This week, the poker world saw two rising stars make their mark in the poker fraternity. Domenico Lando was crowned champion at the Malta Poker Festival (MPF) Grand Event, while Taiwan’s Chiehchi Liu claimed victory at the inaugural Taiwan Millions Tournament (TMT) Championship Main Event in Taipei. Here’s a recap of their remarkable victories.
Domenico Lando: 2024 Malta Poker Festival Grand Event Champion
Domenico Lando topped a record-breaking field of 2,045 entrants to win the 2024 Malta Poker Festival (MPF) Grand Event. Hailing from Italy, Lando added a massive €140,000 to his poker earnings, bringing his career total to over $150,000. He faced off against Greek poker pro Nikolaos Angelou Konstas in an impressive, hard-fought final showdown.
The €400 buy-in MPF Grand Event, which ran from October 29 to November 4,and drew a record 2,045 entrants across six starting flights. This turnout nearly doubled the €500,000 guarantee, building a prize pool of €941,568, which was shared among the top 306 players. On the final day, 53 players returned to battle it out, and the final table was formed with Charles Eichner as the chip leader, while Lando held a middling stack.
Lando eliminated Angelo Vietti in 9th place (€13,400), picking up momentum at the final table. When play was down to four, Lando doubled up with K♣ Q♥ against Charles Eichner’s pocket jacks, leaving Eichner with only three big blinds. Eichner was soon eliminated in 4th place for €49,068, followed shortly by Theodoros Ampelikiotis, who finished in 3rd place, setting up the heads-up match.
Nikolaos Konstas held a 3:1 chip lead against Lando, but Lando turned the tables by doubling up with a straight. Gaining the chip advantage, Lando eventually put Konstas to the test with A♦5♣ against J♥10♠. The board ran out A♠ 4♠ Q♠ 3♠, sealing Konstas’s fate as the runner-up with €93,000, while Lando claimed the top prize and the title of champion.
2024 Malta Poker Festival Grand Event Champion Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Prize |
| 1st | Domenico Lando | €140,000 |
| 2nd | Nikolaos Konstas | €93,000 |
| 3rd | Theodoros Ampelikiotis | €66,000 |
| 4th | Charles Eichner | €49,068 |
| 5th | Jaroslaw Falkowski | €39,000 |
| 6th | Andre Grech | €30,000 |
| 7th | Antonio Alba | €23,000 |
| 8th | Salih Kaya | €17,500 |
| 9th | Angelo Vietti | €13,400 |
Chiehchi Liu: Inaugural TMT Championship Main Event Winner
The inaugural Taiwan Millions Tournament Championship (TMT) took place at the Asia Poker Arena in Taipei from November 1 to 5. Chiehchi Liu emerged victorious in the TMT Championship Main Event, earning a six-figure prize of $141,433 and the newly designed TMTC Trophy. Liu, who began competing in live tournaments just a year ago, previously placed 3rd in the January TMT Main Event for $56,730. This recent win marks his first major tournament title.
The NTD 33,000 ($1,030) buy-in Main Event attracted 936 entrants, creating a prize pool of NTD 27,237,600 ($850,000), which was shared among the top 143 players. Liu entered the final day as the chip leader at the nine-handed final table.
Dominating the final table, Liu eliminated six players, including Justin Chu (9th), Kao Kuo Wei (8th), Sparrow Cheung (5th), Cheng Wei Chun (4th), Gyu Won Jang (3rd), and Manlok Chan (2nd). The final table action was swift, concluding in just 74 hands. In the last hand, Liu called Chan’s all-in with Q♣4♣ against A♦J♣. The board came Q♦ 3♦ J♠ K♣ 8♥, and Liu’s pair of queens held up, securing his victory and ending Chan’s deep run in 2nd place.
2024 TMT Championship Main Event Final table Payouts
| Rank | Player | Prize |
| 1st | Chiehchi Liu | $141,433 |
| 2nd | Manlok Chan | $94,328 |
| 3rd | Gyu Won Jang | $69,804 |
| 4th | Cheng Wei Chun | $52,166 |
| 5th | Park Yu Cheung | $39,389 |
| 6th | Lin Yun Tse | $30,041 |
| 7th | Ko Chia Hsiang | $23,154 |
| 8th | Kao Kuo Wei | $18,043 |
| 9th | Justin Chu | $14,210 |
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