Malta is gearing up for its biggest poker event of the year which the Malta Poker Festival that is scheduled to take place from Nov 1-6. The six-day event, which will be held at the Portomaso Casino in St Julian’s, promises thrilling poker action and features other off-the felt activities throughout the festival.
The 2017 Main Event attracted more than 2,000 entries and turned out to be a great success. Farm manager Nadav Lipszyc from Israel emerged as the winner and took home €200,000 in prize money. This year’s edition is expected to be bigger and better and will attract some of the top poker players in Europe.
A number of famous personalities have confirmed their attendance for this year’s festival, including Andreas Hoivold, Ivo Donev, Jesper Hougaard, Daiva “Baltic Blonde” Byrne, and Pat Savage.
Event Director of the Malta Poker Festival Ivonne Montealegre said poker players from all over the world will enjoy the tournament as they are introducing new formats and will look to make the tournament spectacular by providing players with a unique experience.
Malta Poker Festival Details
The six-day festival will start with three flights and each room will accommodate 700 players each. A total of €500,000 is up for grabs at the Grand Event. For each starting flight, a single re-entry will be allowed. Winners from the three starting flights will meet again and play together on Day 2 on Nov 4, with the inaugural champion being crowned on Tuesday, Nov 6.
Among event highlights at the festival are the €1,320 Grandmaster High-Roller on Nov 3-4, and the brand new €220 Hendon Mob Championship running on Nov 4-5. A €100 MPF Ladies Event will also take place on Nov 3 with more details to be announced soon. This year’s festival runs in collaboration with The Hendon Mob, the Israeli Poker Tour and the Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT).
The new Hendon Mob Championship promises an unforgettable experience for everyone with the winner set to receive a custom-made flag. The APAT Maltese Championship also holds its first ever tournament at the festival, while the Israeli Poker Tour is now on its 7^th edition at Portomaso Casino.  Montealegre expressed excitement about these partnerships as a number of Israeli poker players are expected to show up in addition to the increasing player pool from the US and Europe.
MPF Packages
The Malta Poker Festival will not only offer exciting action on the felt but there also a lot to see and experience away from the poker tables. Part of the festival packages are a VIP Player party and a great opening cocktail party. There are some cool packages on offering which include 4 night’s accommodation at the 5-Star Hilton Hotel with daily breakfast and buffet lunch at the casino. Packages also include a €550 MPF Main Event buy-in.
MPF Has A Packed Schedule
The MPF Grand Event Day 1A takes place on Nov 1, along with the Gozo FLASH Satellite at 3pm and the MPF Grand Event Satellite at 7pm. The Comino FLASH Satellite happens on Nov 2 as well as the NLH Grandmaster High-Roller Super Satellite. Nov 3 will see the MPF Ladies Event taking place at 4pm along with the MPF Black Jack Tournament at 6pm. The NLH Grandmaster High-Roller also kicks off on the same day.
Nov 4 is MPF Grant Event’s Day 2. Four other events will take place including the Hendon Mob Championship No-Limit Hold’em at 2pm, the final day of the NLH Grandmaster High-Roller at 3pm, PLO Knights Crusaders at 6pm and Win the Cross at 9pm.
The Israeli Poker Championship Tour takes place on Nov 5 at 1pm. Prior to that there will be an Apres Tournament Prosecco Breakfast at 7am. MPF Grand Event Day 3 starts at 2pm. The APAT Maltese Amateur Poker Championship No-Limit Hold’em also begins on the same day. The Hendon Mob Championship Final Day is at 3pm, followed by the MPF Bounty Knockout at 8pm.
On the last day Nov 6, the APAT Maltese Amateur Poker Championship No-Limit Hold’em holds its final day, and survivors will battle it out for the Grand Event title. To find out more information, please check out the official website of the Malta Poker Festival.