Day 2

Nicolaj D’antoni out in 21st place

Level 26: 25,000/50,000 (50,000)
Entries: 20/1,992

Over at Table 18, Nicolaj D’antoni had a very small stack for a while now and eventually, he succumbed to Cyril Vieira.

D’antoni was all-in with Ace-Queen against Vieira’s Nines and couldn’t find any help on the board.

Cyril Vieira – 2,300,00
Nicolaj D’antoni – 0

Dario Minieri happy after a long Day 2

Day 2 of the highly anticipated Battle of Malta Poker Tournament witnessed thrilling action as the field narrowed down from 299 players to a formidable 48 survivors. This exciting phase brought together some of the finest poker talents, including the renowned WSOP Winner Dario Minieri, adding an extra layer of anticipation to the tournament.

With an initial entry pool of 1,992 participants, the competition on Day 2 was fierce and captivating. As the day progressed, tensions ran high, and players showcased their skills and strategies in an attempt to secure a spot in the next stage of the tournament. One player who stood out from the rest was Victor Fryda, who amassed an impressive chip stack of 3,820,000, emerging as the runaway chip leader. Fryda’s exceptional performance throughout the day showcased his command over the game, leaving his opponents in awe.

While Fryda led the pack, all eyes were on the celebrated poker veteran, Dario Minieri. As a former WSOP winner, Minieri brought a wealth of experience and expertise to the table. With each hand, Minieri displayed his exceptional poker skills, captivating the audience and challenging his adversaries. He finished the day in he middle of the field with almost 1,000,000 chips.

With the conclusion of Day 2, 48 skilled players emerged from the battlefield, securing their positions for the next stage of the Battle of Malta Poker Tournament. As the tournament heads into Day 3, anticipation builds for the intense clashes and strategic maneuvers that lie ahead. Play will resume tomorrow at 1pm, as the remaining contenders prepare to battle it out for ultimate victory, hoping to claim the prestigious Battle of Malta title.

Stay tuned for the live updates and continue following this captivating poker tournament to witness the unfolding drama, unexpected twists, and remarkable displays of skill that make the Battle of Malta an event to remember.

Full chip counts after Day 2:

Time and Poker

With less than 15 minutes on the clock, Day 2 of the Battle of Malta Main Event is almost over.

The remaining players will return tomorrow at 1 pm after a short night and play Day 3.

We will be back with full (and accurate) chip counts in a little while and update you on all the action tomorrow.

Level 22: 10,000/20,000 (20,000)
Entries: 50/1,992

Nobody wants to play anymore. It’s late and the action at the tables is screeching to a halt.

We tried catching a huge hand but failed. Maybe we just got unlucky, but maybe the players are a wee bit tired after a long night of relentless poker.

One player that still feels the fire is Daniele Gugliotta who just tried to bluff Alexis Roch.

The hand began with Roch raising to 40k from the button and Gugliotta defending his big blind.

Flop: 6♠5♠3♦ – after Gugliotta checked, Roch bet 60 and Gugliotta called.

Turn: 4♣ – both players checked.

River: T♣ – Now Gugliotta fired 80k and Roch called instantly.

Gugliotta showed 9♣5♣ for a small pair and a likely bluff. Roch tabled 4♦2♦ for a flopped straight that got semi-counterfeited on the turn and took down the pot.

Alexis Roch

Vygintas Sipalis and Candido Cappiello

Level 21: 10,000/20,000 (20,000)
Entries: 52/1,992

Candido Cappiello open-raised from UTG and it folded to Vygintas Sipalis in the big blind. After having doubled up earlier, he was briefly having an average stack but lost some of the chips over the course of the last hand. Sipalis had roughly 400k left and moved all-in.

Cappiello felt committed to the hand and called the all-in. Showdown:

Candido Cappiello: A♣T♥
Vygintas Sipalis: A♣8♦

Board: 9♠7♠4♣5♥6♠

By rivering a straight Cappiello overtook Sipalis, won the pot, and sent the Lithuanian to the rails.

Candido Cappiello – 1,800,000
Vygintas Sipalis – 0

Players are in the last break of the day and we have eyeballed 61 remaining stacks. We had some shakeup in the chip lead position with  Ameed Khalil losing almost half his stack and from the looks of it, Andrea Agnoletto is currently leading the field.

Players are on a 20-minute break. This will be the final break of the day. Players will come back for one more hour-long blind level with blinds at 10,000/20,000 along with a 20,000 big blind ante.

Surviving players will bag chips into tomorrow’s penultimate day starting at 1 p.m.

We will also be updating the biggest stacks from around the room during the break.

If you want to know what happened today at the Battle of Malta, but only have 98 seconds, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered! Our very own Patrisha Rimfire takes you through today’s proceedings in our fiery BoM recop.

Sunglasses up, brawl on (an anticlimactic one, though)

Level 21: 10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Entries: 64/1,992

The two big stacks at Table 17 just had a small brawl.

It started with Ameed Khalil raising to 40k from the button and Gytis Lazauninkas reraising to 125k from the small blind.

Khalil called and they saw a T♣9♥4♣ flop. After Lazauninkas checked, Khalil bet 200k and Lazauninkas called.

The K♠ turn was checked by both players and after the river fell 5♦, Lazauninkas bet 250k. Khalil instantly called.

The showdown was a tad anticlimactic as both players had the same hand – A♠T♦ and A♣T♥. Split pot!

Dusan Bartak and Giulio Di Salvo

Level 21: 10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Entries: 67/1,992

There is a famous saying from the iconic HBO series The Sopranos, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

This saying applies to the following hand between Dusan Bartak and Guilio Di Salvo.

Dusan Bartak jammed for less than five big blinds from the hijack. Giulio Di Salvo raised to under 100,000 from the cutoff and the rest of the table folded.

Dusan Bartak: Q♦5♦
Giulio Di Salvo: A♣8♣

Bartak improved to two pair on the K♣Q♠5♥ flop and had his opponent drawing dead on the 4♥ turn. The A♥ river paired up Di Salvo. Bartak stood up to leave the table and walk a couple of steps away.

The dealer and several of the players at the table pointed out he won the hand. Bartak didn’t go too far away and retook his seat after he understood that he won the hand.

Giulio Di Salvo – 1,800,000
Dusan Bartak – 150,000

Level 21: 10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Entries: 70/1,992

Vygintas Sipalis raised from late position and in the blinds, Wissam Ouertani moved all-in for effectively 387k.

Sipalis called quickly and the two went to showdown:

Wissam Ouertani: A♣K♦
Vygintas Sipalis: T♠T♣

Board: Q♦T♥9♣6♠5♣

Sipalis hit his set, dodged his opponents’ outs, and doubled to roughly 800k.

Vygintas Sipalis – 800,000
Wissam Ouertani – 125,000

Vygintas Sipalis is back in the action

Giulio Di Salvo

Level 20: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 78/1,992

In a rather huge clash, the Italian Giulio Di Salvo doubled through the (former) chip leader Ameed Khalil.

Di Salvo opened from middle position to 25k. Behind him, Jon Persent re-raised to 75k and right behind him, Ameed Khalil called the 3-bet.

The action was back on Di Salvo and he jammed for 800k. Jon Persent went out of the way, but Khalil was not deterred and called the all-in without missing a beat. Showdown:

Di Salvo: Q♠Q♣
Khalil: A♠Q♦

Board: T♠8♠7♠J♦2♥

With his pair, Di Salvo doubled up and is among the chip leaders now.

Ameed Khalil – 2,000,000
Giulio Di Salvo – 1,700,000

Ameed Khalil has his eyes on Gytis Lazauninkasq’s stack

In an interesting twist, the two big stacks of the Main Event have been placed right next to each other.

Ameed Khalil and Gytis Lazauninkas have 5 Million chips combined – the Italian holds 2.8m and the Lithauanian 2.2m.

Meanwhile, Lazauninkas is multitabling – at least sort of. While playing the Main Event he’s also hitting the virtual tables on his phone. Impressive!

Gytis Lazauninkas playing online

Tomasz Kokoszka stacking chips while Shmuel Hadad is sent packing

Level 20: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 88/1,992

Tomasz Kokoszka just eliminated Shmuel Hadad by hitting a two-outer on the river. The two players were all-in before the flop and Hadad had Kokoszka crushed with Kings against Kings. The dealer fanned a low board but dealt a queen on the river, sending this 500k Kokoszka’s way, and removing Hadad from the game.

Tomasz Kokoszka – 550k
Shmuel Hadad – 0

Level 20: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 95/1,992

Itay Cahana was among the recent players to hit the rail. He got it in good but sometimes this doesn’t matter, especially in this case when his opponent Victor Fryda had tons of equity.

Cahana checked the 7♥6♥4♠ flop before Fryda fired out for 45,000 into a pot of a bit more. Cahana tanked before he called. Bigger action came on the 2♣ on the turn. Cahana checked again. Fryda tanked for close to a minute before he jammed for 400,000. Cahana had about 250,000 behind and tanked for close to five minutes before he called.

Itay Cahana: 7♦5♠
Victor Fryda: A♥3♥

Cahana was ahead with his top pair and open-ended straight draw. However, any heart, any five, or any ace on the river would change the outcome. Fryda improved to a better pair than Cahana after the A♦ river completed the board. Cahana was out of chips but waited at the table quietly for his payout slip before leaving the tournament arena.

Victor Fryda – 900,000
Itay Cahana – 0

Itay Cahana & Victor Fryda

Dario Minieri stacking more and more chips

Level 19: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 96/1,992

In an Italian battle at Table 15, WSOP Bracelet winner Dario Minieri prevailed victorious against his countryman Sebastiano Caruso.

Minieri opened from middle position to 24k. In the blinds, Caruso called.

Flop: 8♦7♦6♥ – both players checked.

Turn: T♥ – Caruso checked, Minieri bet 18k and Caruso called.

River: J♣ – Caruso checked once more, Minieri bet again, this time 52k and Caruso called.

Minieri turned over A♠9♠ for a straight and his opponent mucked.

Dario Minieri – 650,000
Sebastiano Caruso – 250,000

After the first four levels of the day, we lost a whopping 200 players. 99 remain and all of them are guaranteed €1,550 already.

Here are all the cashes so far:

While the players were on the second break of the day, we eyeballed the biggest stacks in the room. So far it looks like, Matteo La Fata is way ahead of the competition as only player with more than 2m chips.

Players are on their second break of Day 2. We will update the chip counts of the big stacks at the break. Blinds will increase to 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 big blind ante when the action resumes in 20 minutes.

Giuseppe Dedone mucking his last hand

Level 19: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 101/1,992

After losing the huge hand against Erez Hen, Giuseppe Dedoni was down to only a few big blinds.

He just lost those in a preflop all-in against Shaun Decesare. After a raise and reraise both were all-in and Dedoni was – once more – behind in the match-up.

Giuseppe Dedoni – K♣T♣
Shaun Decesare – A♠T♥

Board: J♣9♦3♦T♦5♣

The board didn’t provide any meaningful help and with that hand Giuseppe Dedoni hit the rails.

Shaun Decesare – 350,000
Giuseppe Dedoni – 0

Erez Hen after doubling up

Level 19: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 107/1,992

Some hands are easily described: Player A has aces, and player B has kings. Both are aggressive. One raises, the other re-raises, and – lo and behold – both are all-in.

This just happened at table 10 with Erez Hen having the aces and Giuseppe Dedoni having the kings.

Both were all-in preflop for 1,300,000 chips and the board didn’t change anything. Now Hen is among the big stacks and Dedoni has lost most of his stack.

Erez Hen – 1,300,000
Giuseppe Dedoni – 150,000

Level 19: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 115/1,992

We learned that Khalil Ameed doubled up with a straight to soar past 2 million in chips. Shortly after, he gave a few back.

Samuel Marseiler got his last 120,000 into the pot and was up against Ameed.

Samuel Marseiler: A♠2♥
Khalil Ameed: K♥T♦

Marseiller improved to two pair on the 2♣A♥9♦ flop but Ameed was still alive and asked for a queen on the J♥ turn.

The T♥ river paired up Ameed. But this wasn’t enough and Marseiller was able to take a small chunk of La Fata’s massive stack.

Samuel Marseiler – 250,000
Khalil Ameed – 1,950,000

Khalil Ameed

Desmond Farrell and Antoine Talvard

Level 19: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Entries: 125/1,992

The hand began with Maksym Sheingart raising from UTG to 20k and Desmond Farrell calling the raise in the cut-off. Behind the two of them Day 1a chip leader Antoine Talvard re-raised to 70k and after Sheingart folded, Farrell called.

Flop: T♠8♦6♦

Now Farrell moved all-in for 170,000. Talvard instantly called. Showdown:

Desmond Farrell: A♠K♥
Antoine Talvard: K♦T♥

While Farrell had the better hand preflop, Talvard out-flopped him and he even got a flush as turn and river fell 4♦, 7♦.

Antoine Talvard – 0
Desmond Farrell – 2,000,000

Check out our updates from the players’ party, featuring Patrisha Rimfire, who showcased some of her talents during her time on stage.

Emanuele Napolitano

Level 18: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Entries: 127/1,992

Flips are the most likely way to go if you bust the Battle of Malta.

This just happened to Emanuele Napolitano who was taken out by Edikas Jurgutis. Napolitano moved all-in from UTG for 108,000. In the small blind Jurgutis called and the two saw a showdown:

Emanuele Napolitano: A♦K♥
Edikas Jurgutis: J♠J♦

Board: J♥5♣2♣9♦4♣

Napolitano’s Ace-King had no chance against Jurgutis’ set and the Italian hit the rails.

Edikas Jurgutis – 220,000
Emanuele Napolitano – 0

Level 17: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Entries: 144/1,992

Right after typing up the last hand, we returned to Table 15 and saw Madis Ormisson win the next hand. This one was only moderately spectaular. It began with him min-raising in the cut-off. Behind him Vitale Raffaele called.

Flop: 5♥2♠2♣

Ormisson bet 17k, Raffaele called.

Turn: 2♣

Ormisson bet 17k again and Raffaele called once more.

River: K♥

Nor Ormisson checked and Raffaele checked behind.

Ormisson tabled Q♦Q♣ for a pair of queens and Raffaele showed down A♣5♣ for a small pair and a flush draw – not enough to beat Ormisson’s queens.

Madis Ormisson – 290,000
Vitale Raffaele – 180,000

David Keuftedjian

David Keuftedjian fired seven bullets into the Battle of Malta Main Event and he just lost his last flip.

After losing a big hand (which we unfortunately didn’t see), he was down to 37,000 chips – six big blinds.

After a raise, he moved all-in and was called by two players, Madis Ormission and Robert Shindler. Both of them checked all the streets until the showdown:

Board: J♥6♣5♠Q♠6♦

Madis Ormission: 8♦8♠
Robert Shindler: 2♣2♥
David Keuftedjian: A♦K♦

With his unimproved Ace-King Keuftedjian lost to the eights and had to take his leave.

Robert Shindler – 800,000
Madis Ormission – 260,000
David Keuftedjian – 0

First break and first count of the chips.

Currently, Gytis Lazauninkas leads the pack as the only player with over 1m chips.

Gytis Lazauninkas

Day 2 players are on their first break of the day. We will update some of the bigger stacks from around the room during the break and then make another quick appearance at the party on the 19th floor of the InterContental Malta where all players are invited to chill and have some fun.

Level 17: 3,000/6,000 (6,000)
Entries: 179/1,992

A big pot was developing on Table 1. While the hand didn’t have a showdown, it took close to 10 minutes to play out. We caught up with the hand when Karol Bogusz three-bet to 43,000 from the small blind and was facing a four-bet by Stavros Markovis-Taskas from the big blind. Both players had massive stacks in front of them. Bogusz tanked for several minutes before he called.

Bogusz checked the 4♠3♥T♣ flop. Markovis-Taskas continued for 45,000 a minute later. Bogusz tanked for less than a minute before he called. Bogusz checked again on the 9♦ turn. Markovis-Taskas paused for about 90 seconds before he opted to jam for 153,000. Bogusz tanked for about five minutes and during this time tried to extract some information from his opponent.

“Do you have jacks or kings?” Bogusz asked.

Karol Bogusz

He got no response and went back into the tank again.

“Do you jacks or kings?” Bogusz asked again. “I will have to fold my queens if you don’t talk with me.”

Another minute or two went by before Bogusz apologized to the table.

“I need another minute,” Bogusz said.

The table seemed to understand this was a big spot and about a minute later Bogusz laid down his hand.

We will never know whether Markovis-Taskas had jacks or kings or any other hand as he tossed his hand facedown after winning the pot.

Stavros Markovis-Taskas – 500,000
Karol Bogusz – 410,000

Massimo Centola acknowledges his trips

Level 17: 3,000/6,000 (6,000)
Entries: 183/1,992

Massimo Centola just scored a big pot over at Table 19. In a button vs. big blind confrontation, he was involved against Mario Mancuso.

Mancuso, who was on the button had raised before the flop and Centola reraised from the big blind. Mancuso called.

The flop fell J♣7♦7♥ and Centola came out betting. Mancuso raised and Centola moved all-in. He had Mancuso covered by a little bit and the latter quickly called. Showdown:

Mario Mancuso: A♠J♠
Massimo Centola: 9♠7♠

Centola had flopped trips, played them fast, and got paid off. Turn and River fell K♥ and 6♠, not changing the outcome of the hand, awarding Massimo Centola the 340k pot.

Mario Mancuso – 340,000
Massimo Centola – 0

Starting at 9pm, players wll gather at the tournament venue, ready to put their skills to the test in this exciting competition.

With a €200 buy-in, The Prestige side event promises to attract both seasoned professionals and aspiring poker enthusiasts, all vying for their share of the prize pool.

Re-entries are allowed, giving players an additional chance to make a comeback and showcase their strategic prowess on the felt.

The tournament will adopt a turbo structure, with rapid-fire action facilitated by 20-minute blind levels. This fast-paced format will demand quick decision-making and calculated aggression from participants, leaving no room for hesitation.

It’s time to shuffle up and deal! Let the prestigious games begin!

Domenico Postorino before calling all-in

Level 17: 3,000/6,000 (6,000)
Entries: 187/1,992

Let’s talk about the luck factor once more. Let’s ask Domenico Postorino about it!

Over at table 12 Postorino raised from middle position to 13k and in the big blind Marios Stefani moved all-in for effectively 120k.

Postorino needed a long time to make his decision but eventually, he decided to call the all-in with K♦Q♠. He was miles behind Marios Stefani’s A♣A♦. But the dealer fanned a board consisting of K♣Q♥2♠J♦9♣, giving the Italian top two and awarding him the pot.

Domenico Postorino – 250,000
Marios Stefani 25,000

It is party time at the Battle of Malta with a casual atmosphere on the 19th floor of the InterContinental Malta at the SKYHIGH Bar and Restaurant.

We just headed to the party to check out the vibe (and also to have a free drink) and enjoyed the company, the casual music, and the panoramic views of St. Juliens.

The reporting team will be popping up and down as long as the party lasts. We definitely plan to be there when the Battle of Malta presenter Patrisha Rimfire will entertain us with her lovely singing voice. If you see us there, we are both friendly and don’t bite (unless you want us to). So please drop by and say hi.

Level 17: 3,000/6,000 (6,000)
Entries: 198/1,992

By now the Main Event is down to less than 200 players with 40 minutes left in the 17th level. After that level there will be a break of 20 minutes and the remaining players will come back for the next five levels of the day.

Gilles Todaro realizes he only has one out

Level 16: 2,500/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 230/1,992

Ilyaev Raul is among the chip leaders and we think, we have an idea of how he got there. He had some luck!

Well, of course, you have to have some luck to make a deep run in any tournament. But set over set lucky, that’s quite something.

Over at Table 13, the hand began with a raise and a reraise before the flop. Gilles Todaro and Ilyaev Raul saw a flop: J♣8♠3♣. With roughly 100k in the middle already, Todaro bet, Raul moved all-in and Todaro instantly called. Showdown:

Ilyaev Raul: J♥J♦
Gilles Todaro: 8♦8♣

The setup was brutal for Todaro and neither turn (T♠), nor river (K♣) helped the Italian and he was eliminated while Raul stacks even more chips now.

Ilyaev Raul – around 700k
Gilles Todaro – 0

Level 16: 2,500/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 241/1,992

Vito La Barbera came in today with one of the biggest stacks. He still has a big stack but has bled some of it off to Assaf Zeharia after the following hand.

We caught up with the action with a bet of 22,500 in front of La Barbera with the 5♦4♥K♥ already on the flop and about 50,000 in the pot when Zaharia shoved over the top for 34,500.

The dealer counted the chips but the first count was 44,500. Zaharia quickly corrected this before stating to La Barbera and Massimo Centola were both in the hand: “10K discount because I am a decent guy.”

Centola tanked for about two minutes before he folded while La Barbera added the few extra chips to his initial bet to call.

Assaf Zaharia: K♠3♠
Vito La Barbera: J♣7♣

Zaharia was far ahead but La Barbera was still alive drawing to four outs for a straight after the 8♠ turn. No six came to send Zaharia packing. Instead, it was the 3♥ that completed the board on the river.

“Two pair!” said Zaharia in delight.

Vito La Barbera – 340,000
Assaf Zaharia – 115,000

Assaf Zaharia

As the sun begins to set over the picturesque island of Malta, the Battle of Malta Poker Tournament is about to take an exhilarating twist with the arrival of the highly anticipated high roller side event, “The Dark Knight.” This prestigious affair, sponsored by Domusbet, promises an evening filled with intense competition, strategic gameplay, and the opportunity for players to claim their share of the extravagant prize pool.

At precisely 8pm, the poker tables will come alive as participants gather to showcase their skills and nerve. With a buy-in of €1,100, the stakes are set high, attracting a field of seasoned professionals and fearless enthusiasts ready to test their mettle. For those who believe in second chances, re-entries are allowed, offering a chance to rise from the ashes and claim redemption amidst the fierce competition.

The Dark Knight, with its air of mystery and grandeur, will stretch the limits of players’ abilities and endurance. The event unfolds over ten levels, stretching into the little hours of tomorrow. The stage is set, and anticipation fills the air. The Dark Knight embodies the essence of high-stakes poker, where fortunes can be won or lost with a single hand.

But the excitement does not end here. Tomorrow, another high roller event, the “SUPER MEGA Siege of Malta,” will take center stage, with a buy-in of €5,200. This highly anticipated tournament promises even greater thrills, attracting the best and brightest minds. As the Battle of Malta Poker Tournament continues to captivate the poker community, the intensity will only grow stronger.

Federico Petruzzelli and Amir Assal

Level 16: 2,500/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 258/1,992

Poker is simple and sometimes brutal. Amir Assal just got rivered out of the tournament.

The hand began with some player opening from late position and Federico Petruzzelli re-raising to 50k from the small blind. Behind him, Amir Assal, who had only 40k left, called the re-raise, and the initial raiser folded.

Assal dominated Petruzzelli with A♠K♦ against A♥Q♥. But the board ran down K♠J♣2♦Q♠Q♦ giving his opponent trips.

Federico Petruzzelli – 340,000
Amir Assal – 0

Level 16: 2,500/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 267/1,992

Domenico Gala opened for a min-raise from the button. Po Yi Wu jammed for about 80,000 from the small blind. Gala found no need to ask for a count and quickly called after Cosimo De Gennaro folded from the big blind.

Po Yi Wu: 3♠3♣
Domenico Gala: J♠J♣

Wu was far behind and waiting for his cashier ticket after not pulling ahead of jacks on the K♣2♣4♥7♥K♦ board.

Domenico Gala – 200,000
Po Yi Wu – 0

Po Yi Wu

Robert Pirie

Level 16: 2,500/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 275/1,992

Robert Pirie was among the chip leaders for quite a while during Day 1b, but only bagged an average amount of chips. We just saw him win a substantial pot against David Keuftedjian.

With 70k in the middle, the board read T♠3♦2♣4♥7♦ and Keuftedjian had bet out 25k.

Pirie moved all-in for a bit over 80k. Keuftedjian, who had outstanding pot odds elected to fold after a while, flashing the T♦ for top pair.

Pirie didn’t let on whether he had that beat or not.

David Keuftedjian – 230,000
Robert Pirie – 175,000

Level 16: 2,500/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 292/1,992

Many players traveled from the small Baltic country of Lithuania where this author also lives to play in the Battle of Malta. Unfortunately, Michailis Miserkejevas was unable to run out his short stack and was among the first players to head out the door to the cashier for a €1,000 min-cash. He was happy to pose for a quick photo as he was at the door.

Miserkejevas jammed for 19,000 from the button and was called by Lahire Roche from the big blind.

Michailis Miserkejevas: K♠5♠
Lahire Roche: Q♥T♠

Roche pulled far ahead after nailing two pair on the Q♠T♥9♠ flop and Miserkejevas was drawing to a jack and only a jack to complete a gutshot straight draw after the 7♥ followed on the turn.

The 3♠ river didn’t help Michailis and we wish him the best of luck if he decides to enter the €1,100 High Roller beginning at 8 p.m. or any other events today or the rest of the festival.

Lahire Roche – 130,000
Michailis Miserkejevas – 0

Michailis Miserkejevas

Level 16: 2,500/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 299/1,992

The payouts have been announced for the 2023 Battle of Malta Spring Edition €600 Main Event at Casino Malta by Olympic Casino.

All the returning 299 players each locked up €1,000 with much more to come with Tuesday’s winner taking home a hefty top prize of €156,600!

Here is a look at all of the payouts and best of luck to all of the Day 2 players.

Level 16: 2,500/5,000 (5,000)
Entries: 299/1,992

Day 2 has kicked off with a replay of Level 16 with blinds at 2,500/5,000 along with a big blind ante of 5,000. There are many short stacks in play as each opening flight played down to the money. So expect some early mayhem with a slew of eliminations and double-ups before the action settles down.

We have 299 players left. All are in the money, albeit the exact payout will only be available in a few minutes.

Shortly past 7pm we will start Day 2 with the Shuffle Up and Deal.

Today we’re playing seven levels, each one hour, starting with 2,500 / 5,000 blinds. Every two levels, players will go on a short break, but no more dinner breaks will be scheduled.

We will publish the payouts once they are confirmed.

Today we embark on an exhilarating journey through the Day 2 of the prestigious Battle of Malta tournament! As the clock strikes 7pm, the Olympic Casino transforms into a battleground where skill, strategy, and sheer determination will determine who emerges victorious.

Today marks a pivotal day in the competition as the remaining contenders, a formidable group of roughly 300 players, converge to test their mettle against each other. With a prize pool exceeding €1,000,000, the stakes couldn’t be higher, igniting the competitive spirit and fueling the hopes of each participant.

Over the course of the evening, we are set to witness seven gripping levels, each lasting an intense hour. Brace yourself for a rollercoaster of emotions as players employ their finest tactics, meticulously calculating their moves, and taking calculated risks in pursuit of the coveted title.

For those seeking even greater thrills, the High Roller Side Event, aptly named “The Dark Knight by Domusbet,” awaits them at 8pm. With a buy-in of €1,000, this exclusive competition will attract some of the most skilled and daring poker aficionados, ready to clash in an epic battle of wits and fortunes.

But the excitement doesn’t stop there. The night further unfolds with the Prestige Side Event, featuring a buy-in of €250, starting at 9pm. As the stakes are slightly lower, this event promises to be a fantastic opportunity for players of all levels to showcase their talent and compete for recognition.

So fasten your seatbelts and prepare for an evening of exhilarating poker action. Join us as we bring you live updates, thrilling moments, and insider insights from the heart of the “Battle of Malta” tournament. Who will rise to the top and claim the ultimate prize? Only time will tell, and we will be there to capture every gripping moment. Stay tuned!

Below is the seat draw for Day 2 of the Main Event.

Below is the list of all chip counts.

Numbers in brackets: # of entries.