Sigma Poker Tour Recap: John Arne Riise gets subbed before the final

Short Summary of Main Event Day 1A

Day 1A was all about passion and momentum. Not a better example than Tomasz Brzezinski, who just last week finished 4th in the EPT Barcelona Main Event for €493,250. Surfing that wave of confidence, Brzezinski urged his way to the top of the Day 1A standings with a stack of 714,000 chips.

The day drew 94 entries, and from the start, the room filled with players, was only about one thing: ‘Being locked in!’. Play was scheduled to go down to just 15% of the field, and dramatically, a double knockout on the very last hand of the night ended the bubble period and locked in 13 players for Day 2 – each guaranteed at least €600.

Chasing Brzezinski are Norway’s Jon Persent (646,000) and Dutchman Renzo Holling (529,000), while local hopes are high with Oliver De Bono also finishing near the top of the counts.

End of Day 1A Top Ten Chip Counts

Rank	Player	Country	Chip Count
1	Tomasz Brzezinski		714,000
2	Jon Persent		646,000
3	Renzo Holling		529,000
4	Oliver De Bono		430,000
5	Tobias Bollmann		414,000
6	Luca Fagioli		413,000
7	Daniele Degennaro		357,000
8	Terje Bremseth		309,000
9	Christopher Convery		275,000
10	Wilhelm Isaak		170,000

Mortensen Bags a Million on Day 1B

With Lukas Robinson having taken his seat on Day 1A, it was now time for the other Sigma Poker Tour ambassadors to make their mark and bring some real poker action to the tables. Liverpool legend John Arne Riise joined the field, clearly enjoying himself, until his run came to an abrupt end. All-in with Kings, he ran straight into opponents holding Aces and Queens—his Waterloo arriving well before any thoughts of lifting the trophy.

Fellow ambassador Drea Karlsen didn’t grind much better. Despite firing several bullets, the cards refused to fall her way, and she too made an early exit. But.. This eventually allowed us to conduct an interview with her, which will be released soon via our social media channels.

The spotlight of the day, however, belonged to Denmark’s Sebastian Mortensen. He dominated from start to finish, storming through the field of 72 entries to bag a monstrous 1,029,000 chips—equal to 20.5 starting stacks and more than double that of his closest challenger.

Now residing in Malta, Mortensen is no stranger to Portomaso Casino. Just last year, he finished runner-up at the 2024 Malta Poker Festival, collecting €63,300. Among the other notables advancing to Day 2 were Mauro and Claudio Alessi, local favourite Daniel Mifsud, and Kenny Burke.

End of Day 1B Top Ten Chip Counts

Rank	Player	Country	Chip Count
1	Sebastian Mortensen		1,029,000
2	Yevgen Vasylenko		415,000
3	Kenny Burke		410,000
4	Claudio Alessi		345,000
5	Mauro Alessi		336,000
6	Massimo Rizzoglio		257,000
7	Agostino Vitiello		217,000
8	Daniel Mifsud		172,000
9	Damir Savio		166,000
10	Guillaum Otto		166,000

What’s Next at SPT Malta

We’re here on-site at Portomaso Casino bringing you all the action from the SiGMA Poker Tour Malta Main Event. Keep locked on PokerListings for daily recaps – and don’t miss the exclusive behind-the-scenes content we’re sharing across our social channels.

The Main Event will have four more starting flights, and the final day is set to be played on Sunday September 7th.