Live Blog Autumn 2023

Gabriele Re

It took five days, and he had to come back from behind against Dutch player Raoul Van Wersch, who led the final table chip counts from the start until heads-up play. Re found a double early in HU with ace-seven over king-queen, then won a later race with pocket fives to take it all down.

Re was all smiles after the win, getting some winner’s photos hoisting the trophy as well as with his other half. He was modest in discussing the win though, saying he got quite lucky to take the lead with the 60/40 spot. He also praised the Casino Malta staff for an excellent event.

Gabriele Re

Final Table Results

Action of the Day

It took about 7 hours of poker on the final day to finish out the endgame of the 2023 Autumn Battle of Malta. Raoul Van Wersch came into the day with a big chip lead, and for a while, it looked like he’d run away with it. Van Wersch carried that lead all the way to heads up, never relinquishing it until he ran into his final opponent, Italian Gabriele Re.

The game was down to six-handed by the time they got to the first break of the final day with Herli Olop and Christophe de Meulder both hitting the rail within the first two levels of the day. Daniele Grasso was next to hit the rail in a bit of a bad beat. He got his money in good with the best ace, but Szymon Kuczerski hit his lower kicker to take it down and bring the game five-handed.

The chip leader, Van Wersch, had about 2/3rds of the chips in play after he sent Xavier Zuczkowski to the rail in 5th place. Zuczkowski and Van Wersch were seated beside each other and going at it pretty hard in the early play, but in this case, it was a classic flip that decided the huge pot as Zuczkowski’s queens couldn’t hold against the big slick for Van Wersch.

Van Wersch then started to lose some of his luster as he doubled up the short stacks four times. He never quite gave up the chip lead, but came very close before Szymon Kuczerski hit the rail in fourth place. Alberto Cigliano was next to go when Van Wersch won a race with king-jack against Cigliano’s pocket eights.

That left Re in a hole heads-up against Van Wersch but the tables turned fairly quickly after two-handed play began. In a not-so-classic race-like spot with Re holding ace-seven against king-queen Re held to take the lead away from Van Wersch for the first time all day.

From that point on, Re wouldn’t give up the lead. It only took another few minutes before it all ended with a coin flip between pocket fives for Re and jack-ten suited for Van Wersch. There wasn’t much drama when Re flopped a set of fives and then turned the Dutchman dead.

With a big Italian field in attendance, the win for Italy was appropriate. Re’s payday of €209,500 will surely be a nice boost to the bankroll of the online and live grinder, and no doubt he’ll be back here in April 2024 for the next edition of the Battle of Malta.

Level 41: 1,000,000/1,500,000 (1,500,000)
Entries: 1/3,432

Raoul Van Wersch nearly went wire-to-wire with the chip lead here on the final day, but then he ran into Italian Gabriele Re during heads-up play. Re found a big double in a 60/40 spot to take the lead and in the end, it came down to a flip with Re holding pocket fives versus J♦T♦. The board ran out T♥5♥6♥7♣2♣ giving Re the set on the flop.

Van Wersch earned €129,500 for his runner-up finish.

Level 39: 500,000/1,000,000 (1,000,000)
Entries: 2/3,432

After a raise from Raoul Van Wersch to 2.3 million, Gabriele Re shoved and Van Wersch called. He had K♠Q♥ against A♥7♦ and both players hit the flop on the board of 5♠A♦K♦4♦4♥ but Re hit it harder and held for a huge double to take the lead.

Raoul Van Wersch – 35m
Gabriele Re – 51m

Level 39: 500,000/1,000,000 (1,000,000)
Entries: 2/3,432

Raoul Van Wersch raised to 2 million, then called off when Alberto Cigliano shoved the big blind. It was a race between pocket eights for Cigliano versus K♦J♦ for Van Wersch. There was a jack in the window and no further help came on the 9♠A♠J♣Q♦3♠ board. Van Wesch now has a huge lead going into heads-up.

Alberto Cigliano – 0
Raoul Van Wersch – 59m

Alberto Cigliano

Level 39: 500,000/1,000,000 (1,000,000)
Entries: 3/3,432

The final three players are now back at the felt for the endgame of the 2023 Battle of Malta Autumn.

Level 39: 500,000/1,000,000 (1,000,000)
Entries: 3/3,432

Once the field got down to three-handed, the players took a bit of a break. Action will resume shortly with the remainder of Level 39 before they blinds drop to 30 minutes for the start of Level 40.

Level 39: 500,000/1,000,000 (1,000,000)
Entries: 3/3,432

Alberto Cigliano raised to 11 million, leaving about 3 million behind, then called when Szymon Kuczerski shoved with a slightly smaller stack. Cigliano had A♥8s] against K♣Q♠ and he smashed the flop on a board of A♦8♠6♥T♦4♠ to send Kuczerski to the cage in 4th place.

Action will now shift to 30-minute blinds.

Szymon Kuczerski – 0
Alberto Cigliano – 29.4m

Szymon Kuczerski

Level 39: 500,000/1,000,000 (1,000,000)
Entries: 4/3,432

Szymon Kuczerski shoved the small blind with A♠9♣ but Raoul Van Wersch woke up with pocket jacks and snapped it off. Kuczerski found an ace on the 8♦Q♦A♣8♥4♦ board and Van Wersch couldn’t keep up. That puts Kuczerski near 20 million, and the slide of Van Wersch continues as he is still the chip leader but now down to just 30 million.

Szymon Kuczerski: 19m
Raoul Van Wersch: 30m

Level 39: 500,000/1,000,000 (1,000,000)
Entries: 4/3,432

Raoul Van Wersch is down to about 40 million now but is still leading at the break. He has about twice as many chips as second-place Gabriele Re. When they return to the felt the blinds will be 500k/1m with a 1m big blind ante, and once the field is down to 3 players, the blinds will be reduced to 30 minutes.

Level 38: 400,000/800,000 (800,000)
Entries: 4/3,432

Alberto Cigliano shoved the button with a tiny stack of 2.7m and Raoul Van Wersch felt priced in to call from the big blind. He was dominated by the Italian Cigliano who had A♠5♠ against 8♣5♥ for the big stack. There were no surprises on the board and Cigliano stayed alive.

The very next hand, Cigliano chipped into Van Wersch’s stack a bit more when he shoved A♠9♠ and Van Wersch called off with A♥7♥ and the board ran clean for the Italian.

Alberto Cigliano: 17m
Raoul Van Wersch: 38m

Alberto Cigliano

Level 38: 400,000/800,000 (800,000)
Entries: 4/3,432

Raoul Van Wersch tried to bully with a shove from the button holding T♣6♣ but small blind Gabriele Re woke up with pocket eights and put in a quick call. Van Wersch had outs like crazy as the board ran out A♥Q♠jh]9♣J♠ but ultimately the eights held and Re is back in it with 22 million, but Van Wersch still has mountains with just shy of 50 million now.

Raoul Van Wersch: 48m
Gabriele Re: 22m

Level 38: 400,000/800,000 (800,000)
Entries: 4/3,432

Szymon Kuczerski just found a double in a race against Gabriele Re. Re shoved with pocket eights from the button and Kuczerski snapped him off with ace-nine. The board double paired queens and tens on the turn with an ace on the river to send a big pot to Kuczerski.

Szymon Kuczerski: 14m
Gabriele Re: 12m

Szymon Kuczerski

Level 38: 400,000/800,000 (800,000)
Entries: 4/3,432

It was the biggest set-up in poker when Raoul Van Wersch raised the button to 1,600,000 with A♥K♠ and Xavier Zuczkowski woke up with queens in the small blind. He jammed for 12 million, forcing Gabriele Re off the big blind. Van Wersch asked for a count, then called.

Van Wersch turned an ace and a flush draw on 9♠T♠4♣A♠4♦ and never looked back. Van Wersch is now up to around 52 million chips, about 2/3rds of the chips in play.

Xavier Zuczkowski

Level 38: 400,000/800,000 (800,000)
Entries: 5/3,432

Daniele Grasso was down to 3 million chips and found A♥9♥ in the cutoff. Szymon Kuczerski called from the button with A♣8♠ but he found his eight on the flop of K♥T♣8♦2♣Q♦ and it was all over for Grasso who pocketed €18,150 for 6th place.

Daniele Grasso

Level 37: 300,000/600,000 (600,000)
Entries: 6/3,432

Xavier Zuczkowski and Raoul Van Wersch have been going at it fairly hard so far today. Earlier on the final table in a blind-on-blind confrontation between them, they both had king-queen, but Van Wersch was able to push Zuczkowski off the hand with a shove to close a bit of a raising war.

They just found another spot to tangle when Zuczkowski raised preflop to 1,200,000 and got a call from Van Wersch in the big blind. Van Wersch was playing a dominated ten with queen-ten against ace-ten for Zuczkowski and things got a bit spicy when both players flopped a ten with 2♠T♦7♣. Van Wersch check-called for 1 million and the 7♥ paired the board.

Van Wersch bet 1,200,000 and Zuczkowski called. The 5♦ river was a brick and Zuczkowski shoved to take it down.

Xavier Zuczkowski

Level 37: 300,000/600,000 (600,000)
Entries: 6/3,432

Raoul Van Wersch raised to 1,800,000 from the small blind with K♦9♦, and Xavier Zuczkowski called from the big with A♦5♦. Van Wersch smashed the 5♦9♣K♠ flop for two pair and he bet 1,400,000. Zuczkowski called and both players turned a diamond draw on 8♦.

Van Wersch bet 2,200,000 and Zuczkowski called to the bricky 4♣ river. Van Wersch shoved the covering stack, and Zuczkowski got out of the way after some thought.

Level 37: 300,000/600,000 (600,000)
Entries: 6/3,432

The players are just now sitting back down for Level 37 with six players remaining and Raoul Van Wersch leading the way.

Level 37: 300,000/600,000 (600,000)
Entries: 6/3,432

The final six players are now on their first break of the final day with Raoul Van Wersch still leading. When they return to the felt they’ll be in Level 37 with blinds of 300k/600k and a BB ante of 600k.

Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 6/3,432

It was a race after Xavier Zuczkowski opened the cutoff, and Christophe De Meulder shoved the button. Zuczkowski called and it was ace-queen for him versus pocket sixes for De Meulder.

De Meulder picked up some straight outs on the flop of 4♣7♦8♠Q♥9♣ but Zuczkowski nailed the turn to jump ahead. The river bricked for De Meulder and he hit the rail in 7th place.

Christophe De Meulder

Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 7/3,432

Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 7/3,432

Herli Olop came into the final day with one of the shorter stacks, and he was the first to hit the rail. He found pocket nines in the cutoff and shoved it, getting called for a race by Daniele Grasso in the big blind with queen-ten of hearts. Grasso hit a ten on the flop and another on the river of T♣6♥K♠5♣T♦ to send the Estonian to the rail in 8th place for €11,240.

Herli Olop

Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 8/3,432

Xavier Zuczkowski picked up a nice pot on the turn near the end of Level 35 when he raised the small blind to 1 million with queen-nine off and Christoph De Meulder came along from the big blind with ace-five. Zuczkowski min-bet the A♥K♥4♥ as he flopped the nut flush draw with the Q♥ in his hand.

De Meulder called to see 7♣ on the turn but then folded the best hand when Zuczkowski fired 1.1 million.

Level 35: 200,000/400,000 (400,000)
Entries: 8/3,432

So far, play at the final table has been pretty cagey with very few flops being shown. Most hands have ended with a single raise and folds as they are nearing the end of the opening level of the day.