Justin Scicluna was all-in for around 550,000 and at risk versus Dragan Ignjatovski.
Justin Scicluna: A♥4♦ 
Dragan Ignjatovski: K♠J♥
Scicluna was ahead, but Ignjatosvki flopped two pair on the K♦J♣6♣2♦2♥ runout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
4,600,000
250,000
|
250,000 |
|
Busted |
Martyn Frey has just busted after losing successive hands.
In the first, his K♥Q♠ ran into the quads of Egon Holdhus with 10♠10♣ on the A♦10♦4♣10♥J♦ runout.
That left him with 700,000, and that went in on the next hand with K♣K♦ against Matteo Ferrara's A♣2♦.
However Ferrara turned an ace on the J♣10♥6♥A♥5♥ runout.
An unfortunate end for Frey, who wished the table well as he left.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,850,000
1,950,000
|
1,950,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 27
Blinds: 100,000/200,000
Ante: 200,000
Around 4,200,000 was in the middle in a hand between Justin Scicluna and Dragan Ignjatovski.
Ignjantovski only had 400,000 behind and got it in when Scicluna jammed.
Dragan Ignjatovski: 3♠3♥
Justin Scicluna: K♦Q♦
Ignjatovski;s low pair was ahead and it remained so after the 5♥ turn and A♠ river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,850,000
2,050,000
|
2,050,000 |
|
|
400,000
2,800,000
|
2,800,000 |
Dragan Ignjatovski was all-in for 1,120,000 and at risk versus Christoforos Chrysochoidis.
Dragan Ignjatovski: A♥5♦
Christoforos Chrysochoidis: 10♦10♥
Ignjatovski was in trouble but he hit trips aces on the A♦A♥7♥8♥9♥ runout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,800,000
1,550,000
|
1,550,000 |
|
1,900,000
1,450,000
|
1,450,000 |
Vincenzo Popolo jammed from the button for 1,190,000 and was looked up by Matteo Ferrara in the big blind.
Vincenzo Popolo: A♠A♣
Matteo Ferrara: 9♣9♦
Popolo had woken up with the goods and his double-up was confirmed by the Q♥8♥5♦2♦7♦ runout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
12,500,000 | |
|
2,800,000
940,000
|
940,000 |
Carsten Mawick raised to 380,000 from the small blind and Antonio Scala defended in the big.
On the K♥10♠9♥ flop, Scala raised to 2,600,000 over a 250,000 continuation bet from Mawick. Mawick looked perplexed by the move, and ultimately folded after some deliberation.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
6,200,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
||
|
3,200,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
Domenico Lando brought balance to the felt at the 2024 Malta Poker Festival Grand Event, navigating his way through a talented final table to emerge victorious and claim the title, trophy and €140,000 prize.
Lando picked his spots wisely in the final stages en route to topping the record-breaking 2,045 entry field, where the €941,568 prize pool was paid out to the top 306 players. Lando's triumph in the biggest MPF Grand Event was somewhat of an underdog story. The Italian player had only $13,400 in live earnings before registering for the event, with a best cash of just $6,077.
Lando toppled Nikolaos Konstas in heads-up play, after the latter appeared to have one hand on the winner's spoils, but as is ever with poker, someone's fortune can change completely with a turn of a card.
| 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 |
Domenico Lando claimed a second knockout in quick succession as his A♠K♠ bested short-stack Giulio Di Salvo's Q♠J♣ on the 9♠2♦2♣K♥3♠ runout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
6,100,000
1,000,000
|
1,000,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Domenico Lando opened to 320,000 from the cutoff, and Manuel Janas three-bet jammed for 1,000,000, and Lando called.
Manuel Janas: A♦Q♦
Domenico Lando: Q♠9♠
Lando was dominated, and Janas was shouting for the hold.
However the 10♦8♠2♠ flop brought his opponent a flush draw, and although the 3♦ turn was a brick, Lando binked the 5♠ river, much to Janas' disappointment.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,100,000
3,020,000
|
3,020,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
