize Pool Presesented on Day 1b of PLO Grand Slam Malta €5K Million
The €5,200 Million has always been one of the main attractions on the PLO Grand Slam schedules. Having boasted a massive €1,000,000 guarantee since the very first iteration, the €5K Million set a record in January of this year by gathering a field of 225 entries in Tirana, making it the largest €5K PLO tournament ever on European soil.
Thus, when the Diamond Poker Series announced they would be visiting Casino Malta, it was no surprise to see the €5K opener back in action. While Day 1b will get underway today at 3 p.m. local time, yesterday, the first of the two starting days was played. The field of 68 entries was trimmed down to 22 players at the end of the night, with anonymous player "Kianator" grabbing a sizable chip lead with a stack of 1,940,000, or 194 big blinds at the start of Day 2.
"Kianator" pulled about three and a half starting stacks ahead of his nearest contender, Danyil Zaremba. Zaremba hopped into Day 1a after an early exit on Day 3 of the €10,300 Championship, and is shaping up for another deep run as he bagged 1,225,000. Other notables who made it through to Day 2 already include two-time PLO bracelet winners Robert Cowen and Dennis Weiss, Jessica Teusl, and Youness Barakat.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Kianator" | 1,940,000 | 194 | |
| 2 | Danyil Zaremba | Ukraine | 1,225,000 | 123 |
| 3 | Andre Plaza Marcano | United States | 1,169,000 | 117 |
| 4 | Lauri Varonen | Finland | 1,137,000 | 114 |
| 5 | Robert Cowen | United Kingdom | 1,067,000 | 107 |
| 6 | Gergo Nagy | Hungary | 838,000 | 84 |
| 7 | Puk Nabuurs | Netherlands | 814,000 | 81 |
| 8 | Aki Vihikainen | Finland | 789,000 | 79 |
| 9 | Youness Barakat | Italy | 648,000 | 65 |
| 10 | Erik Friberg | Sweden | 609,000 | 61 |
Day 1b will provide a new chance for those who have not qualified, starting them off with 200,000 in chips, plus 20,000 for those who are in their seats from the start, or 10,000 for those who register during the first level. Day 1b will play ten levels of 45 minutes, with a 65-minute dinner break scheduled after Level 6, around 7:50 p.m. local time.
Late registration will remain open throughout the day, as well as the first to levels of Day 2, and as with all other tournaments at the PLO Grand Slam, a 30-second shot clock will be in play.
€5,200 Million Day 1b Structure
| Level | Duration (min) | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 2 | 45 | 1,000 | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| 3 | 45 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| Break | 20 | |||
| 4 | 45 | 1,000 | 2,500 | 2,500 |
| 5 | 45 | 1,500 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
| 6 | 45 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| Dinner Break | 65 | |||
| 7 | 45 | 2,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| 8 | 45 | 2,500 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Break | 20 | |||
| 9 | 45 | 3,000 | 6,000 | 6,000 |
| 10 | 45 | 4,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 |
Another exciting day of four-card poker is ahead at the PLO Grand Slam Malta, and PokerNews will be on the tournament floor to provide live updates. Stay tuned for all the PLO action live from Casino Malta.