€400 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2025 SiGMA Poker Tour Malta
€400 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
2025 SiGMA Poker Tour Malta
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
Buy-in
€400
Prize Pool
€150,000
Total Entries
411
Level
29
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
300,000
Entries
94
Players Left
13
Players Left 1 / 411
Filter
Level 15
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
A total of 94 runners represented a solid start to proceedings in Day 1a of the €400 buy-in, €150,000 guaranteed SiGMA Poker Tour Malta Main Event today at Portomaso Casino.
In the first of six starting flights, the atmosphere was jovial, and with 14 players scheduled to progress to Day 2, a double knockout on the bubble brought matters to a close with seven minutes left in Level 15, securing 13 players a minimum cash of €600.
Tomasz Brzezinski stormed to the top of the standings on 714,000, closely followed by Jon Persent of Norway (646,000), with Dutchman Renzo Hollings (529,000) completing the podium places.
Brzezinski, a native of Poland but now residing in Malta, is fresh off a career-best score of €493,250 courtesy of a fourth-place finish in the EPT Barcelona Main Event, and will surely be full of confidence for the challenges ahead.
End of Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tomasz Brzezinski | Poland | 714,000 | 71 |
| 2 | Jon Persent | Norway | 646,000 | 65 |
| 3 | Renzo Holling | Netherlands | 529,000 | 53 |
| 4 | Oliver De Bono | Malta | 430,000 | 43 |
| 5 | Tobias Bollmann | Germany | 414,000 | 41 |
| 6 | Luca Fagioli | Belgium | 413,000 | 41 |
| 7 | Daniele Degennaro | Italy | 357,000 | 36 |
| 8 | Terje Bremseth | Norway | 309,000 | 31 |
| 9 | Christopher Convery | South Africa | 275,000 | 28 |
| 10 | Wilhelm Isaak | Germany | 170,000 | 17 |
Day 1a Action
There was plenty of action early on, as Holling took a 100 big blind pot on the flop unopposed, and he would be the longtime chipleader in the flight, only being overtaken in the final session.
Terje Bremseth ended up with a top-ten stack, and he was rescued on the river in a huge three-way all-in, cracking the pocket kings of Richard Burke in the process.
Iga Jakoniuk hit a miracle quad kings on the river to bust Masatoshi Minowa's turned flush, but she would then fall to Persent prior to the bubble.
Lukas Robinson was the only SiGMA ambassador in action today, and although he found a double-up close to the end of play, he ultimately met his demise in a three-way all-in with Remy Hordan and Oliver De Bono.
Brzezinski meanwhile was consistently around the 300,000 mark, and chipped up massively around the bubble, taking numerous pots down without showdown.
Bremseth and De Bono were then responsible for bursting a reasonably lengthy bubble on their respective tables simultaneously, Bremseth leaving Simon Forster dead by the turn, and De Bono getting lucky on the river versus the two pair of Vladan Blagojevic.
There are numerous opportunities still to come for players to book their spots in Day 2, which will play to a winner, with the remaining schedule set out below.
SiGMA Poker Tour Malta Main Event Remaining Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 4 | Day 1b | 6 p.m. | 30 minutes |
| 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 as we see if anyone can challenge Brzezinski's chip lead for Day 2.
Level 15
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
714,000
512,000
|
512,000 |
|
||
|
646,000
76,000
|
76,000 |
|
529,000
44,000
|
44,000 |
|
430,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
414,000
329,400
|
329,400 |
|
413,000
134,000
|
134,000 |
|
357,000
236,000
|
236,000 |
|
309,000
6,000
|
6,000 |
|
275,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
|
170,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
163,000
182,000
|
182,000 |
|
161,000
109,000
|
109,000 |
|
121,000
174,000
|
174,000 |
Level 15
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
Day 1a has now finished with seven minutes left in Level 15, stay tuned for updated chip counts and a recap of the day.
Level 15
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
Simon Forster jammed for 60,000 from early position and was called by Terje Bremseth in the big blind.
Simon Forster: A♥K♣ 
Terje Bremseth: 8♦3♦
Forster was ahead, but the eight was in the window on the 8♣4♦2♥ flop, and it was followed by the 8♠ on the turn to leave Forster drawing dead, the 2♣ river completing the board.
At the other table, a pot of around 120,000 had developed on a board of K♥Q♥10♦2♣, and Vladan Blagojevic was all-in for 130,000 and at risk versus Oliver De Bono.
Vladan Blagojevic: Q♣10♣
Oliver De Bono: K♠9♣
Blagojevic was ahead with middle two pair versus De Bono's top pair, but the 2♦ hit on the river in cruel fashion to pair the board and give De Bono the superior two pair.
As a result of the double knockout, only 13 players progress to Day 2, and each have locked up a minimum cash of €600.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
450,000
230,000
|
230,000 |
|
|
315,000
245,000
|
245,000 |
|
|
Busted | |
|
Busted |
Level 15
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
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Level: 15
Blinds: 5,000/10,000
Ante: 10,000
Level 14
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Oliver De Bono limped from the cutoff, and Vladan Blagojevic raised to 25,000 from the button. Remy Hordan called in the big blind, before De Bono backjammed for 56,000. Both of his opponents called.
Hordan and Blagojevic checked down the 10♣6♣5♥9♣2♥ runout.
De Bono showed K♦10♦ for top pair tens, and that was good versus Blagojevic's K♣J♠ and Hordan's A♥8♥.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
295,000
105,000
|
105,000 |
|
|
220,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
|
|
155,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
Level 14
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
In the 913th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway comes to you from the World Poker Tour (WPT) Cyprus Championship at Chamada Prestige Hotel & Casino. He caught up with the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champ Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi to find out what he's been up to since his big win, his future plans, and his upcoming trip to the Bahamas for the World Tournament of Slots (WToS).
Mizrachi is busy trying to win his seat in the exclusive event, which will only have 500 players compete for a $1,000,000 top prize. And we're also excited to reveal that PokerNews will be giving away a seat to one lucky winner! Click here to learn more about the WToS.
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Level 14
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
With 15 players remaining and play concluding when the field is reduced to 14, we are now on the bubble in Day 1a of the SPT Malta Main Event.
