Gordon Paterson Sits On Top as Day 1e Comes to a Close
The landmark event at the Malta Poker Festival saw another day of packed tables as poker hopefuls descended on the Portomaso Casino in St. Julian’s, ready to take on the €550 Grand Event as the prize pool soared past the €500,000 guarantee.
As expected, Day 1e saw players swarm into the card room from the moment the doors opened, soaking up the festival atmosphere as the music boomed all around.
When the final numbers were confirmed, Day 1e totalled 517 entries, with 78 of those progressing to Day 2. This means that with five starting flights now in the books, 214 players have secured their seats to the next stage, all having already locked up at least the minimum cash.
The day saw four more players join the million-chip club, but it was Gordon Paterson who topped the leaderboard when all was said and done. A mainstay at the top of the chip counts throughout the day, he amassed a stack of 1,098,000 to take through with him to Day 2.
Henry Broens finished the flight hot on the heels of the chip leader, bagging just two big blinds less; he advanced with 1,060,000. The final place on the podium went to Marc Schembri, who put 1,003,000 chips into his bag, pipping fourth-placed Richard Gray, who will advance with 1,000,000.
Day 1e Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gordon Paterson | South Africa | 1,098,000 |
| 2 | Henry Broens | Netherlands | 1,060,000 |
| 3 | Marc Schembri | Malta | 1,003,000 |
| 4 | Richard Gray | United Kingdom | 1,000,000 |
| 5 | Jon Kyte | Norway | 971,000 |
| 6 | Euan McNicholas | United Kingdom | 832,000 |
| 7 | Gareth Howard | United Kingdom | 813,000 |
| 8 | Lorenzo Pannunzi | Italy | 711,000 |
| 9 | Benjamin Nicault | France | 705,000 |
| 10 | Samuel Biland | Switzerland | 697,000 |
The flight saw plenty of pokers heavy hitters join the field, with a number of them staying the course and advancing to the next stage. Players such as Jon Kyte, Euan McNicholas and Ferdinand Janssen each punched their ticket to Day 2.
Not everyone could progress, though, and unfortunately for Sabrina Gerda, she was the final player of the day to face that fate. With the tournament on the stone bubble, she saw her pocket kings run down by the jack-ten of her opponent. This gave her the unfortunate title of the bubble player.
Players do have one final chance to join the action with the final starting flight, Day 1h, scheduled for 10:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, November 1.
As with the earlier starting flights, blinds will begin at 100/200 with a 200 big blind ante. However, the turbo format features 20-minute levels, ensuring a fast-paced race to the finish as players battle one last time for a seat on Day 2.
Malta Poker Festival Grand Event - Remaining Schedule
| Day | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 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.