Boika's Back-to-Back Dream Alive and Well as 36 Return for EPT Malta Main Event Day 4
The last time the PokerStars European Poker Tour visited Malta, Aliaksei Boika had a breakout performance by winning the €5,300 Main Event. After a nine-year hiatus, EPT Malta has returned, and, as if time never passed, Boika is making another deep run, as he is one of only 36 players returning to Casino Malta at noon local time for Day 4.
Back in 2016, Boika was awarded €355,700 for his victory. If he successfully defends his title, he will receive more than double this time, as the top prize stands at €760,000, courtesy of the €4,355,300 prize pool the 898 entries have created. While three more days of poker are on the horizon before the eventual champion will be crowned, Boika has put himself in a good position so far, sitting second on the leaderboard with a stack of 1,987,000, worth 166 big blinds at the start of today.
The only person with more chips than Boika is Norwegian high-roller regular Tom-Aksel Bedell, who overran the competition on Day 3 to end with a stack of 2,718,000. Day 2 chip leader Roman Stoica maintained his position in the upper echelons as well, completing the podium with 1,734,000.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom-Aksel Bedell | Norway | 2,718,000 | 227 |
| 2 | Aliaksei Boika | Belarus | 1,987,000 | 166 |
| 3 | Roman Stoica | Moldova, Republic of | 1,734,000 | 145 |
| 4 | Jiaming Zhao | China | 1,279,000 | 107 |
| 5 | Juan Pardo | Spain | 1,256,000 | 105 |
| 6 | Maxime Chilaud | France | 1,168,000 | 97 |
| 7 | Luis Faria | Portugal | 1,150,000 | 96 |
| 8 | Joao Tomas | Portugal | 1,057,000 | 88 |
| 9 | Tom Vogelsang | Netherlands | 1,051,000 | 88 |
| 10 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | 1,038,000 | 87 |
In what appears to be one of the most stacked EPT Main Events in recent history, the field is filled to the brim with poker superstars. While Juan Pardo, Tom Vogelsang, and Adrian Mateos secured a top-ten spot with their seven-figure stacks, fellow super high rollers Jans Arends (652,000) and Ben Heath (625,000) also found their way to Day 4, both playing a stack slightly below the average.
All returning players have padded their bankrolls with at least €16,800 for making it to Day 4. They are five eliminations away from making another pay jump, but the real eye-catching prizes start at the final table, as the top seven will be paid six-figure amounts.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €760,000 | 10-11 | €56,050 |
| 2 | €474,650 | 12-13 | €46,750 |
| 3 | €339,000 | 14-15 | €38,950 |
| 4 | €260,750 | 16-17 | €33,850 |
| 5 | €200,550 | 18-20 | €29,450 |
| 6 | €154,250 | 21-23 | €25,600 |
| 7 | €118,650 | 24-27 | €22,250 |
| 8 | €91,250 | 28-31 | €19,350 |
| 9 | €70,250 | 32-36 | €16,800 |
Day 4 is scheduled to play four levels of 90 minutes, with blinds starting at 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 big blind ante. A 20-minute break will be taken after every level, meaning the day is set to finish around 7:15 p.m. local time, at which point it is expected only two tables will remain in contention.
The 2025 EPT Mata Main Event has been nothing short of spectacular so far, so stay tuned as PokerNews will provide live updates of what promises to be another action-packed day of poker.