Matt Giannetti is the Season X WPT Malta Champion

We started the day with eight hopeful souls all hoping to become the World Poker Tour (WPT) Malta Season X Champion. The Portomaso casino has been an amazing venue and one that players will continue flocking to in the future and the final table set looked stunning. Unfortunately, only six players would be gracing it meaning that our first task of the day was to eliminate two players. The first to be eliminated was Mats Karlson who fell victim to the pocket nines of Tristan Clemencon. Then the final table bubble boy was WPT Bratislava Season IX final tablist Christofer Williamson, Williamson becoming another one of Cecilia Pescaglini’s many casualties of this tournament.

So we had our final six players and leading them was our Golden girl Cecilia Pescaglini with 2,245,000 chips. Pescaglini had been giving Fabien Sartoris a torrid time all day and eventually it was Sartoris who was eliminated in 6th place after Simon Trumper called his short stack shove with pocket fives. Next to be eliminated was the man who started the day as the chip leader. Tristan Clemencon must have thought his chances of holding aloft that trophy were good but they were dashed by the woman on the amazing run. Clemencon had set a perfect trap for Cecilia Pescaglini but her [Ah] [Kh] triumphed over his [Ks] [Kd] when she rivered the [Ac].

Cecilia Pescaglini was on course to be the first ever-female WPT Champion in its ten-year history. She seemed to have all of the momentum and so it was the case when she eliminated Simon Trumper in fourth place. Once again Pescaglini took a chance and once again she hit her cards to send the experienced UK pro back to England €53,430 the richer.

Then the competition hit a bit of a stale patch when it went three-handed. The pace was almost pedestrian at times with only Pescaglini trying to push the pace. Then it looked like Matt Giannetti would be the finishing third when he found himself short stacked and all-in with pocket sevens against the pocket kings of Pescaglini. But just when it seemed as though he was a goner he spiked a full house on the turn and he was back in the game. Then after five hours of play Filippo Bianchini was eliminated by Matt Giannetti, but not after having most of his chips stolen away from him by the young Italian woman.

Going into the heads-up confrontation and Pescaglini had a slight chip advantage and in fact won the first five hands. But any chances of being the first ever-female WPT Champion were dashed after she called an all-in holding [Qs] [Td] on a [Tc] [8h] [2c] board. Giannetti was holding [9c] [7d] for the open ended straight draw and the [Js] on the river sent Giannetti into exultation and Pescaglini into floods of tears.

Congratulations to Matt Giannetti who wins a €200,000 first prize and consolation to Cecilia Pescaglini who won €116,700.