€1,650 PokerStars Open
Day 4 Completed
2025 PokerStars EPT Malta
€1,650 PokerStars Open
Day: 4
Event Info
2025 PokerStars EPT Malta
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 4
Buy-in
€1,650
Prize Pool
€2,656,800
Entries
1,845
Level
35
Blinds
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
400,000
Entries
14
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 1845
Filter
Level 35
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
A plethora of tournaments can be played at any stop of the PokerStars European Poker Tour, but only a few award big, shiny trophies known as "shards.” The €1,650 PokerStars Open is one of them, and at the 2025 EPT Malta, the big, shiny trophy went the way of UK pro Scott Margereson.
Over four days of battling at Casino Malta, Margereson outlasted a field of 1,845 entries, the biggest turnout of any event at EPT Malta, and was rewarded with a massive haul of €423,700 after defeating Gerard Carbo heads-up. Carbo took home €264,650 for his efforts, the second-biggest piece of the €2,656,800 prize pool and by far his largest recorded live score, as per The Hendon Mob.
Together, Margereson and Carbo provided all the eliminations from the final ten players onward, steamrolling the final table which included the likes of 2024 EPT Paris champion Barny Boatman and Spanish powerhouse Ana Marquez. The destined duel for the title only took 22 hands to fall in Margereson's favor, however, as he won the vast majority of pots to conquer the title.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Margereson | United Kingdom | €423,700 |
| 2 | Gerard Carbo | Spain | €264,650 |
| 3 | Siarhei Sochneu | Belarus | €188,900 |
| 4 | Evaldas Aniulis | Lithuania | €145,350 |
| 5 | Donato De Bonis | Italy | €111,850 |
| 6 | Modar Alsoud | Germany | €86,500 |
| 7 | Ana Marquez | Spain | €65,950 |
| 8 | Barny Boatman | United Kingdom | €50,700 |
Carbo Dominates Early
Margereson began the final day third in chips out of the 14 returning players. While Carbo had a rocket start to the day by doubling up in a huge cooler against Ioannis Oikonomidis, capturing the chiplead, Margereson had simply maintained his stack by the time the unofficial final table of nine was reached, dropping him a spot on the leaderboard.
Oikonomidis could not recover and busted in ninth against Margereson, becoming the last player to miss the official final table. In the meantime, Carbo used his lead effectively and saw it grow by the minute. After eliminating Boatman and Marquez, Carbo also took care of Modar Alsoud and Donato De Bonis, ending up with over half the chips in play when four players remained.
Margereson's Merry Road to Victory
With four players left, Margereson started to hit his stride. In just a couple of hands, he knocked out start-of-day leader Evaldas Aniulis and bronze medalist Siarhei Sochneu.
The players took a break before the heads-up battle, during which a deal was briefly discussed. Having the smaller stack, Margereson politely declined once he saw the numbers, and the stage was set for a high-stakes battle worth over €159,000, the difference between first and second place.
Margereson won the first significant pot of the duel when he picked off a bluff by Carbo. Having gained the lead, he started winning most hands, eventually claiming a five-to-one chip lead over his opponent. Carbo still had a workable stack of 20 big blinds when Margereson moved all in preflop, but his ace-nine was no match for the seven-six of Margereson, who seemed to have all the luck on his side and made a pair to secure the victory.
When Margereson was officially declared the winner, the two competitors shared a hug before they went their separate ways to pick up their monstrous six-figure paydays. "I ran so incredibly hot heads-up," Margereson summed up his experience to his rail as he left the tournament area.
That concludes the PokerNews live reporting for the €1,650 PokerStars Open, but EPT Malta is far from over. The Main Event has just kicked off, and Margereson and Carbo are both expected to make an appearance, so be sure to keep an eye on our EPT Malta live reporting hub to not miss any of the exciting action in the days to come.
Level 35
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Scott Margereson open-jammed his button, and Gerard Carbo snap-called for his remaining 8,000,000 or so in the big blind.
Gerard Carbo: A♦9♦ 
Scott Margereson: 7♠6♥
Carbo remained in the lead on the 2♠5♥J♦ flop, but the 6♦ turn provided Margereson with a pair.
The J♠ river brought neither a diamond nor a higher pair for Carbo, meaning the end of the heads-up had been reached. Carbo ended his tournament run as runner-up, bringing home a new high score of €264,650.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
55,350,000
9,250,000
|
9,250,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 35
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Most of the recent, relatively small pots have gone Scott Margereson's way, the latest of which saw him limp in on the button, after which Gerard Carbo made it 1,500,000 in the big blind.
Margereson then moved all in, and received a snap-fold for his efforts, seeing his opponent dive under eight figures for the first time during the heads-up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
46,100,000
8,600,000
|
8,600,000 |
|
|
9,250,000
8,600,000
|
8,600,000 |
Level 35
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Scott Margereson started off with a limp on the button. Gerard Carbo upped the ante to 1,500,000 in the big blind, which Margereson called.
The duo checked through the 2♦Q♣K♦ flop for the 3♥ to appear on the turn. After Carbo checked for a second time, Margereson slid 2,800,000 in the middle.
Carbo called, and his 10♥10♣ won the pot when both players checked the J♠ river to showdown.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
37,500,000
7,850,000
|
7,850,000 |
|
|
17,850,000
7,850,000
|
7,850,000 |
Level 35
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Scott Margereson limped in on the button. Gerard Carbo upped the ante to 1,600,000 in the big blind, which Margereson called.
After Carbo checked the J♥6♠9♣ flop, Margereson fired a bet of 1,200,000. Carbo called and check-called Margerson's bet of 4,500,000 on the 7♣ turn as well.
The Q♣ river was quickly checked to showdown. Carbo showed K♦J♣ for a flopped top pair, but Margereson had hit a higher pair on the river with his Q♦4♦.
Margereson shipped the big pot and an over four-to-one chiplead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
45,350,000
11,550,000
|
11,550,000 |
|
|
10,000,000
11,550,000
|
11,550,000 |
Level 35
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
Scott Margereson opened his button to 800,000, calling when Gerard Carbo three-bet to 2,700,000 in the big blind.
Carbo checked the A♣J♦9♦ flop over to his opponent, who fired 1,900,000. Carbo called to the K♣ turn, which was checked by both players.
The J♥ river saw Carbo fire a huge bet of 7,700,000. Margereson needed a couple of seconds before he found a call.
Carbo showed 9♠8♠ for bottom pair, but was bested by the A♦10♦ of Margereson, who won the first significant pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
33,800,000
12,375,000
|
12,375,000 |
|
|
21,550,000
12,375,000
|
12,375,000 |
Level 35
: Blinds 200,000/400,000, 400,000 ante
The two remaining contenders are back in their seats and playing for the trophy, the glory, and, of course, the €159,000 difference between first and second place.
Level: 35
Blinds: 200,000/400,000
Ante: 400,000
Level 34
: Blinds 150,000/300,000, 300,000 ante
Gerard Carbo and Scott Margereson have taken a small break before they will start their heads-up battle.
