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€600 MPF Grand Event
Day 1gh Completed
2026 Malta Poker Festival Spring
€600 MPF Grand Event
Day: 1gh
Event Info
2026 Malta Poker Festival Spring
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1gh
Buy-in
€600
Prize Pool
€684,390
Total Entries
1,451
Level
26
Blinds
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
400,000
Entries
363
Players Left
54
Players Left 1 / 1,451
Filter
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Day 1g of the €500,000 guaranteed €600 Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event proved to be by far the busiest starting flight so far, with a total of 243 players trying their luck at Portomaso Casino.
Those figures meant 36 players would qualify for Day 2, and at the end of play, Nils Knofler of Germany topped the standings, almost reaching the 2 million mark (1,909,000). Knofler was followed by Abdellah Baali of Algeria (1,145,000), while Federico Petruzzelli of Italy (1,042,000) also breached the seven-figure milestone.
Knofler started the day strong and remained at the top of the standings throughout. He caught fire towards the end of play, finding a big hero call against Bogdan Martynczuk, and generally dominating proceedings at his table around the bubble.
Petruzzelli also came to the fore late on, cracking the set of Oliver Mihajlovski with a runner-runner flush, and then busting 2025 Malta Poker Festival Grand Event champion Joris Ruijs with aces on the soft bubble.
Knofler appears to be relatively new to the live tournament scene, but four of his five recorded cashes totalling just over $15,000 are final table finishes.
Baali and Petruzzelli both have recorded cashes of under $20,000, and are hunting new career-best scores.
End of Day 1g Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nils Knofler | Germany | 1,909,000 | 127 |
| 2 | Abdellah Baali | Algeria | 1,145,000 | 76 |
| 3 | Federico Petruzzelli | Italy | 1,042,000 | 69 |
| 4 | Danilo Di Mauro | Italy | 838,000 | 56 |
| 5 | Tina Christensen | Denmark | 830,000 | 55 |
| 6 | Antonis Poulengeris | United Kingdom | 811,000 | 54 |
| 7 | Thomas Grahs | Sweden | 652,000 | 43 |
| 8 | Fabio Di Cosimo | Italy | 569,000 | 38 |
| 9 | Alessandro Siena | Italy | 547,000 | 36 |
| 10 | Franky Green | United Kingdom | 525,000 | 35 |
Other prominent names to progress include Thomas Cazaletz (453,000), Ignazio Ulma (308,000) and Tolga Ismen (132,000).
When the dust settled in Day 1h, 18 players qualified from 120 entrants, with Arian Kashi of Denmark (1,135,000) and Giuseppe Mazza-Boussemart (1,085,000) both bagging over seven figures. Those figures mean the event has attracted 943 entrants with three starting flights still to come, while 127 players have booked their spots for Day 2.
The final opportunities for players to make the Day 2 cut are detailed in the schedule below.
2026 Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event Remaining Schedule
| Day | Date | Time | Buy-In | Stack | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 1i, 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
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
A total of 18 players qualified from 120 entrants in Day 1h, with Arian Kashi of Denmark leading the way on 1,135,000.
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Play has now concluded in Day 1g, with 36 players booking their spots for Day 2, guaranteeing a €900 minimum cash.
Stay tuned for updated chip counts.
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Giuseppe Vinci jammed from the button for 130,000, and received a call from Matas Sketerskas in the small blind, before Thomas Grahs three-bet jammed from the big blind, covering both players, forcing Sketereskas to fold.
Giuseppe Vinci: A♣2♥ 
Thomas Grahs: 9♠9♥
Vinci was in trouble with a solitary overcard, and he bricked the 10♦8♠3♥K♣7♦ runout to bring a swift end to the bubble in Day 1g, with 36 players qualifying for Day 2.
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Vilis Zamzickas opened to 30,000 from the button, and received calls from Tina Christensen and Tolga Ismen in the blinds.
The J♣10♠6♥ flop was checked to the K♣ turn, where action was checked to Zamzickas. He fired out a bet of 47,000, which only Christensen called.
On the 2♦ river, Christensen led out with a bet of 50,000, and Zamzickas called. Christensen tabled 6♦6♠ for a set, and Zamzickas mucked.
Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
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Level 14
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Joris Ruijs opened to 30,000 from early position, and was faced with a three-bet to 90,000 from Federico Petruzzelli in the cutoff.
Action folded back to Ruijs, who four-bet jammed for around 370,000, and grimaced when he was snapped by Petruzzelli.
Joris Ruijs; 5♦5♣
Federico Petruzzelli: A♠A♣
Ruijs had run into it, and although the 9♥8♣6♣ flop gave him additional outs, he bricked the Q♦ turn and 4♠ river.
