After 5 days of non-stop poker action, the Malta Poker Dream poker tournament came to a close in the early hours of the morning of the 5th April 2011. The 408 player Malta Poker Dream 2011 set the record for most attended Poker tournament ever hosted on the Maltese Islands.
The event however, will not only be remembered for the biggest participation rate ever. Betpro really outdid themselves with this one, taking care at all the details, and giving the players so much value that it really seemed too good to be true.
Apart from the amazing venue which was selected – The Grandmaster Suite at the Portomaso Casino – the electrifying audio/visual setup, and the imposing final table area, Betpro also took the opportunity of using the Malta Poker Dream tournament as the backdrop for the first Italian movie about our poker named – Poker Generation
Poker players who participated in the tournament will forever be part of the movie which is scheduled for release in December 2011 – Just around Christmas time.
Movie stars, cameras, and divas apart, the Malta Poker Dream brought together several of the hottest Italian poker professionals by the likes of Salvatore Bonavena, Eros Nastasi, Armando Graziano, Mustapha Kanit and many more.
The event also attracted some of the local Poker die-hards like Keith Boniface, Andrea Stellato, Gordon Mifsud, Jackie Cachia, and George Galea. Amongst these, were also present Andrew Cutajar, Mark Attard and Cosimo Dambra, who gained their entry thorough a satellite tournament held at the Portomaso Casino earlier during the tournament week.
The competition at the felt was pretty tough, as most of the players experienced, even more so, for players who just did not manage to make it through the earlier stages of the tournament. Amongst the local players, though, one player – George Galea – managed to make it into the money and get a very respectable 18th placing.
Stellato was the first player out, and Cutajar followed shortly after. Small stack on Day 2, Jackie Cachia, exited with a pair of 6’s against her opponents Q’s, and Mark Attard exited about 2 hours later. By the 15th level, our hopes were for Keith Boniface, Martin Kjaer, Gordon Mifsud, George Galea and Cosimo Dambra as they battled their opponents on in the Italian clad poker hall.
Next out were Martin Kjaer, Keith Boniface, Cosimo Dambra, and Gordon Mifsud. Gordon had a very hard time keeping up at the tables with very bad cards. He prolonged his progress through lots of tactful steals but eventually exited the tourney in 78 place, just 14 seats from the money. This left George Galea as the only Maltese player in the field, who eventually managed to place 18th, taking €3,600 for his progress.
George was also flanked by Graziella Vella, his partner, who also managed to get a placing for her efforts in the ladies tournament winning €800 for placing 3rd in the tourney.
The Malta Poker dream paid out 64 players and a very special prize was also reserved for the 1st prize winner. Betpro added a €30,000 sponsorship for the winner of the tournament, who is entitled to €30k worth of tournament packages throughout the year 2011. The sponsorship will enable the player with the opportunity to try his life as a pro for the next 12 months.
The players at the final table eventually emerged with Fabio Albamonte in the lead. Here are the total payouts and names of the 10 finalists at the Malta Poker Dream tournament.
1. Fabio Albamonte €75.000 + €30.000 (sponsorship)
2. Claudio Di Francesco €50.000
3. Giacomo Mangano €35.000
4. Carlo Cinà €25.000
5. Pietro Monica €20.000
6. Eros Nastasi €16.000
7. Domenico Stellitano €13.000
8. Antonio Trapuzzano €10.000
9. Alessandro La Corte €7.500
10. Salvatore Montagna €6.000
The Malta Poker Dream has made for itself a brand name in Malta, and thanks to the support of the participating partners like Portomaso Casino, Betpro.it and THGonlive, it’s safe to say that this event has now become one of the highly anticipated annual Maltese Poker tournaments amongst the local Poker community! Big thumbs up to all those involved! The Malta Poker Dream has once again, stylishly come true!
See full coverage of the Malta Poker Dream on PokerMalta