EPT Malta: Rubiralta and Ionescu pause Live League battle to contest Main Event spoils

October 10, 2025

Live Poker

by Howard Swains

watch_later

3 Minute Read

There’s a very amusing sub-plot emerging in the EPT Malta Main Event.

Gerard Rubiralta and Petre Ionescu (pictured left and right, respectively, above), are both among the final 32, enjoying their best-ever career runs in EPT Main Events. But ironically, this may be the one time they wouldn’t have minded finding themselves on the rail early.

The reason? Rubiralta and Ionescu are currently in first and second places in the “medium” level of the PokerStars Live League, jostling for a package of tournament buy-ins worth €25,600 and the chance to be named on Team PokerStars Pro.

But — and it’s a big but — the “medium” category of this content is for tournaments with buy-ins of €1,000 through €4,999. At €5,000, the EPT Main Event is €1 too much to qualify. Rubiralta and Ionescu’s deep runs in the Main Event will earn them points for the High designation, but it’s keeping them from playing the full roster of side events that might otherwise have kept them chugging along in the medium.

Team PokerStars Ambassador Kenny Hallaert, meanwhile, was knocked out in 108th place from the Main Event, picking up a small cash but also allowing him to now play whatever side events he wants. There’s the €10K High Roller today, and Hallaert may yet play that. But he also might decide to stick within the sub-€5K tournaments in a bid to plunder more Live League points while his principal opponents are otherwise occupied.

That said, there’s a strong argument that Rubiralta and Ionescu’s Main Event runs owes something to the Live League. Rubiralta told us earlier in the week that he is taking the contest very seriously, and is really putting the hours in at the tables. Arguably this enhanced focus is in some ways responsible for his continuing great form: he’s loving the game, playing beautifully, and reaping the rewards.

LIVE LEAGUE LEADERS STAY AHEAD

There hasn’t been a huge amount of movement in the Live League during this event, to be honest. Klemens Roiter and Enrico Camosci’s exceptional work ethic has kept those two at the top of the High leader board, with Roiter’s lead holding firm.

Despite their Main Event deep runs, Rubiralta and Ionescu still enjoy a narrow lead at the top of the Medium leader board, with Jon Kyte now also nibbling away below. Claudio Di Giacomo would likely have been here in Malta and challenging, but he ended up making the final table of the WSOPE Main Event in Rozvadov, which overlapped considerably with this event. So he has now slipped down to fifth.

Meanwhile, Steinn Karlsson is holding firm at the top of the Low leader board, from Andreas Froehli. Both Soraya Estrada and David Docherty are here in Malta and playing lots, so they might yet make a late charge.

MORE

• EPT Malta coverage hub
• Poker News live updates
• All the off-the-felt-activities