Jakub Michalak Triumphs at EPT Malta Single-Day High Roller

The €10,200 EPT Malta Single Re-entry High Roller was held at the Casino at Portomaso, with a total of 64 players entering to create a prize pool of €814,800. By the end of the single day competition, it was Polish pro Jakub Michalak who would eventually walk away with the title, as well as a first place prize worth €178,133 ($193,789).
Michalak’s victory in Malta now pushes his live career earnings to $1,280,460, and represents the second biggest score of his professional career, with his biggest coming in 2013 after taking down the €3000 ISPT London Main Event for €436,000 ($566,226).
As one might expect from such a high buy-in event, the tournament attracted a number of top pros, with players such as Max Silver failing to cash in at one of its 11 money spots, and with Steve O’Dwyer exiting on the final table bubble, but still collecting €20,400 ($22,193) for his 10th place finish.
At the final table, Jakub Michalak then eliminated Behzad Ahadpour in 6th, before being dealt A-6 and sending Scott Seiver (J-J) to the rail in 5th. By the time three-handed play was reached, the remaining players agreed a deal in which chipleader Charlie Carrel received €170,754, Michalak locked-up €160,658 and Rocco Palumbo got €138,763, leaving €17,475 and the trophy for the eventual champion.
Soon after, Palumbo dispatched Carrel to the rail to take a chip advantage into heads-up, but after losing a couple of hands Palumbo ultimately got his remaining chips in holding K-9 to his opponent’s pocket twos. With no help from the board, Jakub Michalak subsequently claimed €178,133 in prize money, and the 2016 EPT Malta Single-Day High Roller crown.
Final Table Results:
1: Jakub Michalak Poland €178,133
2: Rocco Palumbo Italy €138,763
3: Charlie Carrel UK €170,754
4: Orpen Kisacikoglu Turkey €80,250
5: Scott Seiver USA €63,550
6: Behzad Ahadpour Iran €49,700
7: Pratyush Buddiga USA €39,100
8: Adrian Mateos Spain €30,550
9: Morten Mortensen Denmark €23,200
The EPT Malta runs from October 18th to 29th, after which the popular tour will head to the Czech Republic capital of Prague from December 8th to 19th.