button in SafariLiutauras Armanavicius Still Leads Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event as Day 1g Awaits
As we head into the final weekend of the Malta Poker Festival Spring Edition at Portomaso Casino, players are offered two further opportunities today to qualify for Day 2 of the €500,000 guaranteed €600 Grand Event, with Day 1g and Day 1h scheduled to take place at noon and 7 p.m. respectively.
With five starting flights remaining, the event has already attracted a total of 580 entrants, with 73 players having booked their place for Day 2, guaranteeing a €900 minimum cash.
Day 1d chip leader Liutauras Armanavicius of Lithuania (1,183,000) still leads the way, with Day 1f and 1c chip leaders Davide Raschella (1,150,000) and Mathieu Ikhlef (1,012,500) of Italy and France respectively completing the podium places.
Top Ten Chip Counts After Day 1f
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liutauras Armanavicius | Lithuania | 1,183,000 |
| 2 | Davide Raschella | Italy | 1,150,000 |
| 3 | Mathieu Ikhlef | France | 1,012,500 |
| 4 | June Jenkins | Canada | 965,000 |
| 5 | Mans Ekholm | Sweden | 921,000 |
| 6 | Neil Zammit | Malta | 893,000 |
| 7 | Bircan Akcan | United States | 848,000 |
| 8 | Simen Lampe | Norway | 796,000 |
| 9 | Erik Ostergaard | Denmark | 752,000 |
| 10 | Dan Haberlein | Germany | 743,000 |
Players in Day 1g will sit down to a 60,000 starting stack at blind level 100/300, with a 300 big blind ante, and the clock set to 40-minute levels.
Players are permitted unlimited reentries, and late registration remains open until the start of Level 11. Play will continue until the field is reduced to 15%, all of whom will return for Day 2 in the money. Day 1h will follow the same structure, except with 30-minute levels in play.
There are numerous further opportunities for players to make the Day 2 cut, with three further flights still to come over the weekend, 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.