Domenico Lando introduced stability to the felt on the Malta Poker Competition Grand Occasion, navigating his manner by a proficient ultimate desk to emerge victorious and declare the title, trophy and €140,000 prize.
Lando picked his spots properly within the ultimate levels en path to topping the record-breaking 2,045 entry discipline, the place the €941,568 prize pool was paid out to the highest 306 gamers. Lando’s triumph within the greatest MPF Grand Occasion was considerably of an underdog story. The Italian participant had solely $13,400 in reside earnings earlier than registering for the occasion, with a finest money of simply $6,077.
Lando toppled Nikolaos Konstas in heads-up play, after the latter appeared to have one hand on the winner’s spoils, however as is ever with poker, somebody’s fortune can change utterly with a flip of a card.
2024 MPF Grand Occasion Ultimate Desk Outcomes
Ultimate Desk Recap
Angelo Vietti got here onto the ultimate desk because the quick stack, with only a few huge blinds. He regarded to start his comeback with a double-up and gave the impression to be shifting out of the hazard zone after he picked up jacks and acquired it in in opposition to Lando’s tens. Nevertheless, a ten on the flop had Vietti with one foot out of the door, and his second quickly adopted as Lando completed off his compatriot with a ship.
Salih Kaya fell in eighth place after his final two huge blinds went in on a six-high flop. Runner-up Konstas held queen-six and noticed off Kaya after the latter’s king-seven failed to enhance. Simply earlier than, Antonio Alba doubled up and located one other by Konstas after Kaya exited. Nevertheless, Charles Eichner awoke with jacks and despatched Kaya and his tens to the rail in seventh.
Konstas quickly bagged his second ultimate desk elimination and ousted native participant Andre Grech in sixth place. Konstas held eights, and Grech failed to search out his three-outer on the runout to arrange five-handed play. Konstas’ ascent to the highest of the counts continued moments later, getting some huge river worth with a set of deuces in opposition to Eichner, who dropped into second on the chip leaderboard.
Momentum was nicely and actually with Konstas as he out-flopped the jacks held by Jaroslaw Falkowski, who departed in fifth. Konstas was a one-man wrecking ball however handed the chip result in Theodoros Ampelikiotis after the previous’s mistimed jam with king-jack bumped into Ampelikiotis’ pocket queens for a 40 million chip pot.
Lando left Eichner because the quick stack, profitable a flip of his personal earlier than Ampelikiotis completed the job with Massive Slick a number of palms later.
Konstas wrestled again the chip lead, holding over half of the chips in play as the ultimate three duked it out for the win. However like earlier than, Ampelikiotis was Konstas’ dethroner as his jacks held out to scoop in a 54 million chip pot in opposition to ace-king. Ampelikiotis’ time on the prime was short-lived because the Greek duo flipped once more, with Konstas prevailing. A fourth and ultimate coin toss between the 2 gamers arrange heads-up as Konstas’ queens held out in opposition to Ampelikiotis’ ace-king.
Konstas held a 4:1 chip lead, however two key palms noticed Lando burst into life. Lando obtained a full double with Broadway in opposition to prime two pair and took a 3:1 lead with a pair of eights on a king-high board after withstanding Konstas’ aggression.
The ultimate hand noticed Konstas transfer all in with jack-ten. Lando known as with ace-five and located an ace on the flop. Konstas was drawing to Broadway, however the flip and river saved Lando forward, and with that, he took residence the title, trophy and €140,000 grand prize.
Photographs courtesy of Malta Poker Competition