In a three-bet pot worth 200,000 to the Q♦K♥6♦ flop, Matas Cimbolas tossed in a tiny bet of 25,000 from the big blind. Ben Zech flicked in a calling chip in the cutoff, after which both players checked the K♦ turn.
Cimbolas then put Zech all in for his remaining 215,000 on the 6♠ river, and he received a quick fold for his efforts.
The Mediterranean sun has risen above the beautiful waters of Malta, bringing another day of the 2025 PokerStars European Poker Tour Malta with it. The eye-catcher on the schedule today is Day 3 of the €1,650 PokerStars Open, where the starting field of 1,845 has been dwindled down to just 79 contenders. They return to Casino Malta at 11 a.m. well into the money, battling for the biggest part of the €2,656,800 prize pool, of which a massive €423,700 is reserved for the eventual winner.
Thomas Muehloecker collected 1,765,000 chips on Day 2, taking second place on the leaderboard, only half a big blind behind chipleader Claudio Coelho. The Austrian grinder has been playing well for over a decade at this point, amassing over $11,000,000 in tournament earnings as per The Hendon Mob, placing him second on Austria's all-time money list. If Muehloecker manages to convert his big stack into a victory, it would be the fourth live PokerStars title of his storied career.
However, plenty of players are still between Muehloecker and the trophy. Mateusz Moolhuizen knew a stellar Day 2 as well and comes into Day 3 third in chips with 1,535,000. Moolhuizen won the FPS Main Event, the precursor to the PokerStars Open, at EPT Paris last year and is looking to add a second major title to his resume. At that same EPT, Ioannis Oikonomidis won the €1,650 Mystery Bounty event for his first live PokerStars title, and he also battled his way to a spot in the top ten chip counts, sitting in sixth with 1,380,000.
Mateusz Moolhuizen
Start of Day 3 Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Claudio Coelho
Portugal
1,775,000
89
2
Thomas Muehloecker
Austria
1,765,000
88
3
Mateusz Moolhuizen
Netherlands
1,535,000
77
4
Modar Alsoud
Germany
1,410,000
71
5
Siarhei Sochneu
Belarus
1,405,000
70
6
Ioannis Oikonomidis
Greece
1,380,000
69
7
Fabian Bernhauser
Austria
1,380,000
69
8
Dario Pieruzzini
Italy
1,320,000
66
9
Marius Pertea
Romania
1,280,000
64
10
Ivan Martinez
Spain
1,180,000
59
Just outside the top ten, EPT regulars Scott Margereson (1,030,000) and Joachim Haraldstad (1,020,000) can be found with six-figure stacks. Kenny Hallaert leads the three remaining PokerStars ambassadors with a stack of 845,000, with the French duo Julien Brecard (345,000) and Benjamin Bruneteaux (230,000), being among the short stacks at the start of the day.
Kenny Hallaert
The returning players have all secured a minimum payout of €4,950 for making it to the penultimate day of the tournament, with the next pay jump being at 71 players left. Five-figure prizes will be reached today when 27 players remain, while the eye-watering six-figure ones will be distributed on Day 4, being reserved for the top few finishers.
Remaining Payouts
Place
Prize
Place
Prize
1
€423,700
14-15
€20,700
2
€264,650
16-17
€17,250
3
€188,900
18-20
€14,350
4
€145,350
21-23
€12,000
5
€111,850
24-27
€10,000
6
€86,500
28-31
€8,600
7
€65,950
32-39
€7,350
8
€50,700
40-55
€6,500
9
€39,050
56-71
€5,650
10-11
€29,800
72-79
€4,950
12-13
€24,850
Day 3 will kick off with blinds at 10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 big blind ante. All levels will remain 60 minutes long, and the tournament is expected to play down to the final table today, although no official plans have been announced. Details regarding a dinner break are still unknown as well.
A long day may be in the cards for the PokerStars Open today, and PokerNews will be there from start to finish to bring all the highlights and updates straight from the tournament floor. Stay tuned as another exciting day of poker at EPT Malta is about to get underway.
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