The Spring Malta Poker Festival proved wildly successful with a Grand Event that shattered its guarantee. Now, the event is levelling up. The Autumn Malta Poker Festival is returning to Portomaso Casino in St. Julian’s and will run from October 23-30 2023.
This MPF Main Event has added €200,000 to its guarantee and is looking to shatter attendance records! The Autumn MPF features an improved structure and a large variety of poker variants, including mixed games. It is definitely an event you should put on your poker calendar.
MPF Grand Event Guarantee Now €500,000
Let’s begin with the big news: The €550 MPF Grand Event returns this fall with a massive €500,000 guarantee. That’s €200,000 more than the Spring festival. Players will start with 50,000 in chips, and the tournament will begin with 50-minute levels on Days 1A and 1B, then move to 40-minute levels. Players will have two re-entries.
The spring event drew a huge field of 1,226 entries, creating a prize pool of €586,760. Scotland’s Lewis Coffin won the event for €100,600. This year’s Grand Event kicks off on October 24 and has seven starting flights.
If your bankroll is a bit limited, or you’re looking to save some money, consider satelliting your way into the MPF Grand Final. Satellites are held daily through October 27 and are just €70 (€60+€10) to enter.
Satellite players start with 15,000 in chips with 20-minute rounds. If you bust and want to try again, there are unlimited re-entries for eight levels.
A Schedule with Something for Everyone
The seven-day Malta Poker Festival schedule has something for every poker player. For those who love freezeouts, the Betsson One Bullet takes players back to the days before re-entry tournaments dominated the game.
Bounty Hunter Days give players a healthy starting stack of 30,000 chips and €100 bounties on all players. The Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT) Championship kicks off on October 28 and has an massive 100,000 chip starting stack and just one re-entry.
Other events include Win the Button, a Mystery Bounty Event, and the Friday Shark Deepstack with 50,000 in starting chips.
READ ALSO: Perfect 10: Power Behind the Malta Poker Festival’s Success
Paul ‘Rinty’ Monaghan Hosts Seniors Event
Irish Poker Tour ambassador Paul ‘Rinty’ Monaghan will be hosting the festival’s Seniors Event. Monaghan is one of the most well-liked players in the European poker community and a perfect choice as host, who will undoubtedly add to the event’s profile.
The Seniors Event in the Spring Festival drew a solid crowd, with Richard Frank taking down the event for his first-ever live poker cash. Interestingly enough, third-place finisher Rigo Vangarelli went on to make a deep run in the Seniors Championship at the 2023 World Series of Poker, which carried a record field of 8,180 players.
Ylva Thorsrud Hosts Ladies First!
The Ladies First! event returns and will be hosted by professional poker player and Twitch streamer Ylva Thorsrud. The €150 buy-in event features 25,000 in starting chips with 25-minute levels. There are also unlimited re-entries for the first eight levels.
The Spring edition of the event proved popular and attracted both amateur and professional players. The event was won by AJ Rudolph, who parlayed her win into a deep run in the 2023 World Series of Poker Ladies Championship.
Mixed Games Anyone?
No poker schedule is complete without mixed games, and the Malta Poker Festival is no exception. The fun begins on Day 1 with a €230 Crazy Pineapple event. Players get 30,000 starting chips with 20-minute rounds and unlimited re-entry for 10 levels.
One of the more exciting contests for mixed game players will be the €230 H.O.R.S.E. event. The spring version of the event drew a small but powerful field. Antoine Degiorgio won that event after defeating a final table that included World Series of Poker bracelet winner Jens Voertmann.
The popular PLO Knights Crusaders event kicks off on October 28 with a €200 buy-in, 35,000 in starting chips, and 25-minute levels. The final table of the Spring event was impressive and included pros Peter Kamaras, Jari Hurri, and Renato Messina. Simon Gyorgy ultimately won the event for his first live tournament victory.
Popular High Roller Return
Outside of the MPF Grand Final, the most lucrative event on the spring schedule was the €1,100 High Roller. The final table of this event was stacked with up-and-coming pros and amateurs. Alex Montgomery came out on top of a final table that included Dmitri Dan and Neil Barron.
Events like the €1,100 High Roller produce large prize pools and help kickstart the careers of many poker professionals. For example, Paul Amsellem finished 5th in the spring event and won enough to enter the 2023 World Series of Poker Main Event. He ultimately cashed in the event, a feat that many poker players will never accomplish.
Things to Do Outside the Poker Room
We understand that your primary focus will be the Malta Poker Festival, but we encourage you to venture out from the poker room from time to time. Malta is a beautiful destination in the Autumn and worth exploring in your downtime.
Temperatures range from the mid to upper 20s in autumn (that’s 77 to 85 degrees for those using Fahrenheit), making it fantastic weather to hit the beach, dine outdoors, or enjoy a pleasant stroll outside. Better still, tourist traffic is lower in autumn, giving you the opportunity to check out some of the sights with shorter lines than usual.
You can visit the temples, check out Valletta, take a ferry to the Three Cities, or check out the Blue Lagoon of Gozo. There’s so much to do in the area you may want to set an itinerary or even stay a couple of extra days to take in the sights.
Now’s the time to plan your trip to Malta for the Autumn Malta Poker Festival. With a diverse schedule and a Grand Event with a €500,000 guarantee, it is an event you don’t want to miss. Be sure to reserve your package today!
