Birthday boy Dominik Panka raised to 110,000 from the cutoff and Jean Montury called from the button. The blinds both folded and it was heads-up action to the flop. Panka bet 160,000, Montury called, and the dealer burned and turned the .
Again Panka bet, this time 375,000, and Montury called to see the put four diamonds out on the board. Panka slowed down with a check, and then folded when Montury bet 540,000.
PokerStars was kind enough to share a little story with us about one of their valuable staff members; in fact, their most valuable staff member here in poker (at least in terms of playing poker). Here's what they had to say:
Christin Maschmann, who works at the PokerStars HQ on the Isle of Man, admits she doesn’t get off the island very often - but when she does, she heads to poker tournaments. She’s here now at the EPT Malta Poker Festival – celebrating her 36th birthday, catching up with friends (at the festival and at PokerStars.eu nearby office in Sliema) - and playing as many tournaments as she can.
One of the highlights of her trip so far was a very deep run in the stacked €2,000 No-Limit event. It was by far the biggest tournament she has ever played and on Day 2 her table draw put up against some of the toughest players in poker including Fabian Quoss, Massou Cohen, Igor Pihela, Bernd Vogelhuber and Lothar Meier. She ultimately finished ten off the money after winning her seat for the event in a live €170 satellite, but her disappointment over that result was short-lived because the very next day she finished third in the €200 Limit Hold'em Turbo Deepstack for €1,460.
"My holidays are usually poker-related," Maschmann said. "Seven times in Vegas in summer, the Irish Open every Easter for six years in a row and EPTs where I can meet friends, play and well.... I guess I do poker trips 2-3 times a year and I usually just play side events. In total I think I played about 20-25 EPT side events. The satellite to the €2K was €170. It was a 1R/1A. I had a nice cash game score the night before on my birthday so I did the €150 add on and managed to spin it up nicely and fold myself into winning the sat."
Maschmann’s Hendon Mob page shows she’s made the final of every event she’s ever cashed in, and she’s already ranked #14 in the Isle of Man all-time money list – not bad given how many aspiring poker players live and work there!
The German-born project manager isn’t giving up on EPT Malta either, concluding: "I'll be back later for the Crazy Pineapple and the Mega Stack."
In the last hand of the previous level, Dominik Panka raised to 90,000 from under the gun and was called by Javier Gomez Zapatero in the cutoff. After a flop of , Panka continued for 125,000 and was called before the turn was checked through.
On the river, Panka bet half the pot for 275,000 and was eventually called by Gomez Zapatero who tabled as winning hand. Panka was caught bluffing with queen-high.
Due to some technical difficulties, we didn't pick up the action until the turn with a board reading and about 1.005 million in the pot. Valentin Messina bet 510,000 from the small blind, Stefan Schillhabel called from the cutoff, and the completed the board on the river.
Messina bet again, this time 700,000, and Schillhabel wasted little time in making the call. Messina tabled the for two pair, and it was good as Schillhabel mucked his cards.
You can become a millionaire with PokerStars; in fact, the world's biggest online site has created more than 150 poker millionaires drawn from online tournaments such as the World Championship of Online Poker, live events like the European Poker Tour, made-for-TV poker competitions like the Million Dollar Challenge, and recent product offerings like Spin & Gos. A millionaire won't be crowned here in the EPT Malta Main Event — the winner will take home €810,400 — but that's not going to stop us from telling you about one of PokerStars biggest and boldest campaigns ever.
Over the next eight weeks, PokerStars promises to make at least five players millionaires in what is being called "PokerStars Makes Millionaires." The promotion will kick off today, March 27, with the return of the incredibly popular $1 Million Spin & Go promotion, and it will continue through May 24 when a minimum of $1 million is guaranteed to the winner of the Spring Championship of Online Poker Main Event (high version).
"PokerStars has a long history of hosting online and live events that turn normal players into millionaires," said Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, who won his first seven-figure score ($2 million) at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in 2008. "It happened to me at the PCA and there will be several more millionaires created in the next month. New games like Spin & Gos, where literally anyone who enters has a chance to become a millionaire, is generating excitement amongst the online poker community again."
To date there have been 22 players who have won $1 million or more in online tournaments, with the biggest winner being Tyson "POTTERPOKER" Marks for his win in the 2010 WCOOP Main Event for $2,278,098. In the live realm, 95 millionaires have been made, with Niklas Heinecker being the biggest thanks to his $4,463,293 win in the 2013 GuangDong Asia Millions Main Event.
Interestingly, one of those millionaires, Fedor "CrownUpGuy" Holz, is still alive in the EPT Malta Main Event. If you recall, Holz won $1.3 million after topping a field of 2,142 entrants in the 2014 WCOOP Main Event. Not too shabby for the youngster who started his journey at the micros.
"I think the first tournaments I played on PokerStars where the micro-limit sit-and-go, like 180-mans," Holz previously told PokerNews. "I want to win a super high roller. I enjoy playing live tournaments and this would be the cherry on top of an awesome year."
Holz didn't win a high roller in 2014, but something tells us he'd be just as happy to win an EPT Main Event here in the first quarter of 2015. We'll have to wait and see if he can do it, but first he'll need to survive today and make the final table.
Finally, PokerStars has crowned two millionaires via TV shows — Million Dollar Challenge and Shark Cage — and three Spin & Go millionaires in "sss66666," "Tornádo111," and "anushan_2323."
PokerStars Makes Millionaires Schedule
Here’s a rundown of the key PokerStars Makes Millionaires events and dates:
$1 Million Spin & Go (From March 27) — Players can turn $5 into $1,000,000 in just minutes with special $1 Million Spin & Go’s. Click here for more info.
EPT Grand Final Promo (March 27 – April 6) — Players can win a free package to the EPT Grand Final Main Event in Monaco, with a guaranteed €1 million for the Main Event winner. There are a series of freerolls from March 27 to April 6 in which PokerStars is giving away three free Main Event packages, and players can also claim a free €11 satellite ticket by making a deposit. Click here for more details.
EPT Grand Final Mega Qualifier (April 5) — Players can win a €14,000 EPT prize package in the Mega Qualifier on April 5 at 13:05 ET, with 10 packages guaranteed. Click here for more info.
Millionaire Month (Round 1: April 6 – 17, Round 2: April 19 – 30) — PokerStars is giving away more than $4 million in cash prizes during Millionaire Month which gives players the chance to win $1 million via two Millionaire Finals. Players need to complete simple challenges during the qualification periods for entry into $150,000 All-in Shootouts. The winner of each of the six All-in Shootouts in Round 1 (April 18) and in Round 2 (May 1) advances to the six-player Millionaire Finals tourneys on May 10 at 13:00 ET, where two new cash millionaires will be crowned, one in each of the finals. For more details, click here.
May 2-22: SCOOP All-in Shootout Deposit Raffle — Players can win their way to the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) Main Event (High) for free and play for a first prize of at least $1 million. Players simply need to make a deposit to receive a raffle ticket. In the All-in Shootout we’ve got 16 free SCOOP High Main Event entries - each worth $10,300 - up for grabs, plus over 2,000 free entries to the SCOOP Low and Medium Main Events. See here for more details.
SCOOP High Main Event (May 24) — $1 Million is guaranteed to SCOOP High Main Event winner. For more details, click here.
For more on what it's like to become a PokerStars millionaire, check out this video featuring those who have done it:
Level 26 was minutes away from ending, but with the most recently elimination the tournament officials have opted to take the break now in order to move the final nine players to a single table on the main stage. We'll have the seat draw and counts for you momentarily.
At the outer table, action folded to a short-stacked Antonin Duda in the small blind and he moved all in for 535,000. Bart Kuiper, who was also short stacked, then called off for 490,000 from the big. Even though Kuiper was the one at risk, it was essentially for Duda's tournament as well.
Duda:
Kuiper:
Duda, the start-of-the-day chip leader, was in big trouble, and things got worse when the flop paired Kuiper. Duda needed either running eights, fours, or six/seven to win the hand, and it became a possibility as the dealer burned and turned the .
Duda needed a "seven from heaven" to eliminated Kuiper, and much to the dismay of the Dutchman, who is one of the most popular contributors to the PokerNews.nl forums, the spiked on the river.
Duda make the improbably straight and Kuiper was sent to the rail in tenth place.
Valentin Messina won a smaller pot with against the of Stefan Schillhabel and the German got involved into a hand with yet another Frenchman shortly after. Julien Duveau opened from under the gun into the blinds of short stacks Antonin Duda and Bart Kuiper.
Schillhabel three-bet the button to 185,000 and Duveau four-bet shoved for 885,000 in total to receive a quick call.
Duveau:
Schillhabel:
The flop was no good for Duveau, who finished 11th at EPT11 Deauville. The turn left three aces remaining in the deck to keep his dream alive, yet the river blanked and Duveau was gone in 11th place for €49,700.
flop. Panka bet 160,000, Montury called, and the dealer burned and turned the 
.
put four diamonds out on the board. Panka slowed down with a check, and then folded when Montury bet 540,000.
, Panka continued for 125,000 and was called before the 
turn was checked through.
river, Panka bet half the pot for 275,000 and was eventually called by Gomez Zapatero who tabled 
as winning hand. Panka was caught bluffing with queen-high.
and about 1.005 million in the pot. Valentin Messina bet 510,000 from the small blind, Stefan Schillhabel called from the cutoff, and the 
completed the board on the river.
for two pair, and it was good as Schillhabel mucked his cards.
flop paired Kuiper. Duda needed either running eights, fours, or six/seven to win the hand, and it became a possibility as the dealer burned and turned the 
spiked on the river.
against the 
flop was no good for Duveau, who finished 11th at EPT11 Deauville. The 
turn left three aces remaining in the deck to keep his dream alive, yet the 