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On November 12th the qualifiers for the ECPokerTour Malta started arriving at Grand Hotel Excelsior in Valetta for a relaxed afternoon in 5 star luxury by the edge of the sea before the grand Welcome Party, which was organized for players and their guests.
Upon arrival in Casino di Venezia they were greeted with a special fire show in front of the beautiful Venetian Renaissance Palace at the Vittoriosa Waterfront. Inside waiters were serving Spumante as a welcome drink and an exquisite buffet was available to all participants and guests. The atmosphere heated up with an oriental dance performance and a lavish open bar.
It wasn’t long until the first hands were dealt – in a Super Satellite to the Main Event awarding 6 seats which 41 players tried to win. Sit ’N’ Go and cash tables were also open to players until 6 a.m.
At 1:30 p.m. private buses gathers in front of Grand Hotel Excelsior to take the players to the anticipated Main Event. The air at Casino di Venezia is filled with the enthusiasm and the laughs of the participants, enjoying their pre-battle treats from the organizers. Once the start of the Main Event has been announced by tournament director David O’Neil all we can hear are the clicks of the thousands of chips in the hands of 130 players.
Before the dinner break has come the number decreases to 114 players. You could understand the tension in the air with players like Fabrice Soulier and Sorel Mizzi (both are pictured below) at the tables and the Titan Team in the game.
An exquisite dinner buffet awaits all participants and guests before the next episode of poker drama. Everyone is enjoying themselves in the lovely panoramic restaurant indulging in delightful wines and champagne, savoring this feast of the senses, while admiring the view of the Marina in its full splendor from the restaurant’s terrace.
After the break is over, players return to the tables relaxed and recharged only to dive in a no-mercy play. With the end of Day 1 only 58 players have remained in the game with Sorel Mizzi as chip leader, followed by Bo Sehstedt. Andreas Schmidt, Adam York and Jose Manuel Gomez Rebenaque from Titan Team hold strong positions.
After this thrilling first day, the players look forward to an evening out to enjoy the Malta nightlife and get off the heated poker tables.
With the sun brightly shining on Casino di Venezia, play resumes. 58 players draw their seats for the tables of the Main Event, while their ex-opponents enroll in the Moneybookers side event starting at 19:00 with 63 participants.
It is a serious battle both in the Main Event and Side Events room. The Side Event winner isn’t announced until 5 a.m. after 10 hours of play and his name is Henri Schoucair from France, who takes home an ECPT trophy and €3400.
Pictured above are Andreas Schmidt, Adam York, and Jose Manuel Gomez Rebenaque.
The Main Event action is a series of all-ins, taking player after player out of the game. We are down to 3 tables before the dinner break and the silence keeps getting deeper with everyone in the casino staring at those tables.
At the end of the day the players who will sit at the final table are only 8:
The last day of the tournament is here. 8 players were successful in the struggle for a seat at the Final Table and here it is: the last game and it causes more tension in the air than a president’s election. The Final Table is located in a spacious lobby on the first floor where the Side event was held. The structure of the hall resembles a renaissance castle, which has been decorated with the ECPokerTour and Titan Poker logos. A camera overlooks the final table recording all that happens on the felt and projecting it on a big screen for everyone to follow closely. A hundred eyes surround the table, waiting for an unpredictable sequence of events on the felt.
Sorel Mizzi and Sean Perry are eliminated before the dinner break, leaving 6 players to worry about what will happen after dinner. The next to leave the table is Slovenian Mitja Potočin, followed by Titan Poker qualifier Bernd-Phillipp Hoff and German player Manuel Thiede.
The culmination of the tournament is the final hand which uncovers the winner among the three remaining players, who are all-in pre-flop. Bo Sehstedt has A-Q, John Van de Bruggen has 6-6 and Michael Schuchardt has 10-10. The flop is A-4-4, the turn – a 10 and the river changes the winner again by unveiling an Ace! The ECPT champion is pro player Bo Sehlstedt from Sweden with a full house of Aces full of fours, which gives John Van De Bruggen the runner-up position and leaves Michael Schuchardt third. Bo Sehlstedt is the ECPT Malta champion! Everyone gathers around the table in a hassle taking pictures and the winner can’t stop smiling, posing with his check for €51,382 and the prestigious ECPT trophy!
Pictured above is the Side Event Winner, Henri Schoucair
The EuroCityPokerTour congratulates all participants in the event and wishes everyone good luck with the next ECPT!
Read our Euro City PokerTour - Salzburg Blog.
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