€550 Grand Event
Day 1de Completed
2025 Malta Poker Festival Spring
€550 Grand Event
Day: 1de
Event Info
2025 Malta Poker Festival Spring
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1de
Buy-in
€550
Prize Pool
€555,940
Total Entries
1,202
Level
32
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
800,000
Entries
258
Players Left
39
Players Left 1 / 1,202
Filter
Level 16
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Portomaso Casino in St Julian's was again packed to the rafters today, the sounds of chips riffling and laughter filtering through the air, as 258 players across Days 1d-1e sought to find a bag for Day 2 of the €550 Grand Event at the Malta Poker Festival.
Those figures resulted in the €300,000 guarantee being broken, with the prize pool currently standing at €324,615, and the final two starting flights still to come.
A total of 39 players progressed to Day 2, with Antonio Scala of Italy leading the way on 870,000. He is closely followed by Christoforos Chrysochoidis of Greece (816,000) and Aurelio Vallone (722,000), also of Italy.
Scala was the chip leader at the second break, and despite taking a hit when Alex Montgomery turned a flush, he managed to recover, in part helped by busting Ilze Zolte on the Day 1d bubble. Scala has recorded cashes of less than $5,000 - his biggest score being a 92nd place finish in the October 2023 Malta Poker Festival Grand Event, and he will no doubt be dreaming about a major European title tonight.
Chrysochoidis has recorded live results of close to $300,000, and is fresh off a career-best score of €25,500, after winning a PLO Bounty tournament at the Diamond Poker Series in Tallin in April.
Vallone was involved in the hand of the day, when James Paris showed him an epic bluff. He didn't let that setback derail him, and steadily rebuilt his stack, while Paris would not make the Day 2 cut.
End of Day 1d-1e Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antonio Scala | Italy | 870,000 |
| 2 | Christoforos Chrysochoidis | Greece | 816,000 |
| 3 | Aurelio Vallone | Italy | 722,000 |
| 4 | Fidan Zahiti | Sweden | 614,000 |
| 5 | Martyn Frey | United Kingdom | 567,000 |
| 6 | Angelo Vietti | Italy | 546,000 |
| 7 | Lukasz Korniluk | Poland | 535,000 |
| 8 | Marco Patane | Italy | 484,000 |
| 9 | Manoj Navani | India | 476,000 |
| 10 | Jiri Novak | Czechia | 430,000 |
The final chances for players to have a shot at the title are on Saturday, May 4, with Day 1f kicking off at 1 p.m., while turbo flight Day 1g will get underway at 9 p.m.
Day 1f will feature 40-minute levels, with late registration open until the start of Level 11. Players will start with 50,000 chips at blind level 100/200, with a 200 big blind ante. Players are permitted two reentries per flight, with play concluding when 15% of the field remains, all of whom will be in the money.
Day 1g features 20-minute levels, but otherwise follows the same structure as previous flights. Players who qualify for Day 2 will return on Sunday, May 4, at 1.pm., where blind levels will be increased to 50 minutes. The final day takes place at 1 p.m. Monday, May 5, where play will continue until a champion is crowned.
Stick with PokerNews for all your coverage of what is guaranteed to be a frantic day of poker thrills and spills.
Level 16
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Along with the 32 Day 1d qualifers, seven players made it through in Day 1e, Martyn Frey leading the way on 567,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
870,000 | |
|
||
|
816,000
276,000
|
276,000 |
|
722,000
722,000
|
722,000 |
|
614,000
64,000
|
64,000 |
|
567,000
567,000
|
567,000 |
|
546,000
96,000
|
96,000 |
|
535,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
484,000
484,000
|
484,000 |
|
476,000
16,000
|
16,000 |
|
430,000
222,000
|
222,000 |
|
|
426,000
426,000
|
426,000 |
|
417,000
13,000
|
13,000 |
|
||
|
415,000
205,000
|
205,000 |
|
412,000
412,000
|
412,000 |
|
382,000
118,000
|
118,000 |
|
371,000
371,000
|
371,000 |
|
|
311,000
44,000
|
44,000 |
|
|
303,000
303,000
|
303,000 |
|
300,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
292,000
292,000
|
292,000 |
|
290,000
70,000
|
70,000 |
|
275,000
275,000
|
275,000 |
|
271,000
51,000
|
51,000 |
|
247,000
99,000
|
99,000 |
|
|
236,000
32,000
|
32,000 |
Level 16
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Ilze Zolte moved all in under the gun for 42,000, and received a customer in Anastasios Apostolou. Action folded to Antonio Scala in the big blind, and he three-bet to 360,000, forcing out Apostolou.
Ilze Zolte: A♥K♦ 
Antonio Scala: 9♣9♥
It was a fair fight, but unfortunately for Zolte, she completely bricked the 10♥3♣2♥10♦8♠ runout to exit empty-handed.
Play has now concluded in Day 1d, with 32 players progressing. Stay tuned for updated chip counts and a recap of the day.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
870,000
550,000
|
550,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 16
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Samuel Costante jammed from middle position and was looked up by Adrian Trigo on the button, on the bubble.
Samuel Costante: J♣J♠
Adrian Trigo: A♣Q♠
Costante was ahead in a flip, and he remained so after the K♦8♣2♣3♦3♣ runout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
268,000
88,000
|
88,000 |
|
225,000
180,000
|
180,000 |
Level: 16
Blinds: 6,000/12,000
Ante: 12,000
Level 15
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
Alex Montgomery was all-in for around 130,000 and at risk versus Daniel Mountford.
Alex Montgomery: 7♣7♠
Daniel Mountford: A♦K♠
It was a flip, but Montgomery was behind after the K♣Q♦J♦ flop, and the J♣ turn and Q♥ river did not alter matters. We are now on the bubble.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
500,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 15
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
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Level 15
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
A big pot of 130,000 had developed by the turn on 10♣9♥4♣2♦, in a hand between Daniel Mountford in early position and Alex Montgomery in the small blind.
Montgomery checked and Mountford quickly jammed for around 170,000. Montgomery went into the tank, but eventually folded after trying to engage in some table-talk, but his opponent was giving away nothing.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
300,000
37,500
|
37,500 |
|
|
150,000
70,000
|
70,000 |
Level 15
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
Late registration has closed in Day 1e, which obtained a total of 45 entrants, with 7 players scheduled to qualify for Day 2. There are currently ten players remaining.
