Joris Ruijs Clinches Grand Event Glory at Malta Poker Festival Autumn Edition

samantha-doyle
By Samantha Doyle
04 Nov 2025
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Samantha Doyle 04 Nov 2025
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  • Joris Ruijs wins Malta Poker Festival, earning €141,000.
  • The event’s prize pool reached €903,498, exceeding expectations.
  • Held at Portomaso Casino, the event drew nearly 2,000 participants.
Malta Poker Festival 2025 Autumn Grand Event
The Malta Poker Festival Autumn Grand Event once again drew the crowds and delivered the drama. With nearly 2,000 entries across eight starting flights and a prize pool that soared past €900,000, it was Joris Ruijs from the Netherlands who stood tall at the end, taking home the €141,000 top prize.

Final Table Results: Where the Chips Fell

Hosted at Portomaso Casino, the €550 Grand Event had players piling in across multiple days in late October. The event’s €500,000 guarantee didn’t stand a chance. The final prize pool closed at €903,498, with 298 players making it through to Day 2 and locking up a cash.


Place
Player
Country
Prize
1Joris RuijsNetherlands€141,000
2Vincent SchuelerGermany86,420
3Thomas GrahsSweden€61,560
4Toni RavnakSerbia€47,220
5Benjamin NicaultFrance€36,330
6Giuseppe BellinghieriItaly€28,650
7Vester VergeestNetherlands€22,070
8Jeffrey GregorDenmark€17,040

A Final Table with Everything but a Slow Moment

The Day 3 chip stacks told one story but the action told another. Within minutes, Denmark’s Jeffrey Gregor was out after a brutal ace-king vs ace-queen clash that turned sour on the board.


Next came Vester Vergeest, sent packing by Serbia’s Toni Ravnak, who immediately found himself in a massive hand. In one of the most talked-about moments of the final, Ravnak flopped a set against Benjamin Nicault, who had also flopped a smaller set. 


Giuseppe Bellinghieri went out next in sixth, his pocket sevens cracked by Ruijs’ queen-jack, which rivered a winner. Nicault couldn’t recover from the earlier cooler and exited shortly after in fifth.


Ravnak bowed out in fourth, leaving Thomas Grahs, Vincent Schueler, and Ruijs to battle for the trophy.

Malta Poker Festival Autumn 2025 Grand Event
Joris Ruijs

The Final Stretch: Ruijs Closes the Deal

Once down to three, Ruijs turned up the pressure. He applied steady aggression, keeping his opponents in check with a healthy chip lead. Eventually, Grahs ran into trouble and had to settle for third, setting up the final heads-up duel.

Ruijs entered heads-up play against Vincent Schueler with a massive 4:1 chip advantage and made quick work of it. After just a few hands, it was all over: Ruijs had sealed the win, the trophy, and €141,000 in prize money.

FAQs: Malta Poker Festival Autumn Grand Event

Who won the Malta Poker Festival Grand Event 2024?

Dutch player Joris Ruijs took first place and €141,000 after topping a 1,987-entry field.

How big was the prize pool?

The €550 buy-in event generated a €903,498 prize pool, well above the €500K guarantee.

Where was the event held?

It took place at Portomaso Casino in Malta, across eight starting flights and three days of main play.

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