button in Safari€600 MPF Grand Event
Day 1de Completed
2026 Malta Poker Festival Spring
€600 MPF Grand Event
Day: 1de
Players Left 158 / 563
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
2
848,000
3
796,000
5
584,000
8
499,000
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
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.
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,183,000 | |
|
||
|
|
848,000 | |
|
||
|
|
796,000 | |
|
752,000
752,000
|
752,000 |
|
|
584,000
47,000
|
47,000 |
|
580,000
486,000
|
486,000 |
|
511,000
459,500
|
459,500 |
|
|
499,000
94,000
|
94,000 |
|
390,000
470,000
|
470,000 |
|
372,000
97,000
|
97,000 |
|
|
363,000
73,000
|
73,000 |
|
|
360,000 | |
|
|
348,000 | |
|
316,000
316,000
|
316,000 |
|
295,000
230,000
|
230,000 |
|
|
237,000
237,000
|
237,000 |
|
237,000 | |
|
|
190,000 | |
|
173,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
|
|
165,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
|
125,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
|
|
106,000
49,000
|
49,000 |
|
|
75,000 | |
|
|
56,000
52,000
|
52,000 |
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
848,000
848,000
|
848,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
796,000
796,000
|
796,000 |
|
|
360,000
360,000
|
360,000 |
|
|
348,000
348,000
|
348,000 |
|
|
237,000
151,000
|
151,000 |
|
|
190,000
190,000
|
190,000 |
|
|
75,000
75,000
|
75,000 |
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,183,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
752,000
752,000
|
752,000 |
|
|
584,000
47,000
|
47,000 |
|
|
580,000
486,000
|
486,000 |
|
|
511,000
459,500
|
459,500 |
|
|
499,000
94,000
|
94,000 |
|
|
390,000
470,000
|
470,000 |
|
|
372,000
97,000
|
97,000 |
|
|
363,000
73,000
|
73,000 |
|
|
316,000
316,000
|
316,000 |
|
|
295,000
230,000
|
230,000 |
|
|
237,000
237,000
|
237,000 |
|
|
173,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
|
|
165,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
|
125,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
|
|
106,000
49,000
|
49,000 |
|
|
56,000
52,000
|
52,000 |
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Play has now concluded in Day 1d. Stay tuned for chip counts of the 17 Day 2 qualifiers.
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Liutauras Armanavicius was the chip leader at Table 1, and had been expertly abusing the bubble, opening almost every hand and taking numerous pots uncontested.
Shanmugasundaram Jeyamohan had seen enough, as when Armanavicius jammed from the small blind, Jeyamohan called blind for his final 58,000.
Shanmugasundaram Jeyamohan: K♠7♥ 
Liutauras Armanavicius: Q♣7♦
Jeyamohan couldn't have asked for a better spot, but Armanavicius turned a queen on the A♦8♦4♥Q♥6♥ runout to bust Jeyamohan, burst the bubble and conclude play in Day 1d.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,183,000
743,000
|
743,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
Busted | |
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Karl-Emil Beier jammed from the small blind for 75,000, and was looked up by Goran Mitrovski in the big blind.
Karl-Emil Beier: 9♠9♦
Goran Mitrovski: 3♥3♦
Beier was in a great spot, and dodged straight flush outs to take the pot with a one-card flush after the 8♦4♦2♦5♦K♦ runout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
405,000
65,000
|
65,000 |
|
|
190,000 |
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Day 1e has obtained 95 entrants thus far, with 27 players seated as they are about to be sent on their final break before the close of late registration.
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
With around 105,000 in the middle on a board of Q♠8♦2♥4♠, Pascal Inkert ended up all-in for 263,000 and at risk against Shaun Decesare.
Pascal Inkert: 8♣8♠
Shaun Decesare: A♥Q♥
It was top pair versus middle set, and Decesare was dead, the 5♣ river completing the board.
Decesare was thoroughly disgusted with the poker gods, and proceeded to loudly mutter to himself regarding his misfortune and the hand for at least two minutes afterwards, having to step away from the table at one point to continue his remonstrations with himself.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
631,000
407,000
|
407,000 |
|
|
175,000
350,000
|
350,000 |
