August 3, 2016

Battle of Malta

Day 1A

Day 1B

Day 1C

Day 2

Final day

BEATING THE SATELLITES

Play Battle of Malta without breaking your bankroll – we show you how to cruise through the online satellites

BATTLE OF MALTA HISTORY

1,804: The record breaking field from the 2015 BOM€902,000: 

Last year was the biggest prize pool ever for a €550 buy-in tournament in Europe

6: Countries represented on last year’s final table

22,218%: ROI for Nicolas Provst, this year’s winner

History of Battle of Malta

The Battle of Malta was conceived in 2012 and since then it has grown rapidly, breaking records and winning awards. We trace the short and very colourful history of one of the new giants of the European poker scene.

It normally takes a new live tournament a few years to bed in and correct any teething problems, but the Battle of Malta has established itself as one of the biggest and best tournaments in europe in just three years. It first played out at the Portomaso Casino in 2012 and was conceived by tounament director Ivonne Monteleagre, who wanted to create an event with the emphasis squarely on fun. 

Poker battle

The name was picked to draw on the history of Malta during the Second World War and the €550 buy-in was done to strike the balance between a tournament that would be large enough to attract big players and low enough to fit the bill as the star attraction in a poker holiday.

The prize pool was guaranteed at €150,000 in the first year and this was broken when 349 players turned up boosting the money up to €174,500. the popular Kara Scott was the host and she was quick to play up the fun angle and how it sets Battle of Malta apart from other higher buy-in events on the circuit.

The Battle of Malta was nominated for Best Live event (under $2,000) at the prestigious european Poker awards earlier this year and incredibly – for a tournament that had only been running three years – it won, beating competition from the WPT and the Estrellas Poker tour.

This year the guarantee stays at €500,000 but that’s already looking conservative, with estimates of 2,000 runners and a €1,000,000 total prize pool. The only question that remains to be answered now is, how big can Battle of Malta get? 

Beating the satellites

Play in the 2015 Battle of Malta without breaking your bankroll – we show you how to cruise through the online satellites .

Satellites are tournaments that reward a certain number of people with a seat in a bigger buy-in event. Think of them as a sort of pyramid scheme. At the bottom of the Battle of Malta ladder you’ve got freerolls with lots of people trying to get one rung up the ladder. At the top you’ve got the Weekly Finals, with much smaller fields and direct entry into the big money tourney.

Unlike standard tournaments, there’s no sliding pay scale. everyone who ‘wins’ a satellite gets exactly the same prize. So, if you’re playing in a 500-man satellite tournament and 50 players win a ticket, it doesn’t matter whether you are chip leader or sitting on one chip when the 51st player goes out – you’re still a winner.

Tactics in satellites are very different from a standard freezeout tournament, for the simple reason that you’re not playing for first place. There are winner-takes-all satellites, but most of the time there are a number of seats up for grabs and you should adjust your play accordingly. 

Money matters

Start with a good plan and save your bankroll!

  • If you’ve set your mind on winning your way into the Battle of Malta ask yourself how much money you are willing to spend? Start with a budget and stick to it. There’s no point spending more than the buy-in to qualify!
  • With daily freerolls at Betsafe, why not try a few of these first? There’s nothing more satisfying than getting into a big live event for free!
  • If you’re struggling to get out of the big-field freerolls or the €3.30 Level 1 satellites, the €27 Level 2 satellites give you a great shot at reaching the Weekly Final.
  • Can you afford to budget for one or two shots at the €175 Weekly Final? With one in ten qualifying to Battle of Malta from each of these, they’re your best shot at the €1,550 package. Follow these winning satellite tips and you can swing the odds even further in your favour. Good luck!