Category Day 1A

Day 1a of the 2024 Malta Poker Festival Spring Edition €550 Grand Event was a huge success with 177 entries getting into the action during the first of the six opening flights. Players battled during 14 blind levels until the field was down to just 27 players, each of which collected a €900 min-cash before even sitting back down into the action for Sunday’s Day 2.

Indre Stanaityte and Elvijs Kuceruks were sitting side-by-side during the late portions of Day 1a and were the only players to advance with at least 800,000 in chips. Local hero Oliver Said and Boban Stevanovic each managed to parlay their 50,000 opening stack into at least 700,000, while Fabian Biel ended the day in fifth place.

The action resumes tomorrow at 1 p.m. for the start of Day 1b. In the meantime, check out the final chip counts from Day 1a below:

Player	Chips	Big Blinds
Indre Stanaityte	858,000	86
Elvijs Kuceruks	807,000	81
Oliver Said	706,000	71
Boban Stevanovic	701,000	70
Fabian Biel	650,000	65
Daniel Maunders	484,000	48
Daniel Pereira Henriques	403,000	40
James Clarke	368,000	37
Michele Adamo	306,000	31
Danny Smith	290,000	29
Hendrik Remmerde	287,000	29
Anca Eggenberger	286,000	29
Rimko Meijer	254,000	25
Danas Dambrauskas	243,000	24
Marcus Larsson	239,000	24
Johannes Grootelaar	230,000	23
Adam Milewski	226,000	23
James Ablott	219,000	22
Jan Scheldorf	216,000	22
Baris Topuz	177,000	18
Kevin Quinlan	163,000	16
Samuel Goodman	160,000	16
Bartilomiej Grabowski	130,000	13
Alessandro D’Amore	129,000	13
Tanguy Pellerin	128,000	13
Marcos Perez Padron	106,000	11
Ian Gascoigne	84,000	8

Level 14: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 27/177

Nial Mullally got his last 4 big blinds committed on the 5♦7♠3♥ flop and was called by both Oliver Said and Adam Milewski. Both the K♣ turn and J♦ river completed the board while Mullally got his jacket on ready to go.

Said turned over the 7♣2♣ and split the pot with Milewski who held 7♦4♥ Mullally attempted to muck his hand but the dealer turned it over to show he didn’t get there with A♦10♠ to bubble Day 1a.

The final 27 players each locked up a €900 min-cash when the return for Day 2 on Sunday. Stay tuned for the final chip counts of the Day 1a field.

After bagging their chips, players will head to the cashier to collect their €900 min-cash in hopes of earning much more on Day 2 and beyond.

Oliver Said – 706,000
Adam Milewski – 226,000
Nial Mullally – 0

Level 14: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 28/177

The action is hand-for-hand on the money bubble after Lithuania’s Liutauras Armanavicius hit the rail in 29th place. Armanavicius open-jammed for about 12 big blinds from the hijack. Elvijs Kuceruks came in over the top for more than 600,000 from the button. Baris Topuz tanked for a minute before flashing ace-queen to the table and folding.

Liutarauas Armanavicius: A♠10♥
Elvijs Kuceruks: A♣K♠

Topuz would have won the hand if he stayed in the pot but instead it was Kuceruks taking out Armanavicius after the Q♥8♦9♥8♠4♥ ran out on the board.

Elvijs Kuceruks – 725,000
Baris Topuz – 190,000
Liutaruas Armanavicius – 0

Level 14: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 29/177

Kevin Quinlan opened for a min-raise from the hijack before Michele Adamo three-bet jammed for 78,000 from the button. Quinlan asked for a count before he opted to call.

Michele Adamo: K♠9♠
Kevin Quinlan: Q♠10♠

Adamo was ahead the entire way and doubled his stack with two pair after the K♣4♦10♦A♦9♣ ran out on the board.

Michele Adamo – 181,000
Kevin Quinlan – 140,000

Players are on their final 15-minute break of Day 1a with 29 players remaining. The action will move hand-for-hand after one more elimination and Day 1a will conclude when there are 27 players or less remaining.

Level 13: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Entries: 29/177

Henriques Pereira min-raised from the hijack before Danas Dambrauskas three-bet shoved for less than 20 big blinds. Pereira went into the tank for about a minute before he opted to call.

Danas Dambrauskas: A♠6♠
Henriques Pereira: 9♠9♦

Dambrauskas was out of his seat and ready to leave after the 7♦10♦J♣ flop and was still behind needing a three-outer after the 3♥ followed on the turn.

However, Dambrauskas fist-bumped the air after he survived and doubled up after the miracle A♠ spiked the river to give him a better pair.

“I’m running good today,” Dambrauskas said.

“No shit,” said someone else at the table.

“I am always getting it in behind,” Dambrauskas said near the end of Day 1a.

Meanwhile, Janet Kosloff hit the rail in 30th place leaving just 29 players remaining on Day 1a.

Henriques Pereira – 370,000
Danas Dambrauskas – 300,000
Janet Kosloff – 0

Level 13: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Entries: 30/177

Rimko Meijer was in danger of being one of the final three players to go home from Day 1a empty-handed but got there in the end to save his stack and gain some breathing room.

Meijer three-bet jammed for 65,000 from middle position and was called by Michele Adamo who opened from early position.

Rimko Meijer: A♣Q♣
Michele Adamo: Q♥Q♠

Meijer’s ace connected twice on the J♣A♠A♦ flop to have his opponent unusually drawing dead thin to a Broadway chop with Meijer improving to a better full house from his trips if the case-queen popped its head on the board.

Adamo was drawing dead on the 6♠ turn and Meijer officially doubled his stack after the 7♣ river completed the board.

Rimko Meijer – 150,000
Michele Adamo – 140,000

Level 12: 3,000/6,000 (6,000)
Entries: 31/177

Anthony Bone had less than a big blind left in his stack from the big blind before the cards were dealt. Boban Stevanovic opened for 13,000 from middle position and was called by Danas Dambrauskas from the cutoff and James Clarke from the button.

Stevanovic fired out for 14,000 on the 2♥6♣8♣ flop. Dambrauskas jacked it up to 45,000. Clarke folded and a few moments later Stevanovic found a call before leading out for 45,000 on the [invalid notations] for the top two pair before the dealer mucked his hand. Shortly after, Stevanovic and Bone tabled their hands.

Anthony Bone: 9♣3♥
Boban Stevanovic: Q♣J♣

It was a great fold by Dambrauskas as Stevanovic turned over a flush. Bone was drawing dead and was officially on the rail after the 4♦ river completed the board.

Boban Stevanovic – 700,000
Anthony Bone – 0