€5,300 Main Event
Day 3 Started
2025 PokerStars EPT Malta
€5,300 Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info
2025 PokerStars EPT Malta
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
Buy-in
€5,300
Prize Pool
€4,355,300
Entries
898
Level
35
Blinds
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
400,000
Entries
108
Players Left
36
Players Left 1 / 898
Filter
(1)
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Not since 2016 has Aliaksei Boika looked this comfortable in Malta. Nine years after he announced himself to the poker world by winning the PokerStars European Poker Tour Malta Main Event, the Belarusian star is once again deep in the same event, and this time he’s chasing history.
Back in that 2016 triumph, Boika began Day 3 with just 212,000 chips, sitting 23rd in the counts. Fast forward to 2025, and he’s traded the middle of the pack for the top of the leaderboard. After navigating a tense Day 2 that saw the bubble burst, Boika bagged 672,000 chips, good for third overall, as he eyes a spot in the ultra-exclusive two-time EPT Main Event winners club.
Only four names have ever managed that feat: Victoria Coren Mitchell, Mikalai Pobal, Mike Watson, and Anton “WhatIfGod” Bergstrom (two online EPT Main Event titles). The latter had a shot at becoming the first triple champion this week but fell before the money on Wednesday, leaving the door open for Boika to join one of poker’s most elite groups.
Boika trails only Roman Stoica (928,000) and Mykhailo Ostash (765,000) as 108 players return to Casino Malta from the record-breaking 898-entry field.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roman Stoica | Moldova, Republic of | 928,000 |
| 2 | Mykhailo Ostash | Ukraine | 765,000 |
| 3 | Aliaksei Boika | Belarus | 672,000 |
| 4 | Giuseppe Spitale | Italy | 663,000 |
| 5 | Evaldas Aniulis | Lithuania | 647,000 |
| 6 | Tom Vogelsang | Netherlands | 569,000 |
| 7 | Maxime Chilaud | France | 559,000 |
| 8 | Ilija Savevski | North Macedonia | 555,000 |
| 9 | Davide Marchi | Italy | 548,000 |
| 10 | Jiaming Zhao | China | 497,000 |
Everyone left in the hunt has already locked up €9,650 from the €4,355,300 prize pool, with five-figure paydays starting once 96 players remain.
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 | 40-55 | €14,650 |
| 7 | €118,650 | 56-71 | €12,700 |
| 8 | €91,250 | 72-96 | €11,050 |
| 9 | €70,250 | 96-108 | €9,650 |
Play resumes at 12 p.m. local time, with blinds at 2,000/5,000/5,000, and likely four 90-minute levels will be played. The feature table will be streamed on YouTube and Twitch on a 30-minute delay.
Be sure to follow PokerNews for live updates from Day 3 of the Main Event as the field battles to reach Day 4.
Level: 16
Blinds: 2,000/5,000
Ante: 5,000
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
The remaining 108 players have taken their seats, unbagged their chips, and are ready to go!
Cards are in the air here at the EPT Malta Main Event.
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Rui Bouquet was in the big blind and got his stack of 48,000 in against Ivan Kuziv in the small blind.
Rui Bouquet: A♥Q♠ 
Ivan Kuziv: Q♣8♥
The board ran out an inconsequential 3♥10♥5♣6♣J♥, presenting Bouquet with an early double-up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
140,000
48,000
|
48,000 |
|
101,000
48,000
|
48,000 |
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Jeremie Zouari raised preflop under the gun and found a caller in Manuel Carvalho on the button. Zouari fired sizable bets of 17,000 on the 5♣10♣9♦ flop and 44,000 on the 5♥ turn, both times being called by Carvalho.
The 6♣ river was checked down after Zouari spent one time bank. Zouari could only show king-high with K♣Q♠, leaving Carvalho to take the pot with K♦10♥.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
308,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
220,000
122,000
|
122,000 |
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Gerard Rubiralta opened from under the gun, Kenny Hallaert on the button three-bet all in for 38,000, and Rubiralta called.
Kenny Hallaert: A♠10♦
Gerard Rubiralta: A♦Q♦
Rubiralta kept the lead all the way through a board of 7♠2♠A♣3♦Q♠ and sent Hallaert to the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
305,000
44,000
|
44,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Juan Pardo raised to 10,000 from the hijack, which only Maria Koutsouki, on the button, called.
Pardo continued for 9,000 on the 10♠4♥K♠ flop, which Koutsouki called again.
The dealer added the 5♥ turn to the board, and Pardo turned up the heat with a bet of 34,000. After brief consideration, Koutsouki opted to fold.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
441,000
31,000
|
31,000 |
|
150,000
19,000
|
19,000 |
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Andras Ivacson was all in for 80,000 in the hijack, at risk against big blind Enrico Camosci.
Andras Ivacson: A♣J♦
Enrico Camosci: A♦Q♦
Ivacson was open-ended after the 8♣9♠10♥ flop, while the A♠ turn made both players a pair. The 3♣ river changed nothing, however, kicking Ivacson out with his outkicked ace.
Camosci, meanwhile, ended the hand with double the chips he had started the day with.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
205,000
103,000
|
103,000 |
|
Busted |
