Players in Day 1c of the PokerStars Summer Festival Malta Main Event are heading for their second break of the day. There are now a total of 311 entries and 251 players remaining. When action resumes, blinds will be 200/500 with a 500 big blind ante.
Zsombor Lassu raised to 1,100 from under the gun and Mattia Bacassino reraised to 5,100 from the big blind. Lassu four-bet to 12,100 and Bacassino made the call.
The flop came A♠4♦9♥ and both players checked back. The turn was the 3♦. Bacassino checked and Lassu fired out a bet of 12,500, which Bacassino called.
The river came the 2♦. Bacassino checked again and Lassu moved all in for his remaining 15,000 chips. Bacassino counted the chips out from his stack before pushing them in the middle to make the call.
Bacassino showed K♣Kx for pocket kings, but Lassu flipped over A♣A♥ for a flopped set of aces. The clash brought Lassu up to over 75,000 chips.
Following a late position raise, Marco Regonaschi reraised to 3,500 from the button and Christopher Berggren moved all in from the big blind for 11,000. The original raiser folded and Regonaschi made the call. Two players flipped their cards, with Berggren at risk.
Christopher Berggren: A♠4♠
Marco Regonaschi: K♠10♥
The board ran out 9♠Q♥5♦K♦Q♠ to give Regonaschi two pair with his king and the queens on the board. He scooped the pot and Berggren was eliminated from the tournament.
Mullin Emmett was all in preflop for around 17,000 against Eros Nastasi. The two players flipped their cards, with Emmett at risk.
Mullin Emmett: 3♠3♥
Eros Nastasi: A♦Q♦
The board ran out 5♣7♥6♥4♦K♠. Nastasi failed to pair up his hand and so Emmett's pocket threes held to give him the double up to a little over a starting stack.
Natalliia Alkhimova opened with a raise to 1,200. Valeriu Pelinschii called on the button and the big blind also called.
The flop came the 3♠7♥Q♥. The action checked around to Pelinschii, who made it 1,400 to go. Alkhimova threw in a reraise of 4,500 and looked across the table defiantly at her opponent.
Pelinschii was undeterred and pushed all in and Alkhimova quickly called. The two players flipped over their cards, with Pelinschii at risk.
"Nice," said Alkhimova as she realised that Pelinschii was holding a superior flush draw in his hand.
The turn came the 9♣ to give Alkhimova a straight draw and liven up her hand. The river was the K♦ which completed her straight. Pelinschii was eliminated from the tournament and Alkhimova chipped up to close to 150,000.
Sebastian Bidinger found himself all in against Mehdi Malakoti preflop. Both players had a short stack, but Bidinger had Malakoti slightly covered as players flipped their cards.
Mehdi Malakoti: J♦10♦
Sebastian Bidinger: A♣A♠
The board came K♣2♥Q♦8♣7♠. Bidinger had pocket aces against Malakoti's jack ten. The flop brought Malakoti a straight draw, but he faded his outs and Bidinger held to win the pot. Malakoti was eliminated from the tournament and Bidinger close to doubled up.
Peter Onnestam open raised from the button and Cosimo De Gennaro reraised from the big blind. Onnestam called.
The flop was J♥3♦9♠. De Gennaro led out for 3,500 and Onnestam called. The turn came the 8♣ and De Gennaro led again for 4,300. Onnestam reraised to 11,500 and De Gennaro shoved all in for 37,000. Onnestam made the fold and De Gennaro took down the pot.