2025 The Festival Malta 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.

Action was picked up with Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk all in and at risk on the button for 41,000 versus the covering stack of Benjamin Sweetman. Sweetman drew three and stood pat across the two proceeding draws. ‘Franke’ stood pat for all three draws. ‘Franke’ was clearly confused as to what Sweetman had, “draw three and stand pat, really?” he said.

‘Franke’ was debating drawing, but instead he showed down his hand. “Sorry mate”, said Sweetman as he tabled 7 6 4 3 2 for Number 2. ‘Franke’ had a jack lo and was eliminated, but he seemed happy to be in profit after firing four bullets.

After losing a decent-sized Razz pot to Ville Hakala, Matteo Grapanzano fell during a hand of 2-7 Triple Draw, leaving just five left. Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk has now secured a small profit, having fired four bullets during Day 1/A.

As the blinds have increased, the stacks have become a lot more shallow here at the Portomaso Casino in Malta. Unfortunately for Antoine Degiorgio, he couldn’t stay afloat, and has become the first casualty of final table play. Quentin Spyckerelle has chipped up from a short stack to be around the middle of the pack.

Barrie Dear remains at the top of the counts, and the rest of the field is not separated by much.

Here are the payouts for the €550 T.O.R.S.E.S Main Event.

Here is the final table of the first Main Event to be hosted in this years Malta instalment of the Festival Series here at the luxurious Portomaso Casino. EPT winner Christer Johannson was the unlucky player to miss out on the final table.

Barrie Dear still leads the way and is in a prime position to pick up some crucial Player of the Series points and a big score. The payouts will be posted in due course.

Currently, there have been no early bust-outs in the T.O.R.S.E.S., and nine remain. Barrie Dear has built upon his chip lead in the early stages. In the Sviten Special, a field of 45 have assembled in Sweden’s favourite Mixed Game. The Festival Series regulars and Mixed Game fanatics, Sascha Manns and Frank Visser are in the field, as well as The Festival Series Weekend Sviten Special Main Event Winner Ville Keranen.

With only one tournament concluding so far, it was inevitable that the winner would top the first Player of the Series Leaderboard. The identity of that person has now been confirmed and the honour of being the early front runner in the Player of the Series race is bestowed upon Oliver Kubalek thanks to his victory in Event #7, the €125 Win The Button Madness. 

The Czech player is well known to The Festival Series as he finished as the runner-up in the Main Event of The Festival in Rozvadov, earlier this summer. Is this early victory a statement of his intention to take down the POS title or simply revenge for the heads-up defeat on his home soil?

While only one event has actually concluded, two starting days of the TORSES Mixed Games Main Event and TheHendonMob Championship are already in the can. Those who have progressed so far from both these tournaments are guaranteed to be in the money and assured of earning additional leaderboard points, but these have not yet been added to today’s totals.

Player of the Series Top 5

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

Antoine Degiorgio and Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk both bagged stacks in the opening flight of the TORSES and Franke has also made it through to Day 2 of the HendonMob Championship. Franke will surely rise up the rankings once those events have concluded and points earned from them have been added to the leaderboard. 

Both Kare Hallamaa and Ville Hakala will also have their first feet on the ladder as both made it through Day 1s on Monday. Kare has progressed to Day 2 of TheHendonMob Championship, while Ville has a seat in the final day of the TORSES Mixed Games Main Event. 

Barrie Dear, who also made the Rozvadov leaderboard top 10 will go into the TORSES final day as the chip leader, but will he hold on to stake his claim as a front runner in the Leaderboard race? Stay tuned to The Festival blog and social media coverage throughout Tuesday to find out.

Other Player of the Series hopefuls Scott “Pokerbrahs” Kenyon and Sascha Manns both played Day 1b of the TORSES, but neither made it through to the final day, nor did JJ Hazan, the Day 1b bubble boy.

Four events will be completed on Tuesday at The Festival in Malta, which should produce a more competitive current standings list by Wednesday morning. It’s far too early in the proceedings to tell who will end up on top of the pile, but I for one, can’t wait to find out who that will be!