button in SafariLiutauras Armanavicius Leads 17 Qualifiers from Day 1d of Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event; Bircan Akcan Tops Day 1e Standings
Portomaso Casino was absolutely packed today as players continued to flock to the Malta Poker Festival Spring Edition, with two further starting flights of the €500,000 guaranteed €600 Grand Event on the menu, as well as numerous side events.
When the dust settled on Day 1d, Liutauras Armanavicius of Lithuania (1,183,000) soared to the top of the standings, leading 17 qualifiers from 111 total entrants, all of whom have locked up a minimum cash of €900.
After wielding his stack expertly on the bubble, and claiming the knockout that brought play to a close, Armanavicius ended up streaks ahead of his two closest challengers, Erik Ostergaard of Denmark (752,000) and Pascal Inkert of Austria (584,000).
Armanavicius is a seasoned professional, while Ostergaard is a Malta Poker Festival regular, with numerous Maltese flags contributing to his total recorded tournament cashes of almost $240,000.
Inkert appears to play primarily in Liechtenstein, and also has a Maltese flag from the 2024 Malta Poker Festival among his total recorded scores of $82,723. (All figures courtesy of The Hendon Mob).
End of Day 1d Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liutauras Armanavicius | Lithuania | 1,183,000 | 79 |
| 2 | Salvatore Ritrovato | Italy | 860,000 | 57 |
| 3 | Erik Ostergaard | Denmark | 752,000 | 50 |
| 4 | Pascal Inkert | Austria | 584,000 | 39 |
| 5 | Fredrik Karvall | Sweden | 580,000 | 39 |
| 6 | Darren Smith | United Kingdom | 511,000 | 34 |
| 7 | Goran Mitrovski | North Macedonia | 499,000 | 33 |
| 8 | Richard Broda | Hungary | 372,000 | 25 |
| 9 | Joris Serva | Lithuania | 363,000 | 24 |
| 10 | Liwei Wang | China | 316,000 | 21 |
In the turbo flight Day 1e, Bircan Akcan of the United States bagged up 848,000 to lead seven qualifiers from 95 entrants, including Norwegian Simen Lampe (796,000) and Jack Dyminski (348,000), who clearly put the disappointment of soft-bubbling Day 1d behind him.
There are plenty of further opportunities for players to make the Day 2 cut, with six starting flights still to come, as detailed in the schedule below.
2026 Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event Remaining Schedule
| Day | Date | Time | Buy-In | Stack | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1f | April 23 | 2 p.m. | €600 | 60,000 | 40 minutes |
| 1g | April 24 | 12 p.m. | €600 | 60,000 | 40 minutes |
| 1h | April 24 | 7 p.m. | €600 | 60,000 | 30 minutes |
| 1i | April 25 | 12 p.m. | €600 | 60,000 | 40 minutes |
| 1j | April 25 | 9 p.m. | €600 | 60,000 | 20 minutes |
| 1k | April 26 | 10 a.m. | €600 | 60,000 | 15 minutes |
| 2 | April 26 | 4 p.m. | 50 minutes | ||
| 3 | April 27 | 1 p.m. | 75 minutes |
PokerNews will be on the floor for the start of play in Day 1f, so stick with us for all your coverage of the Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event.