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€400 Main Event
Day 1ef Completed
2025 SiGMA Poker Tour Malta
€400 Main Event
Day: 1ef
Event Info
2025 SiGMA Poker Tour Malta
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1ef
Buy-in
€400
Prize Pool
€150,000
Total Entries
411
Level
29
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
300,000
Entries
129
Players Left
20
Players Left 1 / 411
Filter
Level 17
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Day 1e stretched the longest of the starting flights thus far in the €400 buy-in, €150,000 guaranteed SiGMA Poker Tour Malta Main Event, but with 26 minutes left on the clock in Level 17, a cruel river card sealed the fate of Masatoshi Minowa on the bubble, bringing play to a close.
A total of 13 players progressed from 85 entries, joining the 41 qualifiers from Days 1a-1d. They were led by Romain Gachet of France, who bagged up 560,000, although not a total sufficient to trouble the overall chip leaders.
Adam Makra of Hungary (524,000) and Maltese player Mark Vella (520,000) completed the podium places. Sebastian Mortensen (1,029,000) remains the man to catch, with the final flight yet to be completed.
Vella would certainly appear to be the most experienced of the three, with recorded results of just under $180,000, and he would no doubt savor a trophy on home soil.
End of Day 1e Top Ten Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romain Gachet | France | 560,000 | 37 |
| 2 | Adam Makra | Hungary | 524,000 | 35 |
| 3 | Mark Vella | Malta | 520,000 | 35 |
| 4 | Rony Mourad | Lebanon | 493,000 | 33 |
| 5 | Takuma Terada | Japan | 406,000 | 27 |
| 6 | Oliver Mihajlovski | North Macedonia | 399,000 | 27 |
| 7 | Jordan Buhagiar | Romania | 364,000 | 24 |
| 8 | Marcello Genna | Italy | 207,000 | 14 |
| 9 | Nicolas Chretien | Belgium | 193,000 | 13 |
| 10 | Ignazio Ulma | Italy | 158,000 | 11 |
Day 1e Action
Gachet rose to the summit after claiming a double knockout in the final session, and was extremely active around the bubble. His total could have potentially been greater, but he got unlucky in a blind versus blind spot against Claudio Barone.
Gachet was aggressive once he got a stack, and tangled with Vella on a regular basis, it probably ending up about even. Vella got the last word when he caught Gachet bluffing but didn't have to show.
Rony Mourad finished in fourth on 493,000, and he had a good end to proceedings, winning the classic race against Minowa, and setting the perfect trap against Julien Liarte.
Ignazio Ulma was the early chip-leader in the flight having run hot, and while he found a bag for Day 2, he ended up going backwards during the course of the day.
The SiGMA ambassadors have not yet managed to progress, Lukas Robinson getting rivered by Barone on his third attempt, and it remains to be seen whether the final turbo flight Day 1f, currently underway at the time of writing, can be their salvation.
End of Day 1f chip counts and the Day 2 seating draw will be provided as soon as possible after the conclusion of the flight. Payout information will be provided as soon as the details are confirmed.
The qualifiers will return to Portomaso Casino on September 7 at 2:00 p.m. for Day 2, where the clock will be increased to 40-minute levels, and play will continue until a winner is crowned. All Day 2 players have secured a minimum cash of €600.
Be sure to join PokerNews tomorrow for what is guaranteed to be a final day full of thrills and spills. The final table will be streamed on delay, with details of the relevant social media channels to follow.
Level 17
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
560,000
140,000
|
140,000 |
|
||
|
537,000 | |
|
||
|
524,000
207,000
|
207,000 |
|
520,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
493,000 | |
|
466,000 | |
|
406,000
191,000
|
191,000 |
|
399,000
79,000
|
79,000 |
|
364,000
36,000
|
36,000 |
|
342,000 | |
|
263,000 | |
|
242,000 | |
|
207,000
27,000
|
27,000 |
|
206,000 | |
|
193,000
12,000
|
12,000 |
|
158,000
112,000
|
112,000 |
|
155,000
95,000
|
95,000 |
|
|
155,000 | |
|
|
144,000 | |
|
115,000
65,000
|
65,000 |
Level 17
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Seven players qualified from Day 1f from 44 entrants, with Vincenzo Popolo leading the way on 537,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
537,000
537,000
|
537,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
466,000
381,000
|
381,000 |
|
|
342,000
342,000
|
342,000 |
|
|
263,000
263,000
|
263,000 |
|
|
242,000
242,000
|
242,000 |
|
|
206,000
206,000
|
206,000 |
|
|
144,000
144,000
|
144,000 |
Level 17
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
The final starting flight has just kicked off, with 20 players currently seated. Late registration is open until the start of Level 11, approximately 11:35 p.m.
Level 17
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Day 1e has now concluded, with 13 players progressing to Day 2.
Stay tuned for updated chip counts and a recap of the day. End of Day 1f chip counts will be provided as soon as they are available, following conclusion of the flight.
Level 17
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Antonino Signorino opened to 30,000 from middle position, and received a call from Rony Mourad on the button, before short-stack Masatoshi Minowa moved all in from the big blind for 44,000 total. Both opponents called.
On the 10♣7♣4♣ flop, Signorino fired out a bet of 50,000, but had to fold when Mourad raised to 150,000.
Masatoshi Minowa: A♣4♠ 
Rony Mourad: 10♠10♥
Mourad had top set but Minowa still had outs to the flush. He hit the 2♣ turn to take the lead, but the 4♥ rolled off on the river to pair the board and give Mourad the full house.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
493,000
233,000
|
233,000 |
|
|
155,000
90,000
|
90,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level 17
: Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Mark Vella opened to 30,000 from middle position, and faced a three-bet jam to 175,000 by Evghenii Terasov from the small blind.
Vella gave the spot a fair bit of thought, but ultimately made the call.
Evghenii Terasov: A♣2♣
Mark Vella: K♣J♣
Terasov looked in good shape, particularly with clubs covered, but Vella paired the Q♣J♠7♦ flop, and improved to two pair on the river after the 3♦ turn and K♥ river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
525,000
135,000
|
135,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 17
Blinds: 10,000/15,000
Ante: 15,000
Level 16
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Rony Mourad was all-in for around 110,000 and at risk versus Masatoshi Minowa, who had him just covered, in a battle of the blinds.
Rony Mourad: Q♣Q♥
Masatoshi Minowa: A♣K♣
It was another classic race, and again queens held after hitting a set on the Q♠6♣5♦3♦7♠ runout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
260,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
|
|
20,000
115,000
|
115,000 |
