Late Night Battle as 14 Advance to Day 2
The second of eight starting flights came to a close in the early hours at Portomaso Casino, where the €550 Grand Event continued as part of the Malta Poker Festival. With the clock approaching 5:00 a.m. local time, the bubble burst, seeing the 14 survivors bagging chips from the 93 entrants on Day 1b. Each earned a spot on Day 2 and guaranteed themselves at least a minimum payout.
Bagging the biggest stack by a distance, French player Julien Stropoli went on a late night rampage, eliminating players left, right and centre. The well-timed heater saw him sail to the top of the leaderboard, bagging a stack of 1,006,000, which also makes him the only player across the opening flights to surpass the one million chip mark.
A fair distance behind, in Stropoli’s rearview mirror, Sacha Dadbin and Marko Cosic complete the podium places. Dadbin found a late-night double up to bag 531,000, with Cosic just behind him at 523,000.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julien Stropoli | France | 1,006,000 |
| 2 | Sacha Dadbin | United Kingdom | 531,000 |
| 3 | Marko Cosic | Croatia | 523,000 |
| 4 | Jonathan Stoeber | United States | 403,000 |
| 5 | Erik Lindqwist | Sweden | 293,000 |
| 6 | Hugo Loustau | France | 288,000 |
| 7 | Arthur Emig | France | 277,000 |
| 8 | Pablo Garcia | Spain | 249,000 |
| 9 | Johnny Andreassen | Denmark | 234,000 |
| 10 | Egon Holdhus | Norway | 200,000 |
Bubble Play
As play moved into the early hours and the bubble looming, the pace of play slowed considerably until the clock was paused and hand-for-hand play began. Knowing that just one more elimination would secure a spot in Day 2 for the remaining players, chip leader Stropoli took full advantage, raising at seemingly every opportunity.
Fittingly, it was he who went on to burst the bubble. On this occasion, Demetrius Campbell had the misfortune of becoming the ‘bubble boy,’ his ace-king failing to improve against Strapoli's pocket eights.
Day 1c will begin Wednesday, October 29, at 2:00 p.m. local time, with blinds starting at 100/200 with a 200 big blind ante. Late registration will remain open until the end of Level 10, with players permitted unlimited re-entries during that period.
Play for all Day 1 flights will conclude once 15% of the field remains, at which point the remaining players will bag their chips and be guaranteed a minimum payout. Day 2 is then scheduled for 6:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, November 1.
Malta Poker Festival Grand Event Remaining Schedule
| Day | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1c | October 29 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Day 1d | October 30 | 2:00 p.m |
| Day 1e | October 31 | 1:00 p.m |
| Day 1f | October 31 | 6:00 p.m |
| Day 1g | October 31 | 9:00 p.m. |
| Day 1h | November 1 | 10:00 a.m. |
| Day 2 | November 1 | 6:00 p.m. |
| Day 3 | November 2 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Day 4 | November 3 | 1:00 p.m. |
Be sure to stay tuned as PokerNews brings you chip counts, updates, and all the action from the €550 Malta Poker Festival Grand Event here in Portomaso.