PokerStars Open Hits Malaga as Tony Gamez Leads Huge Field into Day 2; Linda Nguyen in Top Ten
Fresh off a record-breaking stop in Namur to kick off June, the PokerStars Open heads to slightly sunnier climes for its next edition as the Gran Madrid, Casino Torrequebrada in Malaga hosts the €1,100 buy-in, €1 million guaranteed PokerStars Open Main Event Malaga.
With another sure to be huge first-place prize and valuable leaderboard points up for grabs, PokerNews joins the action at the start of Day 2, with 535 players having already navigated ten levels over the course of four starting flights to qualify.
Spanish players Tony Gamez (533,000) and Carlos Arias (510,500) top the standings into Day 2, with an all-Scandanavian trio of Per Johansen (420,000), Karri Jaaskivi (392,000) and Linda Nguyen (306,000) just behind.
Gamez appears to be a new name, while Arias has recorded results of just under $60,000. Norwegian Johansen has over $150,000 in cashes, while fellow countrywoman Nguyen has $55,000. All will be hoping to secure career-best results with a deep run here.
Late registration is still open until the start of play today at noon local time, with players receiving a 30,000 stack at Level 11, 1,000/1,500, with a 1,500 big blind ante. The clock is set to 60-minute levels, and it is expected a minimum of ten levels will be played today.
The prize pool and payout information will be confirmed after late registration has closed, with the figures currently at 1,556 entrants and a €1,493,760 prize pool, already exceeding the Namur total of €1,490,256.
Start of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony Gámez | Spain | 533,000 |
| 2 | Carlos Arias | Spain | 510,500 |
| 3 | Per Johansen | Norway | 420,000 |
| 4 | Karri Jaaskivi | Finland | 392,000 |
| 5 | Linda Nguyen | Norway | 306,000 |
| 6 | Daniel Heredy | Hungary | 287,500 |
| 7 | Tudor Zapsa | Moldova, Republic of | 277,000 |
| 8 | Franklin Hincapie | Sweden | 275,500 |
| 9 | Artyom Smbatyan | United States | 265,500 |
| 10 | Carlos Ferreiros | Spain | 250,500 |
PokerStars ambassador Alejandro Lococo (37,500) found a bag but will be looking to get moving early, while Irish pair David Lappin (200,000) and Conor O'Driscoll (208,000) both amassed top-25 stacks.
Other notable names in the mix include former Irish Open champ Tero Laurila (208,000), Simone Demasi (120,000) and Hassan Sey (139,000), fresh off a final table in Namur.
Players who manage to swerve an exit today can look forward to Day 3 at noon local time on 21 June, with the final day scheduled for 12.30 p.m. on 22 June, where play will continue until a champion is crowned. On reaching the final table, the tournament will transition to a hands-per-level structure, the number of hands per level to be confirmed at the final two tables.
Jean-Vincent Lehut of France sealed victory in the largest-ever live event in Belgium at Circus Casino Resort Namur at the last stop, his last-minute dash from his home in Luxembourg proving to be a wise decision, as he walked away €238,000 richer after making short work of Slovakian Jozef Cibicek heads-up.
PokerStars Open Namur Main Event 2025 Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean-Vincent Lehut | France | €238,000 |
| 2 | Jozef Cibicek | Slovakia | €153,500 |
| 3 | Jason Barton | United Kingdom | €109,620 |
| 4 | Ferdinando D'Alessio | Belgium | €84,320 |
| 5 | Ramdhane Ben Maamar | France | €64,830 |
| 6 | Evert Rosseel | Belgium | €49,950 |
| 7 | Julien Breuil | France | €38,410 |
| 8 | Jort Hagedoorn | Netherlands | €29,580 |
| 9 | Alexandru Danes | France | €22,800 |
Neither player appears to be among the entrants in Malaga thus far, but Jason Barton has been attempting to follow up his career-best score in Namur with another deep run here. He has work to do on 49,500, but is still in the running.
There have also been plenty of off the felt activities for the players to enjoy, with a welcome drinks last night, a nightly Happy Hour with competitions and live music, and a paella day and Flamenco show still to come.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all your Day 2 coverage, as we see how big the PokerStars Open Main Event Malaga can get, with the bubble sure to be broken today.