Level: 1
Blinds: 100/200
Ante: 200
2025 SiGMA Poker Tour Malta
€400 Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
2025 SiGMA Poker Tour Malta
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1b
Buy-in
€400
Prize Pool
€150,000
Entries
411
Level
29
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
300,000
Entries
72
Players Left
11
Players Left 1 / 411
Filter
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
50,000 |
In the 915th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz are once again joined by Ben Ludlow to talk the latest stories and highlights from the poker world. That includes back-to-back WSOP Ladies Event champ Shiina Okamoto, who was back to her winning ways after taking down the Women's Event at the recently-completed EPT Barcelona. Is it time to start mentioning her name when talking about the G.O.A.T.s of the game?
Speaking of the EPT Barcelona, David Coleman had four runner-up finishes there, while Thomas Eychenne took down the EPT Barcelona Main Event for €1,217,175. It was actually in that tournament that PokerNews spotted Jesse Yaginuma and James Carroll, the two friends who caused quite the controversy over the summer in the WSOP Millionaire Maker, seated next to each other. Strange coincidence, that.
From there, Chad offers highlights from his Wisconsin hangout with Phil Hellmuth, who then went ot New Hampshire for a "Beat the Champ" weekend that saw Brandon Cantu emerge victorious. Hellmuth also remembered the late, great Poker Hall of Fame tournament director Jack McClelland.
Speaking of winners, Grant Hinkle, Nick Rigby, and Maurice Hawkins all took down titles, which are recapped in this episode and inspired Mike to share a Rigby story of his own. Also, a preview of the upcoming PokerGO Tour (PGT) Venetian Las Vegas Classic.
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.
Subscribe to the PokerNews Podcast on Apple Podcasts here! You can also find us on Spotify as well as our new page on SoundCloud!
The second starting flight of the €400 buy-in, €150,000 guaranteed SiGMA Poker Tour Malta Main Event is scheduled for 6 p.m. local time today, September 4, at Portomaso Casino, with SiGMA ambassador Lukas Robinson hoping for better fortune than he experienced in Day 1a.
Robinson came close to joining 13 qualifiers from 94 entrants, but after securing a double-up around the bubble, he met his end in a three way all-in with Oliver De Bono and Remy Hordan just before hand-for-hand play was announced.
Robinson will no doubt be back in the field today for another shot, and fellow SiGMA ambassador John Arne Riise is also in the building and likely to join Day 1b.
Day 1a came to a close with seven minutes left in Level 15 with a double knockout on the bubble, and Tomasz Brzezinski bagged the chip lead on 714,000.
Brzezinski is riding a wave of momentum following his career-best fourth-place finish last month in the Main Event at EPT Barcelona, and he dominated the bubble period at the end of Day 1a.
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 1b will feature 30-minute levels, and players will sit down to a 50,000 starting stack at blind level 100/200, with a 200 big blind ante.
Late registration is open until the start of Level 11, and players are permitted two reentries per flight. Four further starting flights remain on the schedule.
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 |
Players must find a bag to qualify for Day 2, with 15% of the field making the cut, securing a minimum cash worth €600. Blinds will increase to 40-minute levels in Day 2 and play will continue until a winner is crowned.
PokerNews will be on the floor from cards in the air until the trophy is lifted, so stay tuned for all your coverage of the SPT Malta Main Event.
€400 Main Event
Day 1b Started
