Sebastian Mortensen Bags Huge Seven-Figure Stack to Lead 11 Qualifiers in Day 1b of SPT Malta Main Event
Day 1b of the €400 buy-in, €150,000 guaranteed SiGMA Poker Tour Malta Main Event is now in the books, and after a surprisingly quieter day than Day 1a, 11 players progressed to Day 2 from a field of 72 entries, each of whom have secured a minimum cash of €600.
Sebastian Mortensen of Denmark ran amok to secure a seven-figure plus stack of 1,029,000, miles ahead of his closest challengers, Ukrainian Yevgen Vasylenko (415,000) and Kenny Burke (410,000).
Mortensen has recorded career cashes of just under $200,000, his biggest score being a runner-up finish in the 2024 Malta Poker Festival Spring Edition for €63,300 here at Portomaso Casino, and he'll be eyeing another deep run in this event.
End of Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastian Mortensen | Denmark | 1,029,000 | 103 |
| 2 | Yevgen Vasylenko | Ukraine | 415,000 | 42 |
| 3 | Kenny Burke | United Kingdom | 410,000 | 41 |
| 4 | Claudio Alessi | Italy | 345,000 | 35 |
| 5 | Mauro Alessi | Italy | 336,000 | 34 |
| 6 | Massimo Rizzoglio | Italy | 257,000 | 26 |
| 7 | Agostino Vitiello | Italy | 217,000 | 22 |
| 8 | Daniel Mifsud | Malta | 172,000 | 17 |
| 9 | Damir Savio | Malta | 166,000 | 17 |
| 10 | Guillaum Otto | Belgium | 166,000 | 17 |
Day 1b Action
SiGMA Poker ambassadors John Arne Riise and Drea Karlsen were both in the field early, and although they got off to decent starts, they could not find a bag for Day 2. Riise found his two pair was no good, while Karlsen got overtaken on the turn.
Piotr Rekawiecki got off to a dream start, claiming a full double-up in Level 1 in a cooler, but he would fail to make the Day 2 cut.
Nuno Morais gave plenty of action throughout the day, and went on a tear on his second bullet, claiming successive knockouts. He would fall however just before the bubble commenced.
Mortensen came to the fore in the last session, and cemented his chip lead when he got lucky to bust Gustaf Soderholm on the bubble. It was an unfortunate end to the day for Soderholm, who had been cruising along at the top of the standings for most of the flight.
There are still further opportunities for players to qualify for Day 2, with two starting flights on each of September 5 and September 6, Days 1d and 1f being turbo flights. Players will return at 2 p.m. local time on September 7 for Day 2, which will play until a winner.
Remaining SiGMA Poker Tour Malta Main Event Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | Day 1c | 2 p.m. | 30 minutes |
| September 5 | Day 1d | 8 p.m. | 20 minutes |
| September 6 | Day 1e | 11 a.m. | 30 minutes |
| September 6 | Day 1f | 8 p.m. | 20 minutes |
| September 7 | Day 2 | 2 p.m. | 40 minutes |
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all of your coverage from the SPT Malta Main Event.