€400 Main Event Day 1a | 2025 SiGMA Poker Tour Malta

09-03-2025 20:59 UTC+2

Isaak Surprised to Find Third Pair Good

Richard Hayes

Level 5 : 400/800, 800 ante

With the board reading K♥Q♠2♥9♦, and around 24,000 in the middle, Wilhelm Isaak led out with a bet of 6,000 from the big blind, receiving a call from Yuan Fang in early position, and a fold from a player on the button.

The 6♣ river was checked through, and Isaak was surprised to see his A♥9♥ was good, a big smile breaking out when Fang mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
Wilhelm Isaak	78,000 78,000	78,000
Yuan Fang	12,000 12,000	12,000

Tags: Wilhelm Isaak Yuan Fang

09-03-2025 20:55 UTC+2

Incognito Catches the Hunter

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Richard Hayes

Level 5 : 400/800, 800 ante

Marc Hunter was getting up out of his chair, his cards already swept away, after he busted to Giuseppe Incognito's A♠A♣ on a board of K♣2♣2♠3♠10♥.

Player	Chips	Progress
Giuseppe Incognito	140,000 140,000	140,000
Marc Hunter	Busted

Tags: Giuseppe Incognito Marc Hunter

Level: 5

Blinds: 400/800

Ante: 800

09-03-2025 20:45 UTC+2

Top Stacks at Dinner Break

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Richard Hayes

Level 4 : 300/600, 600 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Renzo Holling	235,000 142,000	142,000
Mark Attard	140,000 15,000	15,000
Sylvere Paillot	138,000 138,000	138,000
Jose Casillas	130,000 60,000	60,000
Ashley Scott	128,000 128,000	128,000

09-03-2025 20:30 UTC+2

Flashback: SiGMA Poker Tour Kicks Off in Brazil with Orpaz Victory

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Richard Hayes

Level 4 : 300/600, 600 ante

The curtains were drawn on the first-ever SiGMA Poker Tour festival in April, held at the Monte Carlo Poker Club in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The $770 Main Event was the main attraction following the SiGMA gaming conference, and there was no shortage of entertainment throughout the series.

The festival was capped off with a dominant performance from Deddi Orpaz, who entered the final table as the chip leader and captured his second career title for $58,700. Orpaz outlasted a field of 293 entries over the course of five starting flights and finally took down Jacques Blit from Argentina in a rather quick heads-up match.

The Israeli native was very proud to come out on top of such a stellar field, mostly filled with Brazilians, and lay claim to another five-figure payday. "I actually came here for the SiGMA convention and my son's company got an award," Orpaz mentioned in a post-victory interview. "We took the first award as a small Israeli group and my son told me 'you have to take another award' so that's what I did."

2025 SiGMA Poker Tour Brazil Main Event Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize (USD)
1	Deddi Orpaz	Israel	$58,700
2	Jacques Blit	Argentina	$32,600
3	Cristhian Rico	Brazil	$23,300
4	Erik Marasco	Brazil	$17,100
5	Samara Alexandre	Brazil	$12,900
6	Wilson Paiva	Brazil	$10,100
7	Joao Leao	Brazil	$7,900
8	Edson Onofre	Brazil	$6,600
9	Marcelo Lopes	Brazil	$5,300

Read the Full Recap Here

09-03-2025 20:05 UTC+2

Who is Monarch, the Poker Player Who Lost $15,000,000? | PokerNews Podcast #914

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Richard Hayes

Level 4 : 300/600, 600 ante

In the 914th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz are joined by Hayley Hanna (AKA Vegas Hayls), who is fresh off finishing fourth in the 2025 Arizona State Poker Championship. The trio discusses the sudden rise of Monarch, who is Finnish poker pro Ossi Ketola. While at the Onyx Cup in Cyprus, he challenged both Norway's Kayhan Mokri and Dan "Jungleman" Cates to high-stakes heads-up matches, and when all was said and done, Monarch was down eight figures!

From there, they talk about recent tournament winners, including Brandon Mitchell taking down the 2025 Arizona State Poker Championship for $525K, Jennifer Shahade winning the Women's Summer Festival, and both Jesse Lonis and Jeremy Ausmus winning over in Europe.

Other stories covered include the loss of Poker Hall of Famer Jack McClelland, a poker player robbed in Texas, Daniel Negreanu saying a Season 2 for Game of Gold is unlikely, and that goofball Nacho Barbero finishing another sponsorship opportunity.

Finally, remember PokerNews is giving away a seat in the World Tournament of Slots (WTOS). You could have an approximate one in 500 chance at a $1,000,000 top prize. Click here to learn more about the WToS.

A new PokerNews Podcast drops every Thursday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode!

Click here to listen to the new PN Podcast!

09-03-2025 20:00 UTC+2