Day 1As often just tick along. This felt like a text book version of it. The eight levels of the Main Event's opening day passed while surrounded by other events today, the preamble to a story that will get interesting later this week, but which today was all about bedding in.

Some 184 players took a seat today. They were the early-arrivers, those wishing to avoid the larger field of Day 1B, and those with plans to play the single day high roller event tomorrow. By the close tonight 114 remained, led at the bell by the little known Carmleo Crucitti.

Carmelo Crucitti

Others were within reach of him, with Mikko Turtiainen, Noah Villancourt and Ferdinand Le Pichon the closest, each ending the day with good stacks for their return on Tuesday for Day 2. Nothing is won today but it was job done as far as their working day was concerned.

Some of the players who made it through today.

Meanwhile the list of eliminations grew by the hour, some big hitters among them. Benjamin Pollak, Martin Finger, and Ben Willonofsky made their way to the rail, as did Connor Drinan, John Juanda, Marvin Rettenmeier (who we featured earlier today), Paul Newey, Stephen Chidwick, Ole Schemion, Shaun Deeb and Vladimir Troyanovskiy.

Christopher Frank was unable to build on his High Roller cash from yesterday, while countryman Fedor Holz is out. One suspects an appointment with the single day high roller, starting tomorrow, awaits many of not all of them.

It was not all about the Main Event today, which took place surrounded by multiple tournaments each coming to a close.

Mike McDonald won the High Roller event, picking up his first High Roller title and a winner's check of more than €498,000. You can read the full story here.

There was also a win for Natan Chauskin in the IPT Main Event, one worth XXX to the Belarussian who was understandably delighted with the result, as he explained to the blog. Read that story in full here.

You'll find all the festival results from Malta on our side events page, while hand for hand coverage from the Main Event can be found here.
Play from the EPT Malta festival continues tomorrow with Day 1B of the Main Event, as well as the single day high roller. Join us then.

Apologies for the technical problems on the Blog today. Normal service should resume shortly.

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