Portomaso Casino has been a hive of activity this week for the Malta Poker Festival, and players are offered another opportunity today to qualify for Day 2 of the €500,000 guaranteed €600 Grand Event, with Day 1f scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m.
A total of 421 entrants have been obtained across the completed starting flights, and 49 players have already qualified for Day 2, guaranteeing a €900 minimum cash.
Day 1d chip leader Liutauras Armanavicius of Lithuania (1,183,000) tops the current standings, while Day 1c pace-setter Mathieu Ikhlef of France (1,012,500) is the only other player to breach seven figures. June Jenkins of Canada (965,000) completes the podium places.
Top Ten Chip Counts After Day 1e
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|
| 1 | Liutauras Armanavicius | Lithuania | 1,183,000 |
| 2 | Mathieu Ikhlef | France | 1,012,500 |
| 3 | June Jenkins | Canada | 965,000 |
| 4 | Neil Zammit | Malta | 893,000 |
| 5 | Bircan Akcan | United States | 848,000 |
| 6 | Simen Lampe | Norway | 796,000 |
| 7 | Erik Ostergaard | Denmark | 752,000 |
| 8 | Pascal Inkert | Austria | 584,000 |
| 9 | Fredrik Karvall | Sweden | 580,000 |
| 10 | Philip Pearson | United Kingdom | 541,000 |
Players in Day 1f 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 money.
There are a plethora of starting flights remaining, offering numerous opportunities for players to attempt to find a bag for Day 2, with the upcoming schedule set out 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 from cards in the air until the end of play, so stay tuned for your coverage of all the action from the Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event.
Tags:
Erik OstergaardFredrik KarvallJune JenkinsLiutauras ArmanaviciusMathieu IkhlefNeil ZammitPascal InkertPhilip PearsonSimen Lampe
button in Safari
