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€170 PokerNews Championship
Day 1 Completed
2025 Malta Poker Festival Spring
€170 PokerNews Championship
Day: 1
Event Info
2025 Malta Poker Festival Spring
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1
Buy-in
€170
Prize Pool
€41,467
Total Entries
291
Level
23
Blinds
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
120,000
Entries
291
Players Left
44
Players Left 1 / 291
Filter
Level 16
: Blinds 5,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
The €170 PokerNews Championship, hosted at the Malta Poker Festival inside Portomaso Casino, proved to be a resounding success, drawing a field of 291 entries and generating a €41,467 prize pool.
Of those entrants, just 44 players advanced to Day 2, with Italy’s Alessandro D'Amore emerging as the clear frontrunner. He bagged a commanding 580,000 chips to end Day 1 atop the leaderboard, positioning himself firmly in the hunt for the €8,100 first-place prize and the coveted trophy. Close behind are Martin Pedersen (472,000) of Denmark and Germany’s Boysen Nielsen (392,000), rounding out the top three stacks.
Day 1 wrapped up when industry veteran Kat Arnsby picked up pocket aces and eliminated Jan Stigter on the stone-cold bubble. Stigter’s pocket nines couldn’t improve, and Arnsby’s rockets burst the bubble.
Inside the tournament hall, the atmosphere had a genuine community feel, something the Malta Poker Festival is renowned for fostering. Dozens of players stopped by the PokerNews booth to spin the wheel and win prizes, ensuring that many walked away with a smile, even if they didn’t make Day 2.
However, not everyone was smiling when the chips were bagged. Among those to fall short were several PokerNews employees, including Calum Grant, Milko van Winden, and Daniel Williams. Grant burned through three bullets, showing he's far more dangerous with a notepad than with a chip stack. Van Winden and Williams both survived after late reg closed, but neither could find a bag by the end of the day.
PokerNews Ambassador Lukas Robinson also came up short. “RobinPoker” turned a pair of aces with ace-four, only to be outdrawn by a jack-high straight on the river.
PokerNews Championship Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alessandro D'Amore | Italy | 580,000 | 73 |
| 2 | Martin Pedersen | Denmark | 472,000 | 59 |
| 3 | Boysen Nielsen | Germany | 392,000 | 49 |
| 4 | Gary Taylor | UK | 390,000 | 49 |
| 5 | Marion Mizzi | Malta | 370,000 | 47 |
| 6 | Jascha Berger | Switzerland | 365,000 | 46 |
| 7 | Per Backstrom | Sweden | 364,000 | 46 |
| 8 | Craig Marcuss Smith | UK | 358,000 | 45 |
| 9 | Graham Keith | UK | 287,000 | 36 |
| 10 | Alexandre Henry | France | 265,000 | 34 |
With the bubble burst, all 44 remaining players are now guaranteed at least €300, with the bigger money—those four-figure payouts—coming into play once the final table is reached.
Day 2 resumes on Wednesday at 6 p.m. local time, kicking off with Level 14 (blinds 4,000/8,000/8,000 big blind ante).
A huge thank you to everyone who turned up and made the PokerNews Championship such a fun and memorable event. Your energy helped make Day 1 an absolute blast.
And don’t forget! The PokerNews Scavenger Hunt is in full swing at the Malta Poker Festival, with one lucky player set to win a €550 Grand Event ticket this Friday.
Make sure to get involved, as finding your way to free poker glory might be easier than you think.
Level 16
: Blinds 5,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Level 16
: Blinds 5,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Jan Stigter open jammed 24,000 from late position and Kat Arnsby reraised all-in for 80,000 total.
All other players folded and the players showed their hands.
Jan Stigter: 9♥9♠
Kat Arnsby: A♥A♦
The board ran out 5♥8♥2♠A♣5♠ and Arnsby bursts the bubble with an unbearable full house.
The remaining 44 players are bagging and tagging and will be back at 6pm local time to play to a winner.
Level: 16
Blinds: 5,000/15,000
Ante: 15,000
Level 15
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
46 players remain with 44 players making Day 2 and the money.
Level: 15
Blinds: 5,000/10,000
Ante: 10,000
Level 14
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Only 44 players will have a seat reserved for them on Day 2 and all of those will be guaranteed a cash of €300. The exact payouts will be announced before the start of play tomorrow.
Level: 14
Blinds: 4,000/8,000
Ante: 8,000
Level 13
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
In a blind vs blind confrontation between Alicia Richardson and Stuart Wilson, the chips ended up in the middle on a flop of A♠K♦8♦
Alicia Richardson: K♠8♠
Stuart Wilson: A♥3♠
The board ran out 2♠2♣ and Richardsons two-pair gets counterfeited and she heads to the rail.
Wilson, on the other hand, has now breached the 200,000 chip mark.
