button in Safari
€600 MPF Grand Event
Day 2 Completed
2026 Malta Poker Festival Spring
€600 MPF Grand Event
Day: 2
Event Info
2026 Malta Poker Festival Spring
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
Buy-in
€600
Prize Pool
€684,390
Total Entries
1,451
Level
26
Blinds
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
400,000
Entries
202
Players Left
12
Players Left 1 / 1,451
Filter
Level 23
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
A total of 202 players returned to Portomaso Casino today for Day 2 of the €600 Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event, which proved to be a record-breaker for the tournament, after it logged 1,451 entrants, creating a huge €684,390 prize pool.
The champion is set to bank €141,900, and Erik Ostergaard of Denmark (11,500,000) is in pole position to do just that, after topping the standings at the end of ten 50-minute levels of play.
Ostergaard leads 12 remaining combatants, with French duo Giuseppe Mazza-Boussemart (9,250,000) and Thibaut Thevenet (8,400,000) hot on his heels.
Ostergaard is chasing a second career six-figure score, while victory here would be Mazza-Boussemart's first. Thevenet has already beaten his career-best live tournament result with this run, figures courtesy of The Hendon Mob.
In reality, the title is completely up for grabs, with Italian pair Riccardo Saraniero (1,925,000) and Federico Petruzzelli (2,850,000) the relative short-stacks, but certainly not out of the picture.
The rest of the field are all within a double-up of challenging Ostergaard, and an intriguing battle is expected. Quality players abound, in particular another Italian duo, Davide Raschella (7,850,000) and Dario Barone (6,825,000), Denmark's Sebastian Mortensen (7,500,000) and the United Kingdom's Robert McAdam (7,975,000).
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erik Ostergaard | Denmark | 11,500,000 | 58 |
| 2 | Giuseppe Mazza-Boussemart | France | 9,250,000 | 46 |
| 3 | Thibaut Thevenet | France | 8,400,000 | 42 |
| 4 | Robert McAdam | United Kingdom | 7,975,000 | 40 |
| 5 | Davide Raschella | Italy | 7,850,000 | 39 |
| 6 | Sebastian Mortensen | Denmark | 7,500,000 | 38 |
| 7 | Abdellah Baali | Algeria | 7,200,000 | 36 |
| 8 | Dario Barone | Italy | 6,825,000 | 34 |
| 9 | Pascal Inkert | Austria | 5,575,000 | 28 |
| 10 | Vito Romei | Italy | 4,400,000 | 22 |
The 12 players have all guaranteed a €6,580 payday, with a spot at the final table worth €10,260.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €141,900 | 7 | €17.980 |
| 2 | €80,920 | 8 | €13,840 |
| 3 | €53,980 | 9 | €10,260 |
| 4 | €41,050 | 10-11 | €7,840 |
| 5 | €30,040 | 12 | €6,580 |
| 6 | €23,080 |
Day 2 Action
The knockouts came at a rapid pace at the start of the day, and by the first break nearly half the field was gone.
McAdam got off to a hot start when he picked up cowboys to double, while Ostergaard actually had a difficult start to the day, but got things moving in the right direction when he busted Chen Keren.
McAdam proceeded to be among the chip leaders for a large part of the day, after being on the right side of a flopped set versus two pair blind on blind scenario.
By dinner break, Raschella was streaks ahead of the field after getting aces against fellow big stack Tadej Zalokar.
Raschella and Mazza-Boussemart then spent the rest of the day engaged in almost constant battle, and that will definitely be an interesting contest to watch tomorrow.
When the field was reduced to 24 players, Barone got moving by knocking out two opponents with ace-king, and a flurry of knockouts followed. McAdam was sitting pretty at this stage at the top of the standings but took a huge hit versus Mazza-Boussemart in a flush versus full house cooler, and the Brit did well to recover from there.
Thevenet spiked the the turn to make a set in a huge three-way all-in, and Andre Winkler and Mathieu Ikhlef both claimed scalps, before falling themselves.
Ostergaard wasn't involved in any significant knockout hands from the three-table redraw and built his stack through steadily applying pressure as the day drew to a close. The day ended with McAdam busting Ikhlef in the classic race and Thevenet ending Maciej Makoladra's run with a turned flush versus queens.
The players will return to Portomaso Casino at 1 p.m. April 27 for the final, where the clock will be set to 75-minute levels, and play will continue until a champion is crowned.
The final table action will also be streamed on Malta Poker Festival's social media channels, with full details and a link to follow tomorrow. Our coverage will match the stream in terms of delay.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all your coverage of what is sure to be a thrilling final day of the Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event.
Level 23
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
11,500,000
3,600,000
|
3,600,000 |
|
||
|
9,250,000
950,000
|
950,000 |
|
8,400,000
150,000
|
150,000 |
|
7,975,000
1,700,000
|
1,700,000 |
|
7,850,000
1,175,000
|
1,175,000 |
|
||
|
7,500,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
7,200,000
2,400,000
|
2,400,000 |
|
6,825,000
1,875,000
|
1,875,000 |
|
5,575,000
625,000
|
625,000 |
|
4,400,000
2,200,000
|
2,200,000 |
|
2,850,000
3,550,000
|
3,550,000 |
|
1,925,000
1,150,000
|
1,150,000 |
Level 23
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Play has now concluded in Day 2, with 12 players progressing to the final day.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for updated chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Level 23
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Davide Raschella opened to 400,000 from the cutoff, and was met with a three-bet to 900,000 from Sebastian Mortensen in the small blind.
Raschella called to see the 10♦2♣2♠ flop, where he called a continuation bet of 800,000 from Mortensen.
On the K♥ turn, Mortensen check-folded without ceremony versus a bet of 1,300,000 from Raschella.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
9,025,000
425,000
|
425,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
7,450,000
3,560,000
|
3,560,000 |
Level 23
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
The tournament director has confirmed three more hands will be played in Day 2.
Level 23
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Maciej Makoladra was all-in for 1,350,000 from the cutoff, and at risk against Thibaut Thevenet in the big blind.
Maciej Makoladra: Q♥Q♣ 
Thibaut Thevenet: A♦2♦
Makoladra looked in good shape, but the K♦7♣5♦ flop spelt danger, and Makoladra was drawing dead to Thevenet's flush after the 9♦ turn, the 6♦ river completing the river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,250,000
2,050,000
|
2,050,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 23
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Mathieu Ikhlef was all-in for 3,550,000 and at risk against Robert McAdam, who just covered his opponent.
Mathieu Ikhlef: A♠K♦
Robert McAdam: Q♣Q♦
It was the classic race, and McAdam hit top set on Q♠J♠6♦, to leave Ikhlef drawing to the straight. It did not arrive on the 3♣ turn or 7♣ river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
9,675,000
6,325,000
|
6,325,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 23
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Erik Ostergaard was raking in a decent pot after his K♥K♦ came off best against Pascal Inkert's A♣K♣ on a board of 10♥9♣4♥3♦2♥.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
7,900,000
5,850,000
|
5,850,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
6,200,000
2,000,000
|
2,000,000 |
Level 23
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
With around 3,100,000 in the middle on a completed board of 10♠8♦5♦6♦10♥, Davide Raschella fired out a bet of 900,000, and received calls from Thibaut Thevenet and Dario Barone.
Raschella tabled 9♦9♥, Thevenet had A♣10♦ for trips, but Barone had 6♥6♠ for the full house, it perhaps appearing strange more chips did not hit the middle on the river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,700,000
4,200,000
|
4,200,000 |
|
|
8,600,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
6,200,000
4,250,000
|
4,250,000 |
