Results

The iconic Battle of Malta festival left the shores of the island for the first time this week, venturing to Card Casino Samorin for the Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition, with a marquee €400 buy-in, €400,000 Main Event. It is safe to say the event was a huge success, with hordes of players from all over the world descending on the stunning venue, and 1,510 entries creating a €402,840 prize pool.

Only 15 players returned for the final day on September 14, and when the dust settled on a rollercoaster final table, Vienna native and online grinder Mario Klaic had secured his maiden live victory and was crowned as the first international Battle of Malta champion.

Klaic banked €46,900 in the process after a heads-up deal with his final adversary, Henrich Miculik of Slovakia, secured both players €40,000 and left only the destination of the trophy and the final €6,900 of the prize pool to be determined.

While the result was not Klaic’s biggest score, having secured a number of cashes in the $40,000-$65,000 range online, the project manager was emotional after his win, and savored finally getting his hands on a live poker trophy.

Klaic had spent the entirety of his starting flight, and Day 2, with his laptop open beside him grinding multiple tables online, and took down a tournament for $5,000 during Day 2. However, he set the online grind aside for the final day, and truly played for the win.

The final table was explosive, with the chip lead changing hands on multiple occasions between numerous players, and ICM considerations seemed to go out the window at various points, while huge, barely believable coolers erupted.

Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Main Event Final Table Results

Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Main Event Final Table

The final table results for the event are set out below:

*Denotes Heads-Up Deal

In addition, the top four received €1,500 tickets to the WSOP Circuit event at Card Casino in February 2027, while fifth to ninth received a €1,200 package to the €2,000,000 guaranteed Battle of Malta festival, running from 27 October to 4 November.

Winner’s Reaction

Mario Klaic and Casino Malta Staff

After he had been presented with the trophy, a beaming Klaic said “Amazing, I mean I have no words for this experience. It’s my first live title, I’m usually a button clicker, so it means a lot. There was lots of swings, ups and downs, I was chip leader for a while, but you have to be confident in these situations. You never know what happens, there was of course some luck, you can’t win a tournament without some, but I was confident and wasn’t particularly scared of any opponent.”

“My game plan was just be crazy, crazy enough to beat those I would say quite tight players, it was a lot of money I think for most of them. I was playing for the title if I’m honest, I was not playing for the prize pool. I shipped a tournament online during Day 2, I had no fear. I just wanted the title, and it’s now in my arms, so I’m really happy.”

“I don’t think this will change too much for my poker plans. I’ve been thinking about switching more to live tournaments, I’m an online player for sure, but I enjoy the social aspect of live, the experience is quite different and I’ve really started enjoying it, so yes I just want to keep up with the grind and play my best.”

Recap of Final Day Action

The final 15 returned with €3,200 locked up, and Hassibullah Hafizi of Austria and Peter Kadlec of Slovakia, who had already secured their biggest live scores, started with a big lead over the rest of the field, while Klaic was in the top four, along with Marcus Skalicky.

The first elimination came in the very first hand of the day, as short-stack Marian Flesar got it in good versus Alexander Geischlaeger, but was overtaken on the flop. Kadlec was the beneficiary of an astonishing cooler, when Marek Grinaj and Otto Hiebel committed their stacks to the middle, both holding pocket kings, but ran into Kadlec’s aces, resulting in a double knockout and vaulting the Slovakian into the chip lead.

Peter Kadlec

Kadlec took a hit when he lost a flip with ace-king to double Zdenek Svoboda, and Hafizi got in on the action when he eliminated Sandor Rabi of Hungary in 12th. Kadlec promptly got his revenge on Svoboda when Svoboda three-bet jammed with a suited ace over an open, but ran into Kadlec’s kings in the big blind.

The final table was set when Geischlaeger disposed of short-stack Norbert Alin, and Kadlec held a substantial lead over Skalicky and Klaic.

Final Table Action

Play started relatively cautiously, and Klaic moved up the standings when he damaged Hafizi with two pair, but then sustained damage in successive pots against Geischlaeger and Miculik.

It took around 90 minutes before Radoslav Herman of Slovakia became the first casualty of the final table, running into Miculik’s overpair, and Klaic claimed his first scalp when he pipped Hungarian Norbert Kerepesi.

The players with the biggest regrets from the finale will probably be Kadlec and Geischlaeger. Kadlec had started Day 3 on fire, but matters started to go wrong when he ran ace-queen into the ace-king of Daniel Georgiev, surrendering the chip lead to Geischlaeger. The top two then went to war, with ICM considerations going out the window, as Kadlec back-jammed pocket nines in the face of Geischlaeger’s three-bet with ace-queen suited, who instantly called.

Alexander Geischlaeger

Geischlaeger smashed the flop, hitting top pair with the nut flush draw, but Kadlec made a set on the turn in brutal fashion, and improved to a full house on the river. Geischlaeger had thumped the table in fury when the turn hit, and was thoroughly disgusted with the outcome. That gave Kadlec a third of the chips in play, and the trophy seemed his to lose, but he got unlucky against Klaic, in what was with hindsight the most significant hand of the tournament.

In a three-bet pot, Kadlec check-called an all-in from Klaic on the turn with second pair. Klaic only had a wrap draw, but drilled it on the river to take the overall chip lead. Kadlec still had a healthy stack, but the bad beat seemed to have a significant impact, and shortly after he was in a three-bet pot with Skalicky with a weak holding, and jammed bottom pair into Skalicky’s top two, sending Kadlec tumbling to the bottom of the counts.

The ultimate champion proceeded to pick up cowboys to extend his lead, but was usurped by Skalicky just before dinner break, where there were still 7 players left. The break seemed to recharge everyone, and the pace went from cautious to chaotic almost instantly, as the field was reduced to the final three in rapid fashion on their return.

First, Miculik busted short-stack Georgiev in a button versus big blind spot, before Hafizi jammed into Klaic’s dominating hand to depart in sixth. Skalicky busted Kadlec in fifth in a blind on blind spot, and Geischlaeger’s run ended in fourth when he jammed the button with an ace, but ran into Miculik’s rockets in the small blind.

Henrich Miculik

Skalicky had the lead three-handed, and the players battled for a good two hours, with Klaic showing he was playing for the win by jamming the turn with air in a three-bet pot versus Skalicky, giving the victor a reasonable lead over Skalicky at the third break.

However Miculik came back with renewed energy from the break, and suddenly went on a charge, taking a number of pots against Klaic to take the lead. Skalicky started to be squeezed by both Miculik and Klaic, and he was on the ropes and eventually eliminated by Klaic after essentially being forced all-in from the big blind, leaving Klaic and Miculik to face off for the title.

Mario Klaic and Henrich Miculik Before Heads-Up Play

Despite having a 3:2 chip advantage, Miculik was content to agree a €40,000 even chop of the remaining prize pool, with €6,900 reserved for the winner. It didn’t take long for Klaic to reverse the position, and he sealed the title when he defended the big blind and flopped two pair versus Miculik’s top pair, with the chips hitting the middle on the turn, crowning Klaic as a deserved champion.

Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition €400 Main Event Results

The full results for the event are below:

Mario Klaic – Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Main Event Winner

€400 Main Event Day 3
Level 36: 400,000/800,000 (800,000)
Entries: 1/1,510
Prize Pool: €402,840

Austrian Mario Klaic has been crowned a worthy champion in the first ever Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Main Event, banking €46,900 after defeating Henrich Miculik heads-up.

The players agreed a deal whereby they each secured €40,000, and played on for €6,900 and the trophy. Klaic, an online grinder, proceeded to turn around a chip deficit in rapid fashion to lift his first ever live poker trophy.

A full recap of the final day and an interview with the champion will follow tomorrow, but in the meantime the full results of the event are listed below:-

*Denotes Heads-Up Deal

Hassibullah Hafizi

Chips flew in all directions on Day 2 of the Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Main Event at Card Casino Samorin on September 13, with a Day 2 field of 185 players reduced to the final 15 combatants after thirteen 40-minute levels of play.

When play concluded after the elimination of the €220 Mystery Bounty winner Silviu Nemes of Romania in the last hand of the day, Hassibullah Hafizi of Austria (9,710,000) and Peter Kadlec of Slovakia (9,425,000) had opened up a significant lead over the rest of the field, with their closest challenger being Marcus Skalicky of Austria (4,820,000), and they will be the favorites to land the chunky €51,400 first-place prize in the final day.

Peter Kadlec

Hafizi and Kadlec have already secured career-best tournament scores, while Skalicky is a WSOP-C ring holder having taken the title in the Mystery Bounty event in Rozvadov in January 2025. Marian Flesar and Zdenek Svoboda appear to be the most experienced of the remaining players, with over $384,000 and $236,000 in recorded cashes respectively.

Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Main Event Chip Counts Start of Day 3 Chip Counts

Play concluded with one minute left in Level 28, with blinds of 80,000/160,000 (160,000), and the full counts are set out below. The clock is increased to 50-minute levels for the final day.

Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Main Event Day 3 Seating Draw

The seating draw for the final day is set out below, with Table 111 being the streamed feature table. The final day will be live streamed on Card Casino’s YouTube channel on a 30-minute delay, with commentary provided by Jason Glatzer of poker.pro, and our coverage will be synced with the stream to avoid spoilers.

The Day 3 seating draw is set out below:-

Remaining Payouts

All players have guaranteed a €3,200 payday, while a spot at the final table is worth €4,400, with the remaining payouts up for grabs as follows:

In addition, the final four will receive a €1,500 ticket to the WSOP Circuit event in Bratislava in February 2027, and fifth to ninth will receive a €1,200 package to the Battle of Malta in October. All prizes are deducted from the prize pool.

Recap of Day 2 Action

A total of 1,510 entries across nine starting flights created a €402,840 prize pool, and 185 players returned for Day 2 with a €700 minimum cash secured, but all with their sights firmly fixed on the €51,400 reserved for the champion.

They were led by Rudolf Kosa of Austria and Sergii Baranov of Ukraine, while Kadlec was sitting in fifth, and Hafizi was in the middle of the pack. Tthe action was fast and furious from the outset, with over 60 players sent to the rail by the first break, including Andrei Pocol, Ondrej Lon and Christoph Hillinger.

Kosa maintained his lead through the first two breaks, but ultimately came unstuck in 29th, shortly after Baranov and hometown hero Andrej Desset hit the rail. Radoslav Herman soared to the top of the standings when he spiked a two-outer to claim a double knockout, and he was joined by Austrian Mario Klaic by the time of the third break.

Radoslav Herman

Geischlaeger secured a crucial triple-up with a low pair, leaping out his chair and celebrating with passion when the river hit, and Skalicky was then the beneficiary of an aces versus queens cooler to vault up the standings.

The final three tables were set when Otto Hiebel disposed of Emil Trenkov, by which stage Flesar had moved into the lead. Thereafter, Hafizi and Kadlec started to catch some momentum to pull away from the field. Hafizi found a two-outer to bust Martin Sedilek. Kadlec then went to war with Nemes, doubling through him twice in successive hands to take the chip lead.

Klaic sent Petko Stamatov to the rail in 20th in a button versus big blind spot, before Hafizi disposed of Flesar with a turned full house.

A huge three-way all-in resulted in Marek Grinaj tripling up, and Hafizi busting Alexandru Popa in a more significant side pot, before Kadlec cracked ‘Bubo’ with a nut flush and Hafizi secured the elimination of Nemes to bring play to a close.

Ross Whitelaw Wins Second Chance One-Day Event (€4,560)

Ross Whitelaw

The penultimate side event of the festival, the €200 Second Chance event, attracted 115 entries creating a €19,000 prize pool, and it was Ross Whitelaw of the United Kingdom who took the trophy and €4,560 first-place prize, defeating Filip Lakatos of Slovakia heads-up. It caps a stellar week for Whitelaw, who also final tabled the High Roller.

The full results are as follows:-

Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition – Schedule, Monday, September 14

The final day of the festival also sees the final side event take place, with the €150 Closer kicking off at 5 p.m., featuring a 30,000 starting stack and 20-minute levels, and late registration is open until the start of Level 11.

Our coverage of the final day will kick off at 4.30 p.m. keeping in sync with the stream delay, so stay tuned for all your coverage of what is sure to be a thrilling finale to the Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition.

Silviu Nemes

A huge day of poker action in the Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition at Card Casino Samorin on September 11 saw two trophies awarded, and two Main Event starting flights completed.

Silviu Nemes of Romania and Jonas Bachan of Austria walked away with trophies and bankroll boosts, while Alexandru Popa of Romania and Austrian Rudolf Kosa topped the standings in their respective Main Event flights.

The stand-out performance of the day undoubtedly belonged to Nemes, who claimed almost half the prize pool in the €220 Mystery Bounty after running riot in Day 2.

Silviu Nemes Wins €220 Mystery Bounty (€16,375 Inclusive of Bounties)

Silviu Nemes

A total of 23 players returned for Day 2, and Nemes was at the top of the pile, with the €40,000 prize pool split evenly between cash prizes and bounties.

The Romanian proceeded to run amok, knocking out a barely believable 14 opponents, including every single final table adversary, to claim €11,500 in bounties on top of the €4,875 first-place prize, and the trophy, after defeating Tina Christensen of Denmark heads-up.

However, Nemes did not manage to get his hands on the biggest bounty of €4,700, which went to Dutchman Bas De Laat.

Bas de Laat

The full results for the event are below:

Alexandru Popa Tops Main Event Day 1d Standings as Rudolf Kosa Takes Overall Chip Lead in Main Event Day 1e

Alexandru Popa

A total of 12 players qualified from 91 entrants in Day 1d, with Alexandru Popa of Romania (712,000) leading the way, and the full counts as follows:

Meanwhile in Day 1e, Rudolf Kosa of Austria (1,299,000) joined Day 1a chip leader Sergii Baranov as the only player to hit seven figures, taking the overall chip lead in the process, as he headed 13 qualifiers from 98 entrants, with the full counts below.

Rudolf Kosa

Those figures mean 141 players have qualified for Day 2 thus far from 1,113 entries, with the overall top ten Main Event counts after the completion of Day 1e as follows:

Jonas Bachan Wins €150 Deepstack Turbo (€3,225)

Jonas Bachan

The €150 Deepstack Turbo attracted 72 entries, creating a €9,500 prize pool, and Jonas Bachan of Austria took the trophy and banked a €3,225 payday after defeating Marcus Heindrich heads-up, with nine places paid as set out below.

Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition – Schedule, Saturday, September 12

The action on September 12 is all about the Main Event, with three further starting flights at noon and 5 p.m, featuring 30-minute levels, and Day 1h at 10 p.m., featuring 20-minute levels.

The final starting flight takes place at 10 a.m. on September 13, featuring 15-minute levels, while there is also a flip and go at 2 p.m. on the same day, representing the last chance for players to qualify for Day 2, scheduled for 4 p.m. on September 13.

In addition, a satellite offering five €1,300 packages to the Battle of Malta in October 2026 takes place at 7 p.m, comprising a €600 Main Event ticket, 4 nights of accommodation and €250 in cash.

Today’s schedule is set out below.

We will be on the floor from 2 p.m. bringing you coverage of all the action, so stay tuned for all your coverage of the Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition.

Silviu Nemes

€220 Mystery Bounty Day 2
Level 30: 25,000/50,000 (50,000)
Entries: 1/178
Prize Pool: €40,000

The full results of the €220 Mystery Bounty are set out below, with Silviu Nemes claiming almost half of the total prize pool after a dominating Day 2 performance, knocking out 14 of 23 players, while Bas De Laat pulled the biggest bounty of €4,700.

Bas de Laat

Martin Bartos

Another busy day of poker action at Card Casino Samorin on September 10 saw the first trophy of the Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition awarded, as Martin Bartos was the last player standing in the €1,000 buy-in, €50,000 High Roller, while Maciej Blazejewski led three qualifiers from Day 1c of the €400 buy-in, €400,000 Main Event, and Silviu Nemes was at the top of 18 qualifiers in Day 1b of the €220 buy-in €40,000 Mystery Bounty.

Martin Bartos Wins Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition €1,000 High Roller (€17,200 plus €500 WSOPC ticket)

A high-quality field of 43 players gathered for the High Roller, and six players split the €50,000 prize pool. Attila Koncz of Hungary came into the final table with the chip lead, but it was Martin Bartos, tenth in the Slovakia all-time money list, who bagged the trophy and €17,200 top prize after defeating Zdenek Svoboda of Czechia heads-up.

Jessica Vierling of Germany secured a minimum cash, while Ross Whitelaw of the United Kingdom and Jaroslav Peter of Czechia also made the money, with the full results detailed below.

Maciej Blazejewski Leads Three Qualifiers in Day 1c of the €400 Main Event

Maciej Blazejewski

With the final starting flight of the Mystery Bounty and High Roller also taking place, Day 1c of the Main Event attracted a small field of 24 entries, and three players qualified, led by Maciej Blazejewski of Poland, with the full counts below.

Day 1c Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Main Event Counts

Overall Top Ten Counts After Day 1c – Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Main Event

As such, a total of 116 players from 924 entries have booked their spots for Day 2 thus far, with the overall top ten as follows:-

Two more starting flights take place today, September 11, at noon and 6 p.m.

Silviu Nemes Leads 18 Qualifiers in Day 1b of €220 Mystery Bounty

The final starting flight of the Mystery Bounty attracted 142 entries, with 18 players progressing to join the five qualifiers from Day 1a.

Silviu Nemes of Romania (490,000) bagged the chip lead in Day 1b, slightly ahead of Ozren Cvijanovic of Serbia (440,000), while players such as Tina Christensen of Denmark (390,000), Finn Joonas Holm (240,000) and Bulgarian Martin Todorov (135,000) also qualified.

The full counts for the Day 1b qualifiers are listed below.

The overall counts for the Day 2 players are as follows:

The final day kicks off at 3 p.m. on September 11, with players in the money and bounties up for grabs from the start of play, and payout details will be provided as soon as possible.

Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition – Schedule, Friday, September 11

Another packed schedule of events is on the menu, with two starting flights of the Main Event, the final day of the Mystery Bounty and the €150 buy-in, €10,000 Deepstack Turbo all set to be completed.

We will be on the floor from 2.30 p.m. bringing you coverage of all the action, so stay tuned for all your coverage of the Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition.