When the action folded to Lee McCormick on the button, he put his towers of chips to use, raising to 25,000. Once the small blind folded, not intimidated, Giovanni Nava moved all in for 218,000.
McCormick toiled over the decision, ultimately choosing to fold.
Tim Van Moer raised from the cutoff to 25,000, which gathered calls from Paul Carr and Simone Aiello in the blinds.
The action checked to Van Moer on the K♥5♠8♦ flop, and he continued for 35,000. Both Carr and Aiello called.
The 10♣ turn saw action check through, and the dealer provided the J♦ river.
When Carr checked, Aiello put 95,000 into the middle, which saw a call from Van Moer, and a reluctant fold from Carr.
Aiello flipped over 9♣7♦, for a rivered straight, which was enough to beat Van Moer's K♠J♠.
The Malta Poker Festival Grand Event payouts have been announced.
With 1,987 entrants coming through the doors, a total prize pool of €903,497 was generated, which will be split between the top 298 players.
A minimum payout is worth €900, and the eventual champion will take home the trophy and a top prize of €141,000.
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €141,000 | 18–20 | €4,860 |
| 2 | €86,420 | 21–23 | €4,060 |
| 3 | €61,560 | 24–27 | €3,360 |
| 4 | €47,220 | 28–31 | €2,920 |
| 5 | €36,330 | 32–39 | €2,520 |
| 6 | €28,650 | 40–55 | €2,180 |
| 7 | €22,070 | 56–71 | €1,900 |
| 8 | €17,040 | 72–95 | €1,650 |
| 9 | €12,830 | 96–120 | €1,420 |
| 10–11 | €10,200 | 121–143 | €1,200 |
| 12–13 | €8,440 | 144–183 | €1,050 |
| 14–15 | €7,040 | 184–223 | €950 |
| 16–17 | €5,859 | 224–298 | €900 |
Cards are in the air here on Day 2 of the MPF Grand Event - stay tuned to PokerNews for all your coverage of the action.
Level: 15
Blinds: 6,000/12,000
Ante: 12,000
The tournament director is giving a short speech to the room, causing a slight delay to the start time.
With eight all-action starting flights in the books for the €550 Grand Event, today sees the survivors of each flight combine in pursuit of a deep run here at the Portomaso Casino in St Julian's.
With the sun beaming down on the Malta Poker Festival, it is good vibes all around as the players arrive safe in the knowledge that they have already earned a minimum payout. However, with the event smashing its guarantee, all will be looking further up the payout charts at the life-changing money sitting atop the prize pool.
The combined entries from all starting flights totalled 1,987, seeing the prize pool balloon to a huge €903,498 - A great success for the Malta Poker Festival and testament to those involved in the organisation and the running of the event, as the number of entries saw the €500,000 guarantee far exceeded.
Leading the charge into Day 2, Vester Vergeest topped the Day 1d leaderboard and never looked in danger of being toppled. The flying Dutchman bagged a stack of 1,440,000, a whopping 30 starting stacks, which sees him sufficiently armed for the Day 2 battle.
In total, just ten players advanced with seven-figure stacks, and falling just shy of the overall chip lead were two more players from flight Day 1d. Entering Day 2 in second place, Lee McCormick amassed a stack of 1,200,000, with third-place Joris Ruijs hot on his heels, completing the podium places with 1,180,000.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vester Vergeest | Netherlands | 1,440,000 |
| 2 | Lee McCormick | Ireland | 1,200,000 |
| 3 | Joris Ruijs | Netherlands | 1,180,000 |
| 4 | Marko Luksa | Serbia | 1,146,000 |
| 5 | Gordon Paterson | South Africa | 1,098,000 |
| 6 | Henry Broens | Netherlands | 1,060,000 |
| 7 | Jesper Joldher | Malta | 1,047,000 |
| 8 | Julien Stropoli | France | 1,006,000 |
| 9 | Marc Schembri | Malta | 1,003,000 |
| 10 | Richard Gray | United Kingdom | 1,000,000 |
Entry to Day 2 doesn’t require you to be a chip leader, though, and there are plenty of players further down the leaderboard with an abundance of experience in poker's big occasions.
Players such as Jon Kyte (971,000), Euan McNicholas (832,000), Ferdinand Janssen (555,000), Florian Ribouchon (510,000), Matthew Davenport (142,000) and Tomasz Brzezinski (44,000) all found their way through their respective flights and will be among the action when cards are in the air.
Day 2 will resume at 6:00 p.m. local time, with play resuming at Level 15, with blinds at 6,000/ 12,000 with a 12,000 big blind ante. Each blind level will run for 60 minutes, with breaks in play yet to be confirmed.
The plan for today's schedule is not yet confirmed, but all players have one clear objective - to put chips in a bag at the end of the day and progress to Day 3 on Sunday, November 2, at 2:00 p.m. local time.
| Day | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | November 1 | 6:00 p.m. |
| Day 3 | November 2 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Day 4 | November 3 | 1:00 p.m. |
As always, 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.
€550 Grand Event
Day 2 Started
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