Category Day 1B

Day 1b of the €300,000 guaranteed 2024 Malta Poker Festival Spring Edition €550 Grand Event is in the books with a banner turnout of 291 entries to bring the total up to 468 entries when taking into account yesterday’s Day 1a with still four opening flights to go.

The day was scheduled to end once the field was down to 45 hopefuls to join the 27 players that found a bag on Day 1a into Sunday’s Day 2. However, Norway’s Ronny Albrigtsen sent two players packing in the same hand by delivering a bad beat to both Svajunas Seduikis and Pavle Peclej to end the day with more than 1 million in chips.

While this was better than the 858,000 that Day 1a chip leader Indre Stanaityte bagged on Wednesday, it wasn’t good enough to take the overall chip leader as Finland’s Matte Karjalainen earned that honor with nearly 1.3 million in chips after cruising most of the day.

Several other notable players found a bag including John Forsman, Garry Spinks, Angelo Vietti, Andrew Cutajar, Richard Kellett, Jonty Willis, poker author and The Chip Race podcast cohost Dara O’Kearney, Maltese all-time leading live tournament poker winner according to The Hendon Mob Joseph Grech, Cory Desmond, Mark Attard, and Antoine Talvard.

The action will resume on Friday at 1 p.m. with Day 1c. In the meantime, check out the chip counts from the Day 1b survivors below:

Place	Player	Chips	Big Blinds
1	Matte Karjalainen	1,269,000	127
2	Ronny Albrigtsen	1,046,000	105
3	John Forsman	695,000	70
4	Simon Taylor	693,000	69
5	Kai Vater	683,000	68
6	Lennart Bernett	628,000	63
7	Emanuele Napolitano	614,000	61
8	Jordan Dumas	600,000	60
9	Garry Spinks	578,000	58
10	Angelo Vietti	546,000	55
11	Vilde Ekren	506,000	51
12	Damjan Pulejkov	477,000	48
13	Ian Tabone	425,000	43
14	Krystian Nalepka	413,000	41
15	Enes Hasic	401,000	40
16	Niel Adams	375,000	38
17	Andrew Cutajar	370,000	37
18	Richard Kellett	288,000	29
19	Aleksi Heikkinen	284,000	28
20	Jonty Willis	280,000	28
21	Dara O’Kearney	265,000	27
22	Joseph Grech	238,000	24
23	Igor Bukowski	211,000	21
24	Stephen Barnes	204,000	20
25	Lee McRoe	204,000	20
26	Jan Stigter	201,000	20
27	Per Alstig	194,000	19
28	Thomas Cazaletz	194,000	19
29	Paul Coles	192,000	19
30	Gary Morgan	158,000	16
31	Terence Newton	150,000	15
32	Cory Desmond	149,000	15
33	Ivan Furniet Martinez	143,000	14
34	Alexander Jank	136,000	14
35	James Paris	128,000	13
36	Stefan Trevelyan	117,000	12
37	Sven Lorenz	114,000	11
38	Mark Attard	87,000	9
39	Thore Boedefeld	82,000	8
40	Julija Drevina	82,000	8
41	Paul Hopper	75,000	8
42	Antoine Talvard	48,000	5
43	Matthew Gray	30,000	3

Level 15: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 44/291

It was a brutal ending for Pavle Pecelj and Svajunas Seduikis by the hands of Ronny Albrightsen. Pavle effectively jammed for 70,000, leaving just 1,000 back from middle position. Seduikis called off for slightly less from the hijack before Albrightsen called from the button.

Peclej’s remaining chip went in the middle on the 4♦Q♥7♦ flop. The hands at the others tables were being finished before players turned over their cards.

Svajunas Seduikis: A♣K♦
Pavle Pecelj: K♥K♠
Ronny Albrigtsen: A♥6♥

“Running hearts, please,” pleaded the big-stacked Albrigtsen.

Albrigtsen got his wish to the delight of the other players after the 9♥ turn and [/pcn]Th[/pcn] river completed the board for Albirghtsen to oust two players on the money bubble.

The remaining field of 44 players each locked up at least a €900 min-cash. They will collect a payout slip tonight after bagging and tagging their chips into Sunday’s Day 2.

Stay tuned for the final chip counts from the 44 Day 1b survivors shortly.

Ronny Albrigtsen – 1,046,000
Pavle Pecelj – 0
Svajunas Seduikis – 0

Level 15: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 45/291

Two players doubled their stacks on the fourth hand for hand-for-hand play. Lorenz Sven doubled his short stack when his A♠K♣ proved to be more than good against the K♥9♥ held by Andrew Cutajar.

Meanwhile, to the dismay to most of the field that want to finish the day in the money, Svajunas Seduikis tripled up against Lee McRoe and Ronny Albrightsen when his sixes improved to a full house.

Level 15: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 45/291

Ian Tabone just earned a lucky double on the second hand of the bubble action on Day 1b. Tabone jammed for about 10 big blinds on the K♥4♥9♠ flop and was called by Jordan Dumas.

Ian Tabone: 4♦2♠
Jordan Dumas: K♠Q♠

A crowd emerged in hopes for the end of the day. It appeared likely that would happen after the blank 3♥ turn. However, the poker room erupted after Tabone survived and doubled up with two pair with the 2♣ river completing the board.

Jordan Dumas – 310,000
Ian Tabone – 300,000

Level 14: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 45/291

The clock was just stopped with less than two minutes remaining in Level 14 after Yigit Isilsoy hit the rail in 46th place on Day 1b.

Two minutes will be ran off after each hand during hand-for-hand play.

Meanwhile, the rich appear to be getting richer. This is especially true for Matte Karjalainen who became the first player in the Grand Event to become a chip millionaire.

Level 14: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 48/291

Damjan Pulejkov checked the A♣K♥6♠10♠ board after the turn before Antoine Talvard fired out for 40,000 into a pot of around 100,000. Pulejkov jammed for about 150,000 and Talvard went briefly into the tank before he found a call.

Damjan Pulejkov: A♠3♠
Antoine Talvard: A♥10♥

Talvard was far ahead with his two pair and just needed to fade a spade or a king for a chop to win a huge pot while also eliminating Pulejkov.

“So sick,” Talvard said in a loud whisper after the J♠ spiked the river to improve Pulejkov to a flush.

Damjan Pulejkov – 400,000
Antoine Talvard – 110,000

Level 14: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 49/291

Simon Taylor min-raised from late position and was called by James Paris before Kelley Slay jammed for about a dozen big blinds. Taylor quickly folded, while Paris found a call.

Kelley Slay: A♥Q♦
James Paris: 9♦9♣

Paris slayed his opponent after Slay bricked the K♠8♦J♣3♦5♠ runout to hit the showers a few players shy of the money.

James Paris – 420,000
Kelley Slay – 0

The final 51 players out of the 291 entry field on Day 1b are heading to their final break just seven players away from the money and the end of the day.

Blinds will increase to 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 big blind ante when the action resumes in 15 minutes.

Level 13: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Entries: 51/291

Joseph Hamilton jammed for 18,000 from under the gun. Jordan Dumas asked for a quick count before he called before Ian Tambone also found a call from the small blind.

Tambone and Dumas checked down the entire Q♦J♥6♠2♥K♠ board.

Hamilton turned over the A♦Q♥ and won the hand to more than triple his stack with Tambone turning over the 7♥6♥ and Dumas tabling the A♠7♣.

Jordan Dumas – 570,000
Ian Tambone – 235,000
Joseph Hamilton – 70,000