Julien Stropoli Wins the MPNPT at the Battle of Malta (€168,500)

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Oct 31, 2018 3 min read

After six grueling days of play, French-born Malta resident Julien Stropoli finished on top of the record-breaking 3,816-strong field in the MPNPT at the Battle of Malta Main Event.

Stropoli bested a tough final table featuring previous MPNPT finalists Mantas Urbonas, Mateusz Moolhuizen, and Andy Hills, and bested his fellow countryman and start-of-day chip leader Maxime Canevet in heads-up play.

MPNPT at the Battle of Malta Final Table Results

The final day began with a final table of nine hopefuls battling it out in hopes of a massive six-figure payday. First to bust out in ninth place was American retiree Jerry Mangum. His desperate ten-five short-stacked shove was called by Urbonas holding ace-jack. Mangum took home €23,000 for a very short day’s work.

Next to go was UCOP Leaderboard winner Mateusz Moolhuizen in eighth place. Reduced to just 2 million in chips from the 8.6 million he started the day with, he pushed with queen-nine and got looked up by Canevet dominating him with ace-nine. Moolhuizen picked up €30,000, as well as the €1,500 package to MPNPT Tallinn which he won in the MPNPT qualifiers’ last longer promotion.

Canevet meanwhile moved even further into the lead before he picked up even more chips busting Gustav Vadenbring in seventh place for €41,000 not long after. Next to go was Grosvenor Poker Ambassador Andy Hills in sixth place for €53,000. Hills was outdrawn by an ecstatic Erik Ostergaard after his jacks were unable to hold against his opponent's ace-six suited.

Soon after Hills’ departure, the remaining five players struck a deal. €50,000 would go to first place, €23,000 to second, and the rest would be awarded in the following amounts:

MPNPT at the Battle of Malta Deal

• Julien Stropoli – €118,500
• Maxime Canevet – €169,000
• Fakhreddine Abdallah – €108,500
• Erik Ostergaard – €139,500
• Mantas Urbonas – €121,500

Within minutes of the deal being agreed upon, Abdallah Fakhreddine was eliminated in fifth place. His mother, who he left in charge of his chain of hair salons in Dubai, will presumably be pleased with the €108,500 he took home.

MPNPT Tallinn finalist and Olybet Poker qualifier Mantas Urbonas was then eliminated in fourth place for €121,500. The Lithuanian shoved with ace-queen only to get cold-decked by Ostergaard’s pocket aces.

Erik Ostergaard, who was playing aggressively throughout the final table, misjudged a shove with jack-ten against Julien Stropoli’s queen-jack for a €139,500 payday, leaving the two Frenchmen Canevet and Stropoli heads up.

Stropoli was in possession of the chip lead by this point, and just a few hands into the heads up, he called a three-bet with five-three against after Canevet raised with pocket kings. Canevet bet out on the jack-four-three flop and Stropoli flatted. All the chips went in after the crucial five came on the turn giving Stropoli two-pair. The river couldn’t help Canevet, who took home €192,000 according to the terms of the deal, while Stropoli got €168,500. Stropoli won the trophy and the eternal glory of the 2018 MPNPT @ Battle of Malta title.

High Roller

Meanwhile, the MPNPT High Roller event was won by Simone Speranza for €60,000 in a high-speed final that also saw MPNPT Tallinn champion and Estonian poker legend Henri Kasper cash.

^{Full results from the Main Event, High Roller event and NLH MPNPT Battle can be found here. Full updates from the Main Event can be found on the MPNPT blog.}

The MPN Poker Tour will be back next January 24-27 in Tallinn with all the poker, parties and personalities that tour regulars have come to expect. Online satellites are running now on the MPN Poker Tour’s partner sites.

_{*Photos courtesy of Mark Spurr/MPN Poker Tour.}

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