Malta Poker Festival Returns with €300,000 Guaranteed €550 Grand Event
The Malta Poker Festival has become a fixture on the European poker circuit since its debut in 2018, and PokerNews is delighted to be at the stunning Portomaso Casino for the 2025 Spring Edition.
The festival's feature attraction is the €550 Grand Event, sporting a huge €300,000 guarantee. Day 1a has already taken place, with 24 players progressing to Day 2 from 158 entrants. Local player Andrew Cutajar (873,000) leads the way, and is followed by Charles Eichner (568,000) and Sergei Cutajar (518,000).
There are a further six starting flights, beginning with Day 1b, which kicks off at 1 p.m. local time today. Players will sit down with a 50,000 starting stack, with blinds starting at 100/200, with a 200 big blind ante.
The clock is set to 40-minute levels, with late registration open until the start of Level 11. Players are permitted two reentries per flight, with play continuing until 15% of the field is left, all of whom will bag for Day 2 and be guaranteed a minimum cash.
Days 1e (May 2 at 7 p.m.) and 1g (May 3 at 9 p.m.) are turbo flights featuring 20-minute levels, but otherwise following the same structure as previous flights.
Day 2 is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday May 4, at which point blind levels will be increased to 50 minutes, with the final day due to take place at 1 p.m. on Monday, May 5.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Cutajar | Malta | 873,000 |
| 2 | Charles Eichner | France | 568,000 |
| 3 | Sergei Cutajar | Malta | 518,000 |
| 4 | Egon Holdhus | Norway | 486,000 |
| 5 | Erik Lindqwist | Sweden | 482,000 |
| 6 | Cahit Basbug | Turkey | 428,000 |
| 7 | Jorgji Kotorri | Albania | 398,000 |
| 8 | Inaki Gonzalez | Spain | 374,000 |
| 9 | Roberto Morra | Italy | 364,000 |
| 10 | Leonard White | Ireland | 348,000 |
Domenico Lando of Italy triumphed in the October 2024 version, overcoming a record-breaking field of 2,045 players to claim the €140,000 first-place prize.
2024 MPF Grand Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Domenico Lando | Italy | €140,000 |
| 2 | Nikolaos Konstas | Greece | €93,000 |
| 3 | Theodoros Ampelikiotis | Greece | €66,000 |
| 4 | Charles Eichner | France | €49,068 |
| 5 | Jaroslaw Falkowski | Poland | €39,000 |
| 6 | Andre Grech | Malta | €30,000 |
| 7 | Antonio Alba | Italy | €23,000 |
| 8 | Salih Kaya | Denmark | €17,500 |
| 9 | Angelo Vietti | Italy | €13,400 |
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor from the start of Day 1b until a champion is crowned, so stay tuned for your coverage of all of the action.