Final

It’s an educated guess, a big part of the global poker community would say that Malta is one of the most fitting places for a live poker adventure. The tropical paradise island has been the host of many prestigious live poker events for centuries, and there are multiple reasons why people keep coming back to Malta, competing for prestigious poker titles, big cash prizes, and eternal poker glory.

The Battle of Malta, at the luxurious Casino Malta and Intercontental Hotel Malta, has established itself as one of the highlights on the Maltese poker calendar. Time and time again, the event keeps raising the bar, and the recently concluded 2026 Battle of Malta (Summer Edition) was no exception. 

The tournament had eight starting-day flights; eight of them held the full €600 buy-in tournament, and 15% of the field made it through from these flights. The other four were turbo affairs were everything was halved; the buy-in was €300, and 7,5% of the entries would advance to Day 2. All in all, the tournament scored 2,667 entries, which translated to a massive €1,186,962 prize pool; the €700,000 guarantee was smashed, to say the least. A top prize of €176,070 was announced for the eventual winner, alongside the coveted trophy and eternal poker glory.

Florence Mazet

Overall, 358 players made it through to Day 2, all guaranteed a €1,000 min cash. The field on the second day included former Battle of Malta Main Event winners such as Adrian Ziemichod and Dario Barone, accompanied by many other skillful players, for example, 2026 WSOP Europe €5,300 Main Event final tableist Joona Nyholm. During the second day, the field was reduced from the aforementioned 358 down to 75. Those then locked horns in Day 3, which played down to 24 players. The players on the final three eight-handed tables returned on the penultimate day of the festival, Tuesday, June 2. Greece’s Stavros Passias was going into Day 4 as the chip leader, and he was fighting for a deep run together with competitors such as poker media icon Florence Mazet and skillful player Marko Cosic. Mazet eventually bid farewell in tenth place, which set the stage for the “unofficial” final table of nine players. When Arnaud Boudet was eliminated in ninth, play wrapped up, and the remaining eight contestants bagged their chips. They returned the next day, June 3, and resumed the fight at the tournament’s final stage.

Spain Takes the Cake

The final table kicked off at 14:00 at the center stage of the Intercontinental Hotel adjacent to Casino Malta. Players could follow the action through the Battle of Malta live blog (courtesy of Richard Hayes and Christoffer Karlén) and/or the livestream on Battle of Malta’s YouTube channel, which offered both English and Italian commentary.

The last hand of Day 4, Georgios Papakonstantinou secured the chip lead going into Day 5, as he was the one who knocked out Boudet. Up until that point, Passias had maintained his lead all through Day 4. While the two Greeks were topping the final table chip counts, Gianluca Donini, Danilo Scevola, and Fredrick Bratein were the three smaller stacks. Together with Angelo Censabella, Alejandro Asenjo, and prominent player Marko Cosic, they would all lock horns for the first-place finish.

Fredrick Bratein

Apart from Scevola doubling through Papakonstantinou, not much happened during the first two levels. When play resumed after the first break, though, the fireworks would kick off. Norwegian Bratein, who’d mostly been biding his time, found himself forced all in, seated in the Big Blind with 5♠2♣. Censabella made the call from the Small Blind with Q♦2♥, and Bratein’s tournament life came to an end. For his eighth-place finish, he was awarded €19,350.

Gianluca Donini

Shortly thereafter, Asenjo, Cosic, and Donini all clashed all-in pre-flop. Donini was at risk against both of his opponents with K♠T♦, while Cosic was looking good with K♥K♦. Asenjo’s A♣K♣ improved to a pair of aces on the flop, though. He won the big pot, while Donini bid farewell in seventh place for €27,050.

Danilo Scevola

The next one to go was Scevola, who was flipping pre-flop with 5♠5♥ against the A♠T♦ of Passias. Passias wasted little time before improving to a pair of aces on the flop, and Scevola wasn’t able to catch up. He earned €35,600 for finishing sixth; not too bad, considering he began the final day with 13 Big Blinds.

Angelo Censabella

The most active (and, arguably, most entertaining) player on the final table up to this point had been Censabella. He’d been pulling off some creative moves, displaying some old school poker. With five players left, he committed half of his stack to a four-bet with K♦J♣, but then decided to fold to a five-bet shove from Passias. Now being the shortstack, Censabella was soon all in with K♥J♣ against the 4♣4♠ of Cosic. Even though flopping trips, Censabella was eliminated in fifth place for €43,900 against Cosic’s turned full house.

Georgios Papakonstantinou

Straight after Censabella’s exit, the four remaining players agreed to a four-way ICM deal. This saw current chip leader Passias locking up the biggest slice of the cake €114,150). Considering the current Blinds and the fairly even stack distribution, all four contestants seemed pleased with the deal. After the four-way handshake, the action would ramp up, to put it mildly. Two hands later, all four players moved all in, which saw Papakonstantinou going out in fourth place for €100,800 (the previous hand, he had lost the bigger chunk of his stack to Asenjo).

Stavros Passias

The players kept pushing the chips in the middle, and some of the outcome was left to chance. A few flips later, Passias went out in third, and the stage was set for a heads-up showdown between Kosic and Asenjo. Assumingly, Passias didn’t feel too sad about the outcome; after all, he was the big winner thanks to the deal, at least in terms of cash in hand.

Marko Cosic

The trophy and the title were still in play, though. Kosic won the first flip against Asenjo and evened out the stacks. Asenjo was still a small chip leader, albeit by the smallest of margins. Then, Kosic moved all in with 7♠2♣ and was up against the A♦8♣ of Asenjo. Asenjo improved to a straight on the 9♥T♦T♠J♥Q♠ flop to seal the deal. That settled it; Kosic was declared the runner-up for €90,850, while the fireworks around the stage went off to salute Asenjo. He was awarded €94,520, the trophy, and the title. He is now a Battle of Malta champion, and he will forever be a part of poker history.

So: what now? Well, that’s an easy question to answer. During the 2026 Battle of Malta (Summer Edition), it was announced that the legendary event will expand outside the island. The 2026 Battle of Malta Slovakia Edition will be played September 7-14 at Card Casino, Bratislava. While the schedule has not yet been announced, it’s official information that the €400 Main Event will have a €400,000 overall guarantee. Make sure to stay tuned to all Battle of Malta channels in order not to miss out on any information regarding what’s going to be a superb live poker event.

Then, in October, it’s back to the paradise island. The 2026 Battle of Malta (Autumn Edition) will be played at Casino Malta and the Intercontinental Hotel Malta (of course) between October 24-November 4. Prepare yourself, as the nine-day festival is headlined by a €2,000,000 guarantee. Once again, new records will be set in St. Julians.

Thanks to everyone – staff, dealers, organizers, players – who’ve made the 2026 Battle of Malte (Summer Edition) to the legendary event that it has been. See you all in Bratislava!

Alejandro Asenjo, winner of the €600 Main Event during the 2026 Battle of Malta (Summer Edition)

€600 Main Event
Level 37: 300,000/600,000 (600,000)
Entries: 1/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

With his elimination of Marko Cosic, Spain’s Alejandro Asenjo is now crowned the winner of the 2026 Battle of Malta (Summer Edition) €600 Main Event. For his astonishing feature, he takes home €94,520, the coveted trophy, and, most importantly, the prestigious title. He’s forever etched his name into eternal poker history, and his success on the paradise island will never be forgotten.

Asenjo started the day as fourth in the chip counts. The tournament throughout, he displayed great skills of both patience and aggression, which were two crucial moments on his way to the title. Sure, with four players left, the contestants may have diverted somewhat from the ABC’s, but nevertheless, Asenjo most certainly deserves the title and the trophy.

With that, fellow poker enthusiasts, the 2026 Battle of Malta live coverage comes to an end. I, Christoffer Karlén, would like to extend my gratitude to:

• The Battle of Malta organisation for once again having me. It’s an amazing event, and the hospitality is flawless.
• My dear colleagues, especially fellow live reporter Richard Hayes and photographer Igor Bezborodov, the two I’ve been working the closest two during the week.
• All the dealers and other staff; without your sublime work, the event would cease to exist.
• All the players, for letting their love of the game shine through during the entire eight days.

While the live coverage is officially done and dusted, stay tuned for a longer recap of today’s action. In the meantime, please enjoy the final table results below.

*Denotes a four-way deal.

€600 Main Event
Level 37: 300,000/600,000 (600,000)
Entries: 1/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Alejandro Asenjo moved all in for 70,400,000 on the Button, and Marko Cosic made the call from the Big Blind, playing a 24,425,000 stack.

Alejandro Asenjo: A♣J♠
Marko Cosic: 9♣7♦

Cosic doubled up on the Q♦8♣7♠7♣5♦ flop. On the stream, the chip counts read that Cosic (49,450,000) now had more chips than Asenjo (25,975,000), but that was just a graphics error (which, to be fair, was to be expected considering the recent action with all the chips trading owners back-and-forth ever since there were four players left). In reality, Asenjo was still the chip leader, albeit with the smallest of margins.

The very next hand, everything went in the middle once more, this time with Cosic on the Button and Asenjo in the Big Blind.

Marko Kosic: 7♠2♣
Alejandro Asenjo: A♦8♣

The seven-deuce couldn’t beat Asenjo’s ace-high on the 9♥T♦T♠J♥Q♠. Asenjo hit a runner-runner straight for good measure. The dealer counted the chips to make sure. Then, the final verdict could be delivered. Kosic was in fact eliminated in second place for €90,850 (figure agreed to during the previously made four-way deal).

Alejandro Asenjo: 92,850,000
Marko Kosic: 0

€600 Main Event
Level 37: 300,000/600,000 (600,000)
Entries: 2/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Marko Cosic open-shoved 49,925,000 on the Button. Stavros Passias (Small Blind, 20,000,000) and Alejandro Asenjo (Big Blind, 24,900,000) both made the call.

Marko Cosic: 8♥4♣
Stavros Passias: Q♦8♣
Alejandro Asenjo: 9♥3♦

The board spelled out 5♣3♣J♥6♦A♣. Once the dust had settled, it was determined that Passias was eliminated in third place, for which he received €114,500 – the biggest slice of the cake – thanks to the previously made four-way deal. The stage is now set for a heads-up showdown between Cosic and Asenjo.

Alejandro Asenjo: 70,400,000
Marko Cosic: 25,025,000

€600 Main Event
Level 37: 300,000/600,000 (600,000)
Entries: 3/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

The very next hand after the four-way all-in bonanza, Alejandro Asenjo open-shoved 8,300,000 UTG. Marko Cosic re-shoved 58,225,000 from the Small Blind, and, of course, Stavros Passias moved all in for 28,300,000 from the Big Blind.

Alejandro Asenjo: A♠K♣
Marko Cosic: 5♣3♣
Stavros Passias: 5♥4♥

The dealer revealed the 9♦6♣K♥J♥6♦ board. Cosic maintained the chip lead, while Asenjo and Passias now had equal stacks.

Marko Cosic: 49,925,000
Alejandro Asenjo: 25,500,000
Marko Cosic: 20,000,000

€600 Main Event
Level 37: 300,000/600,000 (600,000)
Entries: 3/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Seated UTG, Stavros Passias open-shoved for 32,100,000. Alejandro Asenjo re-shoved for 5♣3♥ on the Button. Playing 4,675,000, Georgios Papakonstantinou made the call from the Small Blind for his tournament life. Of course, Marko Cosic made the call with his 17,650,000 stack from the Big Blind. The game is Texas No Limit Hold ‘Em.

Stavros Passias: 8♥4♣
Alejandro Asenjo: 5♣3♥
Georgios Papakonstantinou: Q♠3♣
Marko Cosic: 9♦7♣

Papakonstantinou must’ve been feeling comfortable with queen-high. The board spelled out 7♦K♦4♥K♥9♣ board saw Cosic winning the hand with two-pair, while Papakonstantinou was eliminated i fourth place. For this, he received €100,800, on account of the previously made deal. This live reporter has yet to run the hand through a solver.

Marko Cosic: 58,225,000
Stavros Passias: 28,900,000
Alejandro Asenjo: 8,300,000
Georgios Papakonstantinou: 0

Georgios Papakonstantinou

€600 Main Event
Level 37: 300,000/600,000 (600,000)
Entries: 4/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Stavros Passias opened to 1,400,000 on the Button, and Alejandro Asenjo made the call from the Small Blind. Coming out of left field, Georgios Papakonstantinou then moved all in for 23,275,000 on the Big Blind. Passias mucked before Asenjo utilized his 18,900,000 stack to make the call for his tournament life.

Georgios Papakonstantinou: J♣5♣
Alejandro Asenjo: A♦T♠

It’s an educated guess that Papakonstantinou wouldn’t have three-bet shoved that particular hand if a deal wouldn’t have been made. The A♥8♠K♦9♣3♦ board benefited Asenjo, and Papakonstantinou was left with crumbs.

Alejandro Asenjo: 40,400,000
Georgios Papakonstantinou: 4,575,000

€600 Main Event
Level 37: 300,000/600,000 (600,000)
Entries: 4/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Straight after Angelo Censabella’s farewell in fifth place, the remaining four players went to discuss a deal. Roughly 15 minutes later, they agreed to an ICM chop.

Stavros Passias has locked up €114,150.

Georgios Papakonstantinou has locked up €100,800.

Alejandro Asenjo has locked up €94,520.

Marko Cosic has locked up €90,850.

They will keep on playing for the prestigious trophy, the mighty title, and eternal poker glory. Below are the current chip counts.

€600 Main Event
Level 37: 300,000/600,000 (600,000)
Entries: 4/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Marko Cosic (Small Blind) open-shoved 10,375,000. Seated in the Big Blind, Angelo Censabella used his 6,675,000 stack to make the call for his tournament life.

Marko Cosic: 4♠4♣
Angelo Censabella: K♥J♣

It’s safe to say that Censabella benefited from the J♥7♥J♠ flop. He wouldn’t be in the lead for long, though; Cosic improved to a full house on the 4♦ turn, and the 6♠ river didn’t change anything. Censabella was therefore eliminated in fifth place for an impressive €43,900.

Marko Kosic: 18,250,000
Angelo Censabella: 0

€600 Main Event
Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 5/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Angelo Censabella opened to 1,275,000 on the Cut-off and was faced with a 2,900,000 three-bet from Stavros Passias on the Button. Censabella then decided to four-bet to an impressive 6,200,000. Passias utilized a timebank-chip before five-bet shoving for 26,250,000, effectively putting Censabella at risk for 14,075,000. After some consideration, Censabella decided to fold, which saw Passias securing a solid chip lead against the field. The stream revealed the players’ holdings.

Stavros Passias: K♦J♣
Angelo Censabella: Q♠Q♥

Stavros Passias: 33,700,000
Angelo Censabella: 7,875,000

€600 Main Event
Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 5/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Stavros Passias opened to 1,100,000 from the Hi-jack before Danilo Scevola moved all in for 3,95,000 on the Button. Once Georgios Papakonstantinou and Marko Cosic folded their Blinds, Passias made the call.

Danilo Scevola: 5♠5♥
Stavros Passias: A♠T♦

Scevola was flipping for his tournament life, and the J♥Q♥A♦ wasn’t the ideal start to his campaign. His impressive tournament run ultimately came to an end as the board completed with 8♣J♦, and he went to collect his €35,600 paycheck for finishint sixth.

Stavros Passias: 26,250,000
Danilo Scevola: 0

Georgios Papakonstantinou

€600 Main Event
Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 6/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Stavros Passias opened to 1,100,000 from the Cut-off, and Georgios Papakonstantinou made the call from the Big Blind. The two Greeks were heads-up to the flop.

Papakonstantinou check-called a 650,000 bet from Passias on the 7♦5♥K♥ flop. Action repeated itself on the 3♥ river, the only difference being that the sizing from Passias now was 2,800,000. Action went check-check on the 5♠ river.

Georgios Papakonstantinou: T♥9♥
Stavros Passias: A♥2♦

While Papakonstantinou didn’t get any value on the river, he still took down the considerable pot.

Georgios Papakonstantinou: 24,425,000
Stavros Passias: 21,050,000

€600 Main Event
Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 6/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Action folded to Alejandro Asenjo in the Small Blind. He decided to force Danilo Scevola (Big Blind) all in for 1,850,000. Scevola utilized a 30-second timebank chip before making the call for his tournament life.

Alejandro Asenjo: Q♥3♣
Danilo Scevola: 5♦4♣

Asenjo maintained his queen-high lead on the A♦J♣7♠ flop. Nothing changed on the 7♣ turn, but the miraculously 5♥ river kept Scevola in the game.

Alejandro Asenjo: 19,300,000
Danilo Scevola: 4,200,000

€600 Main Event
Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 6/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Georgios Papakonstantinou made it 1,075,000 to go from the Hi-jack. Seated in the Big Blind, Alejandro Asenjo was the sole caller.

Asenjo check-called 725,000 from Papakonstantinou on the 7♦T♣8♣ flop. Both players swiftly checked the T♥ turn, and on the A♣ river, Papakonstantinou snap-called a 1,200,000 bet from Asenjo

Alejandro Asenjo: A♠9♥
Georgios Papakonstantinou: A♥7♥

Papakonstantinou had been counterfeited on the river, and Asenjo claimed the decently-sized pot.

Alejandro Asenjo: 21,150,000
Georgios Papakonstantinou: 19,625,000

Georgios Papakonstantinou

€600 Main Event
Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 6/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Angelo Censabella opened to 1,275,000 from the Hi-jack. Alejandro Asenjo made the call on the Button, and Georgios Papakonstantinou joined in on the fun from the Big Blind.

Papakonstantinou checked the 9♥6♦3♣ flop, and Censabella continued for 875,000. Asenjo made the call before Papakonstantinou completed a check-raise move to 2,550,000. Censabella and Asenjo both folded within seconds.

The stream revealed the player’s hole cards; it was rather interesting.

Georgios Papakonstantinou: A♣K♣
Angelo Censabella: A♦7♠
Alejandro Asenjo: A♥8♥

Georgios Papakonstantinou: 20,950,000
Angelo Censabella: 18,475,000
Alejandro Asenjo: 17,900,000

€600 Main Event
Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 6/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

The very next hand after doubling up, Gianluca Donini moved all in for 4,150,000 from UTG+1. One of the most experienced on the final table, Marko Cosic, made the call from the Hi-jack. The decision was soon on Alejandro Asenjo, who re-shoved for 7,450,000 from the Small Blind. Back to Cosic, who made the call without hesitation.

Gianluca Donini: K♠T♦
Alejandro Asenjo: A♣K♣
Marko Cosic: K♥K♦

The most dramatic hand of the final table at this point by far. Cosic was in a good spot, but the Q♦8♦A♥ flop saw Asenjo take a commanding lead. The 6♦ turn kept Cosic’s hope of a double elimination alive, but the T♣ river ultimately secured Asenjo the pot. While Asenjo made a decent dent in Cosic’s stack, Donini was eliminated in seventh place for €27,050.

Alejandro Asenjo: 20,050,000
Marko Cosic: 12,250,000
Gianluca Donini: 0

Gianluca Donini

€600 Main Event
Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 7/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Gianluca Donini open-shoved for 1,700,000 from UTG+1. Action folded all the way to Aljenadro Asenjo, who made the call from the Big Blind.

Gianluca Donini: K♥7♦
Alejandro Asenjo: 2♥2♣

It was a classic coin flip situation. Donini took a solid lead on the 3♦9♥K♣ flop, and Asenjo wasn’t able to catch up on the 9♠3♠ runout. As such, short-stacked Donini received a full double-up.

Alejandro Asenjo: 7,450,000
Gianluca Donini: 4,150,000

€600 Main Event
Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 7/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

One of the most active players of the final table thus far, Angelo Censabella, opened to 1,375,000 on the Button. Stavros Passias decided to make the call from the Big Blind.

Passias check-called a 650,000 continuation bet from Censabella on the Q♠3♥5♠ flop. Both players checked the A♦ turn, and Passias then took the aggressive lead with a 2,600,000 bet on the 3♣ river. Censabella called within seconds.

Stavros Passias: K♥4♦
Angelo Censabella: 6♦6♣

Censabella’s gut feeling was right, and he closed the gap to Passias’ stack.

Stavros Passias: 23,750,000
Angelo Censabella: 20,625,000

€600 Main Event
Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 7/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Action folded to Angelo Censabella in the Small Blind. Considering Fredrick Bratein was forced all in for 700,000 in the Big Blind (and Ante), Cencabella made the call in an attempt to eliminate the Norwegian.

Fredrick Bratein: 5♠2♣
Angelo Censabella: Q♦2♥

Bratein was dominated, and Censabella maintained his lead on the T♠J♠7♣ flop. Bratein picked up a flush draw on the 2♠ turn, but the Q♥ ultimately put an end to his tournament life. As such, Bratein became the first casualty of the final table, going out in eighth for €19,350.

Angelo Censabella: 15,500,000
Fredrick Bratein: 0

€600 Main Event
Level 36: 250,000/500,000 (500,000)
Entries: 8/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

The players are currently on the first 15-minute break of the day. Below are the current chip counts.

Stavros Passias

€600 Main Event
Level 35: 200,000/400,000 (400,000)
Entries: 8/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Marko Cosic min-raised to 800,000 from the Hi-jack. Stavros Passias made the call from the Small Blind, and the two contestants were soon heads-up to the flop.

After an initial check from Passias, Cosic fired a 700,000 continuation bet on the T♦3♣6♦ flop. Passias then completed a check-raise move to 1,800,000, and Cosic swiftly mucked.

The stream revealed the players’ hole cards.

Stavros Passias: K♣J♣
Marko Cosic: Q♠J♦

Stavros Passias: 26,875,000
Marko Cosic: 18,700,000

Stavros Passias

€600 Main Event
Level 35: 200,000/400,000 (400,000)
Entries: 8/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Angelo Censabella opened to 875,000 on the Button. Stavros Passias made the call from the Big Blind.

Censabella continued for 675,000 on the 3♦A♦2♠ flop, and Passias made the call, and both players then checked the 3♣ turn. On the 7♣ river, Passias bet 1,000,000, and Censabella made the call.

riverStavros Passias: A♣T♣
Angelo Censabella: K♦J♣

King high was no good for Censabella, and Passias won what was a decently-sized pot up ’til this stage.

Stavros Passias: 24,575,000
Angelo Censabella: 14,550,000

Alejandro Asenjo

€600 Main Event
Level 35: 200,000/400,000 (400,000)
Entries: 8/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Alejandro Asenjo opened to 800,000 from UTG+2. Seated in the Big Blind, Angelo Censabella was the sole caller.

Censabella check-called a 650,000 bet from Asenjo on the 6♥Q♠7♦ flop, then check-folded to a 1,800,000 bet on the 2♥ turn.

Thanks to the live stream, we know what they players had.

Alejandro Asenjo: A♦Q♣
Angelo Censabella: 5♠3♦

Angelo Censabella: 15,500,000
Alejandro Asenjo: 11,450,000

€600 Main Event
Level 35: 200,000/400,000 (400,000)
Entries: 8/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Action folded to Marko Cosic in the Small Blind, who limped the 400,000 Big Blind. Angelo Censabella wouldn’t allow it; he made it 1,100,000 from the Big Blind. Cosic made the call rather swiftly.

Cosic check-folded to a 600,000 bet from Censabella on the 2♣4♣A♠ flop. Thanks to the stream, we know the players’ holdings.

Angelo Censabella: 4♥2♦
Marko Cosic: Q♦J♣

Marko Cosic: 17,195,000
Angelo Censabella: 15,070,000

€600 Main Event
Level 32: 200,000/400,000 (400,000)
Entries: 8/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Georgios Papakonstantinou opened to 800,000 UTG. Action folded to Danilo Scevola, who moved all in for 2,200,000 on the Big Blind. Being priced in, Papakonstantinou made the call.

Danilo Scevola: A♦Q♥
Georgios Papakonstantinou: A♣3♣

The 7♥T♠J♦J♣Q♠ offered a smooth runout for Scevola, and he received a full double-up at the expense of Papakonstantinou.

Georgios Papakonstantinou: 20,395,000
Danilo Scevola: 5,800,000

Gianluca Donini

€600 Main Event
Level 32: 200,000/400,000 (400,000)
Entries: 8/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Gianluca Donini moved all in for 2,220,000 on the Button, and, just as earlier, no one called him.

Donini picked up some, for him, very crucial Blinds with A♦J♠.

Gianluca Donini: 3,220,000

Georgios Papakonstantinou

€600 Main Event
Level 31: 150,000/300,000 (300,000)
Entries: 8/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Stavros Passias opened to 650,000 from UTG+2. Georgios Papakonstantinou made the call on the Button, and the remaining contestants got out of the way; for the second time in just a few minutes, the two Greek players (and the two biggest stacks) were heads-up to the flop.

Passias check-called 575,000 from Papakonstantinou on the 8♠Q♠T♥ flop. Both players checked the 4♠ turn, and Passias then check-folded to a 1,000,000 bet from Papakonstantinou on the 5♣ river.

Thanks to the TV-stream, we know the players’ holdings.

Georgios Papakonstantinou: A♠2♠
Stavros Passias: J♥7♥

Papakonstantinou reclaimed the chip lead, albeit by the smallest of margins.

Georgios Papakonstantinou: 22,995,000
Stavros Passias: 20,820,000

Stavros Passias

€600 Main Event
Level 31: 150,000/300,000 (300,000)
Entries: 8/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Seated in the Cut-off, Stavros Passias opened to 650,000. Chip leader Georgios Papakonstantinou made the call from the Big Blind. In other words, the two biggest stacks were heads-up to the flop.

Papakonstantinou check-called a 425,000 bet from Passias on the T♥4♠2♦ flop. Both players checked the 4♣ turn. Papakonstantinou completed the check trifecta on the A♥ river, then swiftly called a 500,000 bet from Passias.

Stavros Passias: A♦T♠
Georgios Papakonstantinou: K♣T♣

With a superior two-pair, the pot belonged to Passias. By the smallest or margins, he became the new chip leader.

Stavros Passias: 21,295,000
Goergios Papakonstantinou: 21,170,000

€600 Main Event
Level 31: 150,000/300,000 (300,000)
Entries: 8/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

The short-stacked Gianluca Donini opened to 625,000 UTG, leaving himself with 1,395,000 behind. No one called him. Bad news for Donini, as he had A♥A♣.

Gianluca Donini: 2,970,000

€600 Main Event
Level 31: 150,000/300,000 (300,000)
Entries: 8/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

Marko Cosic opened to 600,000 on the Button. Norway’s Fredrick Bratein defended his Big Blind.

Action went check-check on the [5g]3♥8♥ flop, and the 5♠ turn. Bratein dipped his toes in the waters with a 500,000 bet on the 9♣ river, and Cosic made the call.

Fredrick Bratein: T♣7♣
Marko Cosic: A♦2♣

Ace high was good for Cosic, and he kicked off his final table campaign with a solid call.

Marko Cosic: 16,445,000
Fredrick Bratein: 2,840,000

€600 Main Event
Level 31: 150,000/300,000 (300,000)
Entries: 8/2,667
Prize Pool: €1,186,962

The Battle of Malta hosts have introduced the eight players, and the final table is now underway. The live blog will follow the 30-minute delay from the live stream; watch it with English of Italian commentary through the links below.

Click here for livestream with English commentary.

Click here for livestream with Italian commentary.

Welcome, fellow poker enthusiasts, to the live coverage from the final day of the 2026 Battle of Malta (Summer Edition).

This poker journalist woke up with goosebumps. What has been a marvelous eight-day poker festival is about to wrap up in stellar fashion, as only eight players remain in the ever-so prestigious €600 Main Event.

It hasn’t been an easy task for the remaining contestants to get here. In fact, they’ve all been fighting it out on the felted tables over the course of four days to get to this point. To have a seat at the final table is a remarkable performance in itself, considering the tournament overall scored a whopping 2,667 entries.

They’re not done yet, though. They’ll all return at 14:00 (i.e., in roughly two and a half hours) and pick up where they left off yesterday. The €176,070 first-place payout (the biggest slice of the €1,186,962 prize pool) is what they’re all chasing. That’s not all, though; the ultimate winner will also get his hands on the coveted trophy, and forever etch his name into eternal poker history.

While cards will be in the air by 14:00, the live coverage will kick off at 14:30. This is because the final table is being live-streamed on the Battle of Malta YouTube channel with a 30-minute delay.

The editorial office will attempt to have a small chat with each player prior to the final table, and upload some kind of a “Who’s who?”

The excitement is buzzing for the raffling conclusion of the €600 Battle of Malta Main Event. See you all in two hours when the live coverage kicks off. Below are the presumptions for the final table.