Who Will Win the Battle of Malta Main Event on Saturday at GGPoker?
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The Battle of Malta festival has been a staple of recreational live poker in Europe since its inception in 2012. This year, the festival was hosted for the first time online at GGPoker from Nov. 1-22.
The festival was a huge success as it attracted 73,240 entrants across its 14 ring events. The $11.1 million in guarantees were absolutely smashed with $15,623,000 in combined prize pools.
The highlight of the festival was the Battle of Malta Main Event featuring a $550 buy-in and a $3 million prize pool. The big guarantee was merely a placeholder with 8,789 entrants getting into the action to generate a massive $4,592,252 prize pool.
The Main Event is the only tournament remaining on the schedule to yet play down to a winner. The final table was set on Sunday, Nov. 22 and the final nine players have had all week to prepare for 'battle' with each player guaranteed at least a ninth-place payout of $30,925 with hopes to become the latest winner of this iconic festival and the massive $636,478 top prize.
The action will resume on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. GMT and be played out with hole cards exposed on a 30-minute delay at GGPoker.TV as part of the Saturday Sessions hosted by Kevin Martin and Randy "nanonoko" Lew.
Read on to learn more about the Battle of Malta Main Event final table.
Who will win this week's Super MILLION$? Find out right here
Battle of Malta Final Table Chip Counts
Players will begin the final table with an average stack of 24.3 big blinds. The blind levels were 15-minutes long throughout the tournament but will be a fixed number of hands for each blind level at the final table.
Six of the nine final table players are guaranteed their biggest cash even if they bow out in ninth place, while all nine players will easily secure their biggest score if they prove victorious on Saturday's final table.
Here is a look at the chip stacks to kick off the action.
| Place | Name | Chip Count | Big Blinds | Total GG Winnings | Biggest Cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HORN3T | 62,460,806 | 62.5 | $364,608 | $22,223 |
| 2 | Tr1derr | 43,977,901 | 44.0 | $28,934 | $6,679 |
| 3 | Patrick "Egption" Tardiff | 22,446,704 | 22.4 | $949,056 | $42,400 |
| 4 | svererii | 20,345,271 | 20.3 | $152,241 | $28,618 |
| 5 | Sum Dum Gai | 20,036,698 | 20.0 | $181,836 | $18,098 |
| 6 | JJ-is-Back | 18,318,888 | 18.3 | $3,571 | $737 |
| 7 | Eureka!! | 12,865,448 | 12.9 | $299,278 | $14,745 |
| 8 | Joseph Cheong | 9,995,654 | 9.9 | $1,716,343 | $187,463 |
| 9 | UknowWhoIam | 8,414,969 | 8.5 | $6,289,088 | $478,382 |
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"HORN3T" Leads the Final Table; "Egption" in Third
"HORN3T" will head into the final table with a chip leading stack of 62,460,806 for an almost 20 big blind cushion compared to his nearest opponent in "Tr1derr" with 43,977,901 in chips.
Meanwhile, GGPoker Squad member Patrick "Egption" Tardiff also heads into the final table with a healthy stack of 22,446,704. "Egption" needs to just ladder up one spot with eighth place slotted to bank $45,133 and Tardiff's previous biggest high score coming a few weeks ago in the $100 Global MILLION$ when he banked $42,400 live on his stream.
"Egption" was the only player at the final table to take advantage of the staking feature on Day 2 of the Main Event. To the delight of his fans, he sold out his 20 percent offering at a 1.53 mark-up, which was adjusted to a total of 12.55 markup for his Day 2 stack.
"TOMA7777" invested the most with Tardiff and has a 5 percent piece of his action. This could turn into a payday of more than $31,824 if "Egption" finds his way into the winner's circle.
Joseph Cheong Also in the Mix
Meanwhile, WSOP bracelet winner Joseph Cheong is in the mix. He has some work to do if he wants to have a chance at adding a Battle of Malta Main Event title to his already impressive resume as he comes into the final table with the second shortest stack of 9,995,654 in chips.
Cheong has impressively amassed $1,716,343 in tournament winnings with $187,463 being his previous tournament high.
This only pales in comparison at the final table to online poker legend "UKnowWhoIam" with a massive $6,289,088 in tournament winnings at GGPoker which includes a high mark of $478,383 in a single tournament.
"UKnowWhoIam" is the only player that has more work to do than Cheong as he comes in with the shortest stack of 8,414,969 in chips.
Final Table Payouts
Check Out the Stream at GGPoker
The Battle of Malta Main Event is a part of poker history and one you will not want to miss.
GGPoker.tv will be live streaming the event on a 30-minute delay with hole cards exposed starting at 7 p.m. GMT.
You will not only be able to gain amazing insight from GGPoker commentators Kevin Martin and Randy "nanonoko" Lew but also be able to take part in giveaways and other promotions reserved for those watching the stream.
Battle of Malta Final Table Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $636,478 |
| 2 | $436,111 |
| 3 | $298,823 |
| 4 | $204,753 |
| 5 | $140,296 |
| 6 | $96,131 |
| 7 | $65,869 |
| 8 | $45,133 |
| 9 | $30,925 |
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