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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.