The Battle of Malta is About to Begin on Oct.15-22 at Casino Malta

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Oct 14, 2019 5 min read Last updated Oct 15, 2019

Thousands of poker players will be descending to the island of Malta for what promises to be one of the best tournament festivals of the year in the 2019 Battle of Malta.

The festival hosted by Casino Malta by Olympic Casino features 35 action-packed tournaments and cash games running around the clock from October 15-22 at the InterContinental Arena Conference Centre.

Patrik Antonius in the House

There is something for every type of poker player with buy-ins ranging from just €60 all the way up to €5,300. Among the big names confirmed to attend is Finnish poker superstar Patrik Antonius who will be bringing his own brand to the festival with the Patrik Antonius Poker Challenge Pop-up Cup, featuring a €300 buy-in on Oct. 18-19. The social poker app First Land of Poker (FLOP) will be sponsoring the event.

Huge €1 Million Main Event

The highlight of the festival will be the €1 million guaranteed Battle of Malta €555 Main Event on Oct. 16-22. Over the past few months, hundreds of players have qualified with packages and seats to this event through the festival's online partners 888poker and MPN. Many more have qualified via live satellites and promotions held throughout the year at Casino Malta and partner casinos with more to come as satellites will continue throughout the festival.

The seven-figure guarantee is merely a place holder as last year this was absolutely shattered with the event attracting a record-breaking 3,816-strong field to generate a massive €1,850,760 prize pool. Five players agreed to a final table deal to smooth out the payouts leaving some money left to play for.

France's Julien Stropoli entered his name into the Battle of Malta history books after winning the trophy and the €168,500 top prize while fellow countrymate Maxime Canevet (second - €192,000) walked away with the most money after agreeing to the deal with the most chips.

This year's Main Event is expected to be big once again. The tournament features five opening flights on Oct. 16-19 with each playing down to 15 percent of the field. Players start each flight with 25,000 in chips and blinds increasing every 40 minutes during the first four flights and every 20 minutes during the final flight. There will be plenty of chances to build a big stack with each flight allowing for unlimited reentries.

Players bagging chips will be treated to a deeper structure with blinds increasing to 60 minutes for the final three days on Oct 20-22 until a winner is crowned.

As a special treat, 888poker will be giving away an iPhone 11 to the first player that hits a royal flush in spades during the Main Event. The only caveat is that the player must have an 888poker account prior to the event beginning to be able to claim the prize.

Live Stream and Blog

The entire Main Event will be lived streamed from beginning to end on the Battle of Malta's Twitch, Facebook and website with Jason Glatzer commentating alongside many prestigious guests including Antonius, 888poker Ambassadors, MPN representatives, and popular Grosvenor commentator Phillip "The Tower" Heald.

In addition, for the first time, the Battle of Malta will feature its own live blog at its website. The blogging team includes two dedicated bloggers, a photographer, and videographer giving fans a unique look at the event.

Plenty of Services for Players

The Battle of Malta is not only about the big events but also providing a top-quality service to its players. There will be many parties held throughout the event, although some of them are exclusive for online qualifiers.

In addition, the festival organizers released a dedicated app allowing players to keep track of all the key information taking place.

Also, each poker table features a wireless device that allows players to call for instant service for a massage or for staff to bring food and drinks with the touch of a button. This allows players to always focus on the action instead of bobbing their heads around looking for someone to assist them.

2019 Battle of Malta Schedule

The 2019 Battle of Malta is one you won't want to miss. Here is a look at the entire schedule.

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