Day 1a

Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition, Card Casino Samorin

The Battle of Malta’s first-ever international partnership kicked off in style on September 8, as the Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition got underway at Card Casino Samorin with Day 1a of the €400,000 Main Event.

The turnout was enormous, with a total of 784 entries taking advantage of the opportunity to attempt to qualify for Day 2 for the half-price cost of €200, resulting in €141,120 of the prize pool being collected already, with eight more starting flights still to come.

When the dust settled, Sergii Baranov of Ukraine (1,036,000) rose to the top of the standings, being the only player to bag up a seven-figure stack, while Peter Kadlec of Slovakia (900,000) and Edmond Ala of Austria (818,000) were his closest challengers.

Stavros Passias of Greece (575,000) took the top cash prize of €114,150 after a four-way deal in the 2026 Battle of Malta Summer Edition, although the trophy eluded him, and he is in a good position for another deep run after securing a top-ten stack. Other notable names to qualify include Martin Lechner of Austria (639,000), Vitalii Shcherba of Ukraine (433,000), and Amir Juwan of Austria (134,000).

Stavros Passias

End of Day 1a Chip Counts – Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Main Event

The full list of Day 1a qualifiers is set out below:

All of the above players are in the money, and will receive an early payout of €500.

Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition – Schedule, Wednesday, September 9

There are two primary events on the schedule on September 9, set out below, with Day 1a of the €220 buy-in, €40,000 Mystery Bounty kicking off at 5 p.m. local time, while Day 1b of the €400,000, €400 buy-in Main Event gets underway at 6 p.m.

Day 1b of the Main Event features a chip-leader cash bonus for the top-three finishers. The player who tops the standings will receive €3,000, while second and third will receive €1,500 and €1,000 respectively. In addition, the podium places will receive a €600 ticket to the Battle of Malta in October.

Players sit down to a 40,000 starting stack at blind level 100/200/200, with the clock set to 30-minute levels. Late registration remains open until the start of Level 11, with 12.5% of the field set to qualify from each flight.

In the Mystery Bounty, players sit down to a 30,000 starting stack at blind level 100/100/100, with the clock set to 30-minute levels. Late registration remains open until the start of Level 13, with 12.5% of the field set to qualify. All Day 2 qualifiers will be in the money, with bounties in play from the start of Day 2.

The second Mystery Bounty starting flight takes place on September 10 at 5 p.m. local time, while Day 2 is scheduled for 3 p.m. on September 11.

We will be on the floor from 6 p.m. bringing you full coverage of Day 1b of the Main Event, with general updates provided in respect of Day 1a of the Mystery Bounty, so stay tuned for all your coverage of the Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition.

Stavros Passias

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 12: 1,500/3,000 (3,000)
Entries: 209/784
Prize Pool: €400,000

Stavros Passias produced a stellar performance at the 2026 Battle of Malta Summer Edition, taking the biggest payout of €114,150 after a four-way deal.

However he ultimately missed out on the trophy to Alejandro Asenjo, and Passias is here in Slovakia hoping to finally get his hands on Main Event silverware.

He currently sits on a healthy stack of 185,000, with his first target to secure Day 2 qualification.

Our coverage of Day 1a has now concluded, but full details of the qualifiers will be provided in due course tomorrow.

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 12: 1,500/3,000 (3,000)
Entries: 222/784
Prize Pool: €400,000

With 42,500 in the middle on a flop of A♣Q♥7♥, Roland Varga checked to Peter Jesko, who slid out a bet of 10,000.

Varga responded with a check-raise to 32,000, sending Jesko deep into thought.

After around 90 seconds, Jesko clicked it back with a raise to 65,000.

Varga, with around 230,000 behind, took a bit of time to consider the position, but ultimately sighed and conceded the pot to Jesko.

Peter Jesko – 190,000
Roland Varga – 230,000

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 12: 1,500/3,000 (3,000)
Entries: 239/784
Prize Pool: €400,000

Attila Bahari opened to 6,000 from the button, and quickly called a three-bet jam of 98,000 from Linda Huber in the big blind.

Linda Huber: A♣3♣
Attila Bahari: T♠T♥

Huber needed some help, and the ace was in the window on the A♠9♦4♥ flop, while Bahari could not find a two-outer on the remaining J♣8♥ runout.

Linda Huber – 203,500
Attila Bahari – 153,000

Michelle Gross

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 12: 1,500/3,000 (3,000)
Entries: 270/784
Prize Pool: €400,000

Andrej Paska opened to 6,500 from the cutoff, and received calls from Pedram Mafi on the button, and Maciej Dymnicki and Michelle Gross in the blinds.

The K♥T♠8♠ flop was checked to Mafi, who fired out a bet of 10,000.

Only Paska folded, and the 7♣ hit on the turn. The trio knuckled their option, and did the same on the 9♥ river.

Dymnicki tabled K♣Q♦ for top pair, and that was sufficient to force his opponents to muck.

Maciej Dymnicki – 162,000
Pedram Mafi – 356,000
Michelle Gross – 180,000
Andrej Paska – 130,000

Pedram Mafi

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 11: 1,000/2,500 (2,500)
Entries: 304/784
Prize Pool: €400,000

Some big stacks are starting to emerge, with the following players topping the standings after a perusal of both tournament rooms:

Florian Foucek – 415,000
Robert Kis – 345,000
Sandor Kenyeres – 340,000
Pedram Mafi – 320,000
Roland Lakatos – 310,000

Card Casino Samorin

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 11: 1,000/2,500 (2,500)
Entries: 324/784
Prize Pool: €400,000

Late registration has now closed in Day 1a of the Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition, with the ticker stopping at a huge 784 entries.

With 12.5% of the field set to qualify, those figures mean 98 players are scheduled to progress to Day 2. Players must put chips in a bag to qualify.

Our coverage of the action will conclude today at the end of Level 12, but full details of the qualifiers will be provided tomorrow.

Battle of Malta Slovakia

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 10: 1,000/2,000 (2,000)
Entries: 320/777
Prize Pool: €400,000

With around 32,000 in the middle on a board of Q♠J♠3♥K♣, Filip Marchand and Alan Basta checked from the blinds to Andrei Pocol on the button, who fired out a bet of 25,000.

Marchand check-jammed for 75,600, and Basta moved his stack of around 57,400 into the middle.

Pocol took some time to think, but eventually called with the covering stack.

Alan Basta: K♥J♦
Filip Marchand: A♥T♦
Andrei Pocol: A♠9♠

In a huge cooler, it was two pair versus a broadway straight versus the nut flush draw.

The 7♦ river was a brick, and Marchand celebrated with gusto as he busted Basta and left Pocol short-stacked.

The players have been sent on a break, with late registration set to close before the start of the next level.

Filip Marchand – 236,500
Andrei Pocol – 19,500
Alan Basta – 0

Card Casino Samorin

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 10: 1,000/2,000 (2,000)
Entries: 342/747
Prize Pool: €400,000

In a three-way all-in, Istvan Major and Jasmine Schuster were all-in for 11,000 and 42,000 respectively, and covered by Josip Madzar.

Istvan Major: K♦9♦
Jasmine Schuster: J♣J♥
Josip Madzar: Q♣Q♥

Madzar looked in great shape, and the A♦T♥4♣ flop was clear.

The 7♦ turn gave Major a flush draw, and he drilled the 4♦ river to triple-up, while Madzar busted Schuster in the side pot.

Istvan Major – 38,000
Josip Madzar – 90,000
Jasmine Schuster – 0

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 10: 1,000/2,000 (2,000)
Entries: 344/728
Prize Pool: €400,000

David Szodi was all-in for 18,500 and at risk against Hakan Saglam.

David Szodi: A♦T♦
Hakan Saglam: 4♣4♥

It was off to the races, and Szodi hit the front on the flop, and did not relinquish it, on the A♥Q♦2♣K♣8♠ runout.

David Szodi – 42,000
Hakan Saglam – 124,000

Card Casino, Samorin

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 9: 800/1,600 (1,600)
Entries: 352/702
Prize Pool: €400,000

Alojz Bachar was all-in for 47,300 and at risk against Miodrag Zelenka.

Alojz Bachar: A♣3♣
Miodrag Zelenka: A♠8♦

Bachar was in trouble again, but he flopped Zelenka dead on the 8♣7♣6♣5♦6♠ runout.

Alojz Bachar – 98,600
Miodrag Zelenka – 12,000

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 9: 800/1,600 (1,600)
Entries: 357/669
Prize Pool: €400,000

Alojz Bachar jammed from under the gun for 42,000, and looked concerned when Balazs Zsidi called quickly in the big blind with the covering stack.

Aloj Bachar: T♠7♦
Balazs Zsidi: K♥K♠

Bachar needed a miracle, and the 9♥7♥6♣ flop brought hope, giving Bachar a pair and gutshot.

The 2♠ turn was a brick, but the T♣ hit on the river to give Bachar two pair and the double-up.

Zsidi was absolutely disgusted with the runout, and Bachar offered his apologies as he stacked his chips.

Alojz Bachar – 88,000
Balazs Zsidi – 105,000

Battle of Malta Slovakia Trophies

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 9: 800/1,600 (1,600)
Entries: 357/669
Prize Pool: €400,000

Cards were on their backs and stacks were in the middle, with Sandor Rabi and Tomas Buksa all-in for 20,000 and 27,300 respectively, and at risk against Klaus Spitzer.

Tomas Buksa: A♥J♦
Sandor Rabi: J♥7♠
Klaus Spitzer: K♥T♥

Buksa was ahead, and had his opponents drawing dead by the turn on the A♦7♦5♥A♠4♣ runout.

Tomas Buksa – 78,600
Klaus Spitzer – 75,000
Sandor Rabi – 0

David Mikulenka

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 8: 600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries: 365/654
Prize Pool: €400,000

David Mikulenka was raking in a triple-up, leaving Lucian Abrudan and Daniel Simon looking stunned.

Mikulenka had 8♥7♥, Abrudan held K♠K♥, and Simon also had a pair with T♥T♦.

The board read 9♥8♦7♣A♠Q♣, with Mikulenka flopping two pair, and the chips presumably hitting the middle on the flop.

Mikulenka busted Abrudan, while Simon was left with dust.

David Mikulenka – 150,000
Daniel Simon – 8,000
Lucian Abrudan – 0

Battle of Malta Slovakia

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 8: 600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries: 377/638
Prize Pool: €400,000

Henrik Hovsepyan was all-in for 25,000 and at risk against Maksym Ronshyn.

Henrik Hovsepyan: J♦J♥
Maksym Ronshyn: A♣8♥

Hovsepyan was in good shape against a solitary overcard, and proceeded to flop quads on the J♠J♣7♦A♦6♣ runout, much to his delight, and the amusement of the table.

Henrik Hovsepyan – 53,000
Maksym Ronshyn – 64,000

Tamas Losonczi

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 8: 600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries: 377/638
Prize Pool: €400,000

After a perusal of both tournament rooms, the following players are leading the way at the second break:

Tamas Losonczi – 246,000
Filip Marchand – 242,000
Robert Kis – 218,000
Pedram Mafi – 216,000
Silviu Nemes – 205,000

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 7: 500/1,000 (1,000)
Entries: 370/608
Prize Pool: €400,000

Andre Djuric opened to 2,500 from the hijack, and was met with a three-bet to 7,500 from Ferenc Vardai on the button.

Djuric called to see the J♥8♦4♦ flop, where he check-raised to 20,000 in the face of a continuation bet of 7,500 from Vardai.

Vardai quickly jammed for 30,600 total, and Djuric promptly made up the difference.

Ferenc Vardai: Q♣Q♠
Andre Djuric: J♠T♠

Vardai was in great shape with overpair queens versus Djuric’s top pair, and the K♠6♥ runout confirmed his double-up.

The players have been sent on a 30-minute break.

Ferenc Vardai – 76,200
Andre Djuric – 128,000

Battle of Malta Slovakia, Card Casino Samorin

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 7: 500/1,000 (1,000)
Entries: 374/564
Prize Pool: €400,000

Miklos Zsupanek was all-in for 17,400 and at risk against Roman Rednar.

Miklos Zsupanek: A♥T♥
Roman Rednar: J♥J♦

Zsupanek needed some help, and he found it on the A♣3♠2♦ flop, and the 3♣ turn and 9♠ river failed to alter matters.

Miklos Zsupanek – 38,300
Roman Rendar – 10,000

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 7: 500/1,000 (1,000)
Entries: 374/564
Prize Pool: €400,000

Csaba Miklos was raking in a double-up of his 25,100 stack, after his A♠9♠ came off best against Peter Vychlopen’s K♣J♥, with the board reading T♠9♦2♠T♥8♥.

Csaba Miklos – 52,700
Peter Vychlopen – 1,500

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 6: 400/800 (800)
Entries: 374/557
Prize Pool: €400,000

In a three-bet pot, 13,000 was in the middle on a flop of J♣J♠4♦, which was quickly checked through by Zsolt Csipkes and Csaba Kiss.

On the Q♣ turn, Csipkes check-called a bet of 5,500 from Kiss.

The 9♥ river completed the board, and Csipkes changed approach, leading out with a bet of 13,000, which forced a fold from Kiss.

Zsolt Csipkes – 70,000
Csaba Kiss – 17,500

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 6: 400/800 (800)
Entries: 379/550
Prize Pool: €400,000

Martin Koppl opened to 1,800 from the button, and received calls from Filip Krydl and Ran Eingorn in the blinds.

The Q♦9♠8♠ flop was checked to the 2♣ turn, where Krydl led out with a bet of 2,200, which failed to shake off either of his opponents.

The 6♠ hit on the river, and action was checked to Koppl. He fired out a bet of 6,000, which only Krydl called.

Koppl tabled 8♥6♥ for two pair, and Krydl mucked.

Martin Koppl – 138,000
Filip Krydl – 52,000
Ran Eingorn – 25,000

Battle of Malta Slovakia

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 6: 400/800 (800)
Entries: 376/530
Prize Pool: €400,000

Mykhailo Zveniatskyi was all-in for 35,000 and at risk against Sandor Rabi.

Mykhailo Zveniatskyi: T♠T♥
Sandor Rabi: A♦K♥

It was a fair fight, and Zveniatskyi remained ahead after the J♦7♠4♣ flop. However the A♥ hit on the turn, and there was no two-outer for Zveniatskyi on the J♠ river.

Sandor Rabi – 126,000
Mykhailo Zveniatskyi – 0

Pedram Mafi

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 5: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 377/474
Prize Pool: €400,000

Michelle Gross opened to 1,500 from early position, and received a call from Roman Cech, before Pedram Mafi produced a three-bet to 5,000 from the big blind.

Both of his opponents called to see the T♠8♥4♦ flop, where action was checked to Cech. He fired out a bet of 10,000, and Mafi responded with a check-raise to 50,000.

Gross took a bit of time before she moved all in for 22,100, and Cech folded after some thought.

Michelle Gross: T♦T♦
Pedram Mafi: 8♠8♥

It was a brutal set over set cooler, and there was no one-outer for Mafi on the 7♥5♣ runout.

Michelle Gross – 69,200
Pedram Mafi – 215,000
Roman Cech – 25,200

Battle of Malta Slovakia Trophies

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 5: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 377/474
Prize Pool: €400,000

With 39,000 in the middle on a completed board of T♣4♦2♣9♦6♦, Martin Lechner was all-in for 23,300, and Alessandro Longobardi was in the tank.

After around a minute, Longobardi made the call. Lechner showed K♣Q♦ for air, and Longobardi had J♥T♥ for top pair.

Alessandro Longobardi – 123,000
Martin Lechner – 0

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 5: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 377/474
Prize Pool: €400,000

With around 9,000 in the middle on a completed board of Q♦8♥2♣4♥8♣, Szabolcs Dala was all-in for 17,100, and received a quick call from Shihong Chen.

Dala tabled K♣Q♦ for two pair, but Chen had a full house with 4♠4♦.

Shihong Chen – 69,000
Szabolcs Dala – 0

Battle of Malta Slovakia

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 4: 200/500 (500)
Entries: 378/458
Prize Pool: €400,000

Christian Papai moved all in from middle position for 8,600, and was looked up by Vitalij Boltenkov in the big blind.

Christian Papai: 6♥6♣
Vitalij Boltenkov: A♠Q♣

It was off to the races, and the ace was in the window on the A♦K♦5♥ flop to put Boltenkov in front.

The 2♥ turn was a brick, and Papai was up out of his chair. The stand-up trick worked as Papai drilled a two-outer on the 6♦ river to survive.

Christian Papai – 18,400
Vitalij Boltenkov – 44,000

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 4: 200/500 (500)
Entries: 379/432
Prize Pool: €400,000

With around 20,000 in the middle on a flop of T♥T♣9♣, Maros Tisliar slid out a bet of 5,500 from the big blind, which failed to shake off Tamas Losonczi in early position.

The J♥ hit on the turn, and Tisliar fired out a bet of 17,000. Losonczi jammed with the covering stack, and Tisliar quickly called off for his remaining 30,000.

Maros Tisliar: A♥A♠
Tamas Losonczi: T♦8♦

Tisliar had only two outs versus Losonczi’s trip tens, and the K♥ river was a brick.

“Good luck guys” said Tisliar, as he tapped the table and made his exit.

Tamas Losonczi – 180,000
Maros Tisliar – 0

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 4: 200/500 (500)
Entries: 379/432
Prize Pool: €400,000

On a completed board of 9♦3♣2♠A♣5♠, Ferenc Szabo fired out a bet from the big blind which covered Gerhard Kouba’s remaining stack of around 26,000.

Kouba went into the tank, but ultimately called off. Szabo tabled 5♣4♣ for the rivered straight, and was well ahead of Kouba’s A♦T♦.

Ferenc Szab0 – 129,000
Gerhard Kouba – 0

Pedram Mafi

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 3: 200/400 (400)
Entries: 354/406
Prize Pool: €400,000

The players have been sent on their first break of the day, with the following players topping the standings:

Pedram Mafi – 150,000
Andre Djuric – 105,000
Hakan Saglam – 103,000
Amir Juwan – 98,000
Walter Weisz – 95,000

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 3: 200/400 (400)
Entries: 327/367
Prize Pool: €400,000

Peter Gavril-Dorel opened to 1,000 from middle position, and received a call from Frantisek Molnar in the cutoff.

On the J♠8♣7♥ flop, Gavril-Dorel continued with a bet of 1,000, which failed to shake off Molnar.

The 4♣ hit on the turn, and Gavril-Dorel fired again with a bet of 2,700.

Molnar quickly called to see the T♠ river, where Gavril-Dorel triple-barreled with a bet of 5,000.

Molnar made a prompt call, and was dismayed when Gavril-Dorel tabled A♠9♠ for the rivered one-card straight. Molnar flashed T♦7♣ for two pair as he mucked.

Peter Gavril-Dorel – 50,000
Frantisek Molnar – 47,000

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 3: 200/400 (400)
Entries: 327/367
Prize Pool: €400,000

With around 19,000 in the middle on a completed double-paired board of T♣9♠4♥T♠9♦, Vladimir Svoncinar checked to Jan Chovan, who fired out a bet of 11,000.

Svoncinar had around 15,000 behind, and went into the tank. After cutting out the calling amount from his stack, and studying the board for quite some time, Svoncinar made the call.

Chovan tabled A♣7♣, playing the board pairs with ace-high, and Svoncinar let out a sigh of relief and a huge smile as he tabled A♥7♥.

Jan Chovan – 54,000
Vladimir Svoncinar – 25,000

Pedram Mafi

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 3: 200/400 (400)
Entries: 304/326
Prize Pool: €400,000

Pedram Mafi opened to 1,100 from the cutoff, and received a call from Maciej Dymnicki on the button, before Michelle Gross produced a three-bet to 6,500 from the small blind.

Mafi called, and Dymnicki folded, before the dealer fanned the J♦5♣4♥ flop.

Gross continued with a bet of 4,000, and Mafi responded with a lightning raise of an amount sufficient to cover Gross’ remaining stack of 21,000.

Gross took a brief period of time for thought, before she flicked her cards to the dealer.

Pedram Mafi – 96,000
Michelle Gross – 21,000

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 2: 100/300 (300)
Entries: 304/326
Prize Pool: €400,000

Sandor Mate was getting up out of his chair, and his stack of roughly 9,000 was being passed to Martin Kuran, after Mate’s A♦J♦ came off worst against Kuran’s Q♦J♠, with the board reading Q♣4♠3♥4♥8♠.

Martin Kuran – 27,000
Sandor Mate – 0

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 2: 100/300 (300)
Entries: 286/300
Prize Pool: €400,000

Georgi Stoyanov opened to 700 from middle position, and was faced with a three-bet to 2,700 from Yury Aisov. Janos Somogyi was in the small blind, and he reached for chips to produce a cold four-bet to 6,200.

Stoyanov got out of the way, but Aisov called to see the 9♠4♥2♣ flop. Somogy continued with a bet of 8,500, which failed to shake off Aisov.

The J♥ turn and Q♥ river were knuckled through, and Somogyi tabled A♠K♦. Aisov showed 8♠8♣, and took a chunky pot.

Yury Aisov – 84,000
Janos Somogyi – 35,000

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 2: 100/300 (300)
Entries: 286/299
Prize Pool: €400,000

A big pot of around 46,000 had brewed by the river on a board of 7♦5♦3♥9♦8♦, in a hand between Marios Tisliar and Karol Lenart.

Tisliar jammed for 21,000, and Lenart sent his cards to the muck in rapid fashion.

Marios Tisliar – 57,000
Karol Lenart – 34,000

Ross Whitelaw

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 1: 100/200 (200)
Entries: 240/245
Prize Pool: €400,000

Ross Whitelaw has secured an early double-up, after he flopped a set of sixes on a jack-high flop against Petr Sonsbeek, who had top pair with queen-jack.

Ross Whitelaw – 80,000
Petr Sonsbeek – 0

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 1: 100/200 (200)
Entries: 206/207
Prize Pool: €400,000 

Ferenc Szabo opened to 600 under the gun, and was faced with a three-bet to 1,800 from Krisztian Kerekes on the button.

Szabo called, and a flop of T♦T♥2♦ rolled off. Szabo check-called a bet of 800 from Kerekes, and the K♠ hit on the turn.

Szabo checked once more, and promptly folded in the face of a double-barrel of 2,100 from Kerekes.

Krisztian Kerekes – 42,600
Ferenc Szabo – 37,400

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 1: 100/200 (200)
Entries: 147/147
Prize Pool: €400,000 

Philipp Jorganovic opened to 500 from early position, and was met with a three-bet to 3,000 from Daniel Scridon on the button.

Jorganovic called to see the K♦Q♠T♦ flop, where he check-called a bet of 2,200 from Scridon.

That was the end of the action in the hand, after the 2♠ turn and 8♦ river were checked through.

Jorganovic tabled K♥J♦ for top pair, and Scridon mucked.

Philipp Jorganovic – 45,500
Daniel Scridon – 34,500

€400 Main Event Day 1a
Level 1: 100/200 (200)
Entries: 147/147
Prize Pool: €400,000 Guaranteed

Cards are in the air here in Day 1a of the Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition, with 147 players registered for the start of play, including Filip Marchand, Ivan Repusic, Chen Yiping, Zdenko Pampurik and Rudolf Teusl.

Stay tuned for your coverage of all the action.

Since its debut in 2012, the Battle of Malta has built a well-earned reputation as one of the premier stand-alone mid-stakes festivals in Europe, and it leaves home soil for the first time via an exciting international partnership with Card Casino Šamorín to welcome players to the Battle of Malta, Slovakia Edition.

The festival features a full week of action from September 7–14, headlined by the €400 buy‑in, €400,000 Main Event. Players can also dive into a packed schedule of side events, including a €40,000 Mystery Bounty and a €50,000 High Roller.

Card Casino Šamorín brings its own pedigree to the partnership, being Slovakia’s largest casino and one of Central Europe’s most serious poker rooms. Card Casino hosted the WSOP Circuit in both 2025 and 2026, with the 2026 edition carrying a €2,800,000 guarantee, and the event is set to return in February 2027.

Our reporting team will be on the floor bringing you coverage of all the action, while daily recaps will be at poker.pro. The Main Event final table will be streamed on September 14 on the Battle of Malta’s YouTube channel, with poker.pro‘s Jason Glatzer providing commentary, while our wonderful social media team will be bringing you all the big moments from the event via Facebook and Instagram. poker.pro’s Glenn Brown and Valeria Tamburin are on hosting duties throughout the week, bringing their well-known on-site energy to the festival’s first stop outside Malta.

Several innovations give added value to players, with Day 1a of the Main Event featuring a half‑price buy‑in, while the top-three finishers in Day 1b earn a chip‑leader cash bonus, with €3,000 for the player who tops the standings.

In addition, players who qualify in multiple starting flights will receive a cash bonus, with best-stack forward rules applying. A second Day 2 bag will secure players a €1,000 bonus, a third qualification earns €2,000, while the maximum bonus a player can earn is for four qualifications, which will result in a €4,000 payday.

A full satellite schedule also gives players a low‑cost route into the Main Event, while a satellite offering five €1,300 packages to the Battle of Malta in October 2026, with a €1.5 million guaranteed Main Event, takes place on September 12.

€400 Main Event Coverage

The reporting coverage of the €400,000 guaranteed Main Event kicks off at 6 p.m. local time on September 8 with Day 1a, the first of nine starting flights, which features a half-price €200 buy-in.

Players sit down to a 40,000 starting stack at blind level 100/200/200, with the clock set to 30-minute levels. Late registration remains open until the start of Level 11, with 12.5% of the field set to qualify from each flight.

All players who qualify for Day 2 will be in the money, and will receive an early payout of €500, while 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.

We will be on the floor from Day 1a until the trophy is lifted on September 14, with the full schedule below.

Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Full Schedule

The journey to become the inaugural Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Main Event champion starts here! Be sure to join us from 6 p.m. for coverage of Day 1a of the Main Event, as the Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition kicks off in style!