William Bailie was all-in for 138,000 and at risk against Francesco Squillaci.
William Bailie: A♦A♣ 
Francesco Squillaci: Q♥Q♦
It was an early cooler, and Bailie had the best of it. There were no surprises on the 7♦3♣2♥K♠5♦ runout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
335,000
98,000
|
98,000 |
|
290,000
152,000
|
152,000 |
Lone Valsted was at the very bottom of the Day 2 standings, and was all-in for 27,000 and at risk against Thomas Jakobsen in the first hand of the day.
Lone Valsted: K♥K♠
Thomas Jakobsen: 8♦7♣
Valsted couldn't have asked for a better spot, but Jakobsen flopped a gutshot, and binked the straight on the river, on the J♣9♥3♠2♦10♠ runout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
295,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Play is underway here in Day 2 of the Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event, stay tuned for all your coverage of the action.
Level: 13
Blinds: 6,000/12,000
Ante: 12,000
A record-breaking field of 1,451 entrants created a huge €684,390 prize pool.
The payouts have been confirmed, with the massive sum of €141,900 reserved for the champion. All players have guaranteed a €900 minimum cash, while a spot at the final table is worth €10,260.
See the Payouts tab above for full details.
Please see the Seating Draw tab above for full details of the Day 2 seating draw.
The Malta Poker Festival has gone from strength to strength since its debut in 2018, and after substantially increasing the guarantee for the €600 Spring Grand Event from €300,000 to €500,000, record numbers have flocked to Portomaso Casino this year.
The tournament rooms have been absolutely crammed the entire festival, and when the dust settled on the final starting flight, a total of 1,451 entrants were logged, creating a €684,390 prize pool, a record for the Spring Edition of the event.
A total of 202 players will return for Day 2, while one player bagged two minimum cashes.
Day 2 kicks off at 4 p.m. local time, and Nils Knofler of Germany (1,909,000) has clear daylight at the top of the standings, leading the way from Slovenian Tadej Zalokar (1,369,000) and Liutauras Armanavicius (1,183,000) of Lithuania, all of whom topped their respective starting flights.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nils Knofler | Germany | 1,909,000 |
| 2 | Tadej Zalokar | Slovenia | 1,369,000 |
| 3 | Liutauras Armanavicius | Lithuania | 1,183,000 |
| 4 | Davide Raschella | Italy | 1,150,000 |
| 5 | Abdellah Baali | Algeria | 1,145,000 |
| 6 | Arian Kashi | Denmark | 1,135,000 |
| 7 | Giuseppe Mazza-Boussemart | France | 1,085,000 |
| 8 | Rosario Saddemi | Italy | 1,083,000 |
| 9 | Johann Berger | Belgium | 1,060,000 |
| 10 | Federico Petruzzelli | Italy | 1,042,000 |
There are plenty of other notables names in the hunt for the title, including Egon Holdhus (1,003,200), who final tabled the event last year, Antonis Poulengeris (811,000), 2025 Autumn Grand Event champion Joris Ruijs (388,000), bracelet winner Vangelis Kaimakamis (256,000) and Maxime Chilaud (250,000).
Play will resume at Level 13, with blinds of 6,000/12,000, and a 12,000 big blind ante. The clock will be increased to 50-minute levels, and the plan for the day in terms of length of play will be confirmed in due course. The Day 2 seating draw will follow shortly.
Payout information will be provided when available. The final day takes place at 1 p.m. local time on April 27, where the clock will be increased to 75-minute levels, and play will continue until the trophy is lifted.
PokerNews will be on the floor from cards in the air until a champion is crowned, so stay tuned for all your coverage of the action from the Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event.
A total of 23 players qualified from the final starting flight, with Charlotte Thorberg leading the way on 822,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
822,000
822,000
|
822,000 |
|
||
|
787,000
787,000
|
787,000 |
|
|
638,000
638,000
|
638,000 |
|
615,000
615,000
|
615,000 |
|
564,000
564,000
|
564,000 |
|
435,000
435,000
|
435,000 |
|
|
425,000
425,000
|
425,000 |
|
420,000
420,000
|
420,000 |
|
417,000
417,000
|
417,000 |
|
406,000
406,000
|
406,000 |
|
405,000
405,000
|
405,000 |
|
|
380,000
380,000
|
380,000 |
|
|
376,000
376,000
|
376,000 |
|
|
371,000
371,000
|
371,000 |
|
|
346,000
346,000
|
346,000 |
|
312,000
312,000
|
312,000 |
|
291,000
291,000
|
291,000 |
|
|
280,000
280,000
|
280,000 |
|
250,000
250,000
|
250,000 |
|
195,000
195,000
|
195,000 |
|
|
174,000
174,000
|
174,000 |
|
|
141,000
141,000
|
141,000 |
|
94,000
94,000
|
94,000 |
The Malta Poker Festival Spring Grand Event has gathered a stonking total of 1,451 entrants, creating a huge €684,390 prize pool, a record for the Spring Edition.
With the €500,000 guarantee being increased by €200,000 from last year, it has been comfortably surpassed, with record numbers attending Portomaso Casino.
The payouts will be confirmed as soon as they are available, but all players in Day 2 have guaranteed a €900 minimum cash.
The figures are in for the final starting flight, with 152 hopefuls drinking in the last chance saloon, and 23 players scheduled to qualify for Day 2.
There are currently 59 players remaining, and Day 2 is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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