Sandro Pitzanti has been crowned the 888poker WPTDeepStacks Malta €1,000 Main Event champion after he battled through a 275 player-field at the Casino Malta by Olympic Casino.
Pitzanti defeated Stefano Schiano heads-up to win the €52,000 first-place prize + €2,000 WPTDeepStacks European Championship Deauville Main Event package.
The Dutchman’s win comes just 18 months after he finished as runner-up in the WPTDeepStacks Deauville Main Event.
Final Table Results:
1st: Sandro Pitzanti € 52,000
2nd: Stefano Schiano € 34,700
3rd: Demetrio Caminita € 25,460
4th: Gabriele Re € 18,950
5th: Cyprien Chassagne € 14,250
6th: Soner Vanelderen € 10,865
7th: Ka Li € 8,390
8th: Daragh Davey € 6,565
9th: Clint Sammut € 5,205
The Day 3 action started with 13 players returning, and within just 40-minutes of play, the final table of nine was set.
Dutch pro Bas de Laat (13th-€3,405) and Fabio Assennato (12th-€4,180) were the first to go, followed by 888poker ambassador Sofia Lovgren (11th- €4,180) after the Swedish pro lost a classic flip with ace-queen against pocket nines and was left with just one big blind, which she lost just two hands later.
John Scanlon (10th-€5,205) was the last player to miss out a place at the final table after he ran into Daragh Davey’s pocket aces. Davey’s open raise received two calls before Scanlon reshoved from the blinds with queen-jack. The ace-three-ten flop gave Scanlon a glimmer of hope with a gutshot straight draw, but he couldn’t find the vital king card.
When the final table action got underway, Malta’s Clint Sammut (9th- € 5,205) was the first to exit after he saw his pocket jacks lose a race against Soner Vanelderen’s aces.
There was then a long wait for the next departure as both Ka Li and Daragh Davey (pictured below) battled with their short stacks. But it was ultimately Irishman and Malta resident Davey who took 8th place for €6,565 when his queen-nine was unable to catch up against Gabriele Re’s king-ten. It marked a good week for Davey however with two final table appearances after he took third place in the WPTDS Opener.
Ka Li once again held his own against the bigger stacks and was a stubborn opponent for all, but ultimately the Dutchman departed in 7th place for €8,390 after his shove from the small blind with eight-seven received a call from Stefano Schiano in the big blind with king-eight, and Li saw the board fall in Schiano’s favor.
Soner Vanelderen, who came into the final nine as chip leader, was unable to continue upwards and departed in 6th place for €10,865 after the dinner break when the Belgian ran ace-four into ace-ten.
Cyprien Chassagne, who had seen his stack swing from short stack to chipleader and back throughout Day 3, took 5th place for €14,250 after his jack-ten lost a race against Sandro Pitzanti’s pocket nines.
Gabriele Re (pictured below) had been one of the quieter final table players but laddered up to 4th place for €18,950. Re’s exit came when he moved all in from the small blind with pocket threes and saw Schiano’s ace-king win after the board had completed.
With the final three set, the battle continued, and chips exchanged hands regularly.
Demetrio Caminita (pictured below) stack was left short after his all-in bluff with jack high on an ace-queen-five-ten-five board was called by Pitzanti with ace-nine, and soon after his Main Event came to an end for €25,460.
Caminita’s all in with ace-nine was called by Schiano with ace-eight, with the latter covered. But Schiano hit runner-runner flush to steal the pot from Caminita, who was left with just one big blind and departed in the next hand to collect his winnings.
Pitzanti went into heads up with a three-to-one chip lead and continued his aggression winning a series of small pots to reduce Schiano to five big blinds. Schiano then found two double ups to bring the stacks closer together, but not for long.
In the next hand after Schiano’s second double up, the Italian picked up king-jack on the button and saw Pitzanti call a raise with eight-seven of clubs.
The flop fell king-nine-six and Pitzanti moved all in for 5,000,000 with the up-and-down straight draw and Schiano snap-called with top pair. Pitzanti had outs to the title, and when the ten of hearts appeared on the turn, the Dutchman went into the lead.
Schiano needed to find a miracle card of the river to survive, but the final card fell in Pitzanti’s favor, and the match was over.
Schiano exited as runner-up for €34,700, however, was also rewarded with the FansUnite Last Longer competition prize of €500 and two sporting-event tickets.
That’s all from us here in Malta!
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