button in SafariGuarantee Smashed as Rosario Saddemi Leads 38 Qualifiers from Day 1i of Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event; Tadej Zalokar Leads 15 Qualifiers from Day 1j
Portomaso Casino was absolutely rammed today, as a huge field of 256 entries was logged for Day 1i of the €500,000 guaranteed €600 Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event.
The guarantee was breached early, and with the final starting flight still to come, the prize pool currently stands at an impressive €607,963, and is sure to swell further.
Those figures meant 38 players qualified from Day 1i, and they are led by Italian Rosario Saddemi, who bagged 1,083,000. Saddemi scooped a huge pot at the end of the day when he dodged numerous outs with pocket tens.
Saddemi is closely followed by Johann Berger of Belgium (1,060,000), who was on the right end of an aces versus kings cooler on the soft-bubble, and Dutchman Pel Nieuwenhuis (769,000), who steadily built his stack throughout proceedings.
All of Saddemi's recorded scores totaling $35,673 are Maltese flags, while Berger's biggest cash among scores of $45,332 is for €12,000. Nieuwenhuis is the most experienced of the trio, having racked up results totaling almost $270,000 over the course of his career. (All figures courtesy of The Hendon Mob).
End of Day 1i Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rosario Saddemi | Italy | 1,083,000 | 72 |
| 2 | Johann Berger | Belgium | 1,060,000 | 71 |
| 3 | Pel Nieuwenhuis | Netherlands | 769,000 | 51 |
| 4 | Per Hansen | Denmark | 733,000 | 49 |
| 5 | Vito Romei | Italy | 715,000 | 48 |
| 6 | Dario Barone | Italy | 695,000 | 46 |
| 7 | Riccardo Saraniero | Italy | 682,000 | 45 |
| 8 | Tomas Kolarik | Czechia | 632,000 | 42 |
| 9 | Michael Altena | Belgium | 593,000 | 40 |
| 10 | Ismail Ozsezgin | Turkey | 558,000 | 37 |
Other notables to qualify include Michael Altena (593,000), who was at the top of the standings for most of the day, 2025 Autumn Grand Event champion Joris Ruijs (388,000) and WSOP bracelet winner Vangelis Kaimakamis (256,000).
All players have guaranteed themselves a minimum cash of €900, with payouts to be confirmed once the prize pool is finalized.
A total of 100 entrants were logged in Day 1j, and Tadej Zalokar of Slovenia led 15 qualifiers on 1,369,000.
The final opportunity for players to qualify for Day 2 is the turbo flight Day 1k, taking place at 10 a.m. on April 26. Day 1k will feature 15-minute levels, with late registration open until the start of Level 11.
Day 2 kicks off at 4 p.m. on April 26, with the full remaining schedule below.
2026 Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event Remaining Schedule
| Day | Date | Time | Buy-In | Stack | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 from the start of Day 2 until a champion is crowned, so stick with us for your coverage of all the action at the Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event.