The Malta Poker Festival brand was established in 2018 and made an immediate impact with its inaugural Grand Event at Portomaso Casino, drawing 1,366 entries. Following a pandemic-induced break, the MPF returned in 2022 and now hosts spring and autumn editions annually. We are currently witnessing the tenth edition of this vibrant festival.
The Second Largest Grand Event in History
The festival's main attraction, the €550 Grand Event, has surpassed all expectations. Over the course of seven starting days, the tournament tallied an impressive 1,987 entries, creating a prizepool of €903,497. This means the winner could turn their €550 buy-in into a remarkable €141,000. It's the second-largest MPF event to date, narrowly missing out on surpassing last year’s Grand Event with 2,045 entries.
The second day welcomed all 298 surviving players to the tables, but only 30 remained after a relentless grind. Yesterday’s thrilling play whittled down the field further to reveal the final eight, all guaranteed at least €17,040 as they head into today’s final table. Entering the final day as a clear leader is France’s Benjamin Nicault with a stack of 21,000,000, followed by Sweden’s Ulf Grahs at 18,500,000.
Final Table Chipcount:
| Position | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
| 1 | Benjamin Nicault | France | 21,700,000 | 36 |
| 2 | Ulf Grahs | Sweden | 18,500,000 | 31 |
| 3 | Joris Ruijs | Netherlands | 15,900,000 | 27 |
| 4 | Vincent Schueler | Germany | 12,200,000 | 20 |
| 5 | Giuseppe Bellinghieri | Italy | 9,500,000 | 16 |
| 6 | Vester Vergeest | Netherlands | 8,100,000 | 14 |
| 7 | Jeffrey Gregor | Denmark | 7,800,000 | 13 |
| 8 | Toni Ravnak | Serbia | 5,700,000 | 9 |
The Grand Event finale kicks off today at 1:00 PM local time with blinds set at 300k/600k/600k. Watch the battle for the title and the six-figure prize unfold via the live stream, which will guide you through the action at the table.
Payout Structure for the Final Table:
- €141,000
- €86,420
- €61,560
- €47,220
- €36,330
- €28,650
- €22,070
- €17,040
Sources - YouTube, TheMaltaPokerFestival, PokerNews
