Day 1cde

Watch the third episode of the Battle of Malta’s daily talk show. In this show Glenn Brown is joined by Telly Bartolo and Casino Malta’s General Manager Slawomir Switalski. News about the Battle of Malta Online Series is revealed in this episode.

2025 Battle of Malta Spring Edition Day 1e chip leader Clement Kerrien

The final opening flight for the 2025 Battle of Malta Spring Edition €600 Main Event is in the books with France’s Clement Kerrien leading the 37 survivors, who will each be in the money when Day 2 starts at 2 p.m. Kerrien catapulted his 40,000 starting stack into a massive pile of 815,000 in chips. While he will start Day 2 in fifth place, he will have already had a good return on his buy-in as his epic afternoon earned him a €5,000 chip leader bonus.

The final opening flight attracted 242 entries to bring the final figure up to 1,542 entries for a €776,397 prize pool.

Check out the full chip counts from the Day 1e flight below.

The Novibet Ultradeep is now in the fifth level of the day with 116 of 127 players remaining. As the name suggests, it’s a deepstack and contestants begin with 40,000 chips each. With a buy-in of €240 (€220+€20) it’s a very good value event, with the lowest rake of any at the festival. Late registration is open for 10 levels, offering plenty of time for any stragglers to join the game.

Are you a short-stacking deepstack ninja? If so, we might be reporting on your victory at some point later this evening.

Calling All Short Stacking Deepstack Ninjas!

Registration has now closed for the fifth and final starting day at Casino Malta and the total number of entries has been confirmed as 1,542.  The total prize pool is €776,397 and the breakdown will be revealed before Day 2 begins at 7pm.

Day 1e is currently still in progress with 91 of the 242 entrants still plugging away for a place in Day 2. The flight will conclude when 37 players remain.

The Battle of Malta Spring Edition Main Event has one last starting day, Day 1e (turbo) which is already in progress, as it began at 10am. The last opportunity to register for the event is at 1.40pm. It’s already as busy as Day 1d, with 175 players register by the start of level 6. Day 2 begins at 7pm.

The €1,100 (€1,000 +€100) Amazingbet High Roller also begins at 7pm this evening and there is also a satellite in progress for it this morning. The format of the High Roller is a regressive structure, which means that the clock is rolled back to the start of level 8 at the beginning of Day 2. Registration is therefore still possible for the first three levels of Day 2.

The other side events of the day include the €240 (€220 +€20) Novibet Ultradeep, which begins at 2pm and a 4/5 Card PLO at 3pm. I won’t be entering the €150 (€130+€20) Hyperturbo again tonight, which paves the way for someone else to take it down! Good luck all!

Here’s today’s full schedule:

Daily Schedule Sunday 6th April

Saturday was by far the busiest day of the 2025 Battle of Malta Spring Edition. The first day of the weekend is always the key day for main event starting flights and over 850 players entered across Days 1c and 1d.

After four of the five main event fights, they have now been a total of exactly 1300 entries and the €500,000 guarantee has been well and truly smashed. Let’s take a look at how Saturday’s starting days panned out.

Day 1c

After the introductory video was shown on the 27m long video wall, the familiar daily mantra of “Shuffle up and deal” was announced by Tournament Director Andy Tillman and Event Manager Telly Bartolo. While this iconic poker tournament starting phrase is technically an instruction to dealers to begin the game, most players take it to heart as well, perhaps replacing the word “deal” with “steal,” because if you’re not prepared to bluff in poker, you probably won’t get far.

By the time the cards started sliding across the felts, 155 players had taken their pews, but this number would rise sharply and by the first break over 430 players had got involved in the day’s action. When registration closed, 686 players had entered Day 1c, 103 of whom survived the opening day of poker warfare.

Many players with significant BOM history took their seats on Day 1c, including former final tablists Alfredo Cuti, Claudio Barone, Fotios Ntamaris and Ivaylo Eftimov, however there has as yet been no sign of Vasileios Zizis, last year’s Spring Edition winner and Autumn Edition runner-up. It seems unlikely that he will make a late appearance for Day 1e on Sunday morning, but we’ll keep an eye out for him just in case.

The day ended after Francis Van Uden was eliminated as the unfortunate bubble girl, with Shai Biner posting the largest stack of the event so far, a towering 931,000 chips. Daniel Poluk also bagged a monster (922,000), with the UK’s Ceri Rees not far behind on 845,000. Shai not only bagged the biggest stack of day, he also claimed the €5,000 bonus prize for achieving that feat.

Jonathan Wong (312,000), Joris Ruijs (452,000) and Krystian Nalepka (172,000) all made it through as well, as did James ‘Grogsy’ Grogan, who squeaked into Day 2 with just 34,000. He has at least one chip and a chair, so at least for now, his dream is still alive.

The full Day 1c chip counts can be viewed here.

Shai Biner, winner of €5,000 big stack bonus on Day 1c

Day 1d Turbo

The fourth flight of the Battle of Malta Main Event began just as Day 1c was breaking for dinner. It actually ended slightly before Day 1c with 26 of the 171 who entered making it through. Benoit Kuhn was the lucky recipient of the €5,000 prize in this flight, ending the day with a stack of 675,000. Angelo Vietti (594,000) and Federico Cirillo (565,000) completed the top three chip counts, with Bulgarian Autumn Edition final table player Ivaylo Eftimov in fourth (550,000).

Other players who progressed from the flight include Fotios Ntamaris, who will have been relived to have made it  through, having fired bullets in every starting day so far. Rasmus Lundstroem, who pulled over €12,000 in bounties in the Mystery Siege also progressed from this flight, with 141,000. Click here for full Day 1d chip counts.

There is one final starting day on Sunday morning, which is also a turbo flight being run on a 20-minute clock. Day 2 commences at 7pm.

Benoit Kuhn, Day 1d Chip Leader, winner of €5,000 big stack bonus

PLO 4 Card Knockout

Saturday’s non-Hold’em offering was a €330 (€300+€30) PLO Knockout, which attracted a field of 60. It was won by Marton Lugosi for €2,370 plus bounties (not reported). Soner Vanelderen, who was runner up in Friday’s H.O.R.S.E cashed once again (7th) as did the Maltese number one Joseph Grech (9th).

Marton Lugosi, winner of the PLO Knockout

NLH Betwin360

The €300 (€260+€40) NLH sponsored by Betwin 360 was won by Georgian Sergi Kapanadze, who outlasted 53 other players to claim the €3,820 first prize. Dutch Nick Botman was runner up and Andrei Roman-Tamaduianu completed the podium. The top three all also received packages worth €780 to the next Italia Play event in Nova Gorica.

Hyperturbo

The busiest side event of the day was the €150 Hyperturbo which had 67 entrants, several of which were made by Battle of Malta host Glenn Brown. However his gun was misfiring and he was unable to progress much beyond the close of late registration. The event was won by a total fish, Jonathan Raab, who luck-boxed his way to a €2,360 score. Nice win, enjoy it while it lasts, cos it probably won’t happen again any time soon.

Fish on a Heater, Jonathan Raab

Satellites at the Battle of Malta are now focusing on the High Roller. Saturday’s satellite mustered 109 entries, generating 10 seats into the event, which begins at 7pm on Sunday. There is a further satellite on Sunday morning.

It’s been a long day at the 2025 Battle of Malta, and we’ve been treated with some great and entertaining poker.

Today, two flights of the €600 Main Event were featured on the schedule. Day 1c kicked off att 13:00 and – unless the numbers will surprise in tomorrow’s Day 1e – was the biggest Day 1 flight of the tournament. 686 entries were made in the flight, and 103 players bagged for Day 2.

Shai Biner during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

Leading the 1c flight is Shai Biner. Not only did he bag 931,000 and have good presumptions making a deep run, but he also received the €5,000 bonus for ending the day as the chipleader.

The same goes for Benoit Kuhn, who ended up as the Day 1d chip leader after a crucial pot on the bubble.

Tomorrow, our live coverage will start when Day 2 kicks off at 19:00. Before then, though, we will share the chip counts from Day 1e – the last starting flight – which commences at 10:00 local time. We will also, of course, share the seat draw as soon as possible.

Thanks for being with us today, and see you all tomorrow.

Level 17: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 103/686

Dario Marinelli during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

Dario Marinelli was seated on the Button and forced Francis Van Uden (Small Blind) all in for roughly 50,000. Van Uden made the call; Inigo Perez Sollano folded his Big Blind and it was time for showdown on the bubble.

Dario Marinelli: J♦J♥
Francis Van Uden: 9♠9♣

No help for Van Uden on the 6♥3♠T♣8♥6♦ runout, and such, the remaining 103 players received a plastic bag to put their chips in.

Chip counts from Day 1c and Day 1d will be posted as soon as possible, as will a short summary of Day 1c.

Tomorrow, April 6, the live coverage will start with Day 2 at 19:00 local time. Before that, however, we’ll share the chip counts from Day 1e which will be played tomorrow morning. Seat draws will also be published as soon as possible.

Level 17: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 26/171

Guido Balia during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

Bubble play on Day 1d only lasted one single hand.

From Under the Gun, Guido Balia went all in for 130,000. Then, Marflene Cricchiola re-shoved from UTG+1 for 190,000. Action folded to Marko Luksa in the Big Blind, who were a contender to bag the most chips. After a couple of minutes worth of consideration, he made the call.

Guido Balia: A♠J♠
Marflene Cricchiola: 5♦5♣
Marko Luksa: K♣J♥

It was an absolute rollercoaster on the 4♠T♣K♦Q♣2♠ runout, but in the end, it was Balia who won the main pot. After the dust had settled, it was determined that Cricchiola left in place 27 and became the bubble boy.

We’ll be back with chip counts from Day 1d after Day 1c has finished.

Level 16: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Entries: 114/686

Akser Osak during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

From the Cut-off, Akser Osak opened to 12,000. Massimiliano Mauceri made it 33,000 from the Button, and then, Osak forced Mauceri all in for 162,000. Mauceri spent a couple of extra minutes thinking over his decision as the rest of the players went on the last break of the day. Eventually, he folded.

Akser Osak: 256,000
Massimiliano Mauceri: 162,000

Level 15: 3,000/6,000 (6,000)
Entries: 139/686

Ingird Vos during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

The flop was 8♠2♣4♣ with 39,000 in the middle, when Tayfun Rodoplu bet 25,000. To his surprise, Ingird Vos completed a check-raise to 60,000. Rodoplu decided to make the call.

On the turn J♠, Vos forced Tayfun all in for 101,000. Tayfun asked Vos if she would show if he folded, which she agreed to do. Such, Tayfun folded and Vos revealed 2♣2♦.

Ingird Vos: 585,000
Tayfun Rodoplu: 101,000

The late registration for Day 1d closed with 171 entries. In this very moment, 76 brave warriors remain and they will play down to 26 players.

Level 13: 1,000/3,000 (3,000)
Entries: 164/686

Jonathan Wong during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

Action folded to Marcello Favaloro who, from the Hi-jack, opened to 6,000. Jonathan Wong went all in for 100,000 from the Cut-off, and after receiving a count, Favaloro made the call.

Jonathan Wong: A♦T♥
Marcello Favaloro: K♠Q♠

Wong’s hand was good on the red 9♥3♦5♥T♦9♦ runout and he secured a double up during this crucial stage of the tournament.

Jonathan Wong: 207,000
Marcello Favaloro: 51,000

Level 13: 1,000/3,000 (3,000)
Entries: 181/686

Giorgio Cristiano during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

From the Lo-jack, Kostadin Mihaylov opened to 7,000. Leonidas Georgopoulos made the call from the Button, prior to Ioannis Souroukidis moving all in for 100,000. Seated in the Big Blind, Giorgio Cristiano then decided to go all in, in an attempt to isolate himself heads up against Souroukidis. Mission accomplished and the players turned over their cards.

Ioannis Souroukidis: A♦Q♦
Giorgio Cristiano: J♠T♠

The flop 7♦T♦4♠ brought all kind of expectations, and the full board completed 7♦T♦4♠3♥6♣. Souroukidis was visibly displeased with the turnout as he hit the rail.

Giorgio Cristiano: 245,000
Ioannis Souroukidis: 0

Level 12: 1,000/2,500 (2,500)
Entries: 222/686

Daniel Poluk during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

Daniel Poluk opened to 5,500 from UTG. Mike Tyson called from the Lo-jack, and the two of them headed to the flop.

On 6♣4♠J♠, Poluk continued for 3,500, and Tyson called. Both players checked the K♥ turn and on the river T♣, Poluk check-called a 13,000 bet from Tyson.

Tyson must have been bluffing, as he folded his hand without showing. Hence, the pot was awarded to Poluk, who wasn’t forced to table the winning hand.

Mike Tyson: 290,000
Daniel Poluk: 190,000

Level 11: 1,000/2,000 (2,000)
Entries: 249/686

It’s now been confirmed by the tournament director that 103 players will move on from Day 1c. In this very moment, 249 players are remaining so roughly half of the field will hit the rail before the remaining warriors will receive one plastic bag each.

Even though our main focus is reporting from Day 1c of the Main Event, we’ll be sure to capture the most important moments from all Day 1 flights.

Here are the ten biggest stacks in Day 1d at the first break (returning to blinds 500/1,000 with a 1,000 Ante):

Level 11: 1,000/2,000 (2,000)
Entries: 260/686

Level 10 has ended, and as such, late registration is closed for Day 1c of the Main Event.

Such, the final number of entries is 686, which is the biggest of any of the flights so far. Day 1a saw 146 entries (with 22 players bagging for Day 2). Day 1b had 297 entries and 45 bagged.

The number of how many will advance from Day 1c is not yet announced, but we will update as soon as we know more.

It should also be mentioned that Day 1d began roughly two hours ago, and so far, 126 entries have been made.

The final Day 1 flight, Day 1e, will be played tomorrow, April 6, at 10:00 local time. 19:00 tomorrow, Day 2 will kick off.

Level 10: 1,000/1,500 (1,500)
Entries: 280/684

Rosario Angelo during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

Angelo Patane opened to 3,500 from UTG. From UTG+1, Rosario Angelo decided to call, and Juergen Hoeh joined the fun from the Big Blind.

The flop featured 3♠Q♣K♦ and, all three players opted to check. Hoeh bet 3,500 when the 5♦ fell on the turn; Patange and Angelo both made the call.

On the river A♥, Hoeh slowed down and checked. Patane bet 12,000, Angelo called and Hoeh folded.

Angelo Patange: 5♥4♥
Rosario Angelo: Q♥T♥

Second pair was good enough for Angelo, and he collected the pot as the conclusion of late registration approached.

Angelo Patange: 160,000
Rosario Angelo: 140,000

Level 10: 1,000/1,500 (1,500)
Entries: 285/682

Franco Di Gennaro during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

Rasmus Lundström made it 3,000 UTG. Franco Di Gennaro called from the Lo-Jack, and Big Blind-player Enrico Perra also joined the party.

On the Q♦6♠6♣ flop, Perra checked to Lundström who bet 2,500. Di Gennaro announced 7,000; Perra folded, while Lundström decided to go for the call.

Both players checked the K♥ turn. On the river K♦, Lundström went all in for 26,000, and Di Gennaro called in mere seconds.

Rasmus Lundström: A♣9♣
Franco Di Gennaro: Q♣T♣

A good call under pressure from Di Gennaro, which saw Lundström hitting the rail.

Franco Di Gennaro: 177,000
Rasmus Lundström 0

Level 10: 1,000/1,500 (1,500)
Entries: 292/682

Samuel Tebege during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

The players have returned to the tables after the 75-minute dinner break and are currently playing Level 10, the last level before late registration closes.

At Table 24, the board read 4♦T♠Q♦, and there were roughly 14,000 in the middle. Samuel Tebege bet 14,000 and was quickly called by Diego Petrarca.

Both players checked the 7♣ turn. On the river Q♣, Tebege check-called a 6,000 bet from Petrarca.

Diego Petrarca: 9♥8♠
Samuel Tebege: K♣T♦

A correct call from Tebege who was awarded the pot.

Samuel Tebege: 93,000
Diego Petrarca: 72,000

Main Event day 1c is now on dinner break, with 303 of the 676 starters still involved in the action. Late registration is still open until the end of level 10. Meanwhile Day 1d has recently begun and has 61 entries so far. Its being run on a 20-minute clock and players can register up until approximately 11.40pm. Chip counts of the big stacks to follow shortly.

Our coverage will continue to focus on Day 1c, but we’ll keep you updated on the status of Day 1d.

Today’s Battle of Malta talk shows have been recorded and are currently being reviewed and edited. They will be posted later this evening. One thing that still hadn’t been determined by yesterday’s second episode is the name of the show. a few suggestions have been made, but as yet, no winner has been revealed.  I can’t even guarantee that they will have one today, but if they do, its likely to be announced in one of the two shows that have just been recorded.

Talk Show Being Recorded

Level 8: 600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries: 350/666

Milos Veselinovic during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

From UTG, Vincenzo Pinna decided to limp for 1,200. Michail Tsilikidis then raised to 7,000 from middle position. Milos Veselinovic called from the Big Blind, prior to Pinna folding.

On the 6♠9♦8♦ flop, Veselinovic ramped up his engine and fired a 10,000 bet to the pre-flop aggressor Tsilikidis. Tsilikidis sighed as he folded, revealing A♥Q♠.

As Veselinovic collected the pot, he showed his A♦J♦ holdings before it hit the muck.

Milos Veselinovic: 125,000
Michail Tsilikidis: 33,000

Check, raise, call, rebuy! The Day 1c field has now grown to 666, but the final number of this beast is sure to be  even higher, as late registration remains open until 9.35pm.

Quite a few friendly faces have now been spotted in today’s mammoth field, but as a safeguard against the risk of the prose in this post getting too wooly, let’s waste no further time and tell you who they are.

James ‘Grogsy” Grogan is a lesser known legend of the Irish poker community, but a legend nonetheless. He’s been on the circuit for as long as anyone can remember, so long in fact, that even the legend himself may no longer remember where it all started. But where’s it going to go? To the toppermost of the pokermost…maybe…good luck Grogsy!

James ‘Grogsy’ Grogan

Daniel Samson is another stalwart (of the UK poker scene) and has been plying his trade for well over 20-years. He’s been to a few Battle of Malta events in the past few years and is now looking determined to make a deep run. All the best Dan!

Daniel Samson

Meanwhile, Emmanouiol Chalkiotis has already re-invested some of the €23,700 he won last night when he emerged victorious in the Mystery Siege of Malta. Today it looks like his gun has been loaded with blanks, as he’s already emptied three chambers of its barrel.

Level 8: 600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries: 356/664

Alessandro de Leo during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

25,000 in the middle when the board read 5♠A♦3♣T♣9♣. Christian Roberts checked to Alessandro de Leo who bet big, more exactly 35,000. Roberts evidently didn’t have a hand good enough to handle the pressure; he folded as de Leo’s stack surpassed the 200,000 mark.

Alessandro de Leo: 205,000
Christian Roberts: 132,000

Level 8: 600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries: 358/663

Leslie Lamnea during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

Leslie Lamnea and Oerjan Birkestoel clashed all in pre-flop. Lamnea was the player at risk, being all in for roughly 22,000.

Leslie Lamnea: 9♠8♠
Oerjan Birkestoel: 5♠5♦

When he saw the 4♠T♣5♥ flop, Lamnea was getting ready to leave the table, but the full board spelled out 4♠T♣5♥7♦J♦, giving him a straight and the winning hand.

Oerjan Birkestoel: 65,000
Leslie Lamnea: 55,000

Level 7: 500/1,000 (1,000)
Entries: 414/627

Claudio Trentacosti during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

Action folded to Claudio Trentacosti on the Button, who opened for 2,400. Jaime Diaz decided to defend his Big Blind and made the call.

On the 5♠6♥8♣ flop, Diaz check-called 3,600 from Trentacosti. Action repeated itself on the Q♦ turn, the only difference being Trentacosti sizing up to 5,200.

When the K♣ fell on the river, Diaz checked again, and Trentacosti bet 10,100. Diaz had been thinking for some time on every street, and the river action was no exception. Eventually, he made the call.

Trentacosti turned over K♠6♠ for a rivered two-pair. Diaz’s face indicated he had the lead up until the river, but now, the pot went the way of Trentacosti.

Claudio Trentacosti: 94,000
Jaime Diaz: 18,000

Casino Malta, the owner and operator of the Battle of Malta is pleased to announce an online edition in 2025. The Battle of Malta Online will take place exclusively on ACR from 13-27 July, 2025. No further details are as yet forthcoming, but more info will be released in due course.

It has also been revealed that ACR will run an online Day 1 for Battle of Malta Autumn Series Main Event. Dates and further info about this will be made public in the coming months.

New players: Click Here or Scan the QR code below use the sign-up code BOM, for a 100% sign up bonus up to $2,000!

Use the code BOM for a 100% sign up bonus up to $2,000

Level 7: 500/1,000 (1,000)
Entries: 421/623

Ceri Rees during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

The board read T♠5♣K♠Q♠, and 20,000 chips were already in the middle. Alessandro Carone check-called a 4,600 bet from Ceri Rees, revealing the 2♠ on the river. Carone once again checked to Reese, who now bet 14,000. Carone folded fairly quickly and it’s a qualified guess he didn’t have a high spade.

Ceri Rees: 94,000
Alessandro Carone: 27,000

Level 7: 500/1,000 (1,000)
Entries: 422/620

Flaviano Cammisuli during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

Hitchcock-like suspense at Table 8 as the board read 8♠2♥7♦J♥3♣. Sebastian Trela bet 5,000 into the pot consisting of 20,000. Then, Flaviano Cammisuli raised to 12,500. This sent Trela deep into the tank, and after a couple of minutes, he was called the clock on. When he only had a few seconds left, he made the call.

Cammisuli turned over K♦J♦. Trela’s cards hit the muck indicating he couldn’t beat top pair, and Cammisuli collected the chips.

Flaviano Cammisuli: 285,000
Sebastian Trela: 50,000

While the meat and potatoes of today’s schedule is clearly the Main Event, two of today’s side events are now well in progress.

Registration is now closed in the Omaha Knockout, with 18 of the 60 starters still four carding away. One of those still in the hunt is Joe Grech, who built a big stack early on and is now eying up a seat on the final table. Soner Vanelderen, the runner up in yesterday’s H.O.R.S.E is also still in contention, as are several other local players.

The €300 Betwin 360 is now on level four, with 34 of 41 starters still rocking their tournament lives. Late registration remains open in this until just after 8.30pm.

Soner Vanelderen

Level 6: 400/800 (800)
Entries: 436/592

Sasa Lalos during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

After an initial opening to 2,000, Emmanouil Kostakis raised to 6,000 from middle position. From the Lo-jack, Nuno Cardoso went all in for 35,000. When action came to Sasa Lalos in the Big Blind, he then went all in for 29,000. When it was back to Kostakis, he made the call, covering both his opponents.

Nuno Cardoso: Q♥Q♣
Sasa Lalos: A♠A♦
Emmanouil Kostakis: K♦K♣

An absolute cooler, and no shenanigans for Lalos as the board spelled out J♥2♥T♥3♦2♠. Cardoso’s bullet came to an end, and Kostakis a considerable chunk of his stack.

Sasa Lalos: 79,000
Emmanouil Kostakis: 27,000
Nuno Cardoso: 0

Level 6: 400/800 (800)
Entries: 437/572

Polykarpos Stryvakis during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

Polykarpos Stryvakis opened to 3,500 UTG. When action came to Georgios Papadopoulos, he went all in for 14,600. After receiving a count from the dealer, Stryvakis made the call.

Georgios Papadopoulos: A♠Q♣
Polykarpos Stryvakis: K♥J♥

The board ran out 5♣7♠K♦J♦Q♠, which resulted in Papadopoulos’ bullet coming to an end as Stryvakis stacked his newly-won chips.

Polykarpos Stryvakis: 134,000
Georgios Papadopoulos: 0

Level 5: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 436/557

Juergen Hoeh during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

From the Cut-off, Nico Pohl opened to 1,500. Juergen Hoeh was seated in the Big Blind and he was the only one who decided to join the party.

The flop came 9♦7♥6♣, and Hoeh was the one to donk out for 1,200. Pohl called, which summoned the 7♠ on the turn. Evidently, Hoeh likes the number 1,200 as he once again bet said amount.

Pohl called again and the 2♣ fell on the turn. Now, Hoeh sized up, betting 5,000. After a minute’s worth of consideration, Pohl let his hand go.

Nico Pohl: 120,000
Juergen Hoeh: 70,000

Level 5: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 436/551

Battle of Malta Event Manager Telly Bartolo and Battle of Malta host Glenn Brown just announced to the Day 1c crowd in the 2025 Battle of Malta Spring Edition €600 Main Event some amazing news.

The €500,000 guarantee has already been smashed on Level 6 of Day 1c with still four levels of late registration remaining and two more opening flights to go. Now, it is just a matter of how big the Main Event will grow.

Good luck to those battling in hopes of getting their photo on the Battle of Malta Wall of Fame and a tasty six-figure prize that is guaranteed for Wednesday’s Main Event champion.

2025 Battle of Malta Spring Edition €500K GTD Smashed

Today’s Pot Limit Omaha tournament is a four card bounty version, but not progressive. It began at 3pm and is currently in level 4, with 46 players, including Joe Grech, the player who tops the all-time Maltese cashes list on The Hendon Mob. Joe was born in Malta, but has lived most of his life in London, where he’s been regular on the live circuit for over 30 years. He’s spent a lot more time in Malta recently and when he swapped his flag from a UK one to a Maltese one, he instantly rose to the top of the list. Nice one Joe!

Joe Grech, the Maltese Numero Uno

Level 5: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 428/535

Sabato Tortorella during the 2025 Battle of Malta.

With roughly 12,000 in the middle, the board read 3♦8♦2♣7♠. Sabato Tortorella checked to Flaviano Cammisuli who bet 58,000. Tortorella made the call, and the 8♣ fell on the river. Tortorella now check-called a 6,400 bet from Cammisuli.

Flaviano Cammisuli: 9♦6♦
Sabato Tortorella: 6♠6♥

Tortorella’s pair of sixes was good and the dealer pushed all the chips his way.

Flaviano Cammisuli: 108,000
Sabato Tortorella: 95,000

Level 2: 200/400 (400)
Entries: 419/496

Philip Pearson (Pro Player)

After he first moved all in until he was called do to a side bet for charity, Philip Pearson found some redemption on his second bullet. At levels of 100/200 (200), action folded to Lorenzo Gatti who called from the small blind. Pearson raised to 1,300 and Gatti made the call.

After the flop of 5♣8♥6♦, Gatti checked in the small blind. Pearson fired for 2,000 and Gatti made the fold.

Pearson revealed 8♣8♦ to take the pot and increase his stack to 59,300.

Philip Pearson (current): 76,000

Now that the Main Event is well underway, we’ve had a chance to take a glance and see who’s making hay. Amongst their number is Emmanouil Chalkiotis, the Grecian top earner in yesterday’s Mystery Siege of Malta. There are a lot of Greek players here today, but still no sign of Vasileios Zizis, last year’s Spring Edition champion.

Also playing today are several other players who went deep in last year’s Main Events. These include Bulgarian Ivaylo Eftimov, who featured heavily in the latter stages of the Autumn Edition, eventually finishing in 8th place. Italian Alfredo Cuti who was 4th in last year’s Spring Edition is also here, as is Claudio Barone, who made the final in 2022.

We’ll keep an eye out for any other competitors with significant Battle of Malta credentials, as more and more players keep joining the field, which has now hit 500.  It won’t be long until the total number of entrants across all flights surpasses the 1,000 milestone.

Emmanouil Chalkiotis (left) and Kenny Burke, enjoying Day 1c of the Main Event

It’s break time in the Main Event and already over 430 players have taken their seats to start their personal crusades to survive the squid-game like reality that is every poker tournament.  There can be only one, only one player left with chips at the end of the fight, while the rest lie lifeless, their remains scattered across the poker battlefield.

Chip counts are being collected, after which they’ll be collated and verified, then we will then reveal who is the next person to leave the big brother house and we’ll report back shortly.

The Mystery Siege of Malta was won by Emmanouil Chalkiotis from Greece. He defeated a field of 617 entries to claim €23,600 in prize money (including bounties). Greek players dominated the business end of the 2-day tournament, with three of the last four players standing being of Hellenic persuasion. They all earned good paydays, but were denied a Grecian trio on the podium by the UK’s Ashley Scott, who was the runner up in a late night finish at the Eden Arena.

The day began with Day 1c, which was predictably the biggest of the event’s third starting flights with 286 entries, 43 of whom joined the 50 who had already booked their spots in Day 2 on Thursday. Neither of the chip leaders from the opening flights managed to progress far on Day 2, as Jonathan Wong departed in 29th and Michael Leng capitulated immediately afterwards in 28th place.

Emmanouil had posted the second largest stack on his starting day is no stranger to Battle of Malta final tables. He finished 6th in the same event in October, when he also won the IPC 8-Max, for just less than he has cashed for today. In fact Emmanouil had already chalked up a significant win in January this year, when he took down the Vamos Poker Tour Milan Main Event, for €18,000. He’s one to watch in the Main Event also.

At the Battle of Malta, pulling of bounties is done during extended breaks in play, to help add a little excitement to the event. It sure does draw a crowd of onlookers and not just those that were fortunate enough to get to draw one, or in some cases multiple bounties.

The biggest bounties were mostly drawn by players who didn’t make it to the final table. Gil Preter (8th place) and Carmelo Fangano (18th) scooped the two biggest €10,000 bounties.

However the biggest winner of bounty prizes was eventual 16th placed finisher Rasmus Lundstroem, who captured the second biggest €7,500 prize, and split the €5,000 along with a €2,000 and some other smaller prizes for a total mystery bounty haul of €12,700.

Rasmus Lundstroem

Mystery Siege of Malta Result*

*Prizes include bounties

Emmanouil Chalkiotis, Mystery Siege Winner

Level 2: 100/200 (200)
Entries: 319/337

Claudio Gallina Di Lorenzo

Claudio Di Lorenzo raised to 400 from early position and received three calls.

The flop came the 7♠4♣9♣ and action checked around.

After the turn peeled the 4♦, Both blinds and Di Lorenzo checked to Stevan Gvozdenovic in middle position. He fired for 3,900 and only Di Lorenzo made the call.

The river checked through after the Q♣ completed the board. Di Lorenzo revealed 8♣8♠ to take the pot.

Claudio Di Lorenzo: 43,000

Stevan Gvozdenovic: 39,000

Level 2: 100/200 (200)
Entries: 306/322

Day 1c is booming with already more than 300 entries on Level 2. In addition to the prop-bet master Phil Pearson, FLIP founder and Ladies Event host Daiva Byrne, Sofia Madsen, Mark Attard, Optibet coach Matiss Celmins, Simon Dunevein, and Benoit Kuhn, Victoria Mcclurg, and Estonia’s finest Herli Olop are among the players in the field.

Players will enjoy another blind level after this one before heading on break.

Level 1: 100/100
Players: 154/155

Philip Pearson

Before the Day began, Phil Pearson came over to share a side bet he had going for the tournament. He explained that he would be going all in blind until he was called and either doubled or eliminated. The side bet was a two part deal. If he won, €600 from the side bet would be donated to an ALS charity of his choice and the losing player would receive a €100 consolation. If he lost, €1,000 would go to the same charity and he would re-enter and play a more serious second bullet.

With the other players having the context to Pearson’s early antics, he moved all in from middle position and took down the 200 in blinds. The following hand, Pearson moved all in from early position and Rafal Kaczmarski made the call from the big blind.

Rafal Kaczmarski: 9♠3♥
Phil Pearson: A♥8♥

Both players caught a piece on the T♦8♠T♥3♣2♥ board but Kaczmarski found the double leaving Pearson with just 200 chips.

The final hand before Pearson’s demise witnessed him moving all in for 200 under the gun and Nikolaos Valtatzis raised to 300 from the cutoff. Kostadin Mihaylov defended from the big blind. The side pot built on the 8♥K♣J♥7♥4♦ board and Mihaylov moved all in for 32,000. Valtatzis made the fold and Mihaylov revealed T♥4♥ to best Pearson’s 9♠5♣.

Rafal Kaczmarski – 80,000
Kostadin Mihaylov – 48,000
Phil Pearson – 0

Level 1: 100/100
Entries: 155/155

The crowd was silenced before Day 1c as the iconic Battle of Malta video was displayed on the wide screen spreading throughout the arena. Shortly after, cards were in the air with Battle of Malta Tournament Director Andy Tillman, Battle of Malta event manager Telly Bartolo, and Battle of Malta Glenn Brown announced, “Shuffle up and deal!”

Day 1c is shaping up to be the largest thus far with 155 players in their seats to start off the action. Best of luck to all of the players in finding a bag into Day 2 when they will be in the money and beyond.

2025 Battle of Malta Spring Edition Intro

The first two days of the festival have been warm up days and today, Saturday 5th is the big day, when the venue will be at its busiest.

The €600 Main Event is the key focus of the day, with two starting flights, both of which will take place upstairs in the main Eden Arena. Day 1c begins at 1pm and like the two previous flights, will have 40-minute blinds levels. Day1c at 8pm is a turbo flight, with the clock reduced to 20-minutes.

In both flights, 15% of the field will progress hoping to join the 67 who have already secured their berths in Day 2. Players should buy-in for these events at the registration desks upstairs within the Eden Arena.

Today’s non-Hold’em offering is a €220 (€200+€20) PLO (Bounty), which begins at 3pm. at 4pm the €300 (€260+€40) Betwin360 NLH begins and the €150 (€130+€20) Hyper Turbo by Eplay is at 9pm.

Here’s today’s full schedule:

Tournament Schedule for Saturday 5th April at the Battle of Malta Spring Edition

The Battle of Malta Spring Edition is now well underway at Casino Malta and the Eden Arena at the Intercontinental Hotel in St Julians. Friday was twice as busy as Thursday with numbers in all events heading north, building towards Saturday, which is expected to be the busiest day of the festival, with two further starting days in the Main Event.

The new logistical set up seems to be running smoothly, with both upstairs and downstairs being utilised effectively. Upstairs the Eden Arena, with its 27m video wall is where the Main Event and Mystery Siege were held, while side events and satellites took place within the conference space on the lower floor. Cash games, which have already been quite busy, are being held within Casino Malta itself.

Main Event Day 1b

Day 1b of the Main Event saw the number of entrants rise sharply compared with the opening flight, as 297 hopefuls began their quest for a place in Sundays Day 2. By the end of play, 45 had successful completed their mission for the day and can enjoy a rest day on Saturday before the tournament gets serious.

The chip leader at the end of the day was Krzysztof Chmielowski, who bagged up a 741,000 chips, almost 50,000 more than the Day 1a chip leader. He is also guaranteed a nice payday because as well as being in the prize money, he took down the starting day €5,000 bonus prize for posting the largest stack of the flight.

Krzysztof Chmielowski, Day 1b Chip Leader

It was an eventful day with lots of interesting hands, many of which have been covered in our non-stop blog coverage, which is well worth taking some time to read back. For all the blog posts made on Friday, click here. And for a more detailed wrap up and all the chip counts of the survivors, check out the Day 1b recap posted by new blog team member and silent Jenga enthusiast Christoffer Karlen.

Emmanouil Chalkiotis Wins Mystery Siege of Malta for €23,600

The Mystery Siege of Malta was won by Emmanouil Chalkiotis from Greece. He secured his place in Day 2 via the opening flight, where he bagged the second largest stack of 428,000. He defeated Ashley Scott heads up in a late night finish, securing over €3,000 in bounties as part of his prize.

The business end of the tournament had a very Greek flavour, with three of the last four players standing being compatriots. However the biggest bounties were mostly drawn by players who didn’t make it to the final table. Gil Peter (8th place) and Carmelo Fangano (18th) scooped the two €10,000 bounties.

However the biggest bounty winner of the tournament was 16th placed finisher Rasmus Lundstroem, who captured the €7,500 and a €2,000 during the first break in play, securing a total of €12,700 in bounty prizes overall. He also chopped the €5,000 bounty.

A more in depth report on the tournament, which had a total of 617 entries will be posted later today.

Rasmus Lundstroem

Side Events

There were three further side events on Friday at the Battle of Malta Spring Edition.

The first of these was the €220 H.O.R.S.E, for which 22 players came under starters orders (although not all at the very start). It was won by local resident Bas de Laat, originally from Netherlands for €1,760. Bas has a habit of winning mixed games tournaments and his success will come as no surprise to the Maltese poker community.

Bas was heads up against another non-Maltese resident, Belgian Soner Vanelderen. Gia Carenestrom, who won the ladies event at the last Battle of Malta festival had to make the walk of shame this time, exiting as the bubble girl.

The €200 NLH Italy Play side event had 58 runners and was chopped by Giovanni Caggia and Piotr Kuziola, Both players, along with 3rd placed Giuseppe Segreto also collected packages to the next Italia Play event in Nova Gorica.

Giuseppe Segreto, Giovanni Caggia, Piotr Kuziola

The €150 Hyperturbo was much busier than its counterpart on Thursday, with 77 entrants. Oerjan Birkestoel took the victory and €2,460 first prize.

Full results of these tournaments can be found in the results section.

Satellites

With the weekend approaching, Friday was the key day for satellites at the festival. The early satellite had 179 entrants and generated 17 tickets, with a whopping 341 contesting the late night satellite, producing a further 34 qualifiers for the €500,000 guaranteed Main Event. The second satellite on Friday was another accumulator format qualifier, which allows players to win more than one ticket. Several did just that, with two players banking three seats each!

Talk Show

The second episode of the BOM Talk show dropped on YouTube late last night and it really knocked everyone’s blocks off. I mean this literally, as they played a game of Jenga on the set while filming was in progress and only brought the show to a close after the tower had tumbled. Glen and Jason were joined by Greek player Fotios Ntamaris and BOM’s Director of Staffing Marcello Caloro, with a cameo appearance from blogger Christoffer Karlen.

Check out the Battle of Malta Youtube Channel to watch this episode.