Laurens Van De Sype Secures the Day 1C Chip Lead in the MPF Grand Event
The final starting day of the €550 Grand Event of the Malta Poker Festival was the busiest flight of all with 613 entries collected during the first eight levels of the day. After a bit more than 13 hours, 118 players have made it through to Day 2, Sunday, November 4 which starts at 1 PM local time at the Portomaso casino.
Claiming the Day 1C chip lead is Belgium’s Laurens Van De Sype with 334,500 in chips. Van De Sype is trailed by Vytenis Salickas (289,000), Timothy O’Keefe (255,500), Nicolas Proust (255,000), and Andy Hills with 254,000.
Other notable players overcoming the Day 1C hurdles include Jona Wilmsmann (226,000), Murat Tulek (216,000), Mark Vella (114,500), Katharine Arnsby (114,000), and many others.
In total, 1,366 entries were attracted to the Grand Event which had a guaranteed prize pool of €500,000 and that number was easily surpassed before the day had even started. Day 2 will see the surviving players of Day 1A, Day 1B, and Day 1C come together at 1 PM local time to battle it out to make it into the money stages. The full prize pool details should be announced when Day 2 starts.
Grand Event Schedule
| Day | Date | Starting Time | Late Reg | Entries | Survivors | Further Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | Thursday, November 1 | 14:00 | ~21:30 | 302 | 64 | 75 minute-dinner break after Level 6 |
| 1B | Friday, November 2 | 14:00 | ~21:30 | 451 | 78 | 75 minute-dinner break after Level 6 |
| 1C | Saturday, November 3 | 14:00 | ~21:30 | 613 | 118 | 75 minute-dinner break after Level 6 |
| 2 | Sunday, November 4 | 13:00 | N/A | 1,366 | 262 | 20-minute breaks and 75-minute dinner break after Level 23 |
| 3 | Monday, November 5 | 14:00 | N/A | - | - | 20-minute breaks and 75-minute dinner break after Level 35 |
| 4 | Tuesday, November 6 | 14:00 | N/A | tba | - | Play down to a champion |
The full chip counts and seat draw for Day 2 will be posted once PokerNews receives them from the organization.
Make sure to come back at 1 PM local time to see who will make the money as the PokerNews live reporting team will be there, as usual, to bring you all the updates!