Malta is set to be an unmissable destination this summer with a string of incredible poker festivals taking place from the end of April through to mid-July. Major events like the Malta Poker Festival, The Festival, Battle of Malta and Pokerstars Summer Festival are all on the schedule making 2023 the most exciting tournament year that Malta has ever had.
The veritable feast of forthcoming festivals will thrill the hundreds of poker players who already live in Malta but it’s also set to attract thousands more players who will be able to combine their spring and/or summer holidays with world-class tournament action.
Malta is perfect for a chilled-out poker-and-sun holiday with plenty of beaches, water sports, cafes and restaurants all within easy reach of the island’s top casinos. The island’s balmy climate also means that it’s idyllic weather in Spring and early Summer in Malta with an average of 12 hours of sunshine. Malta also enjoys the highest sea temperature in Europe – perfect if you fancy swimming or just splashing around in the crystal-clear waters of the Med.
Malta Poker Festival - April 24 to May 1
First up on the busy schedule ahead is the Malta Poker Festival which is taking place from April 24 to May 1 at Portomaso Casino. Portomaso is a modern marina development located in the buzzing resort of St Julian’s. There are tons of great places to stay, eat and drink in the resort, along with a vibrant nightlife.
The €550 MPF Grand Event is the highlight of the Malta Poker Festival and comes with a whopping €300,000 guarantee. There are also dozens of side events to whet the appetite with buy-ins to suit all bankrolls including the Hendon Mob Championship, Pot-Limit Omaha, Seniors, Crazy Pineapple, H.O.R.S.E., Bounty Hunter, Progressive Bounty, Deepstacks and the €150 Ladies First! Tournament.
Off the felt, a bunch of activities are on offer including Meet and Greet opportunities, Welcome Drinks, an All-in Friday party at Club Level 22 along with a Valletta City Tour and a unique Taco Night.
Main Event Travel is the Official Travel Partner to Malta Poker Festival and has a bunch of exclusive, discounted VIP Packages available at either the 5* Hilton Malta or 4* Cavalieri Art Hotel (overlooking the marina as pictured) The packages include luxury accommodation, entry into the €550 Grand Event, drinks and buffet dinner at Portomaso Casino as well as nightclub access and an exclusive MET concierge service.
MainEventTravel.com also has fantastic hotel-only Special Offers with rates currently discounted by hundreds of Euros. All the Malta Poker Festival packages and special offers come with free cancellation until April 10 making it super-easy to book now – and take advantage of great rates – even if you haven’t completely decided about your trip.
At the last Malta Poker Festival in October, the Grand Event attracted 1,326 entries generating a €636,450 prize pool. Italy’s Mirko Mostaccio was the champion after winning a top prize of €136,670.
For more information about this year’s event, please see our dedicated Malta Poker Festival page or head to Special Offers and grab yourself a great deal while they are available.
The Festival – May 14 – May 21
The Festival is taking place in Malta for the very first time with an amazing event at Portomaso Casino (pictured below) starting May 14. The Festival is a highly entertaining, week-long extravaganza which gives players the chance to compete in a ton of different competitive tournaments ranging from straightforward Texas Hold’em poker to roulette and backgammon. There are nearly 50 different events in total with the aim being to turn the very best of poker, casino games and sports betting into competitive events all in one festival.
For die-hard poker enthusiasts, there are a ton of tournaments on offer as well as round-the-clock cash games. The flagship event is the €550 buy-in Main Event which features five starting flights including a Day 1e turbo. Two entries are allowed per flight making ten bullets in total. All players get a 30,000 starting stack with levels set at 40 minutes for Days 1, b, c and d.
Other poker tournaments include the £250 buy-in PokerListings Championship and the £250 Hendon Mob Championship – and PLO fans will relish the fact that their High Roller has a €30k guaranteed prize pool! A ton of other poker variants will be on offer too – such as Sviten Special, 8-Game, H.O.R.S.E. and Open Face Chinese. Buy-ins will range from €125 to €1,100. The Cash Game challenge will give players vie to win prizes awarded to those who make the largest profit over the week.
Aside from the poker, The Festival in Malta will include a Roulette tournament, Backgammon tournament, Matching Visions Slots tournaments and a daily edition of Franke’s “Stand n Goes” Flip Flops.
The Festival, which was launched by Cash Game Festival founder Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk in 2021, has already held events in Tallinn, Bratislava and at Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham. Franke is thrilled the event is now coming to Portomaso. He said: “Malta is the perfect poker destination and I’m really happy that we will be able to make The Festival in Malta a reality. All our players will have a fantastic poker and casino holiday!”
You can bag your room now for The Festival debut in May on MainEventTravel.
Battle of Malta Spring edition - May 31 – June 6
The award-winning Battle of Malta has been a mainstay of live poker tournaments on the island since the very first event was held back in 2012. This year’s event is being being held at the stylish InterContinental Arena Conference Centre in St Julians.
The Battle of Malta’s traditional slot is in the Autumn but a Spring edition was added to the schedule last year and the extra festival has already proved popular with players. The highlight of this forthcoming edition will be the €500,000 guaranteed Main Event which comes with a €600 buy-in. The 2022 Spring edition attracted nearly 2,600 entries creating a monster prize pool of €1,244,160 and providing champion Giuseppe Rosa with a €200,340 payday. Among those who cashed were 2018 BOM champion Julien Stropoli, 2019 runner-up Steven van Zadelhoff, David Lappin, Mateusz Moolhuizen and Dehlia de Jong plus British players such as Joe Grech, Kevin Houghton, Paul Jux-Holderness, Jamie Nixon and Kerryjane Craigie.
Details for the full Battle of Malta schedule will be announced soon.
PokerStars Summer Festival Malta - June 27 to July 2
Wrapping up a hectic start to the summer in Malta will be PokerStars Summer Festival Malta. First held last year, this memorable event is set to return from June 27 to July 2 and will be held at the Intercontinental Arena in Malta – the same venue as Battle of Malta.
The festival promises six days of epic poker combined with sun, fun, and unforgettable experiences. Players can buy their way into the Main Event for €1,100 and the schedule will also include a €2,200 High Roller along with a brand new event – the €550 PokerStars’ NLHE two-day Live on Stars tournament which will run from June 30 to July 1. The tournament team are still finalising the exact line-up for off-the-felt activities but last year players were treated to adventures such as a catamaran trip, jet-skiing and a Beerpong tournament along with the Players’ Party and optional excursions to Game of Thrones location Mdina (pictured below) and a day trip to Gozo.
At the last Summer Festival Malta event in 2022, Bulgaria’s Zlatin Penev took down the €1,100 Main Event for €144,630 after beating a giant field of 815 entries. British player Ben Jones won the High Roller for €75,190 while Szabolcs Horvath from Hungary won the €5,200 Super High Roller for €33,370. Thomas Haverstad banked €22,710 for winning the €550 Deepstack while Karl Sandoff collected a total of €44,868 on his way to victory in the €440 Mystery Bounty.
Details for the full PokerStars Summer Festival Malta will be announced soon.
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