€550 Grand Event
Day 1b Completed
2019 The Malta Poker Festival
€550 Grand Event
Day: 1b
Day 1b Chip Lead for Ongorur With Ovre and Grech Trailing in the Malta Poker Festival €550 Grand Event
Level 14
: 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Day 1b concluded with 58 players bagging up after fourteen levels of play in the €550 Grand Event here at the Portomaso Casino during The Malta Poker Festival. The first eight levels of the day attracted 329 entries and together with the Day 1a players, this means that 534 entries have been collected already towards the whopping €500,000 guaranteed prize pool. Together with the 38 Day 1a survivors, 96 players have made it through to Day 2 already.
Taking the Day 1b chip lead is Mehmet Ongorur with 474,000 in chips. Ongorur has collected five cashes in his live tournament career and three of them were earned right here in Malta according to The Hendon Mob. Ongorur climbed up the chip counts with a late surge while seated on the same table as Lasse Ovre who finished second in the chip counts. Ovre eliminated Steven Watts just before the tournament clock was paused and bagged 397,500 in the end. Closing the podium is a local player, Andre Grech with 357,000 in chips.
Also making it through to Day 2 are Brian Calleja, Quentin Lecomte, Erwann Pecheux, Massimiliano Rosi, Bas de Laat, Jonathan Therme, Paul Romain, Erwann Pecheux, and Mark Vella. Players like Fabrice Soulier, Jon Kyte, Corel Theuma, Barny Boatman, David Lappin, Daragh Davey, Byuongwook Anh, Andreas Klatt, Luca Beretta failed to survive Day 1b.
But Day 1c is set to start at 2 p.m. local time on Friday, November 1 with the same structure as the previous Day 1s and everyone who hasn’t tried or made it through yet can try and battle their way into Day 2. Registration will remain open for the first eight 45-minute levels and one reentry is permitted per flight.
There’s also day 1d at 8 p.m. local time which will be the turbo version with 20-minute levels instead of 45 minutes. Another eight levels of late registration or a single reentry is possible for the first eight levels of Day 1d.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be back on the floor to bring you all the updates as they happen with the main focus on Day 1c. Keep reading all the updates to see who else will be bagging some chips at the end of the day.
End-of-Day Chip Counts (full)
Level 14
: 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
474,000 | 32,000 |
|
397,500 | -5,000 |
|
357,000 | 12,000 |
|
354,000 | 67,000 |
|
305,500 | 22,500 |
|
304,000 | 42,000 |
|
298,500 | 115,500 |
|
|
295,000 | 295,000 |
|
294,000 | |
|
261,500 | 140,500 |
|
|
246,000 | 113,000 |
|
242,500 | 42,500 |
|
240,500 | 70,500 |
|
234,000 | 69,000 |
|
229,000 | 9,000 |
|
|
208,500 | 63,500 |
|
196,000 | 63,200 |
|
196,000 | 76,000 |
|
182,500 | 34,500 |
|
180,000 | 180,000 |
|
|
168,500 | 114,500 |
|
|
165,500 | 123,500 |
|
|
163,500 | 67,500 |
|
161,000 | 8,600 |
|
160,000 | 82,000 |
Play Ended
Level 14
: 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
The full chip counts and a recap of today are to follow.
Three More Hands
Level 14
: 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
The tournament clock has been paused and the remaining players need to play three more hands before they can bag and tag their chips for Day 2.
Watts Busts in Last Level of the Night
Level 14
: 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
The flop read 
with around 40,000 in the pot.
Steven Watts checked in the big blind and Lasse Ovre bet 25,000. Watts contemplated for a bit and made the call.
The turn was the 
, Watts shoved and Ovre asked for a count. The dealer confirmed Watts had 73,500 behind. Ovre considered what to do and then flicked in a chip for the call.
Watts tabled 
for the flush draw and the gutshot to a straight, Ovre held 
for two pair.
The river completed the board with the 
for Watts to be eliminated just before the end of the day.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
442,000 | 212,000 |
|
|
402,500 | 122,500 |
|
Busted |
Dan Triples Up
Level 14
: 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Dmitri Dan shoved from the hijack and was called by Andre Scerri in the cutoff. Ina Pavlova was sitting on the button and shoved too but for a bit more, 46,000. Action folded back to Scerri who made the call again.
Dmitri Dan: 
Ina Pavlova: 
Andre Scerri: 
The board ran out 
for Dan to hit the river for two pair to triple up while the remainder of Pavlova's stack was awarded to Scerri.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
345,000 | 158,000 |
|
|
290,000 | 3,000 |
|
|
280,000 | 139,000 |
|
|
160,000 | -100,000 |
|
118,500 | 7,500 |
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted |
Selection of Chip Counts
Level 14
: 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
287,000 | 217,000 |
|
|
283,000 | 165,000 |
|
130,000 | 99,000 |
|
|
121,000 | 26,000 |
|
|
120,000 | 120,000 |
|
62,000 | 62,000 |
|
43,000 | 10,500 |
|
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted |
Level: 14
Blinds: 1,500/3,000
Ante: 3,000
Fundingsrud Falls to Calleja
Level 13
: 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante
Inge Fundingsrud shoved for 19,000 from under the gun and action folded to Brian Calleja in the small blind who made the call. Mark Vella looked at Calleja and contemplated for a bit but opted to fold his big blind.
Inge Fundingsrud: 
Brain Calleja: 
The flop came 
which gave Calleja a pair of deuces but it also gave Fundingsrud a gutshot to a straight.
The turn was the 
which didn't change things and neither did the on the river as Fundingsrud was eliminated in the penultimate level of the night.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
133,000 | 55,200 |
|
|
Busted |