Jacques Ammiel Blit Lands Title of partypoker Grand Prix Malta; Trattou and Lybaert Win big!
After having witnessed an adventurous week of live poker at the partypoker MILLIONS Series Malta, it was Argentinian qualifier Jacques Ammiel Blit who was crowned as the grand champion of the €1 Million Guaranteed €550 Grand Prix, capturing a massive €145,000 payout, which turned out to be the largest cash of the who series. The Grand Prix event was potentially having a big slash of overlay but eventually miraculously surpassed the guaranteed prize pool (€1,011,000). Blit, who is a live reporter in the poker scene back in Argentina, had won a partypoker live passport prior to the COVID era, the MILLIONS event would turn out to be his last chance of redeeming his package worth $10,000.
Starting at all playing tournament days at the top of the charts, Blit kept himself quite under the radar for a long time, silently sneaking into the top-10 chip counts on days 2 and 3. On the way of chipping up, he had some luck on his side as well, knocking out another fairly big stacked player with Ace-King off-suit, versus Ace-King off-suit, by hitting a flush with his King. From there onwards.
Other notable names such as Eros Nastasi, Juuso Keskitalo, Massimiliano Ferro, Marcello Favaloro, and Andrea Benelli, all had at some point the chip lead during the days leading into the final day, showcasing their aggressive playing style along the way.
The final day was all about the final table of the Grand Prix event, and while one player had to bust before the official final table names were known, it was surprisingly Andrea Benelli who had to leave the tournament in the early stages, securing €11,700 for yet another great run in a Main Event.
Finnish player Juuso Keskitalo, supported by the home crowd as he resides in Malta, got involved in a massive clash against Eros Nastasi, resulting in a disappointed seventh-place finish for €14,500. His Ace-King were no good against Nastisi’s Kings.
Another resident of Malta, Salvatore Ritrovato parked his car in fifth place, receiving €31,000 for his efforts. He had received a penalty beforehand for excessively using the Italian language during play, while only English was allowed at the final table.
After seeing Nastasi and Ferro being unable to continue their great run in third and fourth place, it was time for the final heads-up battle between Jacques Ammiel Blit and Marcello Favaloro. While Blit was having the lead the whole battle, it wasn’t one-way traffic at all. Blit overcame the situation and secured the victory when Favaloro’s hero call didn’t turn out well against the A Q of Blit, having top-pair top-kicker from the flop onwards.
If you missed out on the action, make sure to check back the play of the whole final day of the Grand Prix Malta:
| Position | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Jacques Ammiel Blit | Argentina | €145,000 |
| 2 | Marcello Favaloro | Italy | €86,000 |
| 3 | Eros Nastasi | Italy | €61,000 |
| 4 | Massimiliano Ferro | Italy | €45,000 |
| 5 | Salvatore Ritrovato | Italy | €31,000 |
| 6 | Marios Mansour | Cyprus | €20,500 |
| 7 | Juuso Keskitalo | Finland | €14,500 |
| 8 | Andrea Benelli | Italy | €11,700 |
Marios Trattou Clinches Another High Roller Title With His MILLIONS Victory
UK’s Marios Trattou put on a class act during the €3,000 buy-in partypoker MILLIONS Malta Main Event, becoming the ultimate victor, leaving 153 other entries behind, securing a stunning €93,000 payday, alongside this magnificent trophy.
His journey led him all the way until the very last hand where he took out Domenico Gala, from Sicily, Italy. He got it in pretty fine with his pocked Aces, against the Ace-Queen of his opponent, who had limped in pre-flop to try and get some action. He got what he asked for eventually, being it the last hand of the tournament.
WSOP bracelet winner Fabio Peluso, was perhaps the most fearsome player at the final table, alongside Twitch sensation and Team Pro of partypoker, Matthew Staples. They respectively finished third and fourth in this tournament, leaving Staples behind with a new personal best in live tournament earnings for €31,900.
Trattou, who felt comfortable throughout the whole tournament, mentioned beforehand that this tournament would be a great addition to his resume, as he had won another High Roller event not too long ago in Paris. His next adventure will be during the European Poker Tour, which will have its first-ever event in Cyprus.
partypoker MILLIONS Malta Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
| 1 | Mario Trattou | United Kingdom | €93,000 |
| 2 | Domenico Gala | Italy | €64,000 |
| 3 | Fabio Peluso | Italy | €41,000 |
| 4 | Matt Staples | Canada | €31,900 |
| 5 | Erik Lindqwist | Sweden | €24,510 |
| 6 | Giuliano Boellis | Italy | €19,400 |
| 7 | Alberto Cigliano | Italy | €15,900 |
| 8 | Adam Hari | Hungary | €13,700 |
Bart Lybaert Confirms His Status in the Poker World
Trouhout the early stages of the partypoker MILLIONS Malta event, the €5,300 Hydra Entertainment High Roller got a Belgian winner in the likes of Bart Lybaert. Where other notable names such as Teun Mulder, Michel Molenaar, and Farrid Jattin, wanted to add another big score to their palmaris, it was Bart Lybaert who lured them all into failing that objective.
Lybaert is well-known in the poker industry, always seemingly running deep in any kind of tournament he participates in. He outlasted a field of 44 entries, retrieving a great first prize of €72,864 and walking away with one of the most prestigious partypoker MILLIONS trophies of the week.
Results partypoker €5,300 Malta Hydra Entertainment High Roller
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bart Lybaert | Belgium | €72,864 |
| 2 | Michel Molenaar | Netherlands | €49,632 |
| 3 | Kamil Sokol | Czechia | €31,680 |
| 4 | Teun Mulder | Netherlands | €24,288 |
| 5 | Farid Jattin | Colombia | €17,952 |
| 6 | Leo Margets | Spain | €14,784 |
Photographer credit: Jean Marc Zerafa
