button in SafariDavide Raschella Leads 24 Qualifiers from Day 1f of Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event
Portomaso Casino was again packed to the rafters today, as players continued their quest to find a bag for Day 2 of the €600 Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event, with Day 1f of the €500,000 guaranteed tournament on the agenda.
The flight attracted 159 entries, meaning 24 players would progress and be guaranteed a €900 minimum cash.
As the bubble stretched into its second hour, Davide Raschella was on the right end of a blind on blind cooler to bust Salvatore Patti and bring proceedings to a close.
That pot helped the Italian climb to the top of the standings by the end of play, with 1,150,000 making its way into his bag. Mans Ekholm of Sweden (921,000) was his closest challenger, while Dan Haberlein of Germany (743,000) completed the podium places.
Haberlein will be grateful to have found a bag, as he looked almost certain to bubble with aces, but somehow found a miracle runner-runner escape to make a straight and overcome Patti's set of queens.
Raschella boasts recorded cashes of over $250,000, and will be a dangerous foe in Day 2, while Ekholm and Haberlein are hunting their first significant recorded live scores.
End of Day 1f Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davide Raschella | Italy | 1,150,000 | 58 |
| 2 | Mans Ekholm | Sweden | 921,000 | 46 |
| 3 | Dan Haberlein | Germany | 743,000 | 37 |
| 4 | Thibaut Thevenet | France | 724,000 | 36 |
| 5 | Alexandrakis Stergios | Greece | 717,000 | 36 |
| 6 | Emma Woolfrey | United Kingdom | 600,000 | 30 |
| 7 | Loukas Kioutsoukis | Greece | 568,000 | 28 |
| 8 | Raymond Phelan | Ireland | 511,000 | 26 |
| 9 | Angela Rogan | Ireland | 469,000 | 23 |
| 10 | Fredrik Kristvik | Norway | 401,000 | 20 |
At present, 73 players out of 580 entrants have qualified for Day 2. There are numerous further opportunities for players to make the cut, with five 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 1g, so stick with us for all your coverage of the Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event.