Battle of Malta 2019 schedule to be announced soon

The schedule for Battle of Malta 2019 is to be released at the beginning of June with a host of innovations including the first ever Mega High Roller and an extra day added to the schedule.

Casino Malta’s prestigious event is running October 15-22 in the spectacular Eden Arena at the InterContinental Conference Centre in St Julian’s. Early Bird packages will also be on offer from the beginning of June offering fantastic value to players with a range of hotel and buy-in combos at specially discounted rates.

The award-winning Battle of Malta smashed records last year with by far the biggest field ever seen for the €550 Main Event. The number of entries totalled a staggering 3,816, and the €1,850,760 prize pool was nearly double the €1 million guarantee.

Battle of Malta 2019 is already set to be even bigger and better. The Main Event buy-in is €555 and players will be able to qualify via numerous online sites as well as compete in live satellites in Malta and across Europe. Popular favourites such as the Crazy 888s tournament, Ladies Event and MPN Poker Tour battle are back on the schedule yet again, and a Super High Roller is being added for the first time with a €5,300 buy-in. An additional 25 poker tables are being laid on at the tournament venue to allow for even bigger fields in the numerous side events and the tournament team is also growing – more than 250 dealers and floor staff will be on hand to manage all the different events. Cash game players will also benefit with even more tables available this year inside the casino.

With 13,000 tournament entries overall, last year’s event was by far the biggest poker tournament ever held in Malta and the Eden Arena was packed throughout the six-day festival. Nearly €2.56 million was awarded in prize money across 15 different tournaments. The Battle of Malta – which won “Event of the Year” in the category for buy-ins up to €2,000 at the 2015 European Poker Awards – is now heading into its eighth consecutive year with a solid reputation as the #1 destination No Limit tournament for low to mid-stakes poker players.

Last year’s Main Event was won by Malta-based French player Julien Stropoli. His €168,500 prize was the best cash of his live poker career and the Frenchman is now an advocate for live poker events in Malta. The star-studded final table included previous MPN Poker Tour finalist Mantas Urbonas, two-time Unibet Open champion Mateusz Moolhuizen and Grosvenor Ambassador Andy Hills. Battle of Malta, which was launched by PokerListings in 2012, is now operated by Eden Leisure Group, which also owns Casino Malta, the Hotel InterContinental (Malta’s largest 5* hotel), the Holiday Inn Express, and the InterContinental Arena Conference Centre. MainEventTravel.com will be the event’s Official Travel Partner for the second year running.

About Malta
With its superbly sunny weather (more than 300 days a year), stunning beaches, thriving nightlife and 7,000 years of incredible history, Malta is a near-perfect location for a poker tournament. It’s a warm and welcoming country with English as a first language and is already home to hundreds of poker players from around the world as well as numerous global gaming companies.

Battle of Malta takes place in busy, bustling St Julian’s, one of the island’s top tourist resorts, with a wealth of tourist amenities including clubs, restaurants, cafes and bars.

Casino Malta Marketing Manager Telly Bartolo said: “We were blown away by the success of last year’s event which was the first one hosted by Casino Malta and the first held at the Eden Arena. We nearly doubled the field from 2017 and massively exceeded our €1 million guarantee. We were really thrilled by the turnout and expect this year’s event to attract even bigger numbers. Battle of Malta is a unique event with a very special atmosphere in a simply fantastic location and we know players truly love it. We will be introducing a host of improvements for 2019 – including more tables, more dealers and more side events – so we look forward to welcoming thousands of players to this year’s tournament. Do come join us in 2019 and let’s break records yet again!”

About the Battle of Malta
The Battle of Malta is an award-winning, mid-stakes poker tournament held annually on the Mediterranean island of Malta. Battle of Malta was purchased by the Eden Leisure Group in 2018.