5:30pm: Franco Arlotta eliminated in 9th place
The official final table of the IPT Malta Main Event has been set after Franco Arlotta suffered a cooler to bubble.

Natan Chauskin opened to 135,000 from the cutoff and then four-bet to 675,000 after Arlottathree-bet to 275,000 from the big blind. Arlotta moved all in for around 2.5 million and shouted, “F%%k!” when he was snap called, as if he knew what he was about to see.

Chauskin: A♠ A♦
Arlotta: K♠ K♣

The board ran 7♥ 9♠ 5♦ 9♥ 3♥ and all but Arlotta celebrated.

Franco Arlotta – ninth placeA wrap of today’s frantic events, official final table chip counts and player profiles will be up on the blog shortly. The final table commences at 12:30pm on Sunday.

5:15pm: Grogan doubles
The shortest stack at the table – Irishman James Grogan with 365,000 – has doubled up.

David Gomez Antelo opened to 120,000 and called after Grogan three-bet all in .

Antelo: A♠ 9♦
Grogan: A♥ K♦

The board ran 9♠ K♥ 4♠ 6♥ 3♦ to pair both players’ kickers.

5:05pm: Official chip counts

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 30,000/60,000, ante 10,000

 

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4:43pm: Break time
The players are on a 20-minute break. Official counts coming up.

4:37pm: Brammer doubles through chip leader
Chris Brammer has played his all-in hands very well today. Another one has seen him double through chip leader Natan Chauskin.

The latter opened from the button and then four-bet jammed after Brammer three-bet from the big blind. Brammer called all in for 2.1 million.

Chauskin: 7♦ 9♠
Brammer: A♦ K♥

The board ran K♥ 8♥ 8♦ J♣ 9♥ to see the Brit’s hand hold up.

Brammer is a doubling machine4:30pm: Natan Chauskin extends lead
It took play to be nine-handed before the pace finally calmed down a bit.

After a good while of small pots, Natan Chauskin won a decent one of Denis Timofeev to extend his lead.

Timofeev raised from mid position and Chauskin peeled from the big blind to see a 8♠ Q♦ Q♠ . He led out for 160,000 there and for 215,000 on the 5♣ turn. Timofeev called both bets before the 5♦ river was checked.

“Oh my god, five-five!” commented Chauskin before he opened 8♥ 8♦ for a flopped full house. He wasn’t counterfeited as he feared as Timofeev mucked.

Timofeev – 1,850,000
Chauskin – 7,400,000

3:57pm: Antelo doubles through Gorp
The first big hand of single table play saw David Gomez Antelo double through Tobias Gorp in a battle of the blinds.

Antelo check-called 275,000 on the turn and then check-called all in for 1,215,000 on the river. The final board read A♣ 9♣ 8♦ 3♦ 8♣ and Gorp could only muster up Q♣ 7♥ . Antelo opened J♣ 7♣ for a flush and moved up to 3,550,000. Gorp dropped to 2,150,000.

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 25,000/50,000, ante 5,000

 

3:45pm: The final redraw of the tournament

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3:35pm: Elias Moukawem eliminated in 10th place (€10,460)
The unofficial final table of nine has been set after the elimination of Elias Moukawem. He got his chips in good but Chris Brammer straightened him out.

The action folded around to Moukawem on the button and he moved all in for 415,000. Brammer moved all in from the small blind to successfully isolate the man from Lebanon.

Moukawem: A♥ Q♣
Brammer: K♥ J♣

The board ran 9♠ 10♠ Q♦ A♣ 4♥ to make Brammer a straight.

Final nine redraw coming up.

3:17pm: Alessio Peciarolo eliminated in 11th place (€10,460)
And then there were ten.

Start of day chip leader Alessio Peciarolo failed to make it three days out of three as the end of day chip leader after he busted in a huge pot to Natan Chauskin.

He committed his final 2.4 million chips on a Q♥ 10♣ J♠ flop with 9♠ 8♠ for the bottom end of the straight. Unfortunately for him Natan Chauskin was sat with A♦ K♦ for the nut straight. The board ran out A♠ 7♦ . Chauskin breathed a sigh of relief after seeing a spade come on the turn. He moved up to around 5.7 million chips.

Alessio Peciarolo – 11th place3:10pm: Georgios Mylonas eliminated in 12th (€9,360)
Let’s have another exit why don’t we? Been a bit slow of late!

Georgios Mylonas moved all in for his last 305,000 and was called Denis Timofeev.

Mylona: 10♣ 10♦
Timofeev: K♦ Q♠

The board ran 8♦ 2♥ 3♣ Q♦ 9♣ to air the Russian’s queen on the turn.

3:05pm: Salvatore Agliozzo eliminated in 13th place (€9,360)
A battle of Italy saw the demise of Salvatore Agliozzo in 13th place.

He three-bet all for 700,000 with A♥ K♦ and was called by Alessio Peciarolo who had opened with 8♠ 8♣ . The board ran 10♣ 2♠ 7♦ 2♣ 4♣ . Peciarolo apologised to he fellow countryman.

3pm: Yann Dion eliminated 14th place (€8,440)
Yann Dion was in a good mood despite busting in 14th place. He was down to two big blinds yesterday so no wonder.

He moved all in for 345,000 from under the gun and was called by Franco Arlotta in the next seat.

Dion: A♠ 9♠
Arlotta: A♥ J♦

The board ran J♥ 3♣ 2♠ 10♣ Q♥ to pair the Italian’s kicker.

Yann Dion – 14th place2:50pm: Gorki Oliveira eliminated in 15th place (€8,440)
The frantic pace of eliminations shows no signs of slowing down, Gorki Oliveira the latest to be busted.

He moved all in for 550,000 from cutoff and was called by Chris Brammer in the big blind.

Oliveira: K♣ 2♠
Brammer: A♥ 8♦

The board ran 8♣ 4♠ A♣ 10♦ 9♥ .

2:40pm: Henry Broens eliminated in 16th place (€7,520)
Henry Broens was unlucky to depart after Tobias Garp rivered him.

Garp opened raised to 80,000 from the cutoff and then four-bet all in after Broens three-bet to 90,000 from the big blind. Call.

Broens: J♠ J♥
Garp: A♦ 3♦

The board ran K♣ 5♣ 6♦ 10♦ A♥ .

Henry Broens – 16th place

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 20,000/40,000, ante 5,000

 

2:18pm: Break time:
The players are on a 20-minute break.

2:15pm: Redraw and chip counts

2:10pm: Julian Stuer eliminated in 17th place
The tournament is down to two tables after the elimination of Julian Stuer.

Chris Brammer opened with A♣ J♣ and called after Stuer three-bet all in for 510,000 with A♠ 7♠ . The board ran 2♣ 10♠ J♥ 4♣ 7♣ .

Julia Stauer – 17th placeThey’ll now be a short break while the redraw takes place.

2:05pm:Luigi Serafin races to defeat
Luigi Serafin busted in 18th place after he lost a race to David Gomez Antelo.

He open shoved for 373,000 with 5♣ 5♠ and Antelo called with A♠ 10♦ . The board ran A♦ 7♣ Q♦ Q♥ 9♥ .

2pm: Another three-way all in sees Pierre Chambon bust and Govert Metaal triple up
The action is fast and furious right now and PokerStars staff member Pierre Chambon was the latest player to depart in a three-way all in. He, Elias Moukawem and Govert Metaal all committed their chips preflop.

Chambon: A♥ Q♥
Moukawen: A♣ K♦
Metaal: A♥ 8♠

The board ran 6♥ 8♦ 5♦ 5♣ 10♥ . Meetal tripled up his 336,000 and Chambon was covered by Moukawem.

Back to the office, Pierre1:55pm: Gediminas Uselis and Massimo Di Cicco bust from table 2
Gediminas Uselis and Massimo Di Cicco busted one hand after the other from table number 2, meaning 19 payers remain.

Uselis’s 970,000 chips were just covered but Franco Arlotta’s stack and his Q♦ Q♠ couldn’t come from behind to beat his opponent’s K♣ K♠ in another cooler.

Di Cicco moved all in for 560,000 on a K♠ K♦ 3♠ flop but David Gomez Antelo was sat with K♥ 9♠ and made an easy call. The board ran out 4♠ 10♦ .

1:45pm: Moukawem finds himself on the wrong end of a cooler
Just after Elias Moukawem had coolered Klaus Gortz, he found himself on the wrong end of a cooler himself. It was one of those hands where you can say, “Well that escalated quickly!”
Natan Chauskin limped in from the small blind and Moukawem checked his option. The flop fanned Q♥ 4♣ 7♥ before fireworks went off. Both players ended up all in, with Chaskin the all in player with 1,803,000.

Moukawem: Q♣ 4♠ for two pair.
Chauskin: Q♠ 7♦ for a bigger two pair.

The board ran out A♣ A♦ .

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1:34pm: Klaus Gortz busts in cooler
Klaus Gortz four-bet all in for 825,000 with Q♣ Q♠ but Elias Moukawem had three-bet with A♥ A♠ and made the call. The board ran 2♥ 3♦ 5♥ 6♠ 10♠ and the German player went off to get paid.

Gortz felt the cold1:32pm: Mohamad El-Rais busts in three-way all in
Mohamad El-Rais departed in 23rd place after he called all in for 111,00 after a shove and a call in front of him.

David Gomez Antelo moved all in for 329,000 and was called by Tobias Garp before El-Rais joined the party.

Antelo: K♦ J♦
Garp: A♠ 10♥
El-Rais: Q♣ J♠

The board ran A♣ 4♣ Q♥ 2♥ 10♠ to make Antelo a straight. He blew air out of his mouth as he knew how close he was to the exit door as well.

Mohmad El-Rais1:20pm: Brammer doubles again
Chris Brammer is up to around 1.1 million now after doubling through Denis Timofeev again, and he did it with the same hand.

Lucky Bram BramBrammer three-bet the Russian’s open all in for 536,000. This time Timofeev had pocket queens to play with though and called. Brammer opened his K♣ 10♥ and got there on a board that ran K♦ 10♣ 9♦ 4♠ 4♥ .

LEVEL UP: BLINDS 15,000/30,000, 4,000

 

1:10pm: Brammer doubles
One of the world’s best online MTT players, Chris Brammer, has doubled up through neighbour, and chip leader, Denis Timofeev.

Timofeev opened with 9♣ 10♠ and then called when Brammer shoved for 243,000 with K♦ 10♦ . The board ran J♥ 3♠ 5♣ 6♦ K♠ .

1:05pm: Denis Timofeev takes over the lead
Denis Timofeev has taken over the chip lead with around 2.9 million after a clash with former chip leader Alessio Peciarolo, drops to around 1.2 million.

The latter opened from under the gun and then four-bet to 370,000 after Timofeev three-bet from the button. Timofeev called to a 6♦ 9♦ 5♥ flop where he called another 215,000. Both players checked the 3♣ turn before Peciarolo led for 330,000 on the 3♥ river. Timofeev took some time and then announced a raise to one million. Peciarolo shook his head and threw his cards to the dealer.

12:55pm: Final three tables

12:44pm: Three players bust and a redraw will take place
Milan Cicka, Ciampo Nicola and Timotheos Georgios all busted within moments of each other leaving 23 players remaining. They all be redrawn onto the last three tables.

Cicka’s A♠ 10♠ couldn’t come from behind to beat Mohamad El-Rais’ A♣ K♦ ; Nicola’s A♠ J♠ raced badly against Elias Moukawem’s 3♥ 3♣ and Georgios had same the same problem with his 8♣ 8♦ versus the A♠ J♣ of James Grogan. All three hands were all in preflop.

New seat draw coming up shortly.

12:25pm: Peciarolo loses some
Alessio Peciarolo has given some chips back to the field after he couldn’t beat the top pair owned by Denis Timofeev.

They were heads up to the turn of a 9♣ A♣ J♥ 2♦ board and four stacks (100k) of high society (plus change) sat in the middle of the table. Timofeev checked from under the gun and called when Peciarolo bet 200,000. The board completed with the K♣ and both players checked. Timofeev opened A♦ 3♦ and his Italian opponent mucked.

12:15pm: Two down in the first ten minutes
There was no comeback for Benjamin Richardson, one of the shortest stacks heading into today, as he was the first player out today. He failed to follow the lead of a Day 2 Russell Thomas who made a remarkable comeback yesterday.

Day 3 Thomas couldn’t even harness the power of Day 2 Thomas as he was soon out as well.

Yann Dion opened to 50,000 from under the gun and was called by Thomas in the next seat before Klaus Gortz squeezed to 109,000 from the big blind. Dion folded but Thomas called to see a 5♣ 6♥ 7s] flop where Gortz checked dark. Thomas bet and called all in when raised.

Thomas: 8♠ 8♥
Gortz: 9♣ 9♦

“Oh f%%k, that’s not what I wanted to see!” remarked Thomas.

The K♦ Q♣ turn and river weren’t what he wanted to see either and he went off to the payout desk.

Russell Thomas12pm: Shuffle up and Deal
Cards are in the air!

11:55pm: The race to the final table is on
Welcome back to Day 3 of the IPT Malta Main Event. Just 30 players remain and the aim for today is to get down to an official final table of eight. There are four tables remaining and they line up like this at the start of the day.

Day 1A chip leader Alessio Peciarolo also ended Day 2 as chip leader after a huge hand at the death of play, his aces fairing well against the ace-king of Julian Stuer. Those two players bookend the rest of the field and all the players counts can be seen by clicking here.

Cards will be in the air very soon so stay tuned.

No one wants to end up on the rail todayReady to sign up for PokerStars? Click here to get an account.

For full details of the tournaments on offer, and when you can register for them, click here.

Updates provided by Marc Convey, with photos coming from René Velli and Tomáš Stacha.

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