Level 17: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 494/6,039
Prize Pool: €2,728,970

I thought it was due time to check in on some former champions. First, I paid Table 61 a visit, where the most recent champion, Adrian Ziemichod, was seated. After an initial opening from Marko Olop to 24,000, Alexandru Boboc (UTG+1), Candido Cappiello (Hi-jack), and Ziemichod (Button) all made the call.

First to act, Olop bet 60,000 on the 8♣7♣6♣ straight flush flop. Boboc quickly folded before Cappiello put in a 600,000 raise, big enough to force Olop all in. Olop committed to the call for his tournament life after Ziemichod folded.

Candido Cappiello: K♣T♣
Marko Olop: A♣A♦

Cappiello had flopped a flush, but Olop had some outs holding the A♣. He didn’t get there on the J♠8♠ runout, though, and he bid farewell in five hundred fifty-ninth place for €1,400.

Candidi Cappiello: 1,200,000
Adrian Ziemichod: 256,000
Marko Olop: 0

Vasileios Zisis, who won the 2024 Battle of Malta Spring Edition €600 Main Event and finished second in the 2024 Battle of Malta Autumn Edition €600 Main Event, sits at a healthy stack with roughly 1,200,000. Gabriele Re (2023 Battle of Malta Autumn Edition €600 Main Event Winner) plays 1,175,000, while Dimitrios Anastasakis (2022 Battle of Malta Autumn Edition €600 Main Event Winner) has a 615,000 stack.