Battle of Malta Live Coverage Day One Recap

Written by:
Ace King
Published on:
Nov/04/2015

Europe’s biggest stand-alone poker tournament, the Battle of Malta, kicks off.  Along with our friends at PokerListings, the folks behind Battle of Malta, G911 will be providing extensive live coverage of this epic event.  Day One Recap Appears Below.

For Day 2 Thursday Coverage Go Here

 

November 4, 2015 9:45 pm

888poker Ambassador Sofia Lövgren is no longer in the tournament.

November 4, 2015 9 pm

Poker icon Humberto Brenes has left the building after busting out of Day 1A.

“Oh well,” he said. “I see you tomorrow.”

November 4, 2015 9 pm

At 8 pm this evening, late registration had ended with 305 playing Day 1A.  There will be two more days in which to enter and that all but guarantees last year's record of 1420 will be broken will be broken. 

November 4, 2015 8 pm

Karaoke Night with Maria Ho will take place at Foot Loose Bar a little after 10 pm for those in town of the SIGMA gaming conference.

November 4, 2015 8 pm

The first half of the group just spent an hour at dinner and now we are off to dinner as well as the second half of the group of players was about to disperse.

Heading into the first dinner break, our friends at PokerListings.com compiled this notable chip count

Here’s a look at a few notable chip counts as the first dinner break begins:

Robin Andersson - 80,000
Andreas Hoivold - 75,000
Vladzimir Sakovich - 75,000
Feliciano Mantalbetti - 57,000
Cappielo Domenico - 55,000
Bernardo Lucio - 53,000
Andersson Christoffer - 48,000
Kilmartin Lappin - 44,000
Wesierski Radoslaw - 40,000
Anton Malinovskii - 38,675
Sofia Lovgren - 18,000
Humberto Brenes - 8,000

November 4, 2015 5:45 pm 

Some notable chip counts as compiled by PokerListings.com in the last hour.
Sabina Hiatullah    32000
Humberto Brenes    19500
Hans Faber    37500
Alexis Urli    44000
Petar Zografov    61000
Fabrice Soullier    30000
Claudio Pagano    70000
Sofia Lövgren    22000
Felix Stephensen    21000
Andreas Høivold 30800
Preben Stokkan 46000

November 4, 2015 3:30 pm

Poker Profile - About Felix Stephensen - Stephensen is playing at this year's Battle of Malta event.  He's technically the current runner up of the World Series of Poker Main Event until the 2015 Final Table concludes in a few days from now. Stephensen's total winnings are just over $5.2 million thanks to the cool $5 million plus he earned at the WSOP Main Event. 

He is easily Norway's top cash winner to date.  That said, Norway had been demanding 50 percent cut in taxes from those winnings.  OUCH!!!!!

November 4 - 4:45 pm

267 players remain after Day 1 of the 2015 Battle of Malta.  We also can confirm that WSOP 2014 runner up Felix Stephensen will be taking part in the evening's Karaoke event hosted by Maria Ho.

November 4 - 4:15 pm - 2014 WSOP Main Event Runner Up is in the House

2014 WSOP Main Event runner up Felix Stephensen has been spotted.  He is here representing Nordic online poker site Betsafe.com, an A-list sponsor of this year's Battle of Malta.  Stephensen won a cool $5m last year as the second place finisher, making him quite possibly the wealthiest person in this room.

November 4 - 4 pm - Tables

November 4, 2015 3:45 pm

Glad to be Part of This Event - Battle of Malta hostess Maria Ho opens the tournament flanked by real live gladiators and their very real swords.

November 4, 2015 3:30 pm

Poker Profile - About Humbero Brenes - This Costa Rican poker phenom and arguably one of the best poker pros from all of Central America currently resides right up the street from our home base in Miami Beach. 

Brenes made the World Series of Poker Final Table in 1988 finishing in fourth place and winning $83,050.  He has since gone on to win two WSOP bracelets and has eight money finishes in the World Poker Tour and 72 cashes in the WSOP.  As of 2013, his total live tournament winnings exceed $6,000,000

November 4, 2015 3:15 pm

Big name poker pros spotted as first level of the day concludes.
Humberto Brenes Table 1 - Seat 6
Alan Brincat Table 2- Seat 9
Andreas Hoivold Table 10- Seat 6
Sabina Hiatullah Table 17 - Seat 9
888 poker pro Sofia Lovgren seen

November 4, 2015 2:45 pm

Let the battle begin!  The Battle of Malta 2015 officially kicked off just before 2:30 pm local time.  Hostess Maria Ho with Gambling911.com founder Chris Costigan.

November 4, 2015 12:15 pm

Matt Showell of PokerListings.com tells Gambling911.com this event has enjoyed a super high retention rate going into its 4th year and that 2000 entrants is not unreasonable in 2015.

While there are a number of poker tournaments taking place across the globe, the Battle of Malta has beome the go-to event for amateaurs, though there is no shortage of pros here as well.  Daniel Cates is a regular attendee while Costa Rica's top pro Humberto Brenes has been confirmed this year. 

The Battle of Malta is also a major contributor to the nation's GDP, accounting for 12%, second only to tourism.  The European Poker Tour has scheduled its Malta leg just ahead of BOM while two gaming conferences are set to take place during and immediately after BOM.

November 4, 2015 12 pm

Registration was taking place throughout the day with the tournament set to start at 2 pm.  This evening we will be covering a fun-filled karaoke event hosted by Maria "Coolio" Ho and a bunch of mostly Italian and Swedish poker players who think they can sing (gulp).

Watch Maria prep for this event below.

November 3, 2015 6 pm

Maria Ho will once again serve as hostess.  She was among two dozen individuals who enjoyed a wonderful tour of Valetta, Malta Tuesday.  The tour was organized by the Maltese Government, which now views BOM as a major contributor to the island nation’s economy. 

Valletta, Malta’s capital and a World Heritage site, is nothing short of an open-air museum. It is a living experience of Baroque architecture, a monument donated by the Knights of St John nearly five centuries ago.

Throughout the years, Valletta has welcomed emperors, heads of state, artists and poets and is now the permanent seat of the Maltese government. Dotted with quaint cafés and wine bars, the city is today one of Malta’s main tourist attractions, hosting among others, the majestic St John’s Co- Cathedral, the imposing bastions and a treasure of priceless paintings. It also provides a stunning snapshot of Malta’s Grand Harbour, often described as the most beautiful in the Mediterranean.

The city’s unique setting nowadays plays host to a series of cultural events, from theatre in English, to concerts by leading opera singers. A hive of business activity during the day, the city switches to a slower gear for the night. Use it to your advantage to get away from the noise and take a stroll to admire the magic of the fortified capital amplified by the gentle lighting. Admire the bastion walls,

Among the most amazing sites in Malta, St. John’s Co-Cathedral.  Dare we say it was a bit of an eyesore from the outside (there are currently ongoing renovations).  The interior is nothing short of breathtaking. 

Built between 1573 and 1577 by Girolamo Cassar, the Cathedral used to be the conventual church of the Order. Unlike the rather severe exterior, the interior is sumptuous with coloured marble tombstones, frescoes and numerous treasure-filled chapels. The Beheading of St. John, Caravaggio’s masterpiece lies in the Oratory.

Additionally, we had an opportunity to visit the Upper Barrakka Gardens

Situated near Castille Place and possess unsurpassed views across the Grand Harbour over to the Three Cities, the origins of the Upper Barrakka Gardens go back to 1661, when it was a private garden of the Italian Knights, whose inns of residence (auberges) lie close by. It was not before 1824 that it was opened as a public garden and during WWII the garden suffered much destruction.

We would like to thank PokerListings.com and the Maltese Tourism Association for their amazing hospitality while here.  Players will want to stay at the fabulous Corinthia Hotel St. George's.  I frequently write reviews for TripAdvisor during my travels and this establishment will definitely be getting five stars

We look forward to the start of Battle of Malta on Wednesday.  Watch for our ongoing coverage throughout the week.

Battle of Malta host and Amazing Race contestant Maria Ho and the PokerListings.com gang in Valleta, Malta

- Ace King, Gambling911.com

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