Card Casino Samorin was not quite as packed in Day 2 of the Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition compared to the huge numbers seen on the first day, but a healthy field of 116 players gathered for Day 1b of the €400 buy-in, €400,000 Main Event, chasing the chip-leader cash bonus available for the top three stacks at the end of play.
When all was said and done, one of Slovakia’s finest rose to the top of the standings to claim the €3,000 chip-leader bonus in the form of Andrej Desset (690,000), while Christian Sykora of Austria (579,000) and Tibor Varga (507,000) completed the podium places, banking €1,500 and €1,000 respectively. In addition, the trio received a €600 ticket for the Battle of Malta in October.
Desset sits in fourth on the Slovakia all-time money list, with over $1.5 million in cashes, and triumphed in the Royal Main Event at Card Casino in July last year, while Sykora also holds a Card Casino trophy, having taken the title in the Grand Prix in November 2025. Meanwhile, Varga finished as runner-up in July in the Royal Main Event for his only recorded cash to date.
End of Day 1b Chip Counts – Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Main Event
The full counts of the Day 1b qualifiers are as follows:-
| Position | Player | Country | Chip Count |
| 1 | Andrej Desset | Slovakia | 690,000 |
| 2 | Christian Sykora | Austria | 579,000 |
| 3 | Tibor Varga | Hungary | 507,000 |
| 4 | Tomas Svoboda | Czech Republic | 481,000 |
| 5 | Matus Gabzdil | Slovakia | 444,000 |
| 6 | Vladimir Velikov | Bulgaria | 363,000 |
| 7 | Efim Dorfman | Romania | 339,000 |
| 8 | Alexander Geischlaeger | Austria | 300,000 |
| 9 | Konstantinos Nanos | Greece | 196,000 |
| 10 | Tibor Hegedues | Hungary | 174,000 |
| 11 | Marek Grinaj | Slovakia | 165,000 |
| 12 | Erik Polyak | Hungary | 136,000 |
| 13 | Zonglei Zhao | China | 135,000 |
| 14 | Yasen Dichev | Bulgaria | 53,000 |
| 15 | Andrei Pocol | Romania | 53,000 |
All of the above players are in the money, and will receive an early payout of €500.
Overall Top Ten Counts After Day 1b – Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Main Event
A total of 113 players qualified across Days 1a-1b, with the overall Main Event top ten counts at present as follows:
| Position | Player | Country | Chip Count |
| 1 | Sergii Baranov | Ukraine | 1,036,000 |
| 2 | Peter Kadlec | Slovakia | 900,000 |
| 3 | Edmond Ala | Austria | 818,000 |
| 4 | Gabriel Otescu | Romania | 794,000 |
| 5 | Silviu Nemes | Romania | 667,000 |
| 6 | Rostyslav Sabishchenko | Ukraine | 650,000 |
| 7 | Martin Lechner | Austria | 639,000 |
| 8 | Lubos Svoboda | Czech Republic | 605,000 |
| 9 | Andrej Desset | Slovakia | 690,000 |
| 10 | Christian Sykora | Austria | 579,000 |
Junyu Liu Leads Five Qualifiers in Day 1a of €40,000 Mystery Bounty
A total of 36 entries were gathered for Day 1a of the Mystery Bounty, and with 12.5% of the field qualifying for Day 2, five players progressed, led by Junyu Liu of China (440,000).
The second flight of the €220 buy-in event is at 5 p.m. local time on September 10, while Day 2 kicks off at 3 p.m. on September 11.
The full counts of the qualifiers are below.
| Position | Player | Country | Chip Count |
| 1 | Junyu Liu | China | 440,000 |
| 2 | Lubomir Jasica | Slovakia | 240,000 |
| 3 | Or Zadka | Israel | 146,000 |
| 4 | Filip Jurga | Slovakia | 139,000 |
| 5 | Ran Eingorn | Israel | 115,000 |
The Day 2 qualifiers are in the money, and bounties will be in play from the start of play in Day 2.
Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition – Schedule, Thursday, September 10
An absolutely packed schedule of events awaits on the third day of the festival, with Day 1c of the Main Event at 6 p.m. and Day 1b of the Mystery Bounty at 5 p.m., while the one-day €1,000 buy-in, €50,000 High Roller will see the first trophy of the festival being awarded.
| Date | Time | Buy-In | Event | Stack | Clock | Late Reg | Prize |
| Sept 10 | 14:30 | €100 | Satellite to High Roller | 10,000 | 00:60 then 00:15 | 1 | 5x TCK |
| Sept 10 | 17:00 | €220 | Mystery Bounty Day 1B | 30,000 | 00:30 | 12 | €40,000 |
| Sept 10 | 17:00 | €1,000 | NLH High Roller | 100,000 | 00:30 | 10 | €50,000 |
| Sept 10 | 18:00 | €400 | Main Event Day 1C | 40,000 | 00:30 | 10 | €400,000 |
| Sept 10 | 20:00 | €70 | Satellite to Day 1D 5 TCK | 20,000 | 00:15 | 8 | 5x TCK |
The Main Event and Mystery Bounty flights follow the same structure as previous flights, with the clock set to 30-minute levels, and 12.5% of the field set to qualify.
In the High Roller, players sit down to a 100,000 starting stack, with the clock set to 30-minute levels. Late registration remains open until the start of Level 11, with unlimited reentries available. The champion will also receive a €500 WSOP Bratislava Circuit Main Event ticket for February 2027.
Casino Malta hosts the next WSOP Circuit stop, with the festival running from September 25 – October 2006, and the marquee event being the €1,500 WSOPC Main Event. See the link for details regarding accommodation and the event.
We will be on the floor from 6 p.m. bringing you all the big moments of the day, so stay tuned for all your coverage of the Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition.
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 14: 2,500/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 21/116
Prize Pool: €400,000
Matus Gabzdil is in pole position to claim the €3,000 chip-leader bonus, having opened up a healthy lead over the field, with the top counts at the third break as follows:
Matus Gabzdil – 524,000
Efim Dorfman – 352,000
Alexander Geischlaeger – 335,000
Tibor Varga – 324,000
Konstantinos Nanos – 315,000
Our coverage of Day 1b concludes here, but full details of the qualifiers will be provided as soon as possible.
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 14: 2,500/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 22/116
Prize Pool: €400,000
Around 140,000 had made its way into the middle on a board of A♦J♣9♥, in a hand between Krzysztof Michalik in the cutoff and Matus Gabzdil in the small blind.
The flop was checked to the 3♠ turn, where Gabzdil led out with a bet of 35,000, and Michalik called.
The T♥ river completed the board, and Gabzdil jammed with the covering stack. Michalik had around 80,000 behind, and after some time in the tank, made the call.
Gabzdil tabled A♣K♦ for top pair, and Michalik tapped the table and showed A♥4♥ as he departed.
Matus Gabzdil – 510,000
Krzysztof Michalik – 0
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 14: 2,500/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 22/116
Prize Pool: €400,000
Lukas Benkovic was raking in a decent pot, after he turned a straight with Q♣J♣ on a board of 9♥8♥2♠T♠6♣, besting Andrej Desset’s A♥T♥.
Lukas Benkovic – 212,000
Andrej Desset – 160,000
Card Casino Samorin
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 14: 2,500/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 24/116
Prize Pool: €400,000
Jie Xu opened to 10,000 from the hijack, and received calls from Christian Sykora in the cutoff and Vladimir Velikov on the button.
On the A♠J♦T♦ flop, Xu checked to Sykora, who fired out a bet of 15,000. Velikov folded and Xu called.
The 4♠ hit on the turn, and Xu check-called a bet of 30,000 from Sykora.
The 6♥ river completed the board, and Xu checked once more. Sykora moved all in for 85,500, and Xu snap-called.
Sykora tabled K♣Q♦ for the flopped nut broadway straight, while Xu had A♦3♥.
Christian Sykora – 300,000
Jie Xu – 105,000
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 14: 2,500/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 25/116
Prize Pool: €400,000
With around 80,000 in the middle on a completed board of K♥Q♠5♥5♠9♦, Vladimir Velikov jammed with the covering stack, forcing a swift fold from his opponent Daniel Poluk.
Vladimir Velikov – 255,000
Daniel Poluk – 80,000
Laszlo Okolenszki
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 14: 2,500/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 27/116
Prize Pool: €400,000
Laszlo Okolenszki, Sandor Mate and Tomas Buksa are among the recent casualties in Day 1b.
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 13: 2,000/4,000 (4,000)
Entries: 28/116
Prize Pool: €400,000
Istvan Major was all-in for 11,000 and at risk against Konstantinos Nanos.
Istvan Major: J♣6♥
Konstantinos Nanos: A♣K♣
Major needed help, and although he hit the front on the 7♣6♦2♣ flop, Nanos turned the flush on the Q♣ turn, and the 3♣ river completed the board.
Konstantinos Nanos – 190,000
Istvan Major – 0
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 13: 2,000/4,000 (4,000)
Entries: 31/116
Prize Pool: €400,000
Patrik Kunik opened to 10,000 from middle position, and received calls from Norbert Bundik in the cutoff and Efim Dorfman in the big blind.
The K♠Q♣3♠ flop was checked to the 6♦ turn, where Dorfman led out with a bet of 15,000, which only Bundik called.
On the 4♠ river, Dorfman double-barreled with a bet of 20,000, and Bundik folded.
Efim Dorfman – 345,000
Patrik Kunik – 61,000
Andrei Pocol
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 13: 1,500/3,000 (3,000)
Entries: 31/116
Prize Pool: €400,000
Andrei Pocol was raking in a triple-up, after coming off best in a three-way all-in against Tomas Buksa and Hector Fortea.
Pocol had the goods with A♦A♣, against Buksa’s J♣J♥ and Fortea’s A♠J♠.
Pocol flopped a set on the A♥9♦5♠ flop, and while the 4♣ turn was brick, Buksa busted Fortea in the side pot with an unbelievable one-outer on the J♦ river, leading to a yelp of pain from Fortea as he departed the table.
Andrei Pocol – 156,000
Tomas Buksa – 58,500
Hector Fortea – 0
Ross Whitelaw
€220 Mystery Bounty Day 1a
Level 13: 1,000/3,000 (3,000)
Entries: 10/36
Prize Pool: €40,000
Late registration has now closed in Day 1a of the Mystery Bounty, and with 12.5% of the field set to qualify for Day 2, play will conclude when the field is reduced to five players.
There are currently ten players still seated, including Ross Whitelaw, Filip Jurga and Junyu Liu.
The final 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.
Laszlo Okolenszki
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 11: 1,000/2,500 (2,500)
Entries: 35/116
Prize Pool: €400,000
Marco Vestoso moved all in from middle position for 40,000, and received a call from Laszlo Okolenszki in the small blind.
Vestoso gestured for Okolenszki to show his hand, and Okolenszki obliged by revealing the 4♣, followed by the 4♥.
Vestoso threw his hands up in frustration as he tabled 3♣3♥.
Vestoso was up out of his chair, and had left the table after the T♠9♠T♦ flop, with the 8♣ turn and 4♠ river completing the runout, improving his opponent to a full house.
Laszlo Okolenszki – 275,000
Marco Vestoso – 0
Jessica Vierling
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 11: 1,000/2,500 (2,500)
Entries: 39/116
Prize Pool: €400,000
Jessica Vierling, Lubomir Jasica and Emil Trenkov have all hit the buffers shortly after the close of late registration in Day 1b.
Erik Polyak
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 11: 1,000/2,500 (2,500)
Entries: 39/116
Prize Pool: €400,000
Erik Polyak opened to 10,000 from the button, and called a three-bet jam of 40,000 from Ioannis Nanos in the small blind.
Ioannis Nanos: A♦Q♠
Erik Polyak: A♣K♥
Nanos was pipped, and Polyak’s better kicker played on the J♠T♥8♦A♠6♦ runout.
Erik Polyak – 330,000
Ioannis Nanos – 0
Battle of Malta Slovakia Trophies
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 11: 1,000/2,500 (2,500)
Entries: 43/116
Prize Pool: €400,000
The ticker stopped at 116 entries in Day 1b, and with 12.5% of the field due to qualify for Day 2, play will conclude when 15 players remain.
There are currently 43 players still seated.
Erik Polyak
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 10: 1,000/2,000 (2,000)
Entries: 41/113
Prize Pool: €400,000
Erik Polyak leads the way at the second break, and is in prime position to claim the €3,000 chip-leader bonus available in Day 1b, with the top counts as follows:
Erik Polyak – 312,000
Norbert Bundik – 297,000
Laszlo Okolenszki – 261,000
Andrej Desset – 185,000
Tomas Svoboda – 182,000
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 10: 1,000/2,000 (2,000)
Entries: 41/113
Prize Pool: €400,000
With around 50,000 in the middle on a board of T♠9♦7♠9♠, Ondrej Lon fired out a bet of 24,000, and received a call from Georgi Stoyanov.
The 7♣ river completed the board, and Lon jammed for around 92,000, leading to fold from Stoyanov.
The players have been sent on a 15-minute break, with late registration due to close in Day 1b before the start of the next level.
Ondrej Lon – 192,000
Georgi Stoyanov – 85,000
Norbert Bundik
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 10: 1,000/2,000 (2,000)
Entries: 43/112
Prize Pool: €400,000
With around 25,000 in the middle on a flop of J♥T♥5♦, Norbert Bundik fired out a bet of 15,000, and received a call from ‘Batman’, before Kim Tae Hyong moved all in for 22,800.
Both of his opponents called to see the 9♦ turn, which was checked to the 6♥ river, where Bundik fired out a bet of 25,000, and Batman folded.
Kim Tae Hyong hopefully tabled K♠J♣ for top pair, but Bundik had got there on the river with K♥4♥ for the flush.
Norbert Bundik – 220,000
Kim Tae Hyong – 0
Jessica Vierling
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 10: 1,000/2,000 (2,000)
Entries: 44/110
Prize Pool: €400,000
Jessica Vierling’s first bullet in Day 1b has come to an end, but she has jumped straight back in, hoping to spin it up for a crack at the chip leader bonus.
Jessica Vierling- 40,000
Erik Polyak
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 9: 800/1,600 (1,600)
Entries: 49/102
Prize Pool: €400,000
Jessica Vierling opened to 3,200 under the gun, and was met with a three-bet to 7,000 from Erik Polyak in the next seat. Norbert Bundik cold-called in the big blind, and Vierling folded.
On the K♠Q♣9♦ flop and 2♠ turn, Bundik check-called two bets of 15,000 from Polyak.
The 2♠ river was checked through, and Bundik mucked when Polyak tabled K♣T♣ for top pair.
Erik Polyak – 310,000
Norbert Bundik – 172,000
Jessica Vierling – 23,600
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 9: 800/1,600 (1,600)
Entries: 49/102
Prize Pool: €400,000
Ondrej Lon opened to 3,200, and called off for his 43,500 stack versus a three-bet jam from Filip Marchand, who slightly covered his opponent.
Ondrej Lon: 7♣7♠
Filip Marchand: A♣K♥
It was a flip, and matters looked bleak for Lon after the A♥8♦2♦ flop and 6♠ turn, but he drilled the 7♦ river to survive, much to Marchand’s disgust.
Ondrej Lon – 91,000
Filip Marchand – 6,000
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 9: 800/1,600 (1,600)
Entries: 47/106
Prize Pool: €400,000
Krzysztof Michalik opened to 3,600, and called a three-bet jam of 22,100 from Janos Somogyi from the big blind.
Janos Somogyi: A♥K♠
Krzysztof Michalik: 5♠5♣
it was a flip, and Somogyi smashed the A♠A♣6♥ flop, and there was no two-outer on the 8♦ turn or 2♣ river.
Janos Somogyi – 47,200
Krzysztof Michalik – 89,900
Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 9: 800/1,600 (1,600)
Entries: 49/102
Prize Pool: €400,000
A big pot of around 50,000 had brewed by the river in a hand between Daniel Georgiev in the big blind, and Krzysztof Michalik under the gun, with the board reading 6♦4♠3♦9♣Q♦.
Georgiev checked, and folded to a bet of 23,500 from Michalik.
Krzysztof Michalik – 112,000
Daniel Georgiev – 80,000
Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 8: 600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries: 49/102
Prize Pool: €400,000
With 15,000 in the middle on a flop of A♠8♦6♠, there was 15,000 in front of Pavel Blatny, and the all-in triangle was in front of Laszlo Okolenszki, who covered his opponent.
The clock was called, but before the floor arrived, Blatny fired his total stack of 52,500 into the middle.
Pavel Blatny: 8♣6♣
Laszlo Okolenszki: T♠8♠
It was two pair versus a pair and flush draw, and Okolenszki binked the 9♠ turn, while Blatny could not fill up on the 5♠ river.
Laszlo Okolenszki – 232,000
Pavel Blatny – 0
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 8: 600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries: 49/102
Prize Pool: €400,000
Ovidiu Popa opened to 2,500 from the hijack, and received a call from Krzysztof Michalik on the button, before Istvan Major three-bet jammed from the small blind for 26,200.
Popa called, and Michalik got out of the way.
Istvan Major: T♦T♠
Ovidiu Popa: A♥J♣
It was off to the races, and Major held across the 9♥7♠2♠3♣8♠ runout, much to Popa’s frustration.
Istvan Major – 57,900
Ovidiu Popa – 19,000
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 8: 600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries: 51/98
Prize Pool: €400,000
Norbert Bundik limped from middle position, and the small blind completed, before Lubomir Jasica raised to 6,000 from the big blind.
Both of his opponents called to see the K♣9♠4♠ flop, where action was checked to Jasica, who moved all-in for 13,700. Bundik called, and the small blind folded.
Lubomir Jasica: K♠J♠
Norbert Bundik: T♥9♣
Jasica could barely have asked for a better flop, with top pair and the flush draw, and he comfortably held across the 7♥4♥ runout.
Lubomir Jasica – 46,000
Norbert Bundik – 220,000
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 8: 600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries: 51/98
Prize Pool: €400,000
Tibor Varga was scooping in a double-up after coolering Thaaer Hamid.
Varga flopped a full house with T♥T♣ on a board of J♦J♥T♠A♣4♥ against Hamid’s K♠Q♠ for a broadway straight, and Varga jammed the turn for 37,100.
Tibor Varga – 100,000
Thaaer Hamid – 35,000
Card Casino, Samorin
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 7: 500/1,000 (1,000)
Entries: 52/94
Prize Pool: €400,000
Peter Vychlopen opened to 2,000 from the cutoff, and reluctantly called a three-bet jam of 11,200 from Petko Stamatov in the small blind.
Petko Stamatov: A♣T♣
Peter Vychlopen: A♥5♥
Stamatov was in great shape, and his better kicker played across the 9♥9♣2♠7♠J♥ runout, sending him the double-up.
Petko Stamatov – 26,900
Peter Vychlopen – 60,000
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 7: 500/1,000 (1,000)
Entries: 54/89
Prize Pool: €400,000
Istvan Major was all-in for 8,000, and had received action from three players in the form of Erik Polyak, Lubomir Jasica and Emil Trenkov, with 6,000 set aside in a side pot.
On the A♣5♣4♥ flop, action was checked to Trenkov, who fired out a bet of 12,000. Polyak check-jammed with the covering stack, and both Jasica and Trenkov folded.
Istvan Major: K♠T♦
Erik Polyak: A♠T♠
Major was in trouble, and there was no miracle escape on the 4♠9♠ runout.
Erik Polyak – 200,000
Lubomir Jasica – 45,000
Emil Trenkov – 33,500
Istvan Major – 0
Card Casino Samorin
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 7: 500/1,000 (1,000)
Entries: 54/89
Prize Pool: €400,000
Martin Kuran was all-in for 15,000 and at risk against Ovidiu Popa.
Martin Kuran: A♠7♦
Ovidiu Popa: A♦K♦
Kuran was crushed, and there was no escape on the J♣4♥2♦5♦K♥ runout.
Ovidiu Popa – 53,000
Martin Kuran – 0
Rudolf Kosa
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 6: 400/800 (800)
Entries: 54/89
Prize Pool: €400,000
Christian Sykora was all-in for 14,500 and at risk against Rudolf Kosa.
“Two aces” said Sykora, leaving Kosa looking concerned, but he tabled the fake aces with A♥4♥. Kosa chuckled and showed A♣Q♠.
Sykora was in trouble, and Kosa’s better kicker played on the K♠J♠8♥J♦6♥ runout.
Rudolf Kosa – 137,000
Christian Sykora – 0
Andrei Pocol
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 6: 400/800 (800)
Entries: 58/86
Prize Pool: €400,000
Efim Dorfman and Lubomir Jasica were both getting up out of their chairs, and Andrei Pocol was sweeping in a big pot, after claiming a double knockout.
Dorfman held 6♠2♠, Jasica had 8♠5♥, while J♦8♦ was in front of Pocol.
The board read 8♥6♦2♦4♦Q♠, with Pocol turning a flush to overcome the two pair of Dorfman, the chips presumably hitting the middle on the flop.
Andrei Pocol – 155,000
Efim Dorfman – 0
Lubomir Jasica – 0
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 6: 400/800 (800)
Entries: 54/79
Prize Pool: €400,000
In a battle of the blinds, 19,800 had made its way into the middle by the river, with the board reading Q♠8♥3♥3♠7♦.
Alexander Geischlaeger checked to Efim Dorfman, who fired out an overbet bet of 22,500.
Geichslaeger made a quick call, and his T♦T♣ for second pair was good versus Dorfman’s A♠4♦.
Alexander Geischlaeger – 147,000
Efim Dorfman – 35,900
Norbert Bundik
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 5: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 52/77
Prize Pool: €400,000
Norbert Bundik is in pole position to claim the Day 1b chip-leader bonus of €3,000 at the first break, with the top stacks as follows:
Norbert Bundik – 172,000
Rudolf Kosa – 146,000
Erik Polyak – 142,000
Alexandru Popa – 118,000
Laszlo Okolenszki – 114,000
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 5: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 54/74
Prize Pool: €400,000
Alexandru Popa was sweeping in a pot after busting Igor Brimus, with Popa holding A♣7♥ against Brimus’ A♥4♠, with the board reading T♣3♦2♥2♣7♠.
The players are about to be sent on a 30-minute break.
Alexandru Popa – 104,000
Igor Brimus – 0
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 5: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 54/74
Prize Pool: €400,000
Daniel Georgiev opened to 1,200 from middle position, and received calls from Tibor Hegedues and Vojtech Paxian in the blinds.
The 9♠7♥6♠ flop was checked to the 6♣ turn, where action was checked to Paxian, who fired out a bet of 2,000.
Only Georgiev called to see the 7♠ river, leading to a double-paired board, and both players checked.
Paxian had T♥4♥, and Georgiev was good with A♦T♠.
Daniel Georgiev – 105,000
Vojtech Paxian – 49,000
Tibor Hegedues – 44,000
Card Casino Samorin
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 5: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 51/71
Prize Pool: €400,000
Filip Marchand opened to 1,500 under the gun, and received calls from Georgi Stoyanov in the cutoff, and Peter Pipiska in the big blind.
On the 9♦8♥4♣ flop, Pipiska led out with a bet of 3,000, which only Stoyanov called.
The 6♣ rolled off on the turn, and Pipiska fired again with a bet of 5,000, which failed to dispose of Stoyanov.
The J♦ completed the board, and Pipiska triple-barreled with a bet of 15,000, forcing Stoyanov to fold.
Peter Pipiska – 50,800
Georgi Stoyanov – 21,800
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 4: 200/500 (500)
Entries: 52/65
Prize Pool: €400,000
Pavel Blatny limped from middle position, and called a raise to 1,100 from Peter Vychlopen from the cutoff.
On the K♠T♥5♣ flop, Blatny check-called in the face of a bet of 1,200 from Vychlopen.
The same pattern followed on the A♦ turn, this time in respect of a bet of 2,500 from Vychlopen,
The 4♦ river completed the board, and Blatny changed approach, leading out with a bet of 5,000. After some time in the tank, Vychlopen folded.
Pavel Blatny – 31,500
Peter Vychlopen – 34,000
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 4: 200/500 (500)
Entries: 54/64
Prize Pool: €400,000
With 22,000 in the middle on a board of T♠5♠2♠J♣, a player known as ‘Mats’ fired out a bet of 15,000, and was faced with an all-in of 30,400 from a player known as ‘Batman’.
Mats asked for a count, and made the call with the covering stack.
Mats: 6♠6♥
Batman: Q♦Q♣
Batman was ahead with the overpair, but had to dodge a spade on the river. In pure rubdown fashion, the Q♠ appeared, sending Mats the pot and Batman back to his cave.
Mats – 137,000
Batman – 0
Card Casino Samorin
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 4: 200/500 (500)
Entries: 55/63
Prize Pool: €400,000
Igor Brimus opened to 1,000 from early position, and received calls from Thaaer Hamid and Sandor Mate in the blinds.
Action was checked to Brimus on the Q♦9♥6♠ flop, who slid out a bet of 1,200/
Only Mate called to see the A♠ turn, which was checked through to the J♣ river, where Mate check-folded versus a bet of 4,000 from Brimus.
Igor Brimus – 54,000
Sandor Mate – 35,000
Thaaer Hamid – 56,000
Rudolf Kosa
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 3: 200/400 (400)
Entries: 54/61
Prize Pool: €400,000
Tomas Buksa opened to 1,000 from middle position, and received a call from Peter Pipiska in the small blind, before Rudolf Kosa produced a three-bet to 4,000 from the big blind.
Both of his opponents called to see the J♦6♦4♠ flop, where Buksa checked to Kosa, who fired out a bet of 5,000, leading to swift folds from both of his opponents.
Rudolf Kosa – 78,000
Tomas Buksa – 33,000
Peter Pipiska – 16,200
Rudolf Kosa
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 3: 200/400 (400)
Entries: 53/58
Prize Pool: €400,000
A chunky pot of 17,000 had developed by the flop in a hand between Rudolf Kosa in the hijack and Andrej Desset in the cutoff, with the board reading 7♣5♥2♦.
Kosa check-called a bet of 5,500 from his opponent to see the 9♣ turn, where the same pattern followed, this time in respect of a bet of 16,500 from Desset.
The 2♣ river paired the board, and Kosa changed approach and jammed for 14,500.
Desset sighed and sat back in his chair, before asking for the count. On being informed of the amount, he studied the board, and gave his opponent the side-eye, trying to get some kind of read.
Kosa remained steadfast in fixing his gaze firmly on the board, and after around 90 seconds, Desset sent his cards to the muck.
Rudolf Kosa – 70,000
Andrej Desset – 58,400
Georgi Stoyanov
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 3: 200/400 (400)
Entries: 53/57
Prize Pool: €400,000
Georgi Stoyanov opened to 800 under the gun, and received calls from Filip Marchand on the button and Peter Korytar in the big blind.
Action was checked to Stoyanov on the Q♣7♦5♥ flop, who slid out a bet of 1,100, which only Marchand called.
The J♦ hit on the turn, and Stoyanov double-barreled with a bet of 2,000.
Marchand again called to see the Q♦ river, where he quickly folded to a triple-barrel of 2,500 from Stoyanov.
Georgi Stoyanov – 54,000
Filip Marchand – 84,000
Georgi Stoyanov
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 2: 100/300 (300)
Entries: 48/50
Prize Pool: €400,000
Cards were on their backs and stacks were in the middle, with Georgi Stoyanov all-in for 23,400 and at risk against Tomas Svoboda.
Georgi Stoyanov: A♥Q♥
Tomas Svoboda: J♠J♥
It was off to the races, and Stoyanov hit the front after the A♦K♥7♠ flop, with Svoboda unable to reverse the position on the remaining 2♠K♠ runout.
Georgi Stoyanov – 47,500
Tomas Svoboda – 5,000
Card Casino Samorin
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 2: 100/300 (300)
Entries: 39/40
Prize Pool: €400,000
Attila Juhas opened to 700 under the gun, and was met with a three-bet to 2,300 from Vladimir Obrtanec in the cutoff.
Nihat Muldur cold-called in the small blind, and Juhas made up the difference.
On the A♥K♥2♣ flop, action was checked to Obrtanec, who slid out a bet of 2,300, leading to swift folds from both of his opponents.
Vladimir Obrtanec – 36,000
Nuhat Muldur – 36,800
Attila Juhas – 38,500
Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 1: 100/200 (200)
Entries: 36/37
Prize Pool: €400,000
With 2,000 in the middle on a flop of A♣9♥7♣, Robert Latis fired out a bet of 1,200, and received a call from Filip Marchand.
The 6♠ hit on the turn, and Latis slid out a bet of 3,600. Marchand responded with a quick raise to 8,800, before Latis jammed with lightning speed with the covering stack. Marchand’s total stack of 41,200 was in the middle almost before Latis’ chips crossed the line.
Filip Marchand: 8♦5♦
Robert Latis: 6♥5♥
Latis was drawing to a chop against Marchand’s straight, and the 9♠ river sent a big early pot to Marchand.
Filip Marchand – 84,400
Robert Latis – 3,400
Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 1: 100/200 (200)
Entries: 33/33
Prize Pool: €400,000
Andrej Desset opened to 600 under the gun, and received calls from Christian Sykora and Vincent Botlo in middle position, and Erik Polyak in the small blind.
The K♠K♥5♠ flop was checked to the 7♦ turn, where Polyak led out with a bet of 1,500.
Only Botlo called to see the 6♣ river, where he called a double-barrel bet of 3,000 from Polyak.
Polyak tabled T♠7♠ for two pair, but Botlo had K♦9♠ for trip kings.
Vincent Botlo – 45,100
Erik Polyak – 34,900
Card Casino, Samorin
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 1: 100/200 (200)
Entries: 29/29
Prize Pool: €400,000
Filip Marchand qualified from Day 1a yesterday, but is here bright and early in Day 1b to chase the multiple qualification bonus. 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, resulting in a €4,000 payday.
Here, Georgi Stoyanov opened to 600 under the gun, and received calls from Marchand and Robert Latis in the blinds.
The A♦9♣5♠ flop was checked to Stoyanov, who slid out a bet of 600, which only Marchand called.
The 8♥ turn was checked to the 5♥ river, where Marchand led out with a bet of 1,300, leading to a fold from Stoyanov. Marchand flashed the A♠ as he scooped an early pot.
Filip Marchand – 41,800
Georgi Stoyanov – 38,800
Robert Latis – 39,000
Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition Trophies
€400 Main Event Day 1b
Level 1: 100/200 (200)
Entries: 21/21
Prize Pool: €400,000
Play is underway in Day 1b of the €400 buy-in, €40,000 Main Event, with 21 players seated at the start of play.
The action is sure to be fast and furious with a chip-leader cash bonus in play. The player who tops the standings at the close of play 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.
Card Casino, Samorin
Day 1a of the €220 buy-in, €40,000 Mystery Bounty is underway, with 10 players seated for the start of play, including Ross Whitelaw, Junyu Liu and Robert Kucharik.
Players will 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 progress to Day 2. All Day 2 qualifiers will be in the money, with bounties in play from the start of Day 2.
The second 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.
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:
| Position | Player | Country | Chip Count |
| 1 | Sergii Baranov | Ukraine | 1,036,000 |
| 2 | Peter Kadlec | Slovakia | 900,000 |
| 3 | Edmond Ala | Austria | 818,000 |
| 4 | Gabriel Otescu | Romania | 794,000 |
| 5 | Silviu Nemes | Romania | 667,000 |
| 6 | Rostyslav Sabishchenko | Ukraine | 650,000 |
| 7 | Martin Lechner | Austria | 639,000 |
| 8 | Lubos Svoboda | Czech Republic | 605,000 |
| 9 | Stavros Passias | Greece | 575,000 |
| 10 | Jonny Tapia | Austria | 573,000 |
| 11 | Stevan Gvozdenovic | Montenegro | 569,000 |
| 12 | Jozef Mozsi | Slovakia | 560,000 |
| 13 | Sandor Rabi | Hungary | 548,000 |
| 14 | Martin Sedilek | Slovakia | 545,000 |
| 15 | Norbert Tontya | Romania | 533,000 |
| 16 | Csaba Kiss | Hungary | 526,000 |
| 17 | Dragos Iosub | Romania | 500,000 |
| 18 | Igor Remenar | Slovakia | 499,000 |
| 19 | Jakub Bubeliny | Czech Republic | 488,000 |
| 20 | Florian Fousek | Austria | 471,000 |
| 21 | Pedram Mafi | Austria | 468,000 |
| 22 | Jaroslaw Chmiel | Poland | 462,000 |
| 23 | Lubomir Cicko | Slovakia | 458,000 |
| 24 | Mark Kristoffy | Hungary | 435,000 |
| 25 | Vitalii Shcherba | Ukraine | 433,000 |
| 26 | Gergo Fekete | Hungary | 430,000 |
| 27 | Martin Koppl | Slovakia | 409,000 |
| 28 | Radoslav Herman | Slovakia | 402,000 |
| 29 | Jozef Stern | Austria | 402,000 |
| 30 | Nikola Janic | Serbia | 400,000 |
| 31 | Maros Kral | Slovakia | 386,000 |
| 32 | Ferenc Limpar | Hungary | 383,000 |
| 33 | David Mikulenka | Czech Republic | 381,000 |
| 34 | Maksym Ronshyn | Ukraine | 381,000 |
| 35 | Alex Rosa | Slovakia | 372,000 |
| 36 | Istvan Buderer | Hungary | 366,000 |
| 37 | Martin Rus | Slovakia | 358,000 |
| 38 | Roman Okolicany | Slovakia | 357,000 |
| 39 | Antonin Homola | Czech Republic | 348,000 |
| 40 | Jasmine Schuster | Austria | 326,000 |
| 41 | Lubor Priesol | Slovakia | 317,000 |
| 42 | Thomas Dorner | Austria | 315,000 |
| 43 | Sandor Korodi | Hungary | 314,000 |
| 44 | Zsolt Zanati | Hungary | 311,000 |
| 45 | Shay Haver | Israel | 310,000 |
| 46 | Alexander Geischlaeger | Austria | 309,000 |
| 47 | Balazs Zsidi | Hungary | 308,000 |
| 48 | Zsolt Csipkes | Hungary | 291,000 |
| 49 | Peter Gubala | Slovakia | 289,000 |
| 50 | Mladen Crvenko | Croatia | 282,000 |
| 51 | Richard Kapun | Austria | 277,000 |
| 52 | Otto Hiebel | Austria | 274,000 |
| 53 | Jozef Bartalos | Slovakia | 265,000 |
| 54 | Dang Nguyen | Vietnam | 261,000 |
| 55 | Tamas Losonczi | Hungary | 246,000 |
| 56 | Tomas Rous | Czech Republic | 239,000 |
| 57 | Vladimir Cocis | Romania | 238,000 |
| 58 | Lucas Knar | Austria | 234,000 |
| 59 | Manfred Gonda | Austria | 227,000 |
| 60 | Josef Antos | Czech Republic | 223,000 |
| 61 | Marian Flesar | Slovakia | 220,000 |
| 62 | Marcus Skalicky | Austria | 208,000 |
| 63 | Lukas Kouril | Czech Republic | 205,000 |
| 64 | Filip Marchand | France | 204,000 |
| 65 | Norbert Bugar | Slovakia | 197,000 |
| 66 | Philipp Nikolic | Austria | 197,000 |
| 67 | Guoqing Zhang | Austria | 196,000 |
| 68 | Michal Zimani | Slovakia | 196,000 |
| 69 | Andras Ezsoel | Hungary | 191,000 |
| 70 | Zsolt Szabo | Slovakia | 187,000 |
| 71 | Jan Svagerko | Slovakia | 183,000 |
| 72 | Martin Zlatny | Slovakia | 180,000 |
| 73 | Raphael Greiml | Austria | 175,000 |
| 74 | Thomas Bonness | Austria | 174,000 |
| 75 | Franz Ziegerhofer | Austria | 171,000 |
| 76 | Maximus | Austria | 157,000 |
| 77 | Adam Nedbal | Slovakia | 150,000 |
| 78 | Ovidiu Popa | Romania | 145,000 |
| 79 | Andor Weidlich | Hungary | 140,000 |
| 80 | Marian Nemec | Slovakia | 138,000 |
| 81 | Amir Juwan | Austria | 134,000 |
| 82 | Szilvia Popper | Hungary | 128,000 |
| 83 | Mark Pinter | Hungary | 127,000 |
| 84 | Michelle Gross | Austria | 121,000 |
| 85 | Yiping Chen | China | 120,000 |
| 86 | Daniel Nagy | Hungary | 119,000 |
| 87 | Andrii Skryp | Ukraine | 118,000 |
| 88 | Luka Skare | Croatia | 111,000 |
| 89 | Wolfgang Foglar | Austria | 110,000 |
| 90 | Hakan Saglam | Turkey | 110,000 |
| 91 | David Kristek | Czech Republic | 93,000 |
| 92 | Robert Otruba | Slovakia | 90,000 |
| 93 | Weiqiang Hu | Germany | 83,000 |
| 94 | Andras Resch | Hungary | 82,000 |
| 95 | Levente Kis | Hungary | 80,000 |
| 96 | Marius Rusu | Romania | 80,000 |
| 97 | Milan Ruzicka | Czech Republic | 72,000 |
| 98 | Vincent Botlo | Slovakia | 18,000 |
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.
| Date | Time | Buy-In | Event | Starting Stack | Clock | Late Reg | Prize Pool |
| Sept 9 | 17:00 | €220 | Mystery Bounty Day 1A | 30,000 | 00:30 | 12 | €40,000 |
| Sept 9 | 18:00 | €400 | Main Event Day 1B – Chip Leader Bonus | 40,000 | 00:30 | 10 | €400,000 |
| Sept 9 | 20:00 | €70 | Satellite to Day 1C | 20,000 | 00:15 | 8 | 5x TCK |
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.