The final table for IPT Malta is ready with PokerStars player Jaroslaw Sikora leading with 7.6 million in chips. The Polish player finished 70th for €4,220 within the Eureka High Roller event in Prague in December. Sikora moved clearly into the lead after winning a large three-bet pot towards the top of play when he picked off a 555,000 bluff from Georgios Zisimopoulos.

Jaroslaw Sikora is the chip leader going into tomorrow's final table

Sikora leads sooner than Frederik Reusch (4,730,000), the German player has a few previous results including a last table within the €1,000 PLO event at EPT Prague where he came 8th for €4,270. Reusch moved into second place after dispatching Flaviano Cammisuli, the beginning of the day chip leader, with A♣T♦ against A♦9♥.

Flaviano Cammisuli

In third place with 4,375,000 is arguably the best-known player on the table, EPT10 Prague champion Julian Track. Track picked up €725,700 for winning the EPT and can be hoping to supplement his earnings with another six-figure score by taking down this event.

The full list of players and chip counts is as follows:

Seat 1: Michael Bernhard Feil Germany PokerStars player 3,305,000Seat 2: Frederik Reusch Germany PokerStars player 4,730,000Seat 3: Nicolino di Carlo Italy 2,585,000Seat 4: Ezio Nisoli Italy 1,960,000Seat 5: Julian Track Germany PokerStars qualifier 4,375,000Seat 6: Jaroslaw Sikora Poland PokerStars player 7,600,000Seat 7: Georgios Zisimopoulos Greece PokerStars player 4,000,000Seat 8: Georgi Abuladze Estonia PokerStars qualifier 2,645,000

Julian Track

All the finalists at the moment are guaranteed a minimum payout of €21,000 however the first place prize is worth greater than ten times that amount:

1st € 221,2002nd € 128,3003rd € 90,2004th € 67,0005th € 52,0006th € 39,0007th € 29,8008th € 21,000

The players are due back tomorrow at 11.45am with the tournament scheduled to begin at 12.15pm. It will be shown on a live stream (Italian commentary only) with hole cards up and on a 45-minute delay. I WILL BE following the similar time because the delay so that you can expect live coverage from around 1pm local time.

Side events

Bracelet winner Dominik Nitsche leads the general 15 players of the within the IPT €2k High Roller event with 1.2 million in chips and the blinds at 10,000/20,000 (3,000). EPT Copenhagen runner-up Pierre Neuville (750,000) and EPT9 London finalist Ludovic Geilich (260,000) also are among those still involved, all are guaranteed a minmum payout of €10,550 with €177,000 going to the winner.

Dominik Nitsche

In the IPT Malta Cup, it's heads-up between Dimitar Bashov and Matthieu Rodrigeuz with €62,000 for the winner and €36,400 for the runner-up, Bashov has a slight lead at this point. Giovanni Rizzo finished in 6th place for €10,900.

Rosaro Garzon came the entire way from Madrid to play the €200 Women's Event but her victory made all of it worthwhile. Before taking down the €200 event for an entire life best cash of €4k, the 64-year-old, who was being railed by her husband within the tourney, said she was surprised at how aggressively the ladies played. "I DID NOT think it might be like this!" she said. She beat Canadian EPT regular Elizabeth Bennet-Martin heads-up to snag her first ever trophy. There have been 70 entries within the tourney making a €13,580 prize pool with nine paid. EPT London Women's Event winner Jackie Cachia bust the development but her partner Lina Teuma finished fourth for €1,400.

Rosaro Garzon

Portugal's Jose Quintas won last night's €500 Midnight Hyperturbo on the EPT Malta Poker Festival. The EPT regular snagged the trophy and €23,490 first prize after beating Italian Luca Fiorini heads-up. There have been 229 players within the event making a €111,065 prize pool with 31 paid. Others who cashed included Mikhail Korotkikh, Jan Bendik, George Tavoularis (who has already won two Flipout events on the festival), Lasse Frost and Bernard Boutbol.

Remember, the EPT Main Event continues to be occurring for some time yet tonight, follow the entire action here.

Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: Italian Poker Tour]