€550 Grand Event
Day 4 Completed
2025 Malta Poker Festival Autumn
€550 Grand Event
Day: 4
Event Info
2025 Malta Poker Festival Autumn
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 4
Buy-in
€550
Prize Pool
€903,498
Entries
1,987
Level
32
Blinds
600,000 / 1,200,000
Ante
1,200,000
Entries
8
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 1987
Filter
Level 32
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
The ever-popular Malta Poker Festival Autumn attracted 1,987 entrants to its marquee €550 Grand Event, which unfolded across eight days of play. When play concluded, it was Joris Ruijs who stood alone as champion.
Hosted at the stunning Portomaso Casino, with its backdrop of crystal-clear water and Maltese sunshine, the Grand Event featured eight starting flights—reflecting the scale and popularity of the festival.
The tournament guaranteed €500,000, but the turnout pushed the prize pool to an impressive €903,498 as players packed the venue across all flights. When the starting flights concluded, 298 players advanced to Day 2, each assured a cash prize but all chasing the same goal: the €141,000 awaiting the eventual champion.
Only one could claim that prize, and by outlasting all others, Ruijs triumphed.
€550 Grand Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joris Ruijs | Netherlands | €141,000 |
| 2 | Vincent Schueler | Germany | €86,420 |
| 3 | Thomas Grahs | Sweden | €61,560 |
| 4 | Toni Ravnak | Serbia | €47,220 |
| 5 | Benjamin Nicault | France | €36,330 |
| 6 | Giuseppe Bellinghieri | Italy | €28,650 |
| 7 | Vester Vergeest | Netherlands | €22,070 |
| 8 | Jeffrey Gregor | Denmark | €17,040 |
Winner's Reaction
"I mean, it feels absolutely amazing. This is what you came to play for, and this is the most amount of buy-ins I've ever won, the most amount of people I've ever defeated. So in a lot of ways, it was like a very fun experience. I mean, to win a tournament is something that doesn't come around very, very often. So like when it happens, I really enjoy it."
Ruijs reflected on how different his approach is when playing in such a large field, one that includes not only professionals but also recreational players and those just there to have fun.
"I mean, a lot of changes in some sense that you have to think a lot more about how people might perceive you, what the money might mean for people, how they will adjust through different phases of the tournament. And at the same time, you don't know a lot of your opponents, like sometimes when I play higher buy-ins, I already have a lot of knowledge about what my opponents are like and how they play, and this one I have to figure it out on the fly a little bit. It can be challenging at times."
He added that even when facing less experienced players, the small margins in poker require constant respect for every opponent and every decision.
"I mean, Poker is a game of small margins. So, even if you're opponents are less experienced, you still have to respect your opponents and you still have to respect the margins of the game a little bit."
Later, discussing the final table, he again underscored the need to treat every opponent with respect, noting the quality of his competition, while executing his strategy.
"There was a bunch of very good and smart and aggressive players in there, so I just wanted to treat my opponents respectfully and try to play my A-game, you know, make sure I don't make any mistakes. And I felt like I pretty much did that."
He executed that approach with precision, manoeuvring through the final table and adjusting to the ever-shifting stacks and table dynamics.
On maintaining his passion for the game, Ruijs spoke about the enduring joy of poker and the new adventures each tournament brings.
"I mean, the game itself, I just love the game and it's, you know, it's gone away from me in years and it's come back to me, but I've always really, really enjoyed playing, you know, like even in the different buy-in levels, the different types of fields, different tournament stops, the different locations. It's always a bit of a new adventure. So like there's, yeah, there's plenty of adventures still left."
Final Table Action
Calling the final table anything other than action-packed would be a serious understatement — it had everything.
Within just a couple of hours, the start-of-day short stack had surged to chip leader, there were cold decks, brutal bad beats, and more drama than anyone could hope for.
The first elimination came swiftly, with Jeffrey Gregor on the receiving end of a cruel bad beat. His ace-king all-in preflop ran into ace-queen, and the board did the rest.
Next to fall was Vester Vergeest, eliminated by Toni Ravnak, who then went on to deal one of the tournament’s most unforgettable hands: a set-over-set cooler against Benjamin Nicault. The hand flipped fortunes, sending the start-of-day chip leader to the bottom of the pile while Ravnak found himself atop the rankings.
Giuseppe Bellinghieri was next to go, his pocket sevens falling to the queen-jack of eventual champion Ruijs on the river.
Before long, the tournament had whittled down to three-handed play as two quickfire eliminations saw Nicault fall in fifth, quickly followed by Ravnak in fourth, leaving just the final trio.
From this point onwards, the action began to tilt in Ruijs’ favor. With a commanding portion of the chips in play, he controlled the table and dictated the tone. Eventually, the pressure told, and Thomas Grahs was the one to exit in third place.
Starting with a near 4:1 chip lead, Ruijs made light work of Vincent Schueler, whose remarkable run ended in second place, and Ruijs claimed the championship.
That concludes the coverage for Grand Event, but be sure to stay up to date and check out PokerNews for all the action around the poker world.
Level 32
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Joris Ruijs triumphed in the heads-up, taking down the Malta Poker Festival Grand Event.
Outlasting a field of 1,987 entries, Ruijs secured the trophy and the huge €141,000 first-place prize.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for a full recap of the Day 4 action and an interview with the Grand Event Champion.
Level 32
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Joris Ruijs raised to 3,000,000 from the button, which Vincent Schueler called.
The 4♥6♦7♠ flop saw action check through, with the A♣ turn joining the board.
Schueler checked for a second time, and Ruijs put 4,500,000 into the middle. Schueler responded in the most aggressive way possible, moving all in for 16,400,000.
Ruijs snap-called, and the cards were flipped over.
Vincent Schueler: 8♦7♣ 
Joris Ruijs: A♦10♦
Ruijs held the lead and just needed to avoid an unwanted river card to see the contest end.
The 2♦ river couldn't save Schueler, whose run came to an end in 2nd place - with a consolation prize of €86,420.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
99,350,000
25,850,000
|
25,850,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 32
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Joris Ruijs picked up A♥A♦ first to act. He put in a raise, which saw Vincent Schueler fold immediately.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
73,500,000
5,700,000
|
5,700,000 |
|
|
22,900,000
2,100,000
|
2,100,000 |
Level 32
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Heads up play has started with Joris Ruijs holding roughly a 4:1 chip versus Vincent Schueler.
Each player has locked up €86,420, and will now fight it out for the trophy and the first-place prize of €141,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
79,200,000 | |
|
|
20,800,000 |
Level 32
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
After a raise on the button from Joris Ruijs, Thomas Grahs responded by moving all in for 9,800,000, which Ruijs called.
Thomas Grahs: A♦2♥
Joris Ruijs: A♥Q♦
There was a lot of hope to be found on the 6♦8♦4♦ flop for Grahs, but the 3♥ turn and 7♠ river couldn't improve Grahs any further, seeing him eliminated in 3rd place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
79,200,000
11,600,000
|
11,600,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 32
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
Joris Ruijs moved all in, and Vincent Schueler called off his stack of 9,800,000.
Vincent Schueler: A♦8♣
Joris Ruijs: 6♥4♦
Schueler improved to a full house on the 8♦8♠4♠7♥A♠ board, seeing him find a crucial double.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
67,600,000
3,800,000
|
3,800,000 |
|
|
20,800,000
3,800,000
|
3,800,000 |
Level 32
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
With Ruijs winning nearly every pot, Thomas Grahs moved all in from the small blind with A♥3♠. Joris Ruijs looked down at 7♣5♠, and made the fold.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
71,400,000
3,000,000
|
3,000,000 |
|
|
11,000,000
3,000,000
|
3,000,000 |
Level 32
: Blinds 600,000/1,200,000, 1,200,000 ante
The last few orbits at this three-handed table have seen Joris Ruijs open-raising and open-shoving.
With the other two players locked in an ICM jail, Ruijs is facing no resistance.
