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€5,200 The 5k Million
Day 1b Completed
2025 PLO Grand Slam Malta
€5,200 The 5k Million
Day: 1b
Event Info
2025 PLO Grand Slam Malta
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1b
Buy-in
€5,200
Prize Pool
€940,000
Total Entries
189
Level
25
Blinds
125,000 / 250,000
Ante
250,000
Entries
84
Players Left
32
Players Left 1 / 189
Filter
Level 10
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Day 1b of the €5,200 Million at the PLO Grand Slam Malta saw a field of 84 entries assemble, bringing the total across both starting flights to 152. After its scheduled ten levels were completed, 32 players remained, and they will join the 22 players who progressed on Day 1a. With the guaranteed €1,000,000 prize pool not met yet, more valuehunters are expected to join during the first two levels on Day 2, during which late registration is still possible.
Ending Day 1b atop the counts is Dutchman Jelle de Kroon. The Diamond Poker Series debutant bagged a stack of 1,474,000, good for 147 big blinds when play resumes on Day 2. De Kroon won a big set-over-set pot against Nikolaos Lampropoulos in the middle stages of the day, and only continued stacking chips afterward. Lampropoulos was the first person to hit a seven-figure stack, but he ended the night with 246,000, just over a starting stack.
Anton Suarez was the only other chip millionaire at the end of the night, trailing De Kroon closely with 1,417,000 in chips. Fresh off a cash in the €10,300 Championship, Suarez is looking to make his second deep run of the series, as is Hossein Ensan, who finished in fifth in the Championship and also found a top ten stack at the end of the night.
Meanwhile, Nino Pansier has dominated the side events so far at Casino Malta, finishing runner-up in a 5-Card Turbo event before shipping the 6-Card Turbo event a day later for his second Diamond Poker Series trophy. Pansier finished fifth in the counts of Day 1b as he is looking to add a major PLO Grand Slam title to his awards.
End of Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jelle de Kroon | Netherlands | 1,474,000 | 147 |
| 2 | Anton Suarez | Sweden | 1,417,000 | 142 |
| 3 | Renato Messina | Italy | 837,000 | 84 |
| 4 | Hans Thumann | Germany | 773,000 | 77 |
| 5 | Nino Pansier | Netherlands | 769,000 | 77 |
| 6 | Bharath Janardhan | India | 724,000 | 72 |
| 7 | Philip Pearson | United Kingdom | 716,000 | 72 |
| 8 | Espen Myrmo | Norway | 650,000 | 65 |
| 9 | Hossein Ensan | Germany | 643,000 | 64 |
| 10 | Stefan Lehner | Austria | 631,000 | 63 |
Bracelet winners Ermanno Di Nicola (614,000), Gabi Livshitz, and Dario Alioto (387,000) also bagged at the end of the night, as did DIamond Poker Series founder Christian Stratmeyer (495,000) and PLO Grand Slam regulars Leonid Yanovski (627,000), Alexi Skoulos (403,000), and Harry Casagrande (112,000).
The likes of 2025 PLO Grand Slam Tirana champion Tom-Aksel Bedell, recent runner-up in the Malta Championship Aku Joentausta, and runner-up of the very first €5K Million Pavel Izotov did not make it to the end of the night and will have to buy in on Day 2 if they still want a shot at the trophy.
Day 2 will start at 3 p.m. local time on Saturday, October 18. The late registration will remain open for the first two levels and the break that will follow. All levels will remain 45 minutes in length until the final four players, and the plan is to crown a winner on Day 2.
PokerNews will be back on the floor for the final day of the €5K Million, so tune back in then as the second major PLO Grand Slam Malta champion will be decided.
Level 10
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Level 10
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Ten levels have passed, and the 32 remaining players have bagged up, meaning Day 1b has reached its end.
The full chip counts can be found below; a recap of the day will follow shortly.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,474,000
374,000
|
374,000 |
|
||
|
1,417,000
347,000
|
347,000 |
|
837,000
26,000
|
26,000 |
|
773,000
143,000
|
143,000 |
|
769,000
301,000
|
301,000 |
|
724,000
248,000
|
248,000 |
|
716,000
34,000
|
34,000 |
|
650,000
170,000
|
170,000 |
|
643,000
22,000
|
22,000 |
|
||
|
631,000
321,000
|
321,000 |
|
||
|
627,000
148,000
|
148,000 |
|
626,000
26,000
|
26,000 |
|
614,000
193,000
|
193,000 |
|
||
|
|
592,000
352,000
|
352,000 |
|
|
564,000
99,000
|
99,000 |
|
552,000
118,000
|
118,000 |
|
508,000
51,000
|
51,000 |
|
|
||
|
502,000
352,000
|
352,000 |
|
495,000
45,000
|
45,000 |
|
422,000
92,000
|
92,000 |
|
422,000
37,000
|
37,000 |
|
403,000
116,000
|
116,000 |
|
387,000
187,000
|
187,000 |
|
|
||
|
352,000
158,000
|
158,000 |
|
276,000
91,000
|
91,000 |
Level 10
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted |
Level 10
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Harry Casagrande checked the completed board of Q♠3♣5♠8♦A♠ to Bharath Janardhan on the button. Janardhan jammed his stack of 153,000 into the pot of 170,000.
Casagrande burned through some of his time banks before eventually calling. Janardhan tabled A♦J♠J♦6♠ for a flush, and Casagrande spent a long time looking at his cards before they were mucked in defeat.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
476,000
398,000
|
398,000 |
|
80,000
220,000
|
220,000 |
Level 10
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Sebestyen Balint had three-bet to 104,000 from the big blind, which only small blind Christian Stratmeyer called. Balint continued for a tiny bet of 25,000 on the A♥K♠K♦ flop.
Stratmeyer went into the tank before he called. Balint sized up to 28,000 on the 6♥ turn, this time seeing Stratmeyer check-raise all in.
"I might be drawing dead," Stratmeyer admitted as Balint tossed in 63,000 in total for a call.
Sebestyen Balint: A♠A♦5♦2♥ 
Christian Stratmeyer: K♥Q♣10♣8♥
The final king did not appear on the 3♥ river, securing Balint a late-night double-up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
450,000
11,000
|
11,000 |
|
415,000
68,000
|
68,000 |
Level 10
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Leonid Yanovski and Aku Joentausta had each put in 104,000 preflop when Joentausta checked the 5♠3♠5♥ flop from the small blind.
Yanovski instantly put him all-in, after which Joentausta decided to fold and leave 75,000 behind.
One hand later, Joentausta open-raised on the button, calling off when Anton Suarez put hima all-in.
Aku Joentausta: A♥Q♥Q♦7♥
Anton Suarez: A♠K♣9♠8♠
Joentausta flopped the nuts on 8♥2♥J♥, and Suarez was drawing dead after the 7♦ turn.
"Nice hand, Aku," Suarez said to his opponent as the meaningless 7♠ river completed the board.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,070,000
45,000
|
45,000 |
|
|
775,000
115,000
|
115,000 |
|
|
166,000
149,000
|
149,000 |
Level 10
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Francesco Canzonieri limped in under the gun before Hans Thumann tried to go all in for about 300,000 on the button. The dealer allowed only a pot-sized raise to 36,000 to go in, which Canzonieri called.
Thumann continued for 75,000 on the K♥Q♠6♥ flop, Canzonieri raised him all-in, and Thumann quickly called off.
Hans Thumann: A♥Q♥7♦4♣
Francesco Canzonieri: A♠6♠6♣5♣
Thumann hit his flush on the 3♠4♥ river, doubling him up and ending up with a stack rivaling that of Canzonieri's
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
670,000
261,000
|
261,000 |
|
|
630,000
105,000
|
105,000 |
Level: 10
Blinds: 4,000/8,000
Ante: 8,000
