2025 The Festival Malta Live Blog

Marcelo Genna has won the Mystery Bounty, besting fellow countryman Mattia Festa heads-up for the title. Festa won’t be too upset with second place, as his bounty haul and second-place cash mean he comes away as the tournament’s big winner. Below are the payouts, inclusive of bounties.

Mattia Festa and Marcello Genna are heads-up in the Mystery Bounty. The floor staff are currently dismantling the poker tables across the tournament floor, and the room is the quietest its been since the start of the week.

Newly crowned Player of the Series Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk and Tobias Hausen are heads-up in the OFC High Roller. Below are the payouts so far.

Nuno Morais has become the Main Event Champion, besting Damir Savio heads-up. Savio moved all in with king-six and ran into king-queen.

Morais’ superior kicker saw him hold across the J 9 8 3 7 runout to secure the victory and a whopping €61,001! Below are the final table payouts.

Nuno Morais has around 85% of the total chips in play currently. Damir Savio has moved all in multiple times but has not been called in any spots.

Sod’s Law dictates that as I write this post, Savio secured a full double up from 2,400,000 to 4,800,000. Morais’ advantage still remains sizeable.

There will be no successful title defence for Fabian Bartuschk as he fell in eighth place. He was the reigning Festival Series Open Face Chinese High Roller champion.

Play is currently three-handed, and its only The Festival Founder and newly crowned Player of the Series Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk, Tobias Hausen and Johan Gauchy left battling it out for the final High Roller title of the series.

Coincedently, ‘Franke’ won the final High Roller event of the Sviten Special Weekend.

The OFC is still in progress, but when Ville Hakala was eliminated in 10th place, a delighted Franke was confirmed as the Player of the Series. The operator and owner of The Festival Series was nine points clear at the start of the day and the Finn needed to cash, with Franke failing to do so, in order to claim the title.

Sportingly, both players agreed not to enter the Mystery Bounty, which had its final flight this morning. Franke joined the game from the start, while Hakala waited until the final level for late entry to make his entrance. With five places being played, making the money was no easy feat. Hakala fell short, ending the POS race, however at the time of writing With 3 players left, Franke is still in and chasing victory in the event as well!

We’ll fully total up all the remaining events and deliver the final scores in the next day or two, but we can confirm that Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk is the Player of the Series at the 2025 Festival in Malta! Congratulations!

Here are the counts in the Mystery Bounty and the payouts thus far, inclusive of bounties.

Julius Jelenius and Dimitrios Chalasa have departed in third and fourth, respectively. This leaves Nuno Morais and Damir Savio heads-up. Morais has over a 3:1 advantage over his opponent.

Morais has a stack of 26,175,000 and Savio has 7,100,000.

Only four are left in pursuit of Main Event glory here at the Portomaso Casino in Malta. Nuno Morais has a 2:1 advantage over second place occupier Julius Julenius. Below are the counts and the final table payouts so far.

Salvatore Ritrovato has won the Seniors Event here at the Portomaso Casino, besting a field of 41 total entries. Below are the payouts.

Nuno Morais min opened from the button and Olli Kovalinen defended the button. He check-called a bet on K A 6 before leading the K turn. Morais called. Kovalinen then led the river 10 before Morais moved all in. Kovalinen hated the spot but made a crying call.

He had K 6 for a full house, and Morais had A A for the nut boat.

Here is the lineup in the Seniors Event. The remaining field are in the money. Here is the lineup and the payouts.

Over in the Mystery Bounty, the top bounty has been pulled by Hendon Mob Championship winner Egi Adriaans. He pulled a bounty worth €9,191, and has a total haul exceeding €10,000.

Mattia Desta pulled the €5,686 bounty, as well as the €3,148 bounty. The biggest bounty left in play is just just over €4,000.

The Festival Main Event is currently being streamed on Instagram @TheFestivalOG. Visit the page to check out the cards down action as it unfolds.

Action was picked up with Damir Savio all in and at risk versus Nuno Morais in a button v big blind all in preflop situation. Morais flopped the nut flush draw on 5 Q 6 but couldn’t find another heart, king or ace across the 9 turn and 2 river.

Thomas Jakobsen has a slight advantage at the top of the counts, and there is a decent bit of breathing room between the top two and the rest of the pack.

Here are the payouts in the Mystery Bounty from the normal prize pool. The bounty prizes will be released in due course.

Action was picked up with Emmanuel Houssais jamming all in over an open from Olli Kovalainen, who snap-called and had Houssais covered.

Kovalainen had A A and Houssais had Q Q . The 10 J 6 5 10 runout was clean for Kovalainen and Houssais departed in ninth place. Here are the payouts so far from today’s session.

Action was picked up in a single raise pot with Arttu Myllys leading out for 250,000 from the big blind. Nuno Morais then moved all in for around 2,350,000.

During the hand, I approached Melvin Schroen to predict what hand Morais had. I believed he had a set of sevens, but Melvin opted for king-jack. Myllys was in the tank and ultimately folded. Morais then tabled the 7 and the 7 .

Here are the payouts for the Seniors Event. Joakim Olin, pillar of the Swedish Poker community, is in contention for his second title of the week.

Here is the full line-up of the Mystery Bounty field ahead of the second and final day here at Portomaso Casino in Malta. Jose Gomez leads the way and has cashed once more this week, adding to cashes in the Main Event, 10-Game, Pot Limit Double Draw 2-7 and PLO 4/5/6.

Julius Jelenius opened to 160,000 from middle position. Dimitrios Chalasa three-bet to 550,000. Jelenius called. He check-called a bet of 275,000 on the monotone board of 8 Q 7 , before the 2 turn was checked back. Jelenius checked again on the 10 river. Chalasa then bet 1,000,000 and was called by Jelenius, who had A K for the second nut flush.

Chalasa had 6 5 and bet to try and push Jelenius off a potential chop.

A field of 22 are left in the one and only seniors event here at the Portomaso Casino in Malta. Johan Ekdahl appears to be the chip leader in this event. The payouts will be confirmed in due course.

At a blistering pace, the final table has been reached here at the Portomaso Casino. Play will resume at 3.20 p.m., so the chip race, counts, photos and interviews can be conducted. Here is the lineup and chip counts.

Here are the early entrants in the Open Face Chinese High Roller. Razz Big Bounty Winner and Sportsbook joint-second Wouter Schuurbiers is in the field, as is Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk, who is currently leading the POS rankings.

Angelo Vietti has been eliminated after jamming A 2 blind v blind into the covering stack of Olli Kovalainen who had A K . He made two pair across the 8 K 7 A J .

On the adjacent table, Jon Persent was eliminated by Thomas Jakobsen in a button v small blind preflop all in. Jakobsen had Q Q which held against Persent’s A 9 across the 3 4 7 6 J runout.

The final Day of the Main Event is underway! Good luck to all who are taking part in the pursuit of Main Event Glory!

Of the 32 Seniors that entered the Seniors event, only 26 remain. Big O winner Joakim Olin and Gia Carnestrom are just two of the notable names in the one and only Seniors Event.

Concurrently, 22 remain of 69 entrants in the final Flight to the Mystery Bounty, the 1/D Turbo. Day 2 is scheduled to start at 4.30 p.m. local time. Here are the counts from that Flight.

There’s one day left of The Festival in Malta and the race for the Player of the Series title is still in the balance. On Saturday four events that count towards it were completed, however full results of the sportsbook and slots competitions have not yet been processed. The 10-game and Bomb Pot tournaments have now been included and there is no change in the top two, with Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk maintaining his nine point lead over Ville Hakala. 

Franke and Ville played both played in each of the poker events on Saturday, but neither managed to make the money. Franke now has 153 points to Ville’s 144 and they are well clear of third placed Benjamin Sweetman on 118 points and 4th placed Barrie Dear on 117.

Kare Hallamaa remains in 5th place on 100 points, while fellow Finn Ville-Matti Keranen moves up to 6th on 91 points. He won the 10-game event, in which Sweetman finished 3rd. None of the players in the money in the Bomb Pot tournament feature in the top 25 on the leaderboard.

Player of the Series Top 25

Read More: Full details on how the leaderboard points are awarded for the Festival in Malta

In addition to the sportsbook and slots tournaments, there are three further tournaments concluding on Sunday that count towards the leaderboard:

• The Main Event
• The Mystery Bounty
• The Open Face Chinese High Roller

The Main Event and the Mystery Bounty have no players left that can usurp either of the top two on the leaderboard, so the destination of the Player of the Series award will likely be decided in the Open Face Chinese High Roller. Will Franke cling on for glory, or will Ville overtake him on the final straight as they race towards the finish line?

Follow the action throughout the day on the live blog and on The Festival’s social channels.

Read More: The Festival in Malta Player of the Series Leaderboard Standings After Day 6
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Read More: The Festival in Malta Player of the Series Leaderboard Standings After Day 2

Signing off for tonight, in preparation for the final day of the Festival Series here in Malta. Additionally, might’ve won the sportsbook. Isac Ekstrom has won the Slots Tournament for €685, adding to his cash in the PLO 4/5/6.

Catch you later.

Ville Keranen has become a dual Festival Series Winner, taking down the 10-Game, besting a field of 58 total entrants, and Eriks Gedroics heads-up. Ben Sweetman and JJ Hazan were despatched by Kernanen in a three-way pot, as they both became short. Below are the payouts.

A field of 43 are left in the PLO Bomb Pot Madness Double Special Round of Each with No Limit Hold’em. A total of 141 people have entered the event. Below are the payouts.

If anyone fancies a spot of karaoke, head down to the karaoke party at the Beer Garden. I was there, and Scott ‘Pokerbrahs’ Kenyon sang a beautiful rendition of Snow (Hey Oh) in the downstairs bar. Go get involved, the place is busy, and the vibes are immaculate.

Leading the final five in the 10-Game is JJ Hazan. Sviten Special Weekend Main Event winner Ville Keranen is behind him whilst T.O.R.S.E.S Main Event runner up Ben Sweetman is currently playing short-stack duties. Here is the line-up and seat draw in full.

Out there in the vast expanse of life the universe and everything, there is a feasible and conceivable universe where the blogger wins the sportsbook on the tiebreak. I have picked 19 total goals across the seven fixtures, and Milan currently leads Udinese 3-0. This score line was not called by anyone who participated. Current leader Fabio De Francesco had the fixture as a draw, and the correct scoreline being 1-1.

A field of 58 have entered the Bomb Pot PLO Madness Round of Each here at the Portomaso Casino in Malta. Peder Behr, Ingela Charlez and Isac Eckstrom are just a trio of notables and Festival Friends in the field battling it out for the title in this unique to The Festival event. The action promises to be explosive!

Head on down to the casino gaming floor downstairs for the unique to the Festival Slots Tournament. Feeling lucky today? Register to see if your luck is in! Registration closes when the tournament starts at 9 p.m.

Thomas Eckerstorfer was the unfortunate victim of the bubble in the 10-Game. Sean Godley and Grzegorz Iskra have departed recently, and now only seven remain in the field battling it out for the one and only 10-Game title. Below is the lineup and seat draw.

Here are the payouts from 41st place to 17th.

Owen Sammut has been stacked in 17th place, meaning the Main Event field are now bagging and tagging their stacks for when play resumes tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. sharp.

Sammut was short-stacked in the big blind, and was dominated by Julius Jelenius. Sammut had K J and Jelenius had A K . Ace-high was good across the 7 10 Q 5 10 runout. Below are the chip counts in full.

Here are the current standings in the Sportsbook Tournament.

On five points are: Andreas Hugosson, JJ Hazan, Damiano Nigri, Melvin Schroen, Andreas Hoglund.

Six points: Ville Hakala, Victor Gil Den Houting.

Seven Points: Patrick Cole (aka the blogger aka me), Markus Volk, Wouter Schuurbiers.

Eight Points: Fabio De Francesco.

Currently, Manchester Utd lead 2-0, courtesy of goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. Chelsea went down to 10 men early after goalkeeper Robert Sanchez committed an assault on Bryan Mbuemo.

The field has thinned at a rapid pace for Day 2 of the Main Event. Currently, 18 remain in the field of 84 that started the day. Here are the approximate counts of the remaining players.

Reg has closed in the 10-Game. Here are the payouts with 26 left of the 58 total entrants.

Here are the final scores from the first round of sportsbook games.

Brighton 2-2 Tottenham

Burnley 1-1 Nottingham Forest

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Real Madrid 2-0 Espanyol.

Andreas Hoglund is currently tallying up the scores of the players in the field. They will be posted on the blog in due course.

Spurs have drawn level courtesy of an own goal from Jan Paul van Hecke. Burnley and Nottingham Forest remain level at 1-1. Jarrod Bowen has pulled one back for West Ham but trail 2-1 thanks to Tyrick Mitchell.

Real Madrid are 2-0 up. Kylian Mbappe fired in Madrid’s second goal from the edge of the area, having been teed up by Vinicius Jr.

Here are the updated counts from the Main Event. The field has thinned drastically, and only 28 remain. Play for the day will cease when 16 remain, which will be the final two tables.

Over in La Liga, Real Madrid have gone ahead thanks to Eder Militao, who collected a pass from Fede Valverde from outside the box before putting it in the top left corner.

Spurs have dragged one back thanks to Richarlison, who converted a chance from a corner kick just moments ago.

Spurs are now two 2-0 down to Brighton. Yasin Ayari has doubled their advantage. Elsewhere, Jean-Phillipe Mateta has put Crystal Palace 1-0 away from home to West Ham. West Ham, a famous team in East London, have had a torrid start to the season, and it only looks to be getting worse for Graham Potter’s side.

In the sportsbook tournament, there have been three early goals. Brighton currently lead Tottenham courtesy of a calm and collected finish from Yakuba Minteh.

In Burnley v Nottingham Forest, Forest took an early lead through wing-back Neco Williams. Jaidon Anthony scored to draw Burnley level with 20 minutes on the clock.

Here are the payouts and the field in the sportsbook tournament. Only three will be paid. Best of luck to all that participate.

Ahead of the 1/C Mystery Bounty here at the Portomaso Casino in Malta, here are the six progressing players from yesterday’s flight and the chip counts.

Of the 84 that started the day, only 41 now remain in pursuit of Main Event glory. Below is the table of the fallen players from the start of play today.

Time is running out to enter the sportsbook tournament. Register at the tournament registration desk, take the ticket to Andreas, fill in the form he gives you, and return to him by 3 p.m. sharp.

Here are the counts at the first break of the 10-Game. Yurii Rassamakin was the first and only elimination of this tournament so far.

Thomas Degimbe has the most of Jose Gomes’ stack in his possession having won a monster pot in a blind v blind situation. Gomes opened to three times the big blind from the small blind. Degimbe called.

He called a bet of 125,000 on A Q 3 before calling another barrel from Gomes on the 2 turn, this time for 400,000. Gomes then moved all in on the 10 river and Degimbe called with ace-queen. Gomes had king-deuce suited.

Today is the busiest day on the schedule by far, Christmas for poker players attending this Malta instalment of The Festival Series. If today is Christmas, that must make yesterday Christmas Eve; it’s still a good day, but the real gifts get unwrapped today.

Yesterday saw winners in the first Open Face Chinese tournament, Big O, and a new Queen was crowned in The Festival Queens event. Let’s have a look at what happened across the floor yesterday.

Open Face Chinese

A field of 56 total entrants took to the felt in the first of two Open Face Chinese tournaments that will take place this week. The Open Face Chinese field was packed full of familiar names and faces here at the Portomaso Casino in Malta. Rozvadov POS runner-up Ville Hakala, Rozvadov OFC High Roller Winner Fabian Bartuschk, Razz Big Bounty runner-up Fabio De Francesco, T.O.R.S.E.S Champion Barrie Dear, PLO High Roller Winner Simeon Tsonev and 8-Game Winner Sander van Wesemael.

Barrie Dear was a big stack in the tournament for a decent period of time throughout the play, but he ended up falling short of the money and being the victim of the bubble. Ultimately, it was the Rozvadov OFC High Roller Winner Fabian Bartuschk who took down the title. He bested The Boss Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk heads-up after a lengthy, swingy duel heads-up. Below are the payouts. For more information on how to play this interesting variant of poker, click here.

The Festival Queens

It was ladies night at the Portomaso Casino and a new Queen was crowned. The field garnered 25 total entrants, three of which belonged to Hendon Mob Final maker Celine Nyland. She fired three bullets but couldn’t find the money.

Due to the small field, when the ladies reached the final table, they still were not in the money. Only six were to be paid, and it was Roberta Memoli of Italy who missed out on the payouts. She jammed her short-stack from the button with queen-jack off suit, and ran into the ace-queen offsuit of Karin Krantz in the big blind. She was then the next to depart.

Ultimately, it was Denise Fusciardi who took the crown. She bested Cristina Balsamo heads-up in a face-off that lasted for around 45 minutes. Fusciardi had a substantial advantage over Balsamo when heads-up play was reached. Below are the payouts.

Big O

In the one and only Big O tournament, which is 5-Card PLO Hi-lo, Joakim Olin walked away with first-place money, and will receive a beautiful trophy courtesy of our talented in-house artist Modernoise. He bested Soner Vanelderen heads-up in the small hours of this morning. The tournament attracted 100 total entrants.

Also finding the money was Rozvadov Mystery Bounty winner Mariya Todorova, as well as Martin Smith, author of Pot Limit Sviten Special: A European Version of Drawmaha. Below are the payouts.

Main Event

The Day 2 field has been finalised, and the counts are in. Jose Gomes has bagged the biggest prize of the 666 total entrants who have taken to the tables at Portomaso over the last five days. He sits clear at the top of the counts, with his nearest rival having 400,000 less than him. 8-Game Winner Sander van Wesemael and former Festival Series Malta winner is also in the top 10, as well as Victor Gil Den Houting, who is in pursuit of a second title.

What’s Next?

Today is jam-packed with action of all varieties: from the sportsbook tournament, to the 10-Game, the Main Event, to the slots tournament in the evening. 1/C of the Mystery Bounty will be in play in the evening, as will the best tournament of the week – the Bomb Pot PLO Madness (round of each Holdem and Omaha). To see the full schedule, click here.

That’s all for now, folks. Stay tuned to www.graiachia.com for the blog, and social media channels for everything and anything Festival related.

Until later on.

Here is some information about tomorrow’s sportsbook tournament.

This 125 buy-in event is distinctly unique to The Festival Series. Registration opens tomorrow morning and players will need to register at the tournament desk as per usual. The betting is open from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Players, bring your tickets to Andreas Hoglund (pictured above), who will be sat at the flip table located in the foyer just before the tournament area.

The games will be a selection from the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A. The games will be announced to players when they find Andreas and pass him the ticket and fill out your selections by pen and paper, like being in an actual bookies.

Those who have won a ticket to this event should be registered in the system and can collect the tickets from tomorrow morning.

Here are the payouts in the Main Event.

The field has officially been assembled. Here is the line-up, chip counts and seat draw for Day 2 of the Main Event. This is officially the biggest Festival Main Event in Malta, and all with no guarantee! Jose Gomez leads the way in the counts and has come here all the way from Mexico. The total entrants stand at 666, the number of the Beast, and the prize pool sits at around €300,000.

There were just two qualifying events that concluded on Friday at The Festival in Malta. The first of these was the €250 Open Face Chinese, one of the longest single day events on the schedule. By the time they reached the final three, both Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk and Ville Hakala were still in the mix. 

Ville Hakala busted in 3rd place and Franke took the runner up spot. Both went on to enter the final starting flight of the Main Event, but neither progressed to Day 2. By outlasting his rival, Franke has extended his lead at the top of the table from 6 points to 9 points, moving up to an impressive 148 point total. Hakala is on 139 points and these two are well ahead of third placed Barrie Dear, on 112pts. 

Barrie Dear also went deep in the Open Face Chinese, but bubbled, hurting not just his wallet, but his chance of staying in touch with the top two on the leaderboard. The players in positions 4, 5 and 6 remain unchanged since Thursday’s update and none of them added any further points to their totals. Kare Hallamaa skipped the OFC and the Big O, instead opting to play in Day 1e of the Main Event, but failed to make it through to Day 2. 

The only significant new entry in the top ten is Fabian Bartuschk, winner of the OFC. He moves up from 33rd place to 7th on the leaderboard, on 81 points. The other qualifying event that took place on Friday was the €125 Big O (PLO8), which was won by Joakim Olin. Last year Joakim won the Seniors event, which was a back-to-back victory, as he had also previously won the Seniors at The Festival in Rozvadov. 

None of the top ten players in the race have made it to the second day of the Main Event, with the highest placed player left in being Sander Wesemael. He sits in 19th place on the leaderboard and bagged the 6th largest stack from the opening flights of the Main Event. However, even if he wins the Main Event, he will still be trailing the top two and he won’t have much opportunity to play any further side events if he does go deep. 

There are just seven events left that count towards the Player of the Series race, which is by no means over. The top two may be well clear, but anything can still happen. Last year Scott Kenyon had a vast lead, but the improbable happened and he was pipped to the post by a strong finishing Alexsiy Baranovskiy. 

A sober Franke is a formidable force at the tables and he will be hard to stop, but will he hold on to take down the title of Player of the Series?

Player of the Series Top 25

Read More: Full details on how the leaderboard points are awarded for the Festival in Malta

There are four events concluding on Saturday 20th September that count towards the leaderboard:

• €350 10-Game at 12.30pm
• €125 Sportsbook tournament at 1pm
• €125 Bomb Pot Madness at 8.30pm
• €125 Slots tournament at 9pm

Follow the action throughout the day on the live blog and The Festival’s social channels.

Read More: The Festival in Malta Player of the Series Leaderboard Standings After Day 5
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Read More: The Festival in Malta Player of the Series Leaderboard Standings After Day 3
Read More: The Festival in Malta Player of the Series Leaderboard Standings After Day 2

Fabrizio Nobile is the unfortunate victim of the bubble at the Portomaso Casino in Malta. He will not be joining the Day 2 field come Sunday afternoon, unless he decides to fire one more bullet. Chip counts will follow after the players bag and tag for the night.

Here are the payouts in full for the Big O. Currently, 22 remain in the field in the one and only Big O tournament of the week. For those who don’t know Big O, it is 5-card PLO Hi-Lo, with half the pot going to the best high hand, the other half going to the best low hand.

Seven remain and only six will progress to Day 2 from this 1/B Flight of the Mystery Bounty. Here is the lineup.

Denise Fusciardi has won The Festival Queens event here at Portomaso Casino in Malta. She bested Cristina Balsamo heads-up in a face-off that lasted for around 45 minutes. Fusciardi had a substantial advantage over Balsamo when heads-up play was reached. Below are the payouts.

Rozvadov Open Face Chinese Winner is currently heads-up against Malta POS leader and Festival Founder Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk for the first Open Face Chinese event of the week. Below are the current payouts of the field that have departed.

Here is some information about tomorrow’s sportsbook tournament.

This 125 buy-in event is distinctly unique to The Festival Series. Registration opens tomorrow morning and players will need to register at the tournament desk as per usual. The betting is open from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Players, bring your tickets to Andreas Hoglund (pictured above), who will be sat at the flip table located in the foyer just before the tournament area.

The games will be a selection from the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A. The games will be announced to players when they find Andreas and pass him the ticket and fill out your selections by pen and paper, like being in an actual bookies.

Those who have won a ticket to this event should be registered in the system and can collect the tickets from tomorrow morning.

Here are the top 10 stacks in the Big O tournament.

Here is a look at the final nine ladies looking to be crowned the Festival Queens champion. Despite the final table being reached, the players are not yet in the money.

Dimitrios Panagopoulos has shot to the top of the counts in Main Event 1/D. Registration is now closed, and the total entrants figure for this flight stands at 249. A field of 91 remain, and play will resume until 31 remain.

Barrie Dear has fallen just shy of the money spots in the Open Face Chinese. Scott ‘Pokerbrahs’ Kenyon informed Dear that the seat was “cursed” as that was where he was sitting when he was eliminated from the tournament in 12th place.

Here are the chip counts of the remaining players left in the first of two Open Face Chinese tournaments.

Niklas Sundstrom still sits at the top of the counts at the break of 1/D of the Main Event. Rozvadov Main Event third-place finisher Richard Koppel has surged up the counts, and previous Malta Main Event Winner Victor Gil Den Houting rounds out the podium places.

Here are the top 10 counts currently in play as the players return to their seats in 1/B of the Mystery Bounty.

Franke’s Flips is set to take place at the tables in the foyer near the tournament area.

For just €25, you can flip your way to glory in a series of “stand and goes” in a quest to win a pair of Franke’s fabled flip flops and tournament credits! Come join in the fun!

Oh, and there’s a chance to win a package worth €1,600!

The prize pool in the Open Face Chinese has reached a total of €11,703. This is how that prize pool will be distributed to the players in accordance with their finishing position. T.O.R.S.E.S Champion Barrie Dear remains in contention for his second title of the week. Popular streamer and multiple POS Winner Scott ‘Pokerbrahs’ Kenyon and The Festival Founder Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk are also still in battling it out amongst the 17 that remain. Below are the full payouts.

As The Festival Series continues to grow with every stop, players are coming from far and wide to get involved with the action. Whether it is for No Limit Hold’em, or for the excellent and varied choice of Mixed Games, each stop seems to bring in a new nationality with every stop.

This Festival Series in Malta is no different, as I found out when talking to American Tim Dallas, who came with his family to play the Sviten Special. This also goes to show just how popular that game is becoming in Europe, and across the giant pond that is the Atlantic Ocean. Also known as Drawmaha in the States, Sviten is beginning to boom. Without further ado, here is a small conversation with Tim Dallas.

The Festival: What’s your story with poker? How did you get into the game initially?

Tim Dallas: I started playing poker in 1964 after watching The Cincinnati Kid. Yeah, and I’ve been playing ever since. When I moved to Seattle, Washington, I found a group of guys, and we started a home game. We’ve been playing for over 30 years. We host tournaments at home, and about 15 years ago, someone introduced a new variation called Sviten.

And then we started looking for tournaments to play in. Now I host my own home tournaments. Just this past summer, I had 21 guys playing out on my patio. Two years ago, I convinced someone to come with me to Tallinn, and we played in the Kings of Tallinn. Surprisingly, I cashed third! That was nice!

So a couple of years later, I found The Festival here in Malta. My whole family came with me—my son-in-law and I are both playing here. After this, we’re heading to Sicily for a couple of weeks before flying back.

The Festival: Was poker something you always wanted your son to get into—professionally or just for fun?

Tim Dallas: Just for fun. We just love playing. A good home game is mostly laughing. Sure, we might win or lose a hundred bucks, but it’s really about having a good time.

The Festival: Is that what drew you to The Festival—the atmosphere and the mixed games?

Tim Dallas: Absolutely. Sviten, the mixed games are the fun ones. I don’t really play Hold’em much. I mean, I will, but our home games are always mixed. The mixed games are fun—people are laughing, talking, even shouting. You don’t get that at a Hold’em table.

The Festival: Yeah, I agree. It’s such a contrast. You could split the room in half: one side with a mixed game table full of laughter, and the other with a Hold’em table—everyone wearing headphones and dead silent.

Tim Dallas: Exactly—no talking, no eye contact. “Don’t look at my cards, don’t read my mind.”

The Festival: Anything else you want to say about The Festival?

Tim Dallas: I’ll be here Friday and Saturday night playing a couple of events. But really, this is what we came for (Sviten Special).

The Festival: What’s your first impression?

Tim Dallas : It’s great—I like it a lot.

I would like to thank Tim Dallas for taking some time on his break to talk to me about his story, and wish him and his family and friends the best of luck at the tables.

The big stacks in the Open Face Chinese include OFC High Roller Rozvadov winner Fabian Bartuschk, T.O.R.S.E.S Winner Barrie Dear, Former Mixed Game Main Event winner Sascha Manns, and popular streamer and multiple Festival Player of the Series winner Scott ‘Pokerbrahs’ Kenyon.

Due to a misclick by the floor, they sent over 1/A’s counts instead of 1/C’s. Arttu Mylls has bagged the biggest of the stacks that have progressed through to Day 2 so far. 8-Game Winner Sander van Wesemael sits in second.

Here are the big stacks in 1/D of the Main Event. Hendon Mob Final Table maker Niklas Sundstrom sits atop the counts in one of the final flights to Day 2 of the Main Event, which starts tomorrow afternoon.

It’s Ladies Night at the Portomaso Casino in Malta, as The Festival Queens event is about to start after a slight delay to the start of proceedings. Here is a look at the lineup that will be taking to the felt. Hendon Mob final table maker Celine Nyland, Rozvadov Mystery Bounty Winner Mariya Todorova and the Festival’s Hostess with the Mostess Christel Natri are just a few of the notable names in the 13-strong field.

The Open Face Chinese field is still packed full of familiar names and faces here at the Portomaso Casino in Malta. Rozvadov POS runner-up Ville Hakala, Rozvadov OFC High Roller Winner Fabian Bartuschk, Razz Big Bounty runner-up Fabio De Francesco, T.O.R.S.E.S Champion Barrie Dear, PLO High Roller Winner Simeon Tsonev and 8-Game Winner Sander van Wesemael.

In the Main Event, this has been by far the most popular Flight of the week so far, with a total of 179 entrants thus far. Expect the field to grow even more, as registration remains open until the end of level 10. Levels last for half an hour each, and currently, the field is most of the way through Level 5. Notables in the field include, Peder Behr, and the Win the Button winner and the Rozvadov Main Event Runner Up Oliver Kubalek.

Here are the highlights from Day 2 of The Festival Series in Malta. Don’t forget to like comment, share and subscribe to keep up with all things The Festival.

Here are the highlights from Day 1 of The Festival Series in Malta. Don’t forget to like comment, share and subscribe to keep up with all things The Festival.

Check out this interview with Jarmo Salonen which was conducted by our Hospitality Hostess Christel Natri. Don’t forget to like, comment, share and subscribe to keep up to date with all things The Festival.

The Main Event field continues to grow here at the Portomaso Casino in Malta. Peder Behr, Hendon Mob Championship runner-up Attila Erdei and Joakim Olin are just three of the notable names in the field looking to find a bag for Day 2, which will start on Saturday.

A field of 88 are in the Main Event 1/D, and 27 have taken to the tables in The Festival Series Malta’s first Open Face Chinese event. Rozvadov Open Face Chinese High Roller winner Fabian Bartuschk is in the field, as well as T.O.R.S.E.S Champion and joint leaders in the Player of the Series race, Barrie Dear and Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk are in the field.

The race for the Festival in Malta Player of the Series is now more than half-way through, with 13 of the 22 qualifying events having been completed. Earlier today it was reported that Barrie Dear and Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk were out in front, tied on 107 points, with the Finnish duo of Ville Hakala (100pts) and defending POS Kare Hallamaa (98pts) breathing down their necks. 

However, after a recount and a double checking of the work done by an AI to calculate the scores, it was found that the wrong participation points were applied to the NLH High Roller. These have now been recalculated and the end result is that in fact Franke is out in front on his own, on 115 points, six ahead of Ville Hakala on 109. There are also a some minor changes to the current standings of other players. See the table below for the full corrected top 25.

Barrie Dear had slipped back from pole position to 5th place after a lacklustre Wednesday, but returned to his usual form on Thursday, cashing twice. He took 5th place in the Razz and 13th in the PLO 4/5/6 Card event. This helped move him back up to third place, 2 points behind Ville. Franke also min-cashed in the Razz in 7th place, but played both other tournaments on Thursday, picking up participation points in the process.

Kara Hallamaa continued his fine form, cashing in 4th place in the Razz, while Ville Hakala took 10th in the PLO 4/5/6 Card. Hakala also entered the NLH High Roller, failed to cash, but leapfrogs his compatriot on the leaderboard thanks to the extra participation points and moves into second place overall on 109 points..

Benjamin Sweetman failed to make any further cashes, only adding 5 points to his total, while Martin Schamaun has given up his chance of being the Player of the Series, reportedly having already left Malta. They currently occupy the 5th and 7th places on the leaderboard, but are somewhat adrift of the top four.

Peder Behr moves up to joint 5th place with Sweetman, on 86 points, thanks to his 4th place in the NLH High Roller. He is 13 points ahead of 8th place Frank Visser, who min-cashed the PLO 4/5/6. Wouter Schuurbiers debuts in the top 10 today in 9th place on 70 pts, thanks to his victory in the Razz. Scott Kenyon, who took 3rd place in the Razz rounds out the top 10, with 68 pts to his name, tied with The Hendon Mob Champion Egi Adriaans.

Player of the Series Top 25

Read More: Full details on how the leaderboard points are awarded for the Festival in Malta

There are only two events that count towards the leaderboard completing on Friday 19th September, the Open Face Chinese and this evening’s Big O. The top two are almost certain to play in both of these and many others in the top ten on the leaderboard are expected to take part. These two events could play a significant role in determining the outcome of the Player of the Series race. Follow the action throughout the day on the live blog and The Festival’s social channels.

Read More: The Festival in Malta Player of the Series Leaderboard Standings After Day 4
Read More: The Festival in Malta Player of the Series Leaderboard Standings After Day 3
Read More: The Festival in Malta Player of the Series Leaderboard Standings After Day 2

Here are the payouts in the PLO 4/5/6.

The payouts have been released in the 1,100 No Limit Hold’em. Hendon Mob Champion Egi Adriaans, Player of the Series contender Ville Hakala and former Irish Open Main Event Champion Tero Laurila are all in contention for the title.

Leaderboard points are becoming a premium here at The Festival Series in Malta, exemplified by Ville Hakala playing two tournaments at once.

“Doubled up in the PLO!” said Hakala, as he made a quick dash across the tournament floor to retake his seat in the 1,100 No Limit Hold’em High Roller. This to me screams of a man on a mission to top the leader board come the end of the week, as he will be looking to best his friend and fellow countryman Kare Hallamaa, having finished second to him in the leader board rankings in Rozvadov.

The results are in from the Melvin Schroen Razz Big Bounty Bonanza here at the Portomaso Casino in Malta. Belgian national Wouter Schuurbiers (pictured) took down the title, overcoming the big stack and longtime chip-leader Fabio De Francesco. Below are the payouts exclusive of bounties. Kare Hallamaa, T.O.R.S.E.S. Champion Barrie Dear and Festival founder Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk all found the money once again and will add crucial leader board points to their tally as they are all in pursuit of the Player of the Series title.

In Mystery Bounty 1/A only 6 will progress of the 45 total entrants. Currently, 11 remain, and Hendon Mob Championship runner-up Attila Erdei sits atop the counts in this event.

In the 1,100 High Roller, 25 remain of 50 total entrants, and Hendon Mob Champion Egi Adriaans is in the field battling for his second title of the weekend.

Blogger was released from the shackles of his cage to participate in one of the Hospitality Wine Tastings at the JL Hotel with members of The Festival team and Hospitality package winners. This is why the blog has been fairly sparse this evening, despite some tournaments being in play. The former bartender in me jumped at the opportunity to sample some of Malta’s wine. Updates on those will follow. Here is a rundown of the wines sampled at the roof top bar.

First on the tasting menu was a 2024 oak-aged Chardonnay. It was fresh, tangy and full of notes of apricot with a decent body and legs when swirled around the glass. Usually a grape I would avoid, it was refreshing and perfect before a meal or during a light dinner.

The next offering was a Shiraz Rose from the idyllic island of Gozo. On the nose, the fragrance was delicate. Traditionally a young wine, this particular rosé was a 2023 vintage. That was apparent on the palate; a lot was going on, dry but refreshing, and definitely one that gets better with every sip, a well-rounded fruity and floral tipple. As a non-rose drinker, it was infinitely drinkable. Maybe it’s the heat.

Third up was a 2024 Medina Syrah, a red wine. It was dry and refined, with a decent body and long legs. Particularly woody on the nose, on the taste buds, fruity and full-bodied. This wine was aged in steel barrels. A very pleasant and easy going wine.

Fourth was the Victory Falls Merlot from Gozo, made with 100% Gozo Merlot grapes. On the nose, it was light, airy and floral. It was a pale purple colour, akin to a Pinot Noir. It was fruity on the palate, nice tangy acidity and very easy going.

Last but not least, the 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon. It was very fruity and rich in tannins, lots of plum and berry flavours which are beautifully fresh and ripe. A long finish, and pairs with meat, it was both simple to drink but rich in complexity simultaneously. It pairs well with anything you would eat for dinner and well worth buying. Definitely saved the best for last, at least in this blogger’s opinion.

A big thank you to JL Hotel for their Hospitality, and this event just goes to show that the Festival Series isn’t just about poker.

Cheers!

Twenty-five players have come together in the 1,100 High Roller. Rozvadov Main Event third-place finisher Richard Koppel is in the field, as is EPT regular Tero Laurila and Sviten Special Weekend Main Event Winner Ville Keranen.

Here are the payouts in the Razz Big Bounty. Chip leader Fabio De Francesco wagered that if the top prize payout was under €1,000 he would sit out and walk away. Thanks to The Festival’s Melvin Schroen, mostly, who fired four bullets, the top prize stands at €1,001 exclusive of bounties.

Tonight’s Hospitality activity for package winners is a Wine Tasting at the JL Hotel. Meet in front of the hotel for 6:50 p.m. to start at 7 p.m. Latest entry is 7:30 p.m. Below are a series of pictures from yesterday’s tasting.

At the break before registration closes, Fabio De Francesco leads the way in the counts. The Festival’s own Melvin Schroen and Kare Hallamaa are both in play with decent stacks, as is popular streamer and multiple Player of the Series winner Scott ‘Pokerbrahs’ Kenyon.

Only 18 are left of the 56 total entrants in the Razz Big Bounty. Scott ‘Pokerbrahs’ Kenyon, Melvin Schroen, Kare Hallamaa, Barrie Dear and Ville Hakala are all in the field.

Last night’s €1,100 PLO High Roller Winner Simeon Tsonev has fallen by the wayside, and Sviten Special Weekend Main Event Winner Ville Keranen is on his second bullet.

Here is a look at the players that are taking to the felt in the 1,100 No Limit Hold’em High Roller and Day 1A of the Mystery Bounty. The first table is the Mystery Bounty field and the second is the High Roller.

Here are the top 10 stacks currently in play in the Main Event. This Flight has seen 122 entries total, and currently 91 remain.

Here are the highlights of yesterdays action on and off the felt. Don’t forget to like, comment, share and subscribe!

1/C of the Main is nearing 100 total entrants, and 39 total have entered into the Melvin special Razz Big Bounty tournament, for which he is on his fourth bullet. Good job, buddy! In the field is The Festival Founder Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk, who his looking to cash in his eighth event this week.

Also in the Razz field is T.O.R.S.E.S Champion Barrie Dear, Sviten Special Weekend Main Event winner Ville Keranen, as well as Jose Gomez, who has travelled to Malta from Mexico for The Festival Series experience.

One of the quieter days on the schedule today here at the Portomaso Casino in Malta. Currently in play is the 1/C Flight of the Main Event, which has attracted 68 total entrants.

Today’s first Mixed Game offering is the 250 Razz, which has been altered to a Big Bounty format. A total of 21 have entered, and of course, it was The Festival’s very own resident Nederlander, Melvin Schroen, who hit the rebuy desk first.

Blogger had too much beauty sleep and he has some catching up to do. Stay tuned for the recap of the Hendon Mob action and results from across the floor yesterday.

We’re almost at the halfway point of The Festival in Malta and it’s neck and neck in the Player of the Series race. Swiss player Martin Schamaun has joined the UK’s Benjamin Sweetman at the top of the leaderboard on 81 points. They are just one point clear of none other than Mr Festival Series himself, Martin von Zweigbergk, better known to most as Franke, of course.

Both Schamaun and Sweetman played and cashed in Tuesday’s 8-Game, with the overnight leader finishing one place higher than his Swiss rival. However, Schamaun went on to play in the PLO HR, did not cash, but earned himself 11 participation points. This enabled him to close the gap and move up from 3rd place to joint 1st. 

The most significant leaderboard climber of the day was Franke. He moves up to 3rd place, just behind the leading pair, thanks to cashes in the HendonMob Championship (36th) and the Blackjack, in which he was 3rd. He has now played in seven tournaments in total, picking up lots of participation points along the way. Likely to play in almost everything he can, Franke is definitely one to watch during the latter stages of the week.

The Finnish duo of Hakala & Hallamaa both also remain strongly in contention. Hallamaa’s 6th place in TheHendonMob Championship has boosted his score up to 69 points and is not far behind Hakala, who secured another final table, taking 3rd place in the 8-Game. Hakala is now on 78pts and in 4th place overall, not far behind the top three. 

While Monday was a triumphant one for Barrie Dear, Tuesday was more of an ‘oh dear’ day for the Mixed Games Main Event champion. He played in several tournaments, firing more than one bullet in some, but failed to cash in any. Despite slipping down the leaderboard from 2nd to 5th, the participation points he received have boosted his total up to 70 points, so far.

Most of yesterday’s event winners have also broken into the top 25 on the leaderboard. Congratulations to Egi Adriaans, whose HendonMob win brings him up to 57 points and books him a berth in the Top 10. The 8-Game winner Sander Van Wesemael sits just outside the top ten, in joint 12th place along with Oliver Kubalek, both on 48pts. Jonas Rosqvist, the Pineapple PKO winner is in 14th place with 46 points, while PLO High Roller victor Simeon Tsonev is tied for 24th place on 36pts, along with Scott Kenyon.

Player of the Series Top 25

Read More: Full details on how the leaderboard points are awarded for the Festival in Malta

There are three events finishing on Thursday, the Razz, the NLH High Roller and the PLO 4/5/6 Cards. Will the top two still be tied after these events conclude? Or will one of the other protagonists rise up and take the beacon forward? Follow all the Day 4 action on the Festival blog to find out!

Read More: The Festival in Malta Player of the Series Leaderboard Standings After Day 3
Read More: The Festival in Malta Player of the Series Leaderboard Standings After Day 2

The chip counts will be released upon the conclusion of this evening’s remaining tournaments.

Until next time.

The payouts have been announced in the 1,100 PLO High Roller. Only 13 remain of the 35 total entrants that have tried their luck in the first High Roller of this Festival Series in Malta.

Below are the chip counts of the remaining field. Olesandr Sadovyi leads the way, with Rozvadov Open Face Chinese winner Fabian Bartuschk tailing him in second.

Mixed Game madness continues at the Portomaso Casino as 85 remain in Crazy Pineapple PKO. The field is filled with familiar names that have taken to the felt over the first three days.

Ingela Charlez, Barrie Dear, Elias Eckstrom and Antoine Degiorgio are just a few notable names and Festival friends that remain in contention to win the fruitiest title of the week.

Atilla Erdei was all in and at risk versus the covering stack of Egi Adriaans. Adriaans had been applying max pressure since the deal and had retaken the chip lead after drawing close to parity before the deal was made.

Erdei had K Q and Adriaans had 10 9 . Adriaans binked a ten on the turn to secure the victory, trophy and 1,850 Cape Town package across the 5 6 8 10 4 .

Neither player could hardly believe it. Both exchange a handshake and an embrace. “Twenty years in the making”, said Adriaans in disbelief as both players went their separate ways.

There are nine left battling it out for the 350 8-Game title. As things stand, it is close at the top of the tree, with Johnny Andreassen, Ville Hakala and Markus Binder occupying the podium spots.

Last nights Sviten Special winner Martin Schamaun is currently fourth. Here are the current rankings as the final table approaches.

And this table below are the payouts.

Egi Adriaans and Attila Erdei have settled on a deal which will secure both players €11,400 apiece for their efforts.

They are now playing for the first-place prize of €14,271 plus the trophy €1,850 package to The Hendon Mob Championships in Cape Town, plus merchandise.

The first €1,100 tournament of this Festival Series Malta is currently in play. The PLO High Roller has 19 players remaining in the field and a level or so of registration left.

The Festival Series Rozvadov Open Face Chinese High Roller Winner Fabian Bartuschk is currently in the field, as well as Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk who is gunning for leaderboard points by the looks of things.

In a limped pot, the 2 9 5 flop was checked around. Egi Adriaans bet 300,000 on the 10 turn. Attila Erdei called. On the 6 river, Adriaans moved all in and was snap-called.

Erdei had two pair 9 6 but Adriaans had a straight with 8 7 .

He then made the nut flush in a preflop all in, going runner-runner after Erdei flopped a pair.

Adriaans then doubled again after getting it in with jacks on a queen high flop, versus a pair of sevens from Erdei.

Attila Erdei moved all in preflop. Egi Adriaans called after a moment in the tank. His Q 10 made trips to best Erdei’s K 7 across the 7 A 4 Q Q .

Adriaans then chipped down again across a couple of pots, before doubling up to 1,800,000 with K 3 versus Q 8 of Erdei. Erdei has at least a 5:1 advantage.

Action was picked up with Attila Erdei all in and at risk versus the covering stack of Egi Adriaans, who had taken the lead from Erdei. They were all in on the flop of 5 8 J . Adriaans had J 5 for two pair and Erdei was open-ended with 7 6 .

Erdei made his straight across the 7 turn and the 4 river.

Adriaans then stuck it to Erdei, winning numerous limped pots by jamming flop. A few hands later, he scored a 2,000,000 pot with 6 5 against Erdei’s A 5 . Adriaans had a straight across the 4 A 7 3 4 runout.

Due to being preoccupied by the Hendon Mob Championship, some events have gone slightly neglected this afternoon. One of them being the Blackjack Tournament that ran this afternoon in the foyer outside the tournament area.

The tournament attracted 21 total entrants, of which, only four found the money. Below are the payouts. Laur Sibold topped the small field event, and The Festival Founder Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk also found the money.

The field was in good spirits all round, as they were in the roulette tournament that took place yesterday. Below is a collection of photos from the event.

Robert Lim jammed for around 1,000,000 on the button. Attila Erdei called in the big blind. He had A Q , Lim had 7 6 . Lim turned a flush draw on 2 9 5 10 but couldn’t find a club, six or seven on the A river. Erdei and Adriaans decided to take a break before head-up begins.

Daniel Kuhlmann opened from early position to 300,000. Egi Adriaans moved all in for 1,975,000. Kuhlmann went into the tank before making the call. He had A Q and Adriaans had K J .

Adriaans took the lead and held across the J 7 8 3 9 to draw close to even with Attila Erdei.

Egi Adriaans opened from the small blind and Attila Erdei defended the big blind. Adriaans led for 350,000 on the flop of 8 7 Q . The 8 was checked around quickly before Adriaans led for 575,000 on the 5 river. Erdei then took a moment before announcing all in.

Adriaans went into the tank before folding. The players then took a 15 minute break and the chip race and counts were completed by the floor staff. Here is the state of play as the players retake their seats. Play resumes with the blinds at 50,000/125,000 with a 125,000 big blind ante.

Dennis Zetterman moved all in from under the gun for around 5 big blinds. Action folded around to Attila Erdei who moved all in from the small blind. Robert Lim folded in the big blind. Zetterman had 9 8 and Erdei had A A .

Zetterman flopped two pair on 9 8 2 before Erdei hit the A turn. The 7 was inconsequential and Erdei took the pot to take play four-handed.

Action was picked up with Kare Hallamaa all in and at risk versus the covering stack of Daniel Kuhlmann, who has managed to spin up his short stack to keep the pressure on the leaders. His 9 9 held against Hallamaa’s two overs in the form of A 10 across the Q 7 8 3 8 in what became a case of too many outs.

A field of 76 total entrants have become 24 in the 8-Game this afternoon. In the field are T.O.R.S.E.S Runner Up and third-place finisher Ben Sweetman and Ville Hakala (pictured), as well as Sviten Special Fourth Place Finisher Frank Visser.

T.O.R.S.E.S. Champion Barrie Dear, Antoine Degiorgio and Sviten Special Main Event Champion Ville Keranen have fallen short.

Dennis Zetterman opened to 160,000 from early position with the blinds at 40,000/80,000. Niklas Sundstorm moved all in from the cutoff for around 550,000. Egi Adriaans wasted little time in moving all in. Zetterman folded and the players showed down.

Adriaans had his favorite hand, 8 8 against Sundstrom’s A 10 . There was no sweat for Adriaans as the 4 6 7 7 9 gave him two pair and the remainder of Sundstrom’s stack.

Celine Helen Eidsto-Nyland moved all in from the big blind over a button open from Robert Lim. Nyland made the call, and she was ahead with 9 9 against Lim’s A Q .

Lim took the lead on the flop of 4 8 Q 4 5 runout to send Nyland to the rail. With this hand, amongst an accumulation of smaller pots, Lim has chipped up to rival Egi Adriaans for the chip lead, and is in second place by this blogger’s estimation.

Dennis Zetterman opened to 120,000 from early position. Kare Hallamaa jammed for 780,000 on the button. Zetterman tanked before calling. His 8 8 couldn’t crack the J J of Hallamaa across the 10 K 10 4 A runout.

After opening a few pots and getting jammed on, Kare Hallamaa’s stack has been on the decline. Celine Helen Eidsto-Nyland and Dennis Zetterman have been two of the beneficiaries of applying pressure.

Action was then picked up with Brian Calleja all in and at risk versus Egi Adriaans. Calleja had J J and Adriaans had K K . He held across the 10 Q 10 8 4 to eliminate the last remaining representative of the home team.

With that hand, Adriaans extended his chip-lead, and he has over 4,000,000 in front of him.

Egi Adriaans opened from early position to 105,000 with the blinds at 25,000/50,000 50,000 big blind ante. Daniel Kuhlmann moved all in for 415,000 from the small blind. Adriaans called.

Kuhlmann made a full house with Q Q across the 4 9 5 4 4 runout to hold against Adriaans A 2 .

Here is what is at stake in The Hendon Mob Championships.

Here is the payout table, which shows who has cashed for what in The Festival Series Malta Hendon Mob Championship.

Here is the official line-up of The Festival Series Malta Hendon Mob Championships.

The final table has already been reached in The Hendon Mob Championships. Peder Behr was the unlucky player to miss out on final table play, as he was eliminated by Egi Adriaans in a preflop all-in situation.

The players have two minutes left of Level 23, where the blinds are 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 big blind ante. The players are taking their 15-minute break as the final table is being set up and decorated. Chip counts and seat draw will be up when the floor have completed the chip race and updated the counts.

Kare Hallamaa has claimed the stacks of Sebastian Mortensen and Maria Koutsouki in two separate hands. Against Mortensen, who had K Q , Hallamaa eliminated him with A 8 across the 8 Q A J 9 runout.

Versus Koutsouki, he had pocket fours. Koutsouki had ace-eight suited. Hallamaa flopped a set leaving Koutsouki drawing to runner-runner for a straight. Her run came to an end when she was drawing dead on the turn.

The Festival Series’ Blackjack Tournament is currently in play in the foyer area outside the tournament area at the Portomaso Casino in Malta.

Last year, 29 entered the tournament based on the classic casino table game, and it was won by Marko Keskel of Estonia, who took home €1,280 for his efforts. Below are the payouts from last years event.

Currently in the field is Festival Team Member Melvin Schroen, The Festival Founder Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk, and Ingela Charlez, to name just a few of the 22-strong field.

Giuseppe Tredici moved all in for 230,000 from under the gun with the blinds at 15,000/30,000. Peder Behr called. Tredici flopped trips with A 6 on A 10 A . The turn 8 changed nothing, but Behr then spiked the 7 on the river to leave Tredici with 10,000.

He was then all in the big blind on the next hand. Kare Hallamaa opened to 60,000 in the cutoff. Dennis Zetterman three-bet to 160,000 from the small blind. Hallamaa called before folding to a flop bet of 100,000 on 5 5 3 . Zetterman had A K and Tredici had 9 2 . He found nothing to keep him alive on the 10 turn and A .

Brian Calleja jammed from the button and was called by Daniel Kuhlmann in the small blind. Calleja had him covered but both stacks were on the shorter end of the spectrum. Calleja’s J 5 was called by Kuhlmann’s K 6 .

Kuhlmann won the hand across the 9 J K 9 10 runout.

On the adjacent table, Maria Koutsouski doubled through Peder Behr. She had 2 2 which held against Behr’s K J across the 3 3 9 A 7 runout. The very next hand, Behr was all in for his last 100,000, and he doubled with A 4 versus Egi Adriaans 6 4 . The runout was 8 7 J J K .

Action was picked up with the dealer counting out 655,000 from the stack of Kare Hallamaa. Dennis Zetterman was the beneficiary, as he had top set on J 9 10 4 2 .

Action was picked up with Niklas Nyman all in and at risk versus suspected chip leader Kare Hallamaa. Nyman had K J and Hallamaa had him in bad shape with A K .

Nyman had the tables turned in his favour on the flop of J J A . The 8 changed nothing and the J upgraded both players hands, but quads for Nyman secured him a double up to 640,000, which is just shy of the average stack of 745,000.

In the 41-strong field in the 8-Game, there is a host of familiar faces, including but not limited to: home nation representative Antoine Degiorgio, newly crowned T.O.R.S.E.S Champion Barrie Dear, Sviten Special Weekend Main Event Champion Ville Keranen, last night’s Sviten Special fourth-place finisher Frank Visser, and friend of The Festival and fellow Brit Dan Pilgrim.

Currently the biggest stacks in the room belong to Kare Hallamaa, Attila Erdei and Dennis Zetterman, all of whom are sitting at just over the 1,000,000 mark.

On short-stack duties are the two remaining women in the field, Celine Helen Eidsto-Nyland and Maria Koutsouki, as well as Christophe Stammet.

Almost half the initial field that took to the felt today in the Hendon Mob Championships have departed the tournament area. Only 24 now remain fighting it out for the Hendon Mob Championship title.

Kare Hallaama has chipped up to contend, or has the chip lead in this event. The chip counts will be conducted at the break in a few minutes time.

Here is a round of bust outs from Day 2 of The Hendon Mob Championships here at Portomasso Casino in Malta.

Field continues to thin fast as The Hendon Mob Championships have reached the four-table redraw point. This means there are only 32 now remaining in the field of the 47 that took to the felt this afternoon. Here are the payouts in full.

The field has already decreased by 11 players here at the Portomaso Casino in Malta in Day 2 of the Hendon Mob Championships. Oliver Kubalek (pictured right), Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk and Oliver Mihajlovski are just three of those amongst the early departures. The trio all secured a min-cash of €400.

In 1/B of the Main Event, a field of 40 are at the tables from flag fall.

The race for the Festival in Malta Player of the Series is heating up, with four further qualifying events concluding on Tuesday at Portomaso Casino. However Oliver Kubalek, the overnight leader after Monday was not involved in any of these and he has now been usurped as the front-runner to take down the €1,600 Bratislava package. 

Mixed Main Event winner Barrie Dear laid down a challenge to the other glory hunters by winning the TORSES Mixed Games Main Event, which earned him 49 leaderboard points. He also took part in both the Sviten and the 2-7 Double Draw, however he failed to cash in either, but closed out the day with a total of 54 ranking points. 

But 54 points was not enough to put Barrie in pole position in the leaderboard race, as the TORSES runner up Benjamin Sweetman has claimed that honour. In addition to the 41 points he received for that, Sweetman also notched up an additional 20 points when finishing in 3rd place in the 2-7 Double Draw and now has the highest total so far, on 61 points.

Sviten winner Martin Schamaun is not far behind in 3rd on 51 points, but was one place away from topping the leaderboard, as he was the bubble boy in the TORSES. If he finished just one place higher, he would have been on 69 points.

Player of the Series Top 25

Read More: Full details on how the leaderboard points are awarded for the Festival in Malta

The Rozvadov Player of the Series top two Kare Hallamaa and Ville Hakala are also prominent on the leaderboard at this early stage in the proceedings. Hallamaa sits just outside the top ten in 11th place and once again seems to be employing the volume tactic of playing in as many events as he can, to rack up the participation points. His third place in Tuesday’s roulette tournament helped him to add 20 points to the 16 participation points he has racked up so far, bringing his total score up to 36. 

Hakala is doing slightly better, currently in 5th place with 45 points, earning most of his points so far from his 3rd place finish in the TORSES, but he is also playing the volume game and has participation points from three other events.

Frank Visser is in 6th place on 40 points, one point ahead of Oliver Kubalek and Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk, who both have 39 points. Franke earned most of his points thanks to his 5th place finish in the TORSES, but he has also made Day 2 of TheHendonMob Championship, so will be sure to have further points to add after Wednesday’s action has been completed. Other POS hopefuls Scott Kenyon and Antoine Degiorgio also both cashed yesterday and lie in joint 14th place with 33 points. 

It’s already shaping up to be quite a competitive race and there’s bound to be further changes at the top over the course of the next few days. No flicking, stay tuned to the Festival Series blog to follow all the action!

Read More: The Festival in Malta Player of the Series Leaderboard Standings After Day 2

Andre Larsen opened from early position. Action folded around before Andrea Krantz moved all in for 25,000. The blinds were at 5,000/15,000.

On the flop of 3 A 10 , Krantz drew three and Larsen drew one. He got the 5 and passed. The players then showed down their hands. Krantz tabled A K 3 2 J for two pair on board. Larsen 7 7 7 10 3 for trips in hand but a weaker two pair.

The 10 turn upgraded Larsen to trips in hand and a full house on the board, and the 9 river sealed Krantz’s fate, and the remaining players all secured €600 minimum for their efforts over today’s play.

Only 14 now remain in the Sviten Special. Frank Visser is atop the counts having usurped Peter Kepplinger at the top of the counts. Surprisingly, Kepplinger’s stack has been distributed to the rest of his former tablemates, as he bust in 17th place. Here is a look at the counts of the remaining players.

Here is a look at the chip counts in the Sviten Special as the players have returned from dinner break. Peter Kepplinger (pictured above) is the current chip leader.

A field of 65 total entrants has been whittled down to 17 here at the Portomaso Casino in Malta. The tournament plays down to 12.5% of the total field, meaning that only 8 players will progress to Day 2 and be in the money.

Elsewhere, the Satellite to the Main Event has attracted 67 total entrants, with 34 left battling it out for a €550 ticket.

In the third and final flight of the Hendon Mob Championship, 89 are currently in play of the 114 total entrants that have bought in to this event. Registration remains open for two more levels, so the field size could grow even more as it reaches last-chance saloon time before the final day kicks off tomorrow at noon. Below are the top counts from the Turbo 1/C flight.

Here is a look at the payouts in the Sviten Special. Only 13 will find the money. Remaining in the field is Mixed Game fanatic Frank Visser, who is currently sitting second in chips. Sviten Special Weekend Main Event winner Ville Keranen has fallen by the wayside.

The daily running of Franke’s flip flops is set to run in the foyer outside the tournament area. The flips are 5-handed and winners will receive 125 euros in tournament credit for a 25 euro buy-in. It is rake-free and the best flipper come the end of the week will progress to the final flip off to win a package worth 1,850 euros. Come get involved.

The vibes were immaculate during the Roulette Tournament. Here is a selection of shots from the event that took place this afternoon.

The first Flight of The Festival Series’ marquee event has been in play since the start of play today at the Portomaso Casino in Malta. Currently, a field of 69 total entrants has been assembled, and only 29 remain. The field size could grow as registration remains open for another 10 minutes. Here are the top 10 counts. Pablo Molina (pictured) has the third biggest stack in play.

A decent sized field have come together to play the 350 Sviten Special here at Portomaso Casino in Malta. The tournament has attracted a total of 101 entrants, and 39 currently remain in pursuit of Sviten Special glory.

Currently in play in one of Sweden’s favourite poker variants are The Festival Sviten Special Weekend Main Event winner Ville Keranen, former Mixed Game Main Event Champion Sascha Manns, as well as Mixed Game enthusiast and professional poker reporter Frank Visser.

Registration will be closing at the end of this Level, Level 12, and the blinds are currently 2,000/4,000.

Gert Orav has won the Roulette Tournament here at Portomaso Casino. He was the luckiest of the 27 total entrants that took to the impromptu gaming floor in the foyer outside the tournament area. Here are the five players that made the money.

Barrie Dear has become the T.O.R.S.E.S Main Event Champion, defeating fellow Brit Ben Sweetman heads-up. Dear had a substantial chip lead, and all the chips found the middle before third street in a Razz hand.

Dear secured the victory with A 2 4 6 8 J 10 for an eight lo. Sweetman had 2 4 5 6 J K K . The players exchanged handshakes before going their separate ways. Here are the confirmed payouts in full.

An uneventful hand became one that both Ben Sweetman and Barrie Dear found amusing, and it is something very rare to see in poker, with two players holding the same hand.

In a PLO8 hand, action was checked down to showdown across the J 3 2 Q 6 , Sweetman showed 5 6 8 9 . Dear showed 5 6 8 9 for the exact same hand.

Dear then went on to win back-to-back pots, the latter of which left Sweetman short as Dear made jacks full, and there was no lo available.

Dear span up and Hakala was on short-stack duties due to the shallow nature of the structure in the T.O.R.S.E.S. Main Event.

In a Sviten Special hand, which saw an open from Hakala and a raise from Dear preflop, Hakala bet 60,000 on the flop of K 4 J . Dear raised to 120,000 before Hakala moved all in for 180,000 total. Dear called.

Hakala went into the tank before discarding two, Dear discarded one. He passed on the Q and received one more face down. The players then showed down.

Hakala had Q 10 8 8 2 but was drawing almost dead to Dear’s A 9 9 5 3 . The 6 turn and 5 changed nothing and Hakala was eliminated.

Ben Sweetman opened to 100,000 with the blinds at 25,000/50,000. Ville Hakala defended the big blind. Sweetman drew two and Hakala drew three.

Sweetman bet 50,000 and Hakala raised to 100,000. Sweetman called before drawing one. Hakala stood pat and checked back when checked to by Sweetman. Sweetman then stood pat, then Hakala drew one. The final draw was checked down.

Sweetman had the winner with 2 3 5 8 9 . Hakala mucked.

Dear has lost a fair few pots, and it is now Sweetman and Hakala contesting for the chip-lead.

Action was picked up with Barrie Dear raising a bet from Ville Hakala to put him all in in a hand of Razz. Hakala was ahead with 3 4 7 8 10 . Dear had A 4 6 9 Q .

Dear then took the lead as he drew the K and Hakala paired with the 7 . Dear then paired his four with the 4 and Hakala received the 2 to make a lo to take the pot and secured the double.

Ben Sweetman opened to 80,000 from the button in a Sviten Special hand. Barrie Dear defended the big blind. He bet 40,000 on 5 7 4 . Sweetman called. Both discarded one. Dear received the 5 , which he passed. Sweetman was dealt the 5 , and he also passed.

Dear then bet the 4 turn and 10 river for 80,000 a piece and Sweetman called both times. He had K 9 5 8 6 and Dear had 6 5 8 9 K . Both made the nut straight on the flop and missed straight flush draws. Dear took three-quarters of the pot as his ace-high played as the draw hand.

Quinten Spyckerelle was next to fall just before the break. On the first hand after the break resumed, Ville Hakala scooped a Stud 8 hand against Barrie Dear, having been all in before third street.

Hakala made a flush with Q Q A 3 8 J 10 which bested Dear’s 3 4 5 7 7 7 Q for trips.