Day 1ab

Wednesday was the first full day of the Battle of Malta Autumn Edition. The opening two starting days of the €1.5m guaranteed Main Event took place, alongside a busy schedule of side events at the Eden Arena and Casino Malta in St Julian’s.

Swords Drawn

At the Spring Edition, the BOM pivoted away from the walk on ceremonies that had traditionally kicked-off the proceedings at the start of each day. A rousing welcome video replaced it and this time we’re sticking with this approach. While the video was playing, four armoured up warriors symbolically defended the trophies.

Once the pomp was out of the way, the circumstance of Day 1a began, with over 70 players fully installed in their seats, fully charged and ready to embark upon a marathon first day. By the time late registration had closed at the end of level 10, 285 players had taken their seats.

BOM Autumn Edition Knights

Defending Champ Ziemichod into Day 2

One of the players who entered during the first level of the day was defending champion Adrian Ziemichod. The Polish player won the Spring Edition for €120,000, defeating American Rob Perlman heads-up. Ziemichod required only one bullet, starting well and by the second break of the day, had one of the ten largest stacks. He made it through the day, bagging the 17th biggest stack (249,000) of the 43 players who have progressed to Day 2.

Daniel Maunders, who finished runner-up to Vasileios Zizis in the Spring 2023 edition also played, requiring two bullets to book his place in Day 2. However he only just squeezed in and with a mere 9,000 chips to his name, he’s the shortest stacked of those who made it to the end of the day.  He will now be faced with the choice of relinquishing these last few chips and playing another flight to try and improve his Day 2 stack. It seems likely he will do this.

Battle of Malta Spring Edition Champion Adrian Ziemichod

Late Finish to Day 1a

The full price starting days (1a, 1b, 1c and 1d) play down to 15% of the field rather than a set number of levels. Some flights take longer than others to complete and Day 1a was one of those marathon sessions, that did not end until 6.20am!  Much of the delay was caused by the three-hour long bubble situation, when an astonishing 18 double ups were achieved before Johan Sundgren became the unfortunate player to just miss out on a seat in Sunday’s Day 2.

Herli Bird Gets the Worm

Estonian Herli Orlop, who came here with a large group of compatriots, won a couple of huge pots early on in the day to become one of the big stacks. He was then reduced to just above his starting stack, but mounted a recovery and got a huge double up on the bubble, to end the day on 913,000, with the third biggest stack of the day.

That earned him a big stack bonus of a €1,500 package to the 2026 Spring Edition of the BOM, as these are being awarded to the top three finishers in each regular starting flight. German Nikola Karl, on 965,000 bagged up the second biggest stack of the flight, also scooping a 2026 package.

Anthony Hughes, Millionaire

The only player to post a seven figure chip stack was Anthony Hughes. The British player ended up with a towering 1,160,000 and is the only chip millionaire that has been created so far. He can’t cash that in, but he did bank a 2026 package for his efforts. Will his be the largest stack going into Day 2? We’ve still got seven more starting days before we know the answer to that one!

Top 5 Stacks from Day 1a

Full chip counts of all 43 survivors from Day 1a can be found here

Alexander Regler Bags Day1b Chip Lead

Day 1b, the first of the half-price starting days began at 8pm, but was finished long before Day 1a had reached its conclusion. There were 113 entrants, however none of them managed to amass stacks anywhere close to that of Anthony Hughes. In fact, the chip leader from Day 1b has less than half the stack of the Day 1a front runner.

The biggest stack of the flight was accumulated by German Alexander Regler, who bagged up 452,000 and wins the chip leader bonus prize of a €1,500 2026 BOM package. Only the biggest stack from the half-price flight is awarded this prize, so there was nothing extra for second placed Pantelis Charalampous, who was not far behind Regler on 430,000. Only eight players survived Day 1b.

All Eight Survivors from Day 1b

Matthias Kribben Chip Leads Mystery Siege Day 1b

The second starting day of four in the €450 Mystery Siege of Malta also took place on Wednesday, with a further 167 players taking their seats in pursuit of a place in Sunday’s Day 2. Just 25 of these made it into the second stage, joining the 23 who progressed from Day 1a.  German Matthias Kribben secured the chip lead on 602k, well in front of the 522k posted by Day 1a chip leader Werge Malmborg.

Matthias is one of the most consistent performers of 2025, having cashed an incredible 65 times so far this year, including ten final tables and three wins. He’s an allrounder, playing mixed games and Hold’em to a very high standard and is the man to catch, with two starting days left in the Siege. There’s a further flight today, at 3pm and a final one on Friday morning.

Wednesday’s Side Events Roundup

There were three side events on Wednesday and for the first time at this edition, all side-event winners will receive trophies, beautifully crafted glass statues depicting a medieval knight, dressed for battle (of course).

The first recipient of a trophy was Irishman Shane Keary, who won the first €300 PLO of the week, taking €3,775. He outlasted a field of 39 runners defeating Fabio Miraglia heads-up. Mystery Siege Day 1a chip leader Werge Malmborg also made the podium, taking third place.

Wednesday’s €200 Dark Knight had 85 entrants and was won by Dimitrios Ampliantis, for a first prize of €3,657.50, plus a very nice trophy. WSOPC Tallinn Ring winner Jenny Westerlund was the unfortunate bubble girl and won’t be adding a further trophy to her cabinet just yet, but it’s still early days and there’s still plenty of time for her to rise to the top in another event. Another player who sneaked into the money is GUKPT Luton winner Gang Wang, who couldn’t quite style another victory, just missing the final table, taking 10th place.

The final side event of the day was the €150 Hyperturbo. BOM host Glenn Brown played this one, but just missed out on making the money, busting in 17th place. Fifteen of the 100 who entered received prizes, with Mateusz Gut claiming the first win of the week for the Polish contingent, taking the trophy and €3,180 prize money.

Jenny Westerlund

Satellite Mayhem

A total of 66 seats were won in the two Main Event satellites that took place on Wednesday. The early satellite had 285 entrants, producing 26 seat winners, while 402 contested the evening version, generating a further 40 seat winners. There are two further satellites on Thursday, at 11am and 9pm. Both will be played in the downstairs poker room, where players can also register.

Thursday at the Battle of Malta

Thursday’s tournament schedule is very similar to Wednesday’s. There are a further two starting days for the Main Event and one for the Mystery Siege. There is another PLO at and a late night Hyperturbo. In fact the only difference between Wednesday and Thursday is that instead of the Dark Knight, we have a €200 buy-in (€180+€20) Beer Poker Tour tournament.

What is the Beer Poker Tour?

The Beer Poker Tour is a quirky live poker brand that combined the game we love so much with a much loved tipple, beer. In fact the hops based drink plays an integral part in the event, as the winner of the first hand of every new level, on every table, gets a free drink. The fun also continues during the breaks, when players can win more free drinks and Beer Poker Tour merchandise via a game of…yes, you guessed it correctly, beer pong!

Beer Poker Tour Trophy at Battle of Malta

Day 1b of the €600 Main Event attracted 113 entries. Below are the chip counts of those 8 who made it through to Day 2.

BOM Trophies

Day 1a of the €600 Main Event attracted 285 entries. Below are the chip counts of those 43 who made it through to Day 2.

Level 22: 10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Entries: 43/285

After an absolutely ridiculous bubble (which has to be some kind of record), the 43 survivors have now bagged their chips for Day 2. It’s currently 06:28 when I’m writing this; I’m laughing, crying, and experiencing emotions I’ve never felt before. Let’s see if my brain still works as I try to share some highlights.

The bubble lasted perhaps three hours if you include the soft bubble introduced by the floor when 45 players remained (to prevent stalling). The atmosphere in the room wasn’t agonized and painful; far from it. The majority of the players seemed to understand the fun part of what was happening. Nikola Minkov, for example, yelled, “When’s breakfast break?” around 04:45, which was a real crowd-pleaser of a comment.

If my notes are correct, there were at least eighteen all-in and call situations on the stone bubble. Mostly, the covered stack was the favorite and held all the time. There were a couple of really crazy scenarios, though. At Table 10, Luis Marthino opened to 25,000 from the Hi-jack (Blinds 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 Ante) and Patrick Quinn called from the Big Blind. Quinn then moved all in on the Q♣2♥8♦ flop, and Martinho made the call. Quinn, i.e., the player at risk, was ahead with his K♠Q♦ holdings against the 8♥7♣ of Martinho. The latter took the lead on the 7♦ turn, though; “Surely this is it,” you could hear the room think. “Deuce!” someone from another table yelled, and the Poker Gods listened; the 2♣ kept Quinn alive, and the bubble went on. Some players laughed, some players cried.

Perhaps one orbit later, Bent Kuhnle was forced all in from the Big Blind. In an attempt to end it once and for all, Toni Ravnak, Martinho, and Quinn all limped. Four ways to the flop, then, and the players checked down every street on the Q♥9♣6♠2♠7♥ board. Of course, Kuhnle’s rivered pair of sevens was good. Some players laughed, some players cried.

All things must come to an end, though. Sweden’s Johan Sundgren had been card dead all day, and the fact that he had made it this far was an impressive achievement on its own. Eventually, he went all in for 25,000 (less than two Big Blinds) and was called by Pablo Molina. A♠4♠ couldn’t produce a miracle against 9♦9♠, and as such, Sundgren became the unfortunate bubble boy. With that, the marathon bubble came to an end, and the players were overwhelmed by emotions. Some players laughed, some players cried.

The floor conducted the chip counts, and it could be determined that Athony Hughes finished Day 1a as the chip leader. He actually won a massive pot at the bubble himself; I’m sadly unable to retrieve the details on the hand, but he was all in for his tournament life on the turn with two-pair, and he was up against a straight- and a flush draw. The river ran out in his favor, and this pot saw him becoming the first player to reach the 1,000,000 mark.

That’s a wrap for today’s live coverage. It’s soon time for this Swedish live reporter to hit the hay, but before that, I will share the results/chip counts from Day 1a and 1b. Tune back in five minutes, and everything should be uploaded.

The live blog will be back tomorrow around 17:00 when Day 1c kicks off. See you all then!

Level 20: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 44/285

Below is a table displaying various activitíes, and how long they take on average.

All jokes aside, this live reporter isn’t sleeping on the job, but covering the tournament closely not to miss the bubble. Stay tuned for the raffling conclusion.

BOM Autumn Edition

Level 18: 3,000/6,000 (6,000)
Entries: 45/285

A short-stacked Palina Mankevich moved all in for 51,000 UTG. After seven players folded, Luis Marthino snap-called from the Big Blind.

Palina Makevich: J♣9♣
Luis Marthino: Q♣Q♦

Mankevich was trailing, but the 8♣T♠9♠ brought some hope. Things looked even more likely on the 6♣ turn. Sadly for her, though, it was a severe case of “Too Many Outs-Syndrome,” and the 4♥ wasn’t to her liking. As such, the last woman in Day 1a was eliminated.

Luis Marthino: 320,000
Palina Makevich: 0

Level 18: 3,000/6,000 (6,000)
Entries: 48/285

Seated UTG, John Jaffke clicked it to 12,000. Action then folded all the way to Francesco Piro, who moved all in for 122,000 from the Small Blind. After Jorge Gomez folded his Big Blind, Jaffke made the call.

Francesco Piro: A♦K♠
John Jaffke: J♥J♣

It was a classic coin flip situation, and with the A♣ in the window, it looked like Piro would take the lead. That wasn’t the case, however, as the full flop read A♣J♦2♣. Piro was still alive on the A♥ turn, but the 6♦ offered no conzellation.

Piro went out in forty-ninth place, and the bubble is approaching at rapid speed.

John Jaffke: 320,000
Francesco Piro: 0

BOM Trophies

Level 18: 3,000/6,000 (6,000)
Entries: 51/285

Action folded all the way to Gustav Frigast, who min-raised to 12,000 from the Button. Seated in the Big Blind, Pablo Molina was the sole caller.

Molina check-called a 10,000 bet from Frigast on the 8♠T♣3♦ flop. Both players then checked the 3♣ turn. Molina completed the check trifecta on the Q♦ river, and Frigast then bet 25,000. Molina sighed heavily before eventually making the call.

Gustav Frigast: Q♣6♠
Pablo Molina: Q♠T♥

With a superior kicker, Molina took down the pot.

Gustav Frigast: 415,000
Pablo Molina: 360,000

Level 17: 2,000/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 56/285

Action folded all the way to Anton Herrmann, who made it 13,000 from the Small Blind. Big Blind-player Attila Zab took a peek at his holdings before moving all in for roughly 100,000. Herrmann couldn’t have made the call any faster.

Attila Zab: Q♦T♦
Anton Herrmann: J♦J♠

Even though his queen was alive, Zab didn’t seem too confident as he immediately rose from his chair. Perhaps his gut feeling was right, as he didn’t connect on the 7♠5♣K♥ flop. Even though he hit the T♠ on the turn for additional outs, he wasn’t visibly filled with hope, and, ultimately, the 8♣ ended his tournament life.

Anton Herrmann: 375,000
Attila Zab: 0

Level 16: 2,000/4,000 (4,000)
Entries: 59/285

Action folded all the way to Matthieu Van De Zande, who opened to 8,000 from the Cut-off. Then, seated on the Button, Mike Maas three-bet to 25,000. For good measure, Istvan Magyar four-bet to 82,000 from the Small Blind. “Not too much action,” Van De Zande thought, and moved all in for perhaps 150,000 in total. Maas also wasn’t done yet, and moved all in himself for perhaps 110,000 in total. Back to Magyar, who shared a “what the frick is going on?” look with the rest of the table, before making the call.

Matthieu Van De Zande: A♥K♣
Mike Maas: A♣K♠
Istvan Magyar: A♦K♦

The whole table shared a collective laugh as the three contestants revealed their holdings. There were still good vibes on the 9♣4♦5♠ flop. Many players gasped when they saw the 6♦ on the turn. Then, it happened; the 7♦ on the river saw Magyar hitting his runner-runner flush to eliminate two players in brutal fashion. He ain’t complaining, though, as he has one of the biggest pots up ’til this moment.

Istvan Magyar: 430,000
Mike Maas: 0
Matthieu Van De Zande: 0

Level 16: 2,000/4,000 (4,000)
Entries: 70/285

Davide Iannaco opened to 10,000 UTG+1. Seated right next to him, Francesco D’aniello three-bet to 33,000 from the Lo-jack. Things would get even crazier as Pablo De Heredia moved all in from the Cut-off, putting both of his opponents at risk. Iannaco quickly folded before D’aniello made the call.

Pablo De Heredia: K♠K♦
Franceso D’aniello: A♠K♥

D’aniello was out in deep water. He pulled out his phone and recorded, hoping to catch an ace on camera. No dice, though, as the board spelled out 4♥6♣Q♠4♠9♦. D’aniello bid farewell as De Heredia’s stack grew to enormous proportions.

Pablo De Heredia: 405,000
Franceso D’aniello: 0

Level 16: 2,000/4,000 (4,000)
Entries: 70/285

Yet another break, yet another look around the room for the five biggest stacks. Play will soon resume on Level 16.

Level 15: 1,500/3,000 (3,000)
Entries: 76/285

Hugo Da Silva moved all in for 27,000 from UTG+1, and Jean Muscat made the call from the Lo-jack. Then, short-stacked Salvatore Salvino moved all in for 22,000 from the Small Blind. Things didn’t stop there, as Javier Estivill re-shoved, effectively forcing Muscat all in for an additional 120,000. Muscat contemplated his decision for a minute, before he let his hand go.

Hugo Da Silva: Q♠J♠
Salvatore Salvino: A♦9♣
Javier Estivill: A♣Q♦

Estivill was ahead, and he managed to avoid all shenanigans as the board ran out A♠K♣4♣3♦2♠. He won a big pot and eliminated two players; quite the journey after surviving by a small margin a couple of hands ago.

Javier Estivill: 300,000
Jean Muscat: 120,000
Hugo Da Silva: 0
Salvatore Salvino: 0

Level 15: 1,500/3,000 (3,000)
Entries: 80/285

The board read 2♥7♥4♥6♠ with roughly 45,000 in the middle, when Salvatore Salvino fired a big chunk of blue 5,000 chips, more or less enough to force his opponent, Javier Estivill, all-in for 72,000. “Sorry, guys,” Salvino apologized to his table-mates as he spent a few minutes in the tank. Eventually, he moved all in, and considering Salvino only had to pay a small amount to make the call, he wasn’t going anywhere.

Javier Estivill: A♠7♠
Salvatore Salvino: J♥J♦

“Nice hand,” Estivill graciously said to Salvino. Perhaps, this was the ritual that brought the 7♦ on the river. “What a river!” the charismatic Christopher Barclay expressed, as Estivill took a big chunk out of the Salvino stack.

Javier Estivill: 230,000
Salvatore Salvino: 49,000

While the live blog will mostly focus on Day 1a, occasional updates from all starting-day flights (and chip counts, of course) will be delivered.

Today’s Day 1b flight is more on the turbo side of things compared with 1a. Late registration recently closed with 113 entries, and we’re still waiting for the number of how many players who will move on to Day 2 to be announced.

Level 13: 1,000/2,000 (2,000)
Entries: 97/285

Alejandro Ruiz raised to 4,000 from UTG+1. Florent Colin made the call from the Hi-jack, before experienced player Ofer Sisso made it 15,000 from the Big Blind. Both of his opponents decided to make the call.

Action went check-check-check on the 2♥7♦A♦ flop. After a check from Sisso on the T♠ turn, Ruiz fired a 16,000 bet. Colin mucked his hand, but Sisso decided to stick around.

Sisso checked again on the 3♥ river, and Ruiz now sized up to 20,000. Sisso spent perhaps three minutes in the tank before making the call.

Ruiz gave Sisso a “Is this good enough?” look as he revealed his A♥J♥ holdings. Sisso gave a nod of approval, before throwing his hand into the muck.

Alejandro Ruiz: 220,000
Ofer Sisso: 70,000

Level 13: 1,000/2,000 (2,000)
Entries: 107/285

The 107 players remaining in Day 1a will soon resume play on Level 13. Below are some of the biggest stacks in the room.

The Battle of Malta Podcast, which will be recorded live daily during the 2025 Battle of Malta Autumn Edition, debuted today with its first episode. In this premiere, hosts Glenn Brown and Jason Glatzer are joined by Battle of Malta Marketing & Event Manager Telly Bartolo. It’s a great listen; make sure to check the episode out below, and don’t miss out on the upcoming episodes of the Battle of Malta Podcast this week.

Level 12: 1,000/1,500 (1,500)
Entries: 110/285

I joined the action at Table 7 when the board read T♥4♣K♦9♦. Mary Galvin checked to Gustav Frigast, who bet 8,500. Then, Galvin completed a check-raise to 18,500. After some consideration, Frigast made the call.

Frigast checked it over to Galvin on the 8♦ river, who confidently threw in five blue 5,000 chips. Frigast pondered for a minute or two before announcing all in for 47,000. Galvin leaned back in her chair, let out a “I can’t believe it” sigh, and then made the call.

Frigast turned over J♦3♦ for a rivered flush, which seemed to be what Galvin expected. She revealed her T♠T♦ holdings, while Frigast raked in his newly won chips.

Gustav Frigast: 190,000
Mary Galvin: 56,000

Chip Stacks

Level 11: 600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries: 121/285

After I caught the last hand put in the blog, I started walking towards my computer to write it up. In the arena hallway, I ran into a good friend, Rasmus Lundström. Lundström, who finished fourth in the 2025 Battle of Malta Spring Edition, arrived to the casino roughly 30 minutes ago, and we had a small chat. Right in the middle of our conversation, I heard someone yelling, “Royal Flush, baby!” I asked Lundström to excuse me as I ran towards the scream.

I arrived at Table 12, and I saw that Wesley Wiemens was leaving the table, as the dealer pushed the chips towards Cristian-Mugurel Tamas. All cards were still displayed on the table, and after snagging a quick picture, I asked Tamas to walk me through how the hand was played.

Shaun Decesare opened to 2,400 UTG. Tamas (Lo-jack) and Tayfun Rodoplu (Hi-Jack) both made the call before Wiemens made it 9,000 from the Cut-off. Tamas was the only player who made the call.

Action went check-check on the T♦A♥Q♥ flop. The action repeated itself on the T♥ turn. Tamas forced Wiemens all-in for roughly 50,000 on the 5♣ river. Wiemens snap-called.

Cristian-Mugurel Tamas: K♥J♥
Wesley Wiemens: A♦A♣

Hitting a royal flush is always a good feeling, but one has to feel for Wiemens, who experienced a bad beat to say the least. According to table-mate Christopher Barclay, this was the second Royal Flush of the day.

Cristian-Mugurel Tamas: 196,000
Wesley Wiemens: 0

Level 11: 600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries: 121/285

Harald Redl opened to 3,000 from UTG+1. It takes two to tango, they say, but in this case, Francesco Piro (UTG+2), Davide Iannaco (Button), Francesco D’aniello (Small Blind), and Banedickt Wenzel (Big Blind) all wanted to swing their hips.

Action was checked to Piro on the 2♣K♥8♣ flop, who dipped his toes in the water with a 4,700 bet. Iannaco and Wenzel both decided to stick around. After an initial check from Wenzel on the 3♦ turn, Piro now bet 7,000. Again, Iannaco and Wenzel both made the call.

The dealer revealed the 4♠ on the river, and action was now checked to Iannaco who bet a hefty 22,000. Wenzel mucked before Piro made the call.

Davide Iannaco: K♣Q♣
Francesco Piro: K♦Q♦

When the two players saw that they were splitting the pot, the shared a laugh before fiesting on the chips they won from Wenzel.

Davide Iannaco: 265,000
Francesco Piro: 196,000
Benedickt Wenzel: 50,000

BOM Trophies

Registration has now closed in the Main Event, with a total of 285 entries, 128 of whom are still in possession of chips. It’s been confirmed that they will continue until 43 players remain, but that will definitely not include Oliver Mihajlovski, Alfedo Cuti or Dylan Brandly, as they are their current chip counts are now zero.

This is my final post of the day, as I have to catch the last bus home to Birkirkara, however my esteemed colleague Christoffer Karlén will be here until the end of play and will continue to deliver the news, direct from the tournament floor.

Current State of Play

BOM Trophies

Level 11: 600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries: 131/284

Paul Rosu opened to 2,400 UTG, and Daniele Degennaro called from the Lo-jack. Then, seated in the Small Blind, Nicola Karl was under the impression that he was calling in a limped pot. The dealer made him aware of his error, and he was forced to correct his amount to 2,400. Last but not least, Miguel Avellana also called from the Big Blind.

All four players checked the 2♦4♣Q♠ flop. Karl then bet 3,500 on the 7♠ turn, and after a fold from Avellana, Rosu raised to 11,000. Degennaro swiftly folded, before Karl made the call.

Action went check-check on the K♥ river. “Sorry,” Karl said to his opponent before turning over his [Qc2s] holdings. Sometimes a miss-click can be a blessing in the skies, and this time, it awarded Karl the pot as Rosu mucked his hand.

Nicola Karl: 105,000
Paul Rosu: 26,000

BOM Autumn Edition

Playing today, but not in the Main Event is WSOPC Tallinn winner Jenny Westerlund. She’s currently in the Dark Knight, for which late registration has now closed, with 85 entries and 30 still left in.

Spring Edition champion Adrian Ziemichod is also having a good start to his title defence. He had one of the largest stacks at the dinner break, parlaying his 40,000 starting stack into a very playable 170k.

When each day begins it’s often hard to spot players that you recognise. But with every stroll through the tournament floor, you begin to see familiar faces. On my latest walkabout, a few of these faces came into clearer focus. The first player that I recognised was Alessandro Siena, who has gone deep in the last two Battle of Malta Main Events. This time last year he made the final table, taking 4th place for over €90,000. At this year’s Spring Edition, he took 18th place. He was delighted to see me, as I had been his lucky charm, always doubling up if I was watching the hand. Will I be lucky for him this time?

Alessandro Siena

Level 10: 500/1,000 (1,000)
Entries: 137/281

On an eight-handed table, Yamen Ghanem opened to 2,200 UTG. The only player who decided to make the call was Dimitrios Katsikas, who chose to defend his Big Blind.

Both players decided to check the 9♣T♦7♠ flop. Katsikas took the offensive lead on the 6♦ turn with an 8,500 bet, and Ghanem made the call.

Katsikas slowed down and checked the 4♣ turn. Perhaps, Ghanem saw his chance as he bet 8,500. Katsikas didn’t take long before making the call.

Yamen Ghanem: K♦Q♦
Dimitrios Katsikas: A♠2♠

Katsikas’s read has proven to be correct, and his ace-high was good. He won a decently-sized pot; Ghanem still sits at a very healthy stack.

Yamen Ghanem: 141,000
Dimitrios Katsikas: 83,000

Level 10: 500/1,000 (1,000)
Entries: 135/272

Action folded to Wesley Wiemens in the Cut-off, who opened to 2,200. Francisco Morren decided to defend his Big Blind. Heads-up to the flop then, and Morren check-called a 1,500 bet from Wiemens on the A♣K♣4♠ flop. It was then Morren who took over the aggression, as he bet 4,500 on the T♣ turn. Wiemens made the call, and the dealer now revealed the Q♥ on the river.

All gas and no breaks from Morren, who decided to overbet 25,000 into the 20,000-ish pot. After a minute’s worth of consideration, Wiemens decided to let his hand go.

Francisco Morren: 117,000
Wesley Wiemens: 89,000

Day 1a is on its dinner break, but there’s no down-time in the Main Event. Soon after the remaining 137 players in the Main Event had gone to fill their bellies, Day 1b began. It’s the first of the half-price flights, costing €265+€35 to play. The blinds levels and the starting stacks are also half that of the regular Main Event flights and only 7.5% of the entrants will progress to Day 2. They’re now on level 4 (that escalated quickly) with 49 of the 58 who have entered so far still in.

Current State of Play

BOM Autumn Edition

Level 10: 500/1,000 (1,000)
Entries: 138/270

The players in Day 1a are now enjoying a 75-minute dinner break. They are scheduled to return at 21:05 to Level 10. Below are some of the biggest stacks in the room. It’s worth noting that Jorge Gomez is still the chip leader, just as he was the last break.

The BOM Show was a new addition to the coverage during the Spring Edition. It’s a daily show hosted by Glenn Brown and Jason Glatzer. Each show lasts about 10-15 minutes, with a guest or two joining the hosts.

The guest on this first episode is Telly Bartolo, Casino Malta’s Marketing and Events Manager. To find out what he had to say, you’ll have to tune in to watch the episode. It drops at around 10.30pm on the Battle of Malta’s YouTube Channel.

BOM Show Recording

With the Main Event now on dinner break, here’s a quick 360 on what’s going down right now at the Eden Arena.

Main Event Day 1a

Late registration in the opening flight stays open until the end of level 10, which will be at about 9.50pm. They’re just about to go on a 75-minute dinner break, with 1xx of the 2xx entrants still possessing chips, some more than others.

Mystery Siege Day 1b

Registration has now closed for the second of four starting day of the €450 Mystery Bounty. This flight had 167 entries, with 79 still in. Like the Main Event, they will play down until 15% of the field remain, which today will be 25 players.

Dark Knight

The €200 Dark Knight is now on level 5, with 50 of its 64 runners still in contention for the trophy. There’s still five levels left for late registration.

Pot Limit Omaha

This one is taking place in the downstairs room, where 21 out of 30 players remain. They are on level 6, so there’s still time for more players to join the action.

Starting Soon

• The first of the half-price starting days of the Main Event begins at 8pm.
• Another €70 Main Event satellite starts at 9pm
• At 10pm, there’s a €150 Hyper Turbo.

Current State of Play

BOM Autumn Edition Knights

Level 9: 500/1,000 (1,000)
Entries: 139/268

Action folded all the way to Petros Daktylidis, who opened to 3,000 from the Button. Seated in the Small Blind, Kaius Kiidli was the sole caller.

Both players checked the T♦3♥9♦ flop. On the 7♦ turn, Kiidli check-called a 3,000 bet from Daktylidis. It was then Kiidli who took the aggressive lead on the 3♣ river. He bet 5,000, and Daktylidis quickly folded. Before raking home the pot, Kiidli flashed the T♥.

Petros Daktylidis: 189,000
Kaius Kiidli: 59,000

Level 9: 500/1,000 (1,000)
Entries: 152/265

Konstantinos Stroulis opened to 2,200 UTG. Nuni Sequiera then moved all in for 13,000 from the Cut-off. Action folded back to Stroulis, who made the call in a heartbeat.

Konstantinos Stroulis: A♦Q♣
Nuni Sequiera: 6♥6♠

“Sixes again!” Table mate Valentin Sandu said, which caused the table to collectively share a laugh, indicating that sixes have been a lucky hand today. If that’s the case, it still is, as the pocket pair was good on the 2♥7♥3♥9♠5♠ board.

Konstantinos Stroulis: 137,000
Nuni Sequiera: 28,500

Level 8: 400/800 (800)
Entries: 158/263

Seated in the Hi-jack, Jorge Geraldes limped for 800. Filippo Intravaia (Button) and Kristian Dahl (Small Blind) both made the call before Sweden’s Johan Sundgren raised to 4,200. Geraldes was the sole caller.

Sundgren continued his pre-flop aggression with a 3,300 bet on the T♦8♥6♥, a bet that Geraldes elected to call. Sundgren didn’t slow down on the 4♣, as he now sized up to 7,000. Geraldes made the call within seconds.

The river was the J♠, and Sundgren didn’t see a reason to slow down. He fired a hefty 13,000 bet, and Geraldes decided to make the call.

Much to Geraldes’ disgust, Sundgren revealed his A♠J♥ holdings. Geraldes gesticulated his displeasure as he revealed the 6♦ before throwing his hand into the muck. After the hand, Sundgren told me he recently lost a big pot with straight against straight, but now, he was back on the ascend.

Johan Sundgren: 83,500
Jorge Geraldes: 59,000

Level 7: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 164/250

Quite the hand went down at Table 2 roughly 10 minutes ago. The player seated UTG opened to 1,800. Two players called before the 2023 Battle of Malta Main Event Final Tableist Herli Olop made it 9,000. One of Olop’s opponents decided to make the call, leaving himself with another 9,000 behind.

Action went check-check on the 8♠5♠3♠ flop. The opponent moved all in for his last 9,000 on the 9♥ turn, and Olop snap-called.

Opponent: 7♠6♠
Herli Olop: K♦K♠

Nightmare scenario for Olop, and a blank river didn’t help him. The Estonian’s Kings were cracked, and he lost a big chunk of his stack.

Herli Olop: 33,000

Level 7: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 171/244

Throughout the years, the Battle of Malta has attracted some of the most prominent years in the industry. This year will be no different, and there will for sure be some big names in the field this year.

Georgios Skarparis is one of the 171 players currently in Day 1a. The Greek is perhaps most famous for winning the $1,000 Mini Main Event during the 2024 WSOP, earning himself $554,925 and a coveted WSOP bracelet. Time will tell what he’ll be able to achieve in Malta.

Georgios Skarparis. Photo: PokerLand

The first of the No Limit Hold’em single-day side events has just begun, in the Eden Arena. Its the Dark Knight, a Battle of Malta stalwart, with a €170+€30 buy-in. It began with six tables and just over 30 entrants and has 10 x 20 minute levels for late registration.

Current State of Play

Dark Knight Trophy

Level 7: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 175/240

I took my first stroll between the tables in the arena, and I decided to stop by Table 18 and follow along with the action in one hand, just to make sure I still got it.

Seated in the Lo-jack, Petros Daktylidis decided to limp the 600 Big Blind. Antonino Caruso continued the trend from the Hi-jack, before Emmanuel Houssais made it 2,000 from the Cut-off. Daktylidis and Caruso both made the call.

Action was checked to Houssais on the K♦A♠Q♣ flop, who fired a 1,800 continuation bet. Daktylidis made the call before Caruso decided to let his hand go.

Daktylidis checked again on the T♣ turn. Houssais now bet 7,000, only to be faced with a 17,500 raise from Daktylidis. Houssais’ hand hit the muck faster than the speed of lightning.

Petros Daktylidis: 86,000
Emmanuel Houssais: 30,000

Level 7: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 169/234

As the Day 1a players are returning from the second 20-minute break of the day, I, Christoffer Karlén, have joined the brilliant Jonathan Raab in the live reporter’s corner. For a few hours, the two of us will compose what hopefully will be a live coverage dream team. Considering Raab has been with you all since the start, he’ll bid farewell a couple of hours earlier than me, while I’ll be up and running until the Day 1a survivors bag their chips.

Level 7 will soon commence, and below are the current three biggest stacks in the room.

Chip Guard

Level : 2nd Break
Entries: 168/233

The players in Day 1a of the Main Event are now on the second break of the day. The field has risen to 233, of which 168 have their tournament lives intact. Daniel Maunder, the 2023 Spring Edition runner-up, is amongst those to have already found the rail, but he has already re-entered. Ana Marquez is another player who has already busted, but has yet to fire another bullet.

Current State of Play

The first Pot Limit Omaha event of the week has just begun. Like all the non-Hold’em tournaments on the schedule, it has a €300+€30 buy-in. It’s run on a 25-minute clock and played start with 30,000 chips. There’s three more PLO tournaments still to come, over the course of the next few days.

The first satellite of the day has now reached its conclusion, with 28 x €600 BOM Main Event tickets awarded. For those who missed out on this one, fear not, there’s another taking place tonight at 9pm, with a €60+€10 buy-in. There’s also several more Main Event satellites scheduled over the next few days.

Main Event Satellite Schedule

Current State of Play

Chip Stacks

Every year the Battle of Malta grows. The numbers go up, the prize pools get bigger and the action just keeps getting hotter and hotter. The number of partners that Casino Malta has engaged in the event also goes up with every edition.

There’s far too many partners to list them all, I’d still be writing them all out by the time we get to the next break in the Main Event, but here’s a photo of them all. Maybe next time, your brand could join them?

Battle of Malta 2025 Autumn Edition Partners

Level 4: 100/300 (300)
Entries: 155/175

During the 1st break the largest stacks were identified and we can reveal that the player with largest pile of chips at this early stage is Italian Marco Rubano, on 174,300. The next largest stack is that of Montenegrin Urtjon Harusha, who has 110,800. The only other player to have built a six-figure chip stack so far is Czech Josef Gulas, on 101,000.

The top three in the chip counts at the end of the day will all receive €1,500 packages to the 2026 Battle of Malta Spring Edition. Will Rubanu still be up there at the end of play, or will he even make it through to Day 2? Its early days in the flight and there’s still a lot of action to come before the top three chip leaders will be determined.

Maqrco Rubano, Early Chip Leader of Day 1a of Main Event

Level 4: 100/300 (300)
Entries: 144/162

Earlier this year, the Spring Edition was won by Polish Adrian Ziemichod, who put on a dominant display on the final table, to take down the €120,000 first prize and his first major live title. He’s gone on to have a pretty good 2025, with 18 further cashes, including five at the Irish Open.

This time last year, Vasileios Zizis almost went back-to-back following his victory in the 2024 Spring Edition. However the Greek player fell at the final hurdle, finishing as the runner up, a remarkable achievement and oh so close to a historic double. He was thwarted in his quest to retain his title by Spaniard Cosme Gomez-Martinez, who emerged as another worthy champion, taking down the title and the first prize of €255,800.

Will Ziemichod go one better and secure the double? He’s here again this time and has taken his seat in Day 1a of the Main Event. We’ll keep a close eye on his progress.

Battle of Malta Spring Edition Champion Adrian Ziemichod

Just as Day 1b of the Mystery Siege was teeing off, the Battle of Malta Main Event Day 1a has reached its first break of the day. The number of entries has now climbed to 149, with just ten bust-outs so far. We will have chip counts of the three biggest stacks coming shortly.

Current State of Play

The Eden Arena

The second starting day of the Mystery Siege of Malta, with a €450 (€210+€200+€40) buy-in, will commence at 3pm. Registration is now open for this flight, which will take place upstairs, in the Eden Arena.

The first starting day for this €100,000 guaranteed tournament took place on Tuesday, alongside the opening satellites for the Main Event. Werge Malmborg’s 522,000 was by far the largest stack of the 23 survivors, who are all into Day 2 and in the money!

Mystery Siege of Malta Trophy

Level 2: 100/100 (100)
Day 1a Entries: 114/117

The Battle of Malta Main Event has now moved onto the second level of the day and there have already been three bust-outs. Well, actually, only two players have busted out, but one of them has done it twice!

The first player to make the walk of shame to the hotel room/taxi rank/registration desk was Davy Azoulay, but that dishonour was soon eclipsed by Nikola Minkov, who busted out twice in quick succession and is now on his third bullet of the flight! Third time lucky, perhaps?

Current State of Play

Battle of Malta 2025 Autumn Edition Trophies

Day 1a of the €530+€70 Battle of Malta Main Event is now underway. This flight runs on a 40-minute click and within 10 minutes of the off, over 70 players had already polished up their armour and drawn their swords. The top three chip stacks from the flight will bag themselves €1,500 packages to the next BOM event in Spring 2026. We’ll be keeping an eye on who’s in contention for those prizes as the flight progresses.

Registration stays open until the end of level 10, which will be at around about 9.45pm and they play on until 15% of the field is left.

It’s finally here, the 2025 Battle of Malta Autumn Edition is set to get underway. This is the tenth edition of Malta’s largest poker event to take place in the Eden Arena and Casino Malta, at the Intercontinental Hotel in St Julian’s.  Battle of Malta 10 got underway on Tuesday 20th with a couple of €70 (€60+€10) Main Event satellites on Tuesday 28th October, plus the opening flight of the €450 (€210+€200+€40) Mystery Siege of Malta.

Battle of Malta Spring Edition Final Table

Wednesday 29th Tournament Schedule

Today’s (Wednesday 29th October) schedule makes yesterday’s openers seem like mere skirmishes. Today its out and out war, as not only does the Mystery Siege of Malta continue with its second opening flight, but the first two starting days of the Battle of Malta Main Event will also take place. There’s also the first PLO event of the festival, plus two NLH side events and a couple of Main Event satellites.

Battle of Malta Full Tournament Schedule

As usual, there’s a packed schedule of tournaments, most of which are No Limit Hold’em, but there are also several Omaha and Mixed Game events within the remaining 8-days of the festival. The highlight of the festival is of course the €1.5m guaranteed Main Event. The €530+€70 tournament has nine starting flights and runs throughout the festival, with the final table scheduled for Wednesday 5th November. Fireworks are expected, but there’s a few bonfires that need to be set alight before we get there.

Other highlights include the €100,000 guaranteed Mystery Siege of Malta, with a €450 (€210+€200+€40) buy-in. There’s also the €300,000 Guaranteed €1,000+€100 High Roller and a €2,000+€200 Super High Roller, sponsored by ACR Poker.

Overall it’s quite a similar schedule to last year, but there are a few small changes to some of the side events, as there are some new partners for this edition, keeping the side event schedule fresh. One of the new additions to get your thirst going, is the €180+€20 Beer Poker Tour NLH on Thursday.

There’s a lot to digest on the itinerary, with up to 10 tournaments scheduled on the busiest days. It can be accessed via the menu of the Battle of Malta website, but to save you the bother of navigating, here’s a quick link that will take you straight there (in a new tab):

Click Here for the full 2025 Battle of Malta Autumn Edition Tournament Schedule.

Here’s a breakdown of events by type.

Battle of Malta Main Event

The €530+€70 Battle of Malta Main Event is the reason why we are here. It’s one of the biggest tournaments in the world, with a €1.5m guarantee, but we expect that to well and truly smashed by the time we get to Day 2, on Sunday.

There are nine starting days, two per day from Wednesday to Saturday and a final fling on Sunday morning. As per past year, the event has a two tier buy-in system.

The first flights of each  day are full price starting days, costing €530+€70 to enter and they are run using a 40m clock, with players starting with 40,000 chips. The top 15% will progress to Day 2 from each of these.

The evening flights from Monday-Saturday cost half this amount to enter, €265+€35 and in these players start with 20,000 chips and play on a 20-minute clock until just 7.5% of the field remains.

The final starting day on Sunday morning is full price, with a 40,000 starting stack, but runs on a 20-minute clock.

The three players with the biggest stacks at the end of each full price starting day will receive a bonus prize of a €1,500 package to the 2026 Battle of Malta Spring Edition. For the half-price starting days, only the end of day chip leader will receive this prize!

Mystery Siege of Malta

The €450 Mystery Siege of Malta is the key marquee event of the festival, apart from the Main Event itself. The first of its four flights took place on Tuesday and there are three further starting days, with the second and final day of the event on Friday, when the Mystery Bounties can be won. Last year the Mystery Siege almost doubled its €100k guarantee, with 1,034 entrants. It was won by Dennis Stemmler, who scooped the €35,000 first prize.

The opening flight of the Mystery Siege had a field of 154 entrants, 23 of which made it into Day 2. Werge Malmborg bagged the chip lead, with a stack of 522,000, almost 150k ahead of second placed Pedro Faustino on 386,000.

Two-Day Side Events

In addition to the Main Event and the Mystery Siege, there are also three other tournaments on the schedule that take more than one day to complete

One-Day Side Events

The vast majority of the side events are one-day tournaments. BOM favorites the Dark Knight and the White Knight take place several times throughout the festival, as does the late night HyperTurbo. Here’s the full schedule of one day Hold’em tournaments.

Non-Hold’em Events

The Battle of Malta schedule also contains a number of non-Hold’em tournaments, mostly Omaha, but there is also a Sviten and a H.O.R.S.E in the mix. All of these are one-day tournaments.

Satellites

The final category of tournaments on the schedule is satellites. Most of these are for the Main Event, but there are also some for the High Roller. All satellites are run using an accumulator format, whereby players are awarded a seat in the target event when their chip stack has reached a prescribed target. It’s also worth noting that it’s possible to win more than one ticket per player, as only the target amount is removed from players stacks when they are awarded a seat.

The first two satellites on Tuesday were busy, with 26 seats into the Main Event generated in the first one, plus another 16 in the second.

Event Coverage

We’ll be covering the Main Event in detail in this blog throughout the festival, but also keeping an eye on all the other events. We’ll deliver crucial hands, crazy bad beats and everything else in between as the story of the Main Event unfolds. The coverage here will be brought to you by Christoffer Karlén and myself, Jonathan Raab, with perhaps a few posts from the maestro, Jason Glatzer. Photography is by Igor.

For those who prefer short-form content, the Battle of Malta’s social media channels on Facebook and Instagram are where this can be found. Glenn Brown, Jason Glatzer and Valeria will host the coverage and will also present the nightly Battle of Malta Show, with interviews, discussions and much more. All episodes of the show will be posted on the Battle of Malta’s YouTube Channel.

They’re inspecting the ammunition as I write these words, which may well be my last. The cutlasses are being sharpened, the cannonballs are being lined up and somehow I’ve drawn the short straw of staying on the battlefield, dodging the arrows and the cavalry charges, to report from the front line on the massacre that is about to take place.

But I’m not alone, there’s a small, almost merry band of us, here to deliver the news, via a variety of mediums, written and audiovisual. Much of this will be found on the what they call social media, on the BOM’s facebook and Instagram pages, while this blog will serve as the most direct source of news, direct from the battlefield.

The first skirmish of the 2025 Battle of Malta Autumn Edition is already underway, a satellite into the Main Event and Day 1a of the €450 Mystery Siege is just about to get going.

Blog coverage will begin on Wednesday 30th October, shortly before the start of Day 1a, at 1pm. Until then, prepare your armour, get ready to raise your swords and when the signal is given, let  the Battle of Malta commence!

Battle of Malta Spring Edition Trophy