This was the Italian’s first live tournament win, although he’s had success online
Davide Iannaco captured his first live tournament victory this week by taking down the SiGMA Poker Tour Malta Main Event at Portomaso Casino. After a grueling 12-hour final day, the Italian player, now based in Malta, overcame a tough heads-up battle against Tomasz Brzezinski to secure the title. Iannaco pocketed €28,500 (US$33,345) along with the trophy after staging a comeback from the middle of the final table pack.
The €400 (US$468) buy-in event came with a €150,000 (US$175,500) guarantee and drew 411 total entries, narrowly missing the target prize pool. Of those, 61 qualifying players advanced to Day 2, though Ashley Scott managed the unusual feat of bagging two stacks and locking up two minimum cashes worth €600 (US$702) each.
Early action on Day 2 saw several notable eliminations, including Remy Hordan in a tough beat at the hands of Massimo Rizzoglio. Sebastian Mortensen, who began as chip leader, fell short of the final table when he exited in eleventh place. Meanwhile, Romain Gachet built a strong run, spiking a river card to bust Salvatore Incardona and eventually reaching third place before bowing out to Iannaco.
At the final table, Brzezinski, fresh off a near half-million euro score at EPT Barcelona, looked sharp and scored several knockouts, including Jonathan Therme and Terje Bremseth. Gachet also claimed eliminations, but Iannaco began gathering momentum with key hands, including pocket kings to send Christopher Convery home and pocket aces to dispatch both Joachim Vaesen and Gachet.
That set up the heads-up clash against Brzezinski, where Iannaco steadily turned the tide. After two hours of back-and-forth play, his run of strong hands proved too much for the Polish pro, sealing the win and a career-best payday.
Reflecting afterward, Iannaco called the tournament a fantastic experience, crediting discussions with poker-playing friends for his improvement. While he doesn’t plan to alter his approach significantly, he said he will continue playing local events in Malta following this breakthrough result.
