Once again, it's a full house at the Malta Poker Open Satellite!

 

The 3^rd Malta Poker Open – Powered by XLBet.com 'Stage 1' satellite kicked off on the 24^th August 2010 at the Portomaso Casino, St. Julians, Malta. 54 Poker players registered for the event which reached a prize pool of €1,510.

The ‘Stage 1’ satellite featured an entry free of €10 + €1 – a very affordable buy-in for poker players aiming to participate at the €1,100 Malta Poker Open main event – Powered by XLBet.com. The tournament structure allowed players to purchase two re-buys throughout the tourney and the opportunity to acquire an add-on at the onset of the first break. 5,000 chips were given out to the players at the start of the tourney giving them lots of space to test the waters while the blinds were still at a low level.

 

There were a numerous cash game players who took their seats at the tournament too. With the first super-satellite less than two weeks away, it seemed that most of the cash players participated in the tournament to try their shot at a low cost placing for the Super Satellite.

 

Some of the previous week's winners also joined in the action. John and Maude Smith, both 'In the money' winners from the previous two ‘Stage 1’ satellites also took another chance at winning a consecutive ‘Super satellite’ which they may use at any of the Super Satellites scheduled for the 5^th September, 3^rd October and 28^th or 29^th October 2010.

 

At 9:20pm, the prize-pool was already up to €930 and players were at the 4^th level of blinds which reached 150/300 with 25 chips being paid out by the players in antes. Average stack had reached 9,300 with a total of 465,000 of chips in play.

 

At the break which took place after the 5^th level of blinds, we approached Sharona Refalo, during her second entry at the 'Stage 1' satellite for a quick chat about her journey to the Malta Poker Open 2010.

 

Sharona, a Gozitan player from Ghajn Sielem, told us that she’s been playing poker for the last two and a half years but only started playing in casinos a few months ago, since she’s turned 25. She also shared that she had already played in casinos abroad and got some ‘in the money’ placings.

 

Sharona told us that “It’s an interesting experience to finally train myself at playing poker at the live tables in local casinos. Before I was of age I had no choice but to play in online poker tournaments, and although it shares identical rules to live poker, it’s a completely different ball game.”

 

“Apart from playing online, I also got some practice playing poker at home games. There’s a very high interest in poker in Gozo too. It’s not the first time that I had to decline an invitation by a friend because I was already committed to going to another friend’s house for a home tournament. I also encourage many of my friends to come over to the Casinos in Malta to give live poker a try, competing against the more experienced players here.”

 

 “I love the game and usually excel in heads up, or short handed tables. I much prefer those scenarios to 9 or 10 handed tables. In any case, playing at a low entry tournament such as the ten euro ‘Stage 1’ satellites is a great way for me to get used to multi table tournaments. It’s an affordable entry, and while everybody gets a chance to play, the competition is fairly interesting.”

 

“I found out about the Malta Poker Open powered by XLBet.com through the Malta Poker Events facebook page, there are frequent updates with lots of information about the poker scene in Malta, which is really handy for local poker fans like myself”

 

“I’ve already made a lot of new friends by participating at live poker events in Malta. I much prefer it to online play, the social aspect makes it more involving. I had originally tried the online satellites on XLBet.com for the December Special Edition tourney, but hadn’t got a placing – Now that online satellites are running again for the Malta Poker Open, I’ll also take my chances there too!”

 

Following the 10 minute break we headed back to the tables for a quick headcount. 48 players were left in the game from the original starting count of 54. Including the re-buys and add-ons, the prize-pool went all the way up to €1510, the greatest pool reached so far, resulting in a total of 12 super satellites which were to be given out at the end on the night. The prize-pool also allowed for an additional six 'Stage 1' satellites resulting in a total of 18 prizes given out at the end of the tournament.

 

At the 9^th level of blinds - that had started at 22:40hrs, 39 players were left in the tournament. The average stack rose to 19,359 chips and Keith Boniface was in the lead holding approximately 60,000 chips. Giuseppe Cali was in close second holding around 55k and Joe Mangion followed with about 50,000, Moira Cassar, one of the few remaining female players in the game maintained a strong position in fourth place [43,000 chips] after showing very consistent plays throughout the entire tournament. She was closely followed by Giuseppe Salustri, an Italian player, and a relatively new face in the Malta Poker Events scene.

 

Almost 2 hours later, at 00:30hrs, the blinds had reached 3k/6k and 18 players were left in the game. Tony Ciantar and Keith Boniface were leading the tournament when Aaron David Zammit exited the tourney in 18^th place.

 

A few hands later, Moira Cassar doubled up after entering a pot against Jackie Cachia. Moira held 78 and pushed all in, hoping to attract very few callers. It was a tough hand to refuse for Jackie who held AK and called Moira’s push a few moments later. Luckily for Moira she managed to hit a straight, and doubled up against Jackie. The hand increased Moira’s stack to 59,000 chips, yet didn’t send Jackie out of the tourney as she was holding a much larger stack than Moira before entering the hand.

 

Luck didn’t seem to be on Jackie’s side at that blind level, as a few hands later, she ran into a monster hand whilst holding A6. Jackie pushed all in pre-flop and got called by Salustri, who called Jackie’s push and showed AsKc. The dealer uncovered a 9h Qs Ks Js and 10s resulting in a beautiful royal flush for Salustri who sent out Jackie in 16^th place. 

 

With fifteen players left in the game, and Ketih Boniface still in the lead, blinds were at the 4k/8k level when Giuseppe Cali lost his entire stack to Jacques Balzan Demajo. Jacques started off with AT, pushed all in and got called by Cali. Jacques successfully paired his Ace sending Cali out in 15^th position, leaving 14 players in the tourney, with just two players to go before the tournament came to a close.

 

The next player out was Yan Agius who pushed with KT and got called by Moira Cassar with her AK. Moira won with an A high as none of the cards dealt at the table helped her or her opponent’s hand get any stronger. She was now in possession of over 80,000 chips.

 

The game finally came to a close when Kenneth Ellul pushed all in, whilst holding a pair of 7’s. Ellul got called by Vytautas Paukstys who held AQ and was lucky enough to pair both his hole cards by the turn of the river, winning the hand with 2 pairs, Aces and Queens and sending out Kenneth Ellul in 13^th position.

 

A total of 18 players made it into the money at the third edition of the ‘Stage 1’ live satellite tournament, with 12 super satellite tickets won [worth €120] and 6 ‘Stage 1’ tickets for the upcoming weekly satellite.

 

Super Satellite ticket winners included:

Keith Boniface

Moira Cassar

Chris Sammut

Jacques Balzan Demajo

Tony Ciantar

Joe Mangion

Ivan Farrugia

Pierre Mifsud

Rosario Tumino

Jenny Tumino

Giuseppe Salustri

Vytautas Paukstys

 

‘Stage 1’ ticket winners included

13^th Kenneth Ellul

14^th Yan Agius

15^th Giuseppe Cali

16^th Jackie Cachia

17^th Joe Smith

18^th Aaron David Zammit

 

The next edition of the ‘Stage 1’ satellite will be held on Tuesday the 31^st August at the Portomaso Casino, St. Julians, Malta. Poker players are advised to register early for the event to ensure participation and avoiding queuing up in the tournament waiting list. The event is capped at 50 players.

 

Winners of the ‘Stage 1’ satellites may use their tickets for the ‘Super Satellites’ which are taking place at the Portomaso Casino on the following dates: 5th September / 3rd October / 28th October / 29th October.  In the three ‘Stage 1’ satellite events that have taken place so far, a total of 32 ‘Super’ satellite tickets have been given out.

 

The Malta Poker Open 2010 - powered by XLBet.com, will take place between the 29th and 31st October 2010 at the Portomaso Casino. The tournament’s main event will feature a buy-in of €1,100 and is expected to attract several poker players from around Europe to compete for a potential prize-pool in excess of €150,000. For more details about the Malta Poker Open powered by XLBet.com event as well as satellite schedules and qualifying options, visit Malta Poker Events at http://www.maltapokerevents.com

 

Malta Poker Events

 

10 Malta Poker Open Packages up for grabs at Jetbull!

 

Jetbull.com have just announced their collaboration with Malta Poker Events for the upcoming 2010 Malta Poker Open, taking place on the 30th of October 2010 in Sunny Malta, at Malta's finest and renown Portomaso Casino.

Jetbull are offering their players the chance to meet up with the Jetbull team in Malta, whilst enjoying all the benefits of the Malta Poker Open, including accommodation and flight ticketspaid, for a prize pool which is expected to reach over $200,000 .

''We are very excited to be partners of the Malta Poker Open, and are looking forward to welcome the big boys fighting our very own players on the Portomaso tables, for a thrilling adrenaline infused ''all-in'' Battle!'' decalred John Zhang, Poker Manager for Jetbull.com.

Jetbull Poker will run Malta Poker Open qualifying satellites from September 1st until October 19th. The first Malta Poker Open qualifying Final takes place on Sunday, September 5th, 16:00 GMT.

Jetbull will offer Malta Poker Open Satellite Tournaments everyday to all the players, the schedule may be found by clicking the link below.

 

 

Malta Poker Events

12 Super Satellites won at this weeks Live Satellite for the Malta Poker Open

The Portomaso Casino was filled up to maximum capacity at the second edition of the ‘Stage 1’ live poker satellites for the Malta Poker Open 2010 - Powered by XLBet. With 53 players who signed up for the tournament - which was held on Tuesday the 17^th August 2010 - the night promised to be one filled with action and a massive prize payout at the end of the low entry poker tournament.

 

The Malta Poker Open 2010 €1,100 main event is taking place on the 30^th and the 31^st October 2010 at the Portomaso Casino and is expected to attract over 150 players making up for a prize-pool in excess of €150,000. The event, powered by XLBet is accessible to European poker players who are looking for a VIP Poker holiday experience, as well as local players who have access to an entire schedule of live satellites to help them gain entry at a fraction of the main event cost.

 

The live satellite schedule includes 2 stage qualifiers. The stage 1 tournament takes place every Tuesday at the Portomaso Casino and features and entry of €10+1, whilst the Super satellite [stage 2] features a buy-in of €110+€10. Those Poker players who prove successful enough at winning both stages, will be rewarded with the Malta Poker Open main event seats, which are worth €1,100.

 

50 participants for the second edition of the Malta Poker Open ‘Stage 1’ satellite were at their seats by 20:15hrs, and received 5,000 chips at the start of their tournament after paying up the low entry €10+€1 buy-in. The blind intervals were set at 15 minutes and players had the opportunity of making use of two re-buys as well as one add-on before the start of the first break. The tournament set-up allowed a more forgiving structure where players could still participate in the tournament even if they were to lose all their chips in what poker players usually refer to as a ‘bad beat’

 

Amongst the players present, were some of the previous week’s winners, including Jason Deguara, and Maude Smith. There were also various players who attempted their chances at winning their ‘Super Satellite’ tickets from the previous week, but never made it into the money - This was their second shot in their personal journey to the Malta Poker Open - Powered by XLBet..

 

The game kicked off at 20:20hrs, when players quickly got into their poker mindsets and started taking shots at each other’s precious stacks for that ‘edge’ at the start of the tourney. With re-buys being available for players holding 5,000 chips or less, several players loaded up their stack at the beginning of the tournament in order to place additional pressure on their more conservative adversaries.

 

After the 4^th level of blinds and by the end of the first break, there were a total of 53 entries in the tournament. Players were being accepted up till the first break thus increasing the tournament capacity as seats became available as a result of player exits. The total amount of entries made up for a pool which would pay-out 12 ‘Super’ satellite tickets as well as 2 seats for the upcoming ‘Stage 1’ satellite, with roughly €1,460 in the pot. To the poker participants, this meant that all they had to do was make it to the final 12 placings and they would be guaranteed a seat in the ‘Super Satellite’ qualifier for the Malta Poker Open main event!

 

There was a high level of multi-national participation at the tournament with several Italian players as well as a number of French players who took their seats at the tourney. Amongst these, we met up with a young French player, Fabien Mezanger to hear about his journey to the Malta Poker Open.

 

“Having recently moved to Malta following my employment at a leading recruitment company, I’m still new to the place, but quite excited about the poker scene here on this little speck in the Mediterranean.”

 

“I’m a very active poker player and equally enjoy live and online poker.   My new colleagues were aware of this and suggested that I should check out the Malta Poker Events website for a current schedule of poker tournaments taking place at the Maltese land based casinos.”

 

“It wasn’t at all difficult for me to find out about the Malta Poker Open, you do a good job at letting players know what is going on with your news and the poker tournament reports. I was actually surprised to see that even for a low buy-in tournament like the €10 + €1 which I’m playing today, you provide a detailed tournament report with photos… it’s brilliant!”

 

“I’ve been playing poker for quite a while now. I’ve had several live experiences with tournaments in Austria, Ireland, France and Morocco. I usually play at entries between €500 and €1,000. I would consider myself mostly a tournament player and I’m working hard to increase my consistency and achieving better placings at bigger tournaments. I even run my own Poker blog for French visitors [mr4b-poker.com] where I keep track of my performance, and blog about strategies I’m using, as well as reports about my poker experiences”

 

“I joined the tournament today primarily because I wanted to get a feel of the atmosphere in the local casinos, I’m new here, and live in St. Julians, so when I found out that there was a cheap tournament which can win me a seat to the €1,100 event – minutes away from home - , it was a no-brainer, I dropped by, and was happy to see such a high participation rate in the tournament”

 

“I’m looking forward to my first big event in Malta. I’m determined to play the super satellite whether I win tonight or not. At €110+€10 it’s incredible value for a seat at the Malta Poker Open main event. I want to win the Malta Poker Open, and at the same time I want to have fun while doing so. I will do my best to get as far as I can…watch me!”

 

“Being part of the growing Maltese Poker community is a new exciting chapter in my life.  I love the fact that there are many like-minded people on the Maltese islands, who love the game of Poker as much as I do. It also pleases me see all the effort that goes into the Poker community in itself!”

 

As the end of the break drew nearer, tournament director Mark Vella, signalled the end of the break, and we left Fabien at the tables to get back to his game. With ‘just enough chips for the next 6 blinds’, he was hoping to catch some goods cards after a night of careful play.

 

Players were at the 9^th level of blinds and there were 32 players left in the tournament from the original count of 53, meaning that there were 20 players to go before the tournament could come to a close. At that point, the more aware poker players of the bunch had acquired a good feel of their opponents and were taking advantage of this information to put themselves in advantageous positions with their decisions. 

 

Several hands later, we noticed a clear lead which was held by Mario Bugeja who kept over 65,000 chips at the 600/1200 level of blinds.

 

At approximately 23:45hrs. The game was down to the last 15 players and was now led Philippe Landy from France. Gaetano Caruana [Malta] following closely, with Mario Bugeja trailing with the third largest stack at the two remaining tables. 

 

With three seats left to go before the tournament came to a close, David Zammit was the first player out of the money after he faced off against Silvio Messina. Zammit made an attempt to steal a pot holding Ace high by pushing all in against Messina. Messina insta-called as soon as the words ‘All’ left Zammit’s lips and uncovered a K4 diamonds. With 3 diamonds on the flop Messina was a sure winner holding a King high flush.

 

Francis Cassar was the next player out of the tournament followed by Jason Deguara who placed 13^th in this edition of the live satellites for the Malta Poker Open. Blinds were at 3,000/6,000 when Jason pushed his 22,600 chips on the felt pre-flop holding A6. The other players at the table folded to Jason’s call, yet Messina called after a several seconds of consideration. He uncovered an A9, a reasonably stronger hand than Jason’s. The flop came out as a 3J378, which gave Messina the advantage, sending out Jason’s in 13^th place – ending the tournament with his exit.

 

 

12 players made it into the money at the second edition of the ‘Stage 1’ live satellite tournament. 

 

Winners included:

Gaetano Caruana

Johann galea

Casadei Massimo

S. Cutajar

Mario Bugeja

Joe Smith

Gianni Marletta

Mark Higgins

Philippe Landy

Messina Silvio  

Malla Francesco

George Attard

 

Runners up included:

Jason Deguara

Francis Cassar

 

The next edition of the ‘Stage 1’ satellite will be held on Tuesday the 24^th August at the Portomaso Casino, St. Julians, Malta. Poker players are advised to register early for the event to ensure participation and avoiding queuing up in the tournament waiting list. The event is capped at 50 players.

 

Winners of the ‘Stage 1’ satellites may use their tickets for the ‘Super Satellites’ which are taking place at the Portomaso Casino on the following dates: 5^th Setpember / 3^rd October / 28^th October / 29^th October. In the two ‘Stage 1’ satellite events that have taken place so far a total of 20 ‘Super’ satellite tickets have been given out.

 

 

The Malta Poker Open 2010 - powered by XLBet.com, will take place between the 29th and 31st October 2010 at the Portomaso Casino. The tournament’s main event will feature a buy-in of €1,100 and is expected to attract several poker players from around Europe to compete for a potential prize-pool in excess of €150,000. For more details about the Malta Poker Open event as well as satellite schedules and qualifying options, visit Malta Poker Events at http://www.maltapokerevents.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Malta Poker Events

Maltese Tournament Opens its Doors to European Poker Players – Malta Poker Open 2010

Malta Poker Open (MPO) is back in 2010, and this year, the event is expected to feature a bigger prize-pool coupled with an increased European player participation rate.  

 

The Malta Poker Open is being spread out over three days - two of which being main event days - offering an affordable buy-in for beginners and seasoned players alike. The tournament is aimed at those Poker fans who would like to enjoy the thrill of playing live Poker in Malta.

 

The Luxurious Portomaso Casino - situated right in the centre of Malta's nightlife hub, St. Julians - was chosen as the venue to host the event between 29th and 31st October 2010.

 

The Malta Poker Open will open its doors with a female only tournament on the 29th October 2010. The €1000 + €100 ‘Main event’ will start on the following day, taking place between the 30th and the 31st October 2010. Side games are also planned for the Malta Poker Open and will include other tournaments and cash tables set at various limits.

 

Qualifiers are being made available through online promotions at qualifying partner sites, where players may compete for their holiday Poker packages. Packages include tournament registration, accommodation at premium hotels in the St. Julians district, social activities, and other attractive features. Live satellite tournaments are also taking place at the Portomaso Casino, throughout the months of August, September, and October 2010.

 

‘We’re very excited about the second installment of the Malta Poker Open. Last year’s event was a massive success which featured 150 players mostly from Malta, but this year’s event is set to attract many more players from top European countries! The fact that several European poker pros are joining in on the action will only help make this year’s Malta Poker Open a more memorable one for the participants.”

 

“We’ve compiled a fantastic all-inclusive package for European players who would like to participate in the event. We’re also giving them the option of winning packages through our online qualifying partners. This will ensure that the Malta Poker Open is accessible to all players, at all experience levels, every week up to the main event!”

 

“Set in the charming Maltese Islands, the Malta Poker Open will give European players a wonderful experience in line with their expectations of a VIP Poker holiday. The main event, chosen location, and additional extras are set to make this one of the finest European Poker tournaments in 2010. Participants will be more than delighted when they see themselves in the video production for the Malta Poker Open 2010, featuring tournament highlights and nail-biting final table action!” – Malta Poker Events

 

The Malta Poker Open is being hosted by Poker event agency, Malta Poker Events.

 

For more news or registration information, interested individuals may visit www.maltapokerevents.com

 

About the Malta Poker Open

The Malta Poker Open Poker Tournament made its debut in April 2009 and was co-ordinated by Malta Poker Events, a Maltese Poker event agency. The tournament was Malta’s first Poker tournament to feature a live camera table, as well as the first Maltese Poker tournament to be televised and broadcast on a Maltese television station. The Malta Poker Open was aired locally on the Melita TV network, and internationally on the Poker Channel TV station.

 

About Malta Poker Events

‘Malta Poker Events’ is the longest established Poker event agency on the Maltese islands. The agency is registered with the Malta Financial Services Authority and has been in operation since 2008.

 

Since their earliest events which were hosted in 2009, Malta Poker Events have been responsible for the majority of the Poker activities taking place on the Maltese Islands. They also partnered with some of the major media channels in the international poker industry with the intention of portraying Malta as a top destination on the international Poker circuit.

 

 

Malta Poker Events