In the end, the only thing that could stop the Battle of Malta was the clock.

Facing a hard 5 am stop imposed by the Portomaso Casino our two heads-up combatants - Bulgaria's Antoan Katsarov and Malta's Alan James Brincat - played to a virtual stalemate.

The clock was forced to decide the champion according to the chip counts when no more hands could be played.

The chip leader at the time of the stop? Katsarov, who collected €122,750 and the highly sought after Battle of Malta Main Event trophy.

Runner-up Brincat kept €107,250 of the massive €701,795 prize pool, generated by a record 1,447 entries, right here at home on the island.

Keeps a big piece of the prize pool on Malta.

Play On!

With 35 players returning to start the final day we anticipated a long one and that's exactly what we got.

At about 8 pm with about 12 players left, Tournament Director Elio presented the remaining players with a couple of options.

Stop the tournament when the final nine was reached and come back to play tomorrow, or play on to the 5 am stop and the forced deal.

The players unanimously decided to play on, and that's how we proceeded.

Eight Countries Including Malta at Final Table

The Battle of Malta has truly become a bonafide draw for the entire continent and players from dozens of nations across Europe were in attendance this year.

Eight of them were represented at the 10-man final table with Sweden having the most at three players.

The Netherlands, Bulgaria, France, Ireland, Poland and Italy all had players in the mix while Brincat represented his home country of Malta.

The complete list of players and results at the 2014 Battle of Malta Main Event final table:

1 Antoan Katsarov, Bulgaria €122,750*

2 Alan James Brincat, Malta €107,250*

3 Pär Ebenhardt, Sweden €53,000

4 Oskar Szwed, Poland €42,500

5 Hugo Lemaire, France €32,000

6 Declan Connolly, Ireland €23,000

7 Pontus Dargren, Sweden €16,095

8 Johan Krans, Sweden €12,100

9 Wouter Beumers, Netherlands  €9,100

* Indicates a two-way deal

All told the final 10 players split up €431,935 between them - a record-breaking number for the Battle of Malta.

Watch Full Battle of Malta Recap Video with Maria Ho

Four More Battle of Malta Champions

While the Main Event was the maruqee event on the schedule there were four more side events that drew in players from around the world.

Aarno Kivelio

Over 593 players battled it out over two days in the Siege of Malta Second Chance Event before Russian Alexey Kovalev turned his €220 buy-in into a tidy €24,000 and the title.

Finland’s Aarvo Kiveliö won the €165 PLO Knight Crusade for €4,300 (after a deal). Tomasz Olszewski and Francesco Ruffo each took home €16,300 after chopping up the €330 BOM NLH Deepstack Turbo.

Nicodemo Piccolo, who won the first-ever Battle of Malta main event title back in 2012, made the Deepstack Turbo final table.

Arsen Sakanjans captured the Grand Master High Roller yesterday.

Check our Battle of Malta Live Coverage page for the complete rundown of all the action.

Alan Brincat was as close to being the first local to win the Battle of Malta title as you can be.

In the end - and we mean the absolute end - Brincat finished as the runner-up because he had a smaller stack than his opponent Antoan Katsarov when the tournament had to be stopped per casino regulations.

If he had a bit more time, Brincat says, the story might be slightly different:

“I was catching up to him," Brincat says in a follow-up interview at the PokerListings office a few days later.

“I think he was a little scared, but I would have needed more time. At one point during the heads-up he folded K-Q pre-flop, so I knew he didn’t really want to play anymore.

"I changed my strategy to playing more post-flop to force him to get involved in hands, but in the end I didn’t get there.”

Gaming Industry Vet Knows What to Look For

After 10 years playing and time spent in the industry, Brincat knows what he's looking for.

In real life Brincat works as an Operations Manager at Quasar Gaming, a Maltese gaming company that, among other games, features Novomatic content.

He’s also worked for Everest Poker, where he was responsible for detecting fraud like collusion and chip-dumping.

“Of course there are tools that help you," Brincat says, "but there are also patterns of behavior that you can spot and that are suspicious.

"For example, if someone is losing an unusual amount of money to another player in a relatively short time. And if, for example, both players come from the same country or have the same IP address, there might be something wrong.

"Safety is about the most important thing for a poker provider.”

As his background indicates, Brincat is no poker newbie. He’s been playing for about 10 years, mostly in home games.

“But I’ve played several live tournaments too," he adds.

None have been close to the size of the 2014 Battle of Malta.

"I played last year as well, but I never made the money. Also, I spent a lot of time queueing. This year it was better.”

"Sad to See Someone You Like Busted"

Given the massive field this year (1,447 entries - a Maltese record) and a mid-tourney boost to 60-minute levels, play stretched well into the early hours each day.

In the end, the "battle" part of the Battle of Malta was a very apt moniker.

Had momentum but ran out of time.

“Yes, I know, and I’ve been there to the very last hand. I played on Day 1B so I had over 40 hours of poker within three days.

"The tournament was great, though, despite the long hours. I enjoyed the last day the most. Well, obviously.

"Still, even so all of us players were getting tired, it also became more competitive, and while it became more competitive, it also became more social and more fun.

"It got to a point where you would be almost sad when someone who you liked busted. Of course, you would never show that, but then hey, we’re only human."

With 12 players left after the dinner break on Day 3 the Tournament Director gave players the choice of stopping at 9 players or playing until the 5 am hard stop required by law.

Should the tournament still be going play would be halted and the chips would decide the winner. Players unanimously decided to play on.

"I think that some people were a little disappointed about the ending of the tournament, there not being a final hand with all the chips in the middle.

"On the other hand, I understand that we had to stop it at one point. Personally, I didn’t care if we came back to finish it on Monday.

"But I was the only local and everybody else had early flights with connections, so I didn’t interfere with the discussion. It would have been a little unfair.”

Definite Plans for More Live Tournaments, EPT Malta

As we're doing our interview with Brincat in the PokerListings Malta office a colleague from Malta’s largest newspaper, Malta Today, also arrives to get a word from the local hero.

Plans to live up to his poker reputation.

It looks like Alan Brincat is becoming a local celebrity - something he's not about to shy away from.

“Yes," he says with a big grin. “And to live up to my reputation I want to play more live tournaments in the future.

"I will be in Paris next month (for a WPT National event), and I will definitely play the EPT Malta next March.”

Does Brincat have any worries about a tournament like an EPT main event with its myraid pros and higher-stakes hurdles? Not that he lets on.

“Although I didn’t have any of BOM's celebrity players at my table, I’m pretty sure I can handle it.

"Mind you, I would have really liked to have Maria Ho or Sofia Lövgren at my table.”

This year at the 2014 Battle of Malta Hansen received the PokerListings Spirit of Poker Award in the Living Legend category and spoke candidly about one of the most amazing careers in poker history.

“I started playing poker more than 50 years ago in Norway and we'd play at the racetrack and in the woods with people,” said Hansen.

“Poker came naturally to me. I was playing a little bit of pool and I was always into gambling. I went to the racetrack when I was seven years old.

“I had an older brother that played a bit of poker and I was with him watching him play. He had to go to the bathroom and I had been watching for a while so he asked me to play. When he came back I had a lot of money in front of me so that's how we started.

“I never thought about what I was going to become. Poker just meant so much to me so quickly I never thought about anything else. I just wanted to play poker. So that's what I did.”

Watch Full Thor Hansen Video Interview

Lodden: “People Have Always Looked Up to Thor”

Though decades younger than Hansen, Johnny Lodden is no longer part of the younger generation of Norwegian poker stars.

Lodden is a legend in his own right and says Thor Hansen was part of what inspired him to get into poker.

Johnny Lodden

“People have always looked up to Thor,” Lodden told PokerListings. “I first heard his name when I was 16 or so and then there was a documentary about him in Norway and they interviewed Phil Ivey and then we really got respect for the old guy.

“He's a good example for how poker players should behave.”

But it wasn't Hansen's model behavior that inspired Lodden to follow in the elder pro's footsteps.

“I also know a lot of his friends from back in the days and they always talk about the old days playing in those games all around Oslo.

“There were poker clubs and blackjack and roulette. It looked like people had a lot of fun back then. I kind of wish I could play in those games.

“Thor always told me stories about partying in the Playboy mansion and hanging out with the celebs in Hollywood and just having a blast. It looked like such a fun life just to move to Vegas, live off gambling and party around.

“When you're 18, 19, 20 that's the dream. You had the whole package so definitely that was the inspiration for making a living like that.”

Hansen Hits Las Vegas, Meets Stu Ungar

Hansen didn't travel for poker until he was in his 20s but set a course for Las Vegas and hit the ground running.

“It was a lot easier to find a poker game in Las Vegas than Oslo that's for sure,” said Hansen.

“And I had a good start. The first time I got there I won a World Series bracelet and won all the money in the cash games.

“I played with the biggest guys in the world like Doyle Brunson and Chip Reese. So I learned in a hard school but I survived.”

Along the way Hansen became close friends with perhaps the biggest poker legend of them all, Stu Ungar.

Stu Ungar

“Stuey Ungar, I think he was a little bit schizophrenic because he could be a very bad boy but he was so kind and nice outside of poker," said Hansen.

“He was kind to everyone but it was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He could be so terrible but he was also so nice and such a good player. He was impossible to beat.

“Nolan Dalla wrote about him and wrote some good things about him but he forgot that they stopped playing No-Limit Hold'em in Las Vegas because of Stuey Ungar. Because no one could beat him. So those games disappeared when Stuey was around."

Hansen doesn't doubt how Ungar would stack up against the best players in the game right now.

“Stuey would beat them all today. He would still be 30 years in front of this crew just like he was back then," said Hansen.

“But he could also lose. He could be a bad player when he had a lot of money because he didn't like money. He got staked by the mafia a lot. When he was broke they gave him money to play and then he won. He always won when he got staked.

“I remember his last couple of months really well because everyone in Vegas gave him up. I wasn't in Vegas, I was in California playing seven-card stud because I owed so much money in Vegas for gambling.

“The games were really good and Stuey called asking for money of course because he was in bad shape. I told him to come out and I would give him ten thousand and maybe we could build something up.

“He came out and we were staying in a motel across from the casino and I think he won $200,000 in a week. But he was in very bad shape. We were walking back to the motel and he just fell down in the street and I picked up. He felt like about 60 pounds and I lifted him up and took him to the room and called a doctor.

“The next day he went back to Vegas. It was about two weeks later I went by because a friend of mine and me, we bought him a ticket to watch football which he loved.

“That week he died. That was the last time I saw him.”

A Decade of Playing and Partying with Larry Flynt

Spending a lot of time playing poker in California, Thor Hansen developed a reputation as a strong seven-card stud player. Word reached Hustler founder Larry Flynt who was looking for a ringer for his game.

Larry Flynt

“Poker brought me into a lot of stuff and I got to know a lot of famous people, a lot of fun people,” recalled Hansen.

“I was Larry Flynt's man in his poker game. It was his game and we played seven-card stud and I think we played about ten years and we made good money but there was a lot of fun around it.

“Somehow he learned I was a good seven-card stud player and he wanted to hire someone to play for him. He didn't want to learn anything. He liked to lose. He was the game. Everyone won of course because he was such a bad player.

“We became good friends because I won so much money for him. He didn't like me so much when I was losing but we had a make-up deal so I had to catch up before I got to the money again.

“But those were some fun years I will say that. So many strange people in there.

“After his wife died he had a nurse for many years and she wanted to marry him and he said yes so we had his bachelor party in Beverly Hills. That was some party.

“It cost like $2 million. That's what we were supposed to spend but after flying in all the girls we didn't have any money for food so we had to spend a bit more.”

Thor Hansen: "I've Become a Better Person"

Almost three years ago Hansen was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Doctors in America gave him just a few months but with the support of his family and friends and Norway's socialized medicine, Hansen is defying the odds.

Hansen had already been enjoying the opportunities his poker celebrity affords him but after the diagnosis he says his appreciation for everything in life spiked.

“After the new poker came with all these kids I got a lot of new friends,” said Hansen.

"I'm the happy one I think."

“People call me and want to take me out and it's very nice of course, when you're my age and you've got all these young friends.

“I'm happy to have everyone around me. I'm the happy one I think.

“When I got the diagnosis of cancer, that it was terminal and it was very bad, I had surgery the day after they found it in America and the doctor said I had a few months because it was bad. It's still bad but I went back to Norway and started treatments.

“That's almost three years ago and I feel good. I have poker and the guys around me. I have my American wife who takes very good care of me. She makes me eat healthy and do stuff.

“I'm just very strong. That's what the doctor's said. They can't believe it. They say I'm not built out of blood and flesh. They said I'm of steel.

“I'm a bit of a special case for the hospital because they don't understand why I'm holding so good. I tell them I've taken so many bad beats in poker, I'm used to the bad beats.

“I've been dealing with this now for almost three years and now I don't even think about it. I've been on chemo for three years, the highest doses, and I have no problems with it. I don't even feel it and it's very strange because people get sick from that all the time.

“I appreciate small things so much more than what I did in the old days, before in life. Every little thing I see that's nice I can fell a tear and it's more sentimental.

“Some good has come out of it. I feel like I've become a better person because I want to help people and I want to do this and I want to do that.

“The important thing for poker players is to be nice. It's such a nice community. There's always someone trying to destroy it but there's so many nice people in there and as long as they stay nice and can handle the bad beats they'll be okay.”

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While the first-ever EPT Malta is on everyone's lips this week at the Portomaso Casino, there's still another record-setting poker festival to come in Malta this year.

There will be a bit less money on the table, yes. But a world-class poker festival in its own right with a very different objective in mind: Fun.

With just a €550 buy-in and a €700,000 prize pool the 2014 Battle of Malta set all kinds of records including biggest poker tournament ever held on Malta and largest standalone tournament in Europe.

Despite the huge €140k first-place payout the emphasis was still on providing a casual, laid-back atmosphere and the perfect poker holiday for the low- to mid-stakes poker player.

With 1,447 entries the Battle of Malta main event delivered beyond expectations and was nominated in the Event of the Year (Under €2k Buy-In) category for the 2014 European Poker Awards, to be presented in Malta tomorrow night.

On the brink of the big moment PokerListings Sweden's Denni Balic spoke to BOM Tournament Director Ivonne Montealegre about her hopes for the award and big plans for Battle of Malta 2015.

DB: Ivonne this is the first time we’re speaking to you after last year’s Battle of Malta. How happy are you with last year’s tournament?

BOM inspiration Ivonne Montealegre

IM: We’re very, very happy here at PokerListings.

I think we corrected some issues and made it exactly the poker festival vibe we wanted to achieve.

I’m very, very happy. The company overall has been very involved in it, it’s our crown jewel promotion throughout the year, so we’re very happy with the results.

I mean 1,400 players plus is a really good number for Malta.

And everyone seemed to enjoy the poker festival, the tournaments, the side events, the parties.

DB: I met a couple of players and journalists at the EPT Malta yesterday and some of them told me that they enjoyed Battle of Malta a bit more. What do you think the reason is?

IM: Well, really that is very, very good news and it’s definitely flattering to compare it to a tournament the caliber of the EPT.

EPT sets the bar high for all of us.

I’ve been to EPT Malta, I think it’s a great event. We’re very happy to have an event of this caliber on the island; it sets the bar high for all of us.

I would say the EPT … they’re champions with their structures, the tournament itself is run in such a lovely way, so organized and everything. You can see that they put a lot of effort into it.

However I would say that the vibe is a little bit different. It’s a little bit more serious, a little bit more stressful, whereas the Battle of Malta is really all about the fun. It’s more of a poker holiday.

That’s why I think the EPT doesn’t focus too much on player parties and the poker community feel that we’re trying to push at Battle of Malta. They’re different events.

DB: The Battle of Malta is also nominated in the European Poker Awards (Ed. Note: Event of the Year Under 2k Buy-In). Can you tell us a bit about your expectations? 

IM: Oh, we want to win! We definitely want to win. It’s been three years of the Battle of Malta and it would be very nice to get that recognition from our peers in the poker industry.

We definitely would be very appreciative and we’d take that trophy home to our PokerListings office. We put a lot of effort into this.

I’ve said this before, the BOM volunteers, our employees that work for free for the tournament, we put a lot of love into this tournament, a lot of effort, so that kind of recognition from the industry would be something really to look forward to.

DB: Can you tell us a bit about the plans for the next Battle of Malta? Will there be any changes?

Even more cheek planned for 2015.

IM: Yes, we’re listening to the players. We’re always listening to the players. We did a player survey and I think that the calendar will be much better organized.

Last year we barely had time for anything. Players were missing the cocktail party. It was packed; the schedule was packed.

Now we’re having an additional starting day, which guarantees us a much smoother structure to play with and to also be able to attend all the activities we have. We’re planning a very cheeky, interesting player party!

DB: It looks like we have something to look forward to.

IM: Absolutely! Absolutely.

DB: Thank you Ivonne and good luck.

IM: Thank you so much!

For more information and to reserve a 2015 Battle of Malta package at a 10% discount, visit the Battle of Malta home page.

It's official: The 2014 Battle of Malta is the European Poker Award winner for low buy-in (under $2k) event of the year!

Awarded live during the ongoing EPT Malta festival tonight, Battle of Malta defeated co-nominees the Estrellas Poker Tour Barcelona Main Event, the Eureka Poker Tour Prague Main Event and the WPT500 at Dusk Till Dawn to take home the trophy.

With 1,447 entries and a €700,000 prize pool, the 2014 BOM smashed its own record for biggest poker tournament ever held on Malta and became the largest standalone event in Europe.

Danzer, Jacobson, Salter Among Elite Winners

Hard to top WSOP ME win.

The 2015 European Poker Awards had a star-studded lineup of nominees in the house in Malta and, accordingly, an impressive group of winners emerged.

2014 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Martin Jacobson fittingly claimed the Tournament Performance of the Year, although he had to top Vicky Coren Mitchell's second career EPT title to do it.

Davidi Kitai, for his dazzling play in WSOP Event #15, and Dominik Panka, for his PCA Main Event run, were also nominated.

England's Jack Salter, a member of Team UK at the recent Global Poker Masters, earned the title of Breakout Player of the Year, topping George Danzer, Panka and fellow Team UK'er Oliver Price.

Danzer didn't go home empty-handed, however, as he took home one of the marquee awards of the evening in Poker's Best Ambassador.

Ambassador of the Year George Danzer

The EPT Vienna Main Event won the award for Poker Event of the Year Over $2k Buy-in while EPTLive's Marc Convey won for Media Person of the Year.

The serial qualifier, Belgium's Pierre Neuville, was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Charitable Initiative of the Year was awarded to the very deserving REG charity founded by Phil Gruissem, Igor Kurganov and Liv Boeree.

Germany's Ole Schemion and England's Boeree took home the pre-determined awards for Male and Female Player of the Year, respectively.

The full list of 2014 European Poker Award winners:

Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees for a spectacular year in European poker in 2014! Find the full list of nominees here.

This year's Battle of Malta is going to be massive so start prepping now with Maria Ho's top five strategy tips for low-stakes, big-field poker tournaments.

In 2014 Maria Ho hosted the Battle of Malta for the first time, helping the event crush the €500,000 guaranteed prize pool.

170 players made it into the money and Bulgaria's Antoan Katsarov went all the way to win €122,750, all from just a €550 buy-in.

Big-field, low buy-in tournaments are exploding in popularity because you can win a huge prize without risking a lot of money, but bigger fields and shorter structures mean a more treacherous journey into the money.

These events demand a specialized approach and in this video Maria Ho offers five key concepts you need to know to consistently make it deep.

Watch More Poker Tips from the Pros

Check out the video and keep reading below for more strategy:

#5: Capitalize On Other Players' Mistakes Early

Early in these tournaments there will be players who feel pressured to play loose and aggressive in an effort to build a stack quickly. And if it's a re-entry event, some players will be willing to gamble in the early stages because they know they can buy back into the tournament.

In the first few levels you're actually pretty deep-stacked so you don't have to be the one putting it all on the line with a marginal hand. It pays to be patient and wait for a really good spot before playing for your whole stack.

#4: Play in Position, Target Weak Players

Just because we advocate waiting for a big hand before you play for stacks, it doesn't mean you should be sitting out and missing good spots to pick up easy pots.

For beginner and intermediate players, the quickest way to find these spots is to play most of your hands in position, and against the players you've identified as weak or inexperienced.

Weaker players will let you take down the pot when they miss, especially when they're out of position, and they're more likely to overplay a medium hand and pay you off if you do flop something big.

#3: Learn to 3-Bet Shove with 20 Big Blinds

In this kind of tournament it's pretty common have a stack of 15 to 20 big blinds at some point and it can be an awkward spot for inexperienced players.

It's intimidating to call or raise before the flop because folding later in the hand will leave you shortstacked.

One really powerful move that uses the 15-20 big blind stack effectively is the 3-bet shove. Look for aggressive players who are opening lots of pots and jam your stack in before the flop.

You still have enough chips to force folds from medium hands, and if you choose the hands you do this with well, you won't be dominated when you do get called.

#2: Don't Be Afraid of the Bubble

During the bubble period of these kinds of events, a lot of players will shut down to try to make it into the money. This is a great time to pick up chips without have to take any big risks.

It's really important to get involved and try to build a stack while other players are tightening up.

You should also keep an eye out for other players who are also trying to take advantage of the bubble. Some of them will know that they should be playing aggressively on the bubble but they won't really want to play big pots when you put pressure on them.

You can 3-bet these players before the flop and call in position to try to take the pot away later in the hand.

#1: Get a Headstart on Building Reads for the Final Table

The big money in poker tournaments is at the final table and you can give yourself an edge by profiling everyone you play with earlier in the tournament, before you meet them at the final table.

It's common beginner advice to always pay attention, even when you're not in the hand, but it's something that most poker players fail to actually do well.

When there's five tables left, really start working on building reads. There's always a redraw at three tables, and sometimes at two, so chances are you'll play with everyone who makes the final table before you even get there.

Stories like Antoan Katsarov’s are a big reason for the general public’s fascination with poker.

Last November the Bulgarian qualified online and turned €10 into €122,750 at the 2014 Battle of Malta.

Pokerzeit.com's Lars Liedtke met up with him again six months later, at the place of his biggest success, to find out what’s happened since.

PZ: Hello Antoan, thank you very much for taking the time. Can you introduce yourself to the audience and tell us when and where you first came into contact with poker?

Back where it began.

AK: I started playing poker four years ago while studying dentistry. At that time I was not sure if this is what I want to do with my life.

Then I discovered online poker. My first money I made in freerolls and after that I grinded my way up from NL2 before I decided to become a professional poker player.

PZ: Since Dimitar Danchev won the PCA in 2013 Bulgarians have become more and more a force in live tournaments. What do you think is the reason for the success? Do you exchange knowledge with each other? Can you describe the poker scene in Bulgaria?

AK: There are a couple of groups with 5 or 6 good players respectively, who exchange knowledge. 

Bulgaria is one of the poorest countries in Europe and in my opinion that’s why poker is quickly growing there as it gives people the chance to make a living.

With $1,000 you can live two to three months there.

PZ: You live in the capital, Sofia. Do you like living there? What makes up the charm of this city for you? Do you have casinos or poker rooms there where you can play live?

AK: In general Sofia is a great city for poker players as it is very cheap and Bulgaria has one of the fastest Internet connections in the world.

On the other hand crime is high, because the country is poor, and the rake on PokerStars is high since it became the first legal poker room last August.

In addition to that the market is getting more and more regulated. Online poker is legal now but there are much more restrictions than a year ago.

PZ: How did you hear about the Battle of Malta? And why did you decide to play the tournament?

AK: When I played the satellite I didn’t even know what exactly the Battle of Malta was.

I play poker professionally but don’t really care much about the poker scene.

PZ: You prevailed over 1,447 players and turned your buy-in of €550 into an unbelievable €122,750 at BOM 2014, which was the biggest poker tournament in Maltese history. What’s happened since then? Did this win change your life?

The biggest difference is I consider myself a much better player now.

AK: In fact it was much less as I qualified through a €10 satellite.

Since the win my life hasn’t changed that much. The biggest difference is that I consider myself a much better player now than I was back then.

At that time I was mostly playing mid-stakes and I learned a lot through playing high-stakes MTTs online afterward as those games are really tough.

I got some coaching and started to talk more with other players. In addition some of my friends are really good online players and they helped me become a better player.

PZ: The heads-up at the Battle of Malta was heavily discussed as you weren’t able to play it out and finish the tournament because of regulations in Malta. You had to make a deal in the end. What do you think about this way to end the tournament and did it affect heads-up play a lot?

AK: I was not happy at all because I played mainly Heads-Up Hyper Turbos at that time.

Heads-Up is my best game and I wanted to play to the end, as I was pretty sure that I would win.

PZ: You have your own coaching site and you also analyze hands for PokerStrategy Bulgaria. How did you become a poker coach? Do you also give private poker coaching or take coaching from other famous players? Does it help your own game when you coach less experienced players?

"I started from the bottom and invested a lot of time."

AK: I started from the bottom and invested a lot of time in the last few years to work on my game.

I analyzed around 4,000 hands for PokerStrategy. Regarding Sit & Gos I learned the most from “Unam,“ a Heads-Up Sit & Go coach from the German community.

When it comes to MTTs I recommend the public coaching of “bah22.”

Collin Moshman also helped me a lot. He became a good friend of mine. At PokerStrategy it is very common to exchange strategies.

Furthermore I have my own coaching site called “YourPokerSchool” where I have around 35 private students.

Analyzing their hands also helped me a lot and gave me a good unders

tanding of situations and ranges.

PZ: Can you compare the Battle of Malta to EPT Malta? What are the similarities and differences?

AK: The best tournament players in the world are playing in the EPT Main Events.

It is basically a REG-fest and the buy-in is above my bankroll, so I only play the satellites and wouldn’t buy-in directly as I don’t see myself at the same level of players like Vanessa Selbst.

The average player in an EPT Main Event is much better than at the Battle of Malta. BOM is more comparable to the IPT Main Event.

Reigning champ will be back to defend his honor.

In those two tournaments the average skill level is almost the same. There were good players at the Battle of Malta, but the number of them is much less than in an EPT and the value therefore is much higher.

PZ: What are your plans and goals for the future? Will you defend your title at the Battle of Malta 2015?

AK: My plan is to play more live tournaments and select them wisely. So I will travel next to the UKIPT Nottingham and then maybe to the Estrellas Poker Tour.

In November I will defend my title at the Battle of Malta. I am the reigning champion, so it is a question of honor.

Now in its 3rd year the PokerListings Spirit of Poker Awards are an annual celebration of the best poker brings out in people.

Defining just exactly what the "spirit of poker" is can be elusive, but one thing's for sure: we know it when we see it.

These are poker players who stand out with joy, heart and originality both on and off the felt.

Newcomers who burst on the stage and take the poker tournament scene by storm. Oldtimers who’ve been around since the early days but still have plenty of game to compete with today's young guns.

Starts from the top down.

Our signature category - the Most Inspiring Player - highlights the players who not only make poker a living but make it so inviting others want to be a part of it too.

Every year at the Battle of Malta PokerListings crowns three players for their outstanding achievements on and off the felt for the past 12 months.

Who they'll be in 2015 is up to you.

Rising Stars, Living Legends

Distributed across three categories - Rising Star, Living Legend and Most Inspiring Player - the 2015 Spirit of Poker Award Nominees are a cross-section of everything that makes the game of poker great.

Eight players have been fastidiously picked by our editorial panel in each category and every single one of them has brought something unique to poker that deserves to be recognized. The official nominees for 2015:

2015 Most Inspiring Player Award

Rising Star Award

Future is here.

Living Legend Award

Voting Open Now!

With the nominees officially named it's now up to you, the readers, to determine who makes it to the shortlist of three in each category.

Head to the PokerListings Spirit of Poker Awards Main Page to vote and for an overview of the players' extraordinary achievements over the last year to help make your decision.

Voting is now open and will be until September 13, 2015, at midnight. The PokerListings team will then announce the three players with the most votes in each category.

The editorial panel will then vote on and determine the winners.

Past winners of Spirit of Poker Awards include Shannon Shorr, Dominik Panka, Thor Hansen, Luca Moschitta, Pierre Neuville and Naoya Kihara.

Award Ceremony at Battle of Malta 2015

Who will Maria crown this year?

The awards will be presented during the 2015 Battle of Malta which takes place November 4-9.

The 4th Annual Battle of Malta will be fought again in the Portomaso Casino in St. Julian’s, Malta.

It has grown every year since its inception in 2012 with almost 1,500 players in last year's main event to once again shatter the record for largest poker tournament ever in Malta.

Poker pro, TV presenter and 3-time Last Woman Standing in the WSOP main event, Maria Ho, will also be back to host again.

The 2015 Battle of Malta will be five intense days of poker. The main event will have three opening days to accommodate all players but you will also find side events every day including a 2-day Second Chance and a Pot-Limit Omaha Event.

Don’t forget the parties, either. Check out this video to see what they were like last year.

Go to our BOM payment page to book your VIP package. You can also qualify online for as little as 1c; find available satellites here.

Tell us who you think should get a PokerListings Spirit of Poker Award and vote! And we’d be thrilled to see you at the “Best Low Buy-in Poker Tournament in Europe."

While you can't book your seat in the November Nine anymore there are still plenty of chances to make your own life-changing final table this November.

With an expanded side-event schedule on top of the award-winning, €500,000 guaranteed €550 main event, a 2015 Battle of Malta final table is yours for the taking.

You can get there on the cheap, too, with satellites running daily and weekly on several online poker sites.

Platinum Sponsors 888poker, Betsson, Betsafe and NordicBet are all running dozens of events this summer with premium Battle of Malta packages on the line.

All packages are all-inclusive and include Main Event buy-in, hotel, party tickets, daily buffet and breakfast and more. Some also include extra cash for travel expense.

Silver Sponsor RedBet and Classic Sponsor PAFpoker are doing likewise and you can even begin your journey to the 2015 Battle of Malta for free.

Daily Freerolls at Betsson, Betsafe and NordicBet

If "free" is your current summer budget for poker satellites you still have lots of choices. Freerolls run twice daily at Betsson, Betsafe and NordicBet with 10 €3.30 Level 1 tickets added to each.

2,000 players expected in 2015.

Those €3.30 Level 1 satellites run 3x daily with €27 Level 2 tickets up for grabs.

One €175 weekly final ticket is guaranteed in each Level 2 event which can put you in the running for a premium €1,550 Battle of Malta package.

€2,000 2015 Battle of Malta Packages at 888Poker

Battle of Malta qualifiers at 888poker start at 1c and run daily. Win your way up to a $160 Step 5 Ticket and it can be used for any 888Live & Major Tournaments including the weekly BOM qualifier every Thursday.

Spectacular locale for spectacular poker.

Two more exclusive freerolls will also run over the summer on Aug. 2 and Oct. 4. PokerListings players who earn just 100 points in the respective qualifying periods will get a ticket.

Each winner will receive a deluxe $2,000 2015 Battle of Malta package including:

Sign up for an account via our 888poker review to be eligible and to qualify for an exclusive $888 bonus.

Win a €1,800 BoM Package at PAF Poker!

Play Against Friends (PAF) Poker is upping the stakes for its 2015 Battle of Malta packages to truly make it a poker holiday to remember.

Daily freezeouts are available from $5.50 to $108 buy-ins with tickets up for grabs to the next step in each. The Malta Live Poker Final $320 Freezeout runs every Sunday at 8 pm with at least one package guaranteed.

PAF Battle of Malta Packages include:

Check the Battle of Malta Qualifiers page for details. And check back regularly for more qualifiers added!

Most poker players, to some degree, have an idol. Someone they found so inspiring it “made” them jump into poker.

It can be the player's personality, success in the game, or even just something said on TV once. Maybe it's how he or she played a certain hand.

For the past three years PokerListings has put those players in the spotlight for our annual Spirit of Poker Awards. The awards are handed out in three different categories: Living Legend, Rising Star and Most Inspiring Player.

The eight nominees in each category are the players we feel have been the most inspirational on and off the felt over the past 12 months.

At the 2015 Battle of Malta PokerListings will host the third Spirit of Poker Awards ceremony and who will ultimately win in each category all comes down to you.

Who do you think deserves it? Take part in the voting and give your favorite player his or her due. As part of a three-part series here's a closer look at our 2015 Most Inspiring Player nominees.

Martin Jacobson

Age: 28

Country: Sweden

Cashes last 12 months/WSOP 2015: 9/2

His $10 million triumph at the 2014 WSOP was the tipping point of a poker career that began in 2008 and had, to that point, included four runner-up finishes at EPT, WPT and High Roller events.

Jacobson immediately put that money to work for the global causes he finds important. Prior to becoming the world champ he signed on to represent the Raising for Effective Giving charity and donated 1% of his take - totaling $250,000 - in support of the humane treatment of animals.

Jacobson has also inspired the poker community with his continued dedication to better health. Physical fitness is a major trademark and it was only fitting the meticulous preparation he put in for last year’s WSOP final table paid off.

He trained with over 30 different players and had them take on the roles of his opponents, which they had to study in turn. Studies included videos, past events and statistical analyses.

The payoff: Jacobson overcame his shorter stack to win poker's ultimate championship. He's now #1 on the all-time Swedish money list, #1 in the Swedish POY ranking and made it into the Top 10 of the world’s all-time money list.

But his legacy will carry on far past any poker leaderboard.

Davidi Kitai

Age: 35

Country: Belgium

Cashes last 12 months/WSOP 2015: 18/2

What can be more inspiring than ambition? The small-but-energetic poker powerhouse that is Belgium has brought forth the man we call the “Phil Ivey of Europe."

Kitai has made it his mission to conquer the GPI rankings and he’s already made it to second place. In the meantime he's #1 in the Belgian all-time money rankings and #1 in the Belgian POY rankings.

But maybe the most fascinating thing about him is his incredible insight into the game. Watch how he baffles his opponent at a WSOP final table, calling three streets with queen high and then showing confidently!

Leo Margets

Age: 31

Country: Spain

Cashes last 12 months/WSOP 2015: 3/0

The Last Woman Standing at the WSOP main event in 2009, Leo has come a long way since then. She’s a PokerStars team pro, a writer and a sports fanatic.

She uses physical challenges to get in the right mindset and she even has an almost ready manuscript for a novel on her bookshelf.

She listens to what people has to say and 24k followers on Twitter are more than enough evidence that people like to listen to what she says, too.

Recently Leo has taken up writing a blog on PokerListings to give us some personal insight into the life of a professional player with all its ups and downs.

Many women learn poker from their boyfriends, as Margets did, but few go on to make it their own career and prevail in such a male-dominated environment.

Aditya Agarwal

Age: 30

Country: India

Cashes last 12 months/WSOP 2015: 8/2

Plenty of players have stood out by influencing a larger group of people. Agarwal, by comparison, is the poker spearhead of a whole sub-continent with well over a billion people.

He’s the first player from India ever to be named to Team PokerStars Pro. He has more cashes than any other player from India. He’s made the money in the WSOP main event the last three years in a row (71st this year) and he’s number one in the Indian GPI.

Asia is still underrepresented on the global poker circuit despite a larger population than all the other continents together and it needs players like Agarwal to change that.

With the second largest population on Earth India's poker potential is unfathomable and Agarwal is the guy who might just wake up the Bengal Tiger.

Dominik Nitsche

Age: 24

Country: Germany

Cashes last 12 months/WSOP 2015: 19/6

At the age of only 24 poker globetrotter Dominik Nitsche already has 92 cashes in international tournaments.

There are plenty of good players in Germany but nobody is as outspoken about the level of play, nobody spends as much time in commentary booths and nobody spends as much time on the road.

Since he burst on the stage with an LAPT win at the age of only 18 Nitsche has won titles and tournaments on all continents.

Recently 888poker has contracted him so he’s now a sponsored player who’s still winning. His second place at the Bellagio Cup post-WSOP is just one more example.

Anatoly Filatov

Age: 27

Country: Russia

Cashes last 12 months/WSOP 2015: 9/2

Ever think there’s not enough fun in poker? Then you obviously haven’t met Anatoly Filatov.

The man from Moscow – often dressed in the most striking of colors – always has a very good time -- at the poker table as well as away from it.

Filatov this year led Team Russia into the finals of the inaugural Global Poker Masters in Malta, won the High Roller event of the WPT Cyprus and was a jury member at the European Poker Awards.

One of the most talked about and revered players on the Russian poker forums, Filatov may not be a big name in the English market yet but he's a driving force of one of the biggest poker markets in the world.

Jason Somerville

Age: 28

Country: US

Cashes last 12 months/WSOP 2015: 3/2

One of the latest introductions to the PokerStars team Somerville has accumulated almost 7.5 million views with his broadcasts on Twitch -- many people seeing his clips as the most educational for new players out there.

He’s excelled as a live commentator for TV and entertained poker fans from all over the world with his chats with professional players.

Somerville has also received a lot of acclaim for his online poker career where he made over $2m without ever making a deposit.

His live successes include a 4th place in the $100k Las Vegas High Roller event for $1.3 million but maybe the bravest thing he’s ever done was coming out as poker's first openly gay pro in 2012.

He continue to inspire poker players - and people from all walks of life - to live out their best lives. And not much you can accomplish on the felt can top that.

Max Pescatori

Age: 44

Country: Italy

Cashes last 12 months/WSOP 2015: 22/7

“The Italian Pirate” this summer became the first European player ever to win four WSOP bracelets. His victories have come in four different games, too, as he's won tournaments in No-Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Hold’em/Omaha, Razz and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo.

Pescatori lives in Las Vegas but hails from Milan, Italy. Like many live players he’s on the road almost all the time. Over the last 12 months Pescatori has cashed in Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia and England.

He’s been partly responsible for two of the very few books on poker that were originally written in Italian. His live career began in 2002 and he’s now accumulated almost 200 cashes. He shows no signs of slowing down.

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Which of these players do you consider most inspiring to the poker community? Who do you look up to?

Cast your vote right here!

No matter how often people say poker is now "unbeatable," every year several young players emerge who literally crush the tournament scene.

Joe Hachem was clearly wrong when he said “poker is dying" and Jonathan Little very right when he said that when everyone’s getting better, you just have to stay ahead of the pack.

Amazingly there are young players all over the world who not only stay ahead but come from nowhere to bypass almost everyone.

The PokerListings Spirit of Poker Awards were designed to highlight these outstanding up-and-comers and our 2015 Rising Star category is filled with eight players who captured poker's imagination on and off the felt over the last 12 months.

Now it's up to you to pick whomever you think deserves the final reward for those efforts. Read on for more on our nominees and then vote here to show your appreciation.

Dzmitry Urbanovich

Age: 19

Country: Belarus/Poland

Cashes last 12 months/at 2015 WSOP: 23/0

The only reason why Urbanovich, who was born in Belarus but lives in Poland, didn't cash in the WSOP this year is because he’s still too young to play in it.

What an incredible year for the shooting star! He had a couple of cashes in the second half of 2014 -- even winning a side event at the PCA -- but then something happened and his results went through the roof.

He came to the first EPT Malta and straight out won the €25k High Roller event. He then finished 8th, 1st, 1st, 2nd and 1st within the next eight days, skyrocketing him to the top of both the Polish GPI and the GPI POY race.

That was the first time a player won four tournaments at one EPT. Urbanovich then went on to play the EPT Grand Final, where he came second in the €100k Super High Roller, cashed in the main event and then finished off with a third place in the €10k turbo.

If Dominik Panka put Poland on the map with his success last year Urbanovich took off running with the torch, showing just how much poker potential there is in Eastern Europe.

Adrian Mateos

Age: 21

Country: Spain

Cashes last 12 months/at 2015 WSOP: 14/1

The short career of the young London resident from Madrid is nothing but staggering.

Second-youngest player to win the WSOP Europe Main Event. One of the youngest to win an EPT Main Event. First Spanish player to win an EPT Main Event - and it was the Grand Final at that.

Youngest Spanish player to hit the top spot of Spain's Global Poker Index rankings. Highest-ranking Spanish player in the GPI. All before he was even allowed to enter a casino in the United States.

Maybe even more impressively with such an awe-inspiring resume – the young superstar with the most humble attitude.

While an increasing number of young players seem to have lost the capability to speak in anything but poker lingo, with Mateos it’s still about fulfilling dreams and doing things he couldn’t have done without poker.

He just turned 21 on July 1 and made the money at the WSOP Main Event on his first attempt. It seems there are no more limits to what Mateos can do.

Fedor Holz

Age: 21

Country: Germany

Cashes last 12 months/at 2015 WSOP: 19/4

The shooting star from Germany has been crushing both live and online poker rooms in the last 12 months. In August 2014 Holz was ranked no. 1849 in the GlobalPokerIndex. In July 2015, he now no. 38.

Holz had played live before but after he won a €2k side event at EPT Barcelona he went into God mode. He cashed in the main and the High Roller and then went home to play the WCOOP.

As if he’d known, he said in a only hours before the WCOOP main event that he felt like he has a great edge and that he was optimistic about reaching his goal to win a million before turning 22.

It took him only 48 hours to win the tournament and $1.3m. Back on the road Holz went on to win an MPS event in November and final tabled an EPT main, €50k High Roller and a €100k Super High Roller event.

This summer was the first time Holz was allowed to play at the WSOP. He came third in the $10k NLHE 6-max Championship and reached Day 7 of the WSOP main event, ultimately finishing 25th.

Apart from all that Holz is a frequent and passionate traveler, reader and podcaster. He’s accessible and socially active and he’s happy to share his experiences. Holz had a long way to the top but got there through hard work and studies and there’s no one questioning he deserves his success.

Charlie Carrel

Age: 21

Country: Great Britain

Cashes last 12 months/at 2015 WSOP: 11/2

What Urbanovich is for Poland, Holz is for Germany and Mateos is for Spain, Charles Carrel is for England.

Carrel went from cashing in an EPT side event in San Remo to winning the €25k High Roller event of the EPT Grand Final for €1.1 million in 13 months.

In between Carrel won a GUKPT main event and final tabled the €10k High Roller Event in Malta. He also managed to turn a $15 deposit into half a million dollars playing online poker.

Maybe falling victim to an online hack was what made him really famous, though, when last January a railbird managed to log into his team viewer account and transferred $1,000 to himself live on Twitch while Carrel was in the bathroom.

His unrelenting spirit in the face of poker travails both good and bad  - plus his psychedelic hoodies - make Carrel a memorable addition to the poker world.

Sabina Hiatullah

Age: 28

Country: Germany/Italy

Cashes last 12 months/at 2015 WSOP:12/1

German-Italian player Sabina Hiatullah is  on the verge of a serious breakthrough at the international poker tables. Having scored several final tables at open events on the EPT, IPT and Eureka Poker Tour plus cashes at the FPS and the CPT in St. Maarten, it’s only a matter of time until she takes one down.

Having said that Hiatullah did "win" the now-infamous Ladies event at the final EPT in Deauville, losing the heads-up to a male player after which she was presented with the trophy.

That tournament re-sparked the discussion of how to keep men from joining Ladies events. Not that it bothered her, really, as she couldn’t find any good players among those men.

Hiatullah has also shown her skill on TV, coming out victorious in the second season the Italian version of House of Poker.

Akira Ohyama

Age: N/A

Country: Japan

Cashes last 12 months/at 2015 WSOP: 2/0

With more than 4 billion inhabitants it’s pretty obvious Asia is the future of online poker. It's a pretty safe bet Akira @ClutchHero Ohyama will be remembered as one of the players that spearheaded the development.

888poker realized it first and signed Ohyama as one of its team pros. He’s been out and around at many of the largest tournaments in Asia – like the APPT, APT, the Macau Poker Cup etc - but he learned the game when he studied at William and Mary in the US.

He learned quickly because his first entry in the Hendonmob database is a WSOP Circuit tournament win in Atlantic City for $29,843.

Ohyama is more of an online player, though, and he’s won almost $2m. His results keep on coming on both platforms; just the other day he came second in “The Whale," one of the majors on 888poker.

In his homeland he tops the rankings of online players; worldwide he’s already one of the top 400 players according to pocketfives.com. That’s good enough to become one of the coaches at Runitonce.com - the marquee poker coaching site online.

Pablo Gordillo

Country: Spain

Cashes last 12 months/at 2015 WSOP: 3/0

Gordillo is a silent assassin with lethal efficiency. Of his six entries in the Hendonmob, four are final tables.

In 2014 he was close to snatching away the first Spanish EPT title from Adrian Mateos when he came 4th in Vienna.

But Gordillo really hit his stride earlier this year when he chose to play a couple of online tournaments on PokerStars on a Sunday afternoon.

As it turned out he went on to win the Sunday Kick-off, the Sunday Storm and the Bigger $55 all in one session, beating out around 45,000 players in the process.

It's an accomplishment not likely to be matched anytime soon.

Claudico

Claudico's on the left

Age: 1

Country: United States

Cashes last 12 months/at 2015 WSOP: 0/0

The most controversial candidate of the 70+ nominees we’ve had at the Spirit of Poker Awards is Claudico, the most sophisticated No-Limit Hold'em AI ever created.

In today’s poker world the question isn’t any more of "if" there are bots or not. There are, and they're improving. Quickly.

Claudico proved just how high the bar has already been set when it played heads-up superstars Doug Polk, Dong Kim, Jason Les and Bjorn Li to a virtual standstill.

Les has even said it will likely beat the best human pros in less than five years, which is both a daunting  - and inspiring - thought.

For now Claudico has the edge over all other poker software programs but the most amazing thing about it is actually what it might become beyond poker.

Its ultimate purpose - decision-making with incomplete information to be used in fields as critical as medicine and security - couldn't be more fitting of a poker award.

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Made up your mind? Head to our voting page to vote for your favorite!

They might not always stand in the lamplight of the highest-stakes games or the biggest tournaments.

Or, like in the case of Erik Seidel, they may still.

But without these players there wouldn’t be a World Poker Tour. Or a Bobby’s Room. Or even, maybe, a World Series of Poker.

If you think poker is a young man’s game consider this: There were almost 4,200 players in this year’s WSOP Seniors Championship. And with Neil Blumenfield and Pierre Neuville there are also two players over 60 in the November Nine.

if you get the chance to play in an international poker tournament, speak to the seniors; they're usually the most fun to talk to. And boy do they have stories to tell.

PokerListings created the Living Legend Award back in 2012 to recognize the contributions of players over the age of 50 who made the game of poker what it is. Who laid the foundation for what poker could and can still become.

Past winners Neuville and Thor Hansen give way to a new winner in 2015 that's among the following eight names. Whom do you think deserves it the most? Vote and let us know right now!

Konstantin Puchkov

Age: 63

Country: Russia

Cashes last 12 months/2015 WSOP: 14/4

You know how people travel less when they get older? Not Konstantin Puchkov. Puchkov appears at so many poker tournaments around the world you start to wonder if he has a twin brother.

From Russia through most of the European countries across the Atlantic to Las Vegas, Puchkov’s been there. And he's cashed. Over and over again.

In 2012 Puchkov had a record 11 in-the-money finishes at the WSOP. Last year he made the last three tables at the Battle of Malta, eventually finishing 21st.

Puchkov’s passion also shows in his second-favorite hobby – breeding horses. In an interview last year Puchkov told us that when he started he gave all the foals poker names like “Freeroll," “Full House” and even “Full Tilt Poker."

Nominated each year for this award count on Puchkov making it for many years to come if he doesn’t win this year. Or, likely, even if he does.

Dan Heimiller

Age: 53

Country: US

Cashes last 12 months/2015 WSOP: 26/5

Dan Heimiller has seen some bad times. Especially early in his career. When he finally saw some success he decided to take the liberty of making the move to full-time poker.

That was roughly 25 years ago. He now has $5.4 million in live cashes including a victory at the WSOP Seniors event last year.

Heimiller has seen it all, played it all, and every second of his sentences will make likely make you laugh.

With 266 live cashes Heimiller has become pretty much the Bob Dylan of poker, if you consider that Dylan’s “Never Ending Tour” began in 1988, only three years before Heimiller started out.

We stopped counting his cashes for 2015 after the WSOP finished but you can count on him cashing at least twice since you started reading this article.

Barry Greenstein

Age: 60

Country: US

Cashes last 12 months/2015 WSOP: 0/0

Although Greenstein hasn’t made any big appearances on the live stage in the last 12 months he’s certainly a hallmark of poker both pre- and post-Moneymaker.

Aptly named the “Robin Hood of Poker” for giving all his winnings to charity he was one of the most prominent members of Team PokerStars. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who has promoted the game more than he has.

Greenstein was a fixture on all the major poker shows, playing the highest stakes and being involved in one of the biggest pots ever played on TV when he lost a seven-figure pot to Tom Dwan.

Showing he hasn't lost his love of the game at all he's also still active at the highest stakes of play-money poker where he's perpetually interacting with fans and celebrating the game of poker.

He's also won the Sunday Billion, PokerStars' marquee play-money tournament, twice. Greenstein has three bracelets, triumphed at the WPT and amassed more than $8m in tournament winnings and is the author of the modern poker classic, Ace on the River.

James Woods

Age: 68

Country: US

Cashes last 12 months/2015 WSOP: 6/2

He’s known mostly for his Hollywood career but his poker results go back to 2004 - at least officially. He's also one of the most passionate, enthusiastic players we’ve ever met.

This summer he made his first WSOP final table. Impressively it was in a No-Limit Hold'em shootout event, meaning he beat two tables of world-class professionals.

Despite his age Woods is a fan of the new generation of online poker players and he still sees himself as a student of the game.

He’s also a role model for amateur players with the way he sees the game, saying that he’s “more motivated than ever," enjoys the game while still taking it seriously and revels in the idea that everyone can win.

“I hope what I do for the game is that I make it appealing to people that the game needs,” he told us this summer. Mission accomplished.

Humberto Brenes

Age: 64

Country: Costa Rica

Cashes last 12 months/2015 WSOP: 2/0

It’s no exaggeration to say that Humberto Brenes brought poker to Latin America.

When he won the only $10k event outside the WSOP in Tunica in 2002, one year before the boom, poker was so rare on Costa Rican TV that whenever the finale was shown again people thought Brenes had won yet another tournament.

Brenes is humble enough to say he’s not the best player in the world and he’s never had the ambition to be a superstar. But he’s definitely proud of his significance for the poker world, and rightly so.

For eight years he was a member of Team PokerStars Pro and his winnings surpass the $6m mark.

Brenes has already been nominated for the Poker Hall of Fame but hasn’t been inducted yet. It should be only a matter of time.

Jackie Cachia 

Age: N/A

Country: Malta

Cashes last 12 months/2015 WSOP: 2/0

Jackie Cachia is living proof that it’s never too late to learn to play poker.

She started playing at a relatively late stage in her life but once she did she quickly became a regular at her local casino, the Portomaso in St. Julian’s.

Now Jackie has cashes at WPT and IPT events, the Battle of Malta and the Irish Open. Her biggest result was a third place in one of the tournaments of the Extravaganza series at The Palazzo in Las Vegas.

In Malta Jackie is a local hero and if you get yourself a ticket to this year’s BOM, chances are you’re going to meet her. You won't be disappointed.

Padraig Parkinson

Age: 54

Country: Ireland

Cashes last 12 months/2015 WSOP: 2/0

One of the wittiest, most original ambassadors of European poker Parkinson is a well of stories and a genuine representative of Irish Poker.

Parkinson was there when Chip Reese, Doyle Brunson, Stu Ungar, Amarillo Slim and Puggy Pearson first came to Europe and played in the Irish Open, the oldest poker tournament on the continent.

In return Parkinson frequently visited the WSOP and came third in the 1999 Main Event when his fellow countryman Noel Furlong won it.

For decades Parkinson has promoted poker as a grassroots movement, a game that is there for everyone and not just the superstars. He also does spectacular work as a poker commentator and engages in charity work for homeless people.

All that and a sense of humor, too? We should all be so lucky.

Erik Seidel

Age: 55

Country: US

Cashes last 12 months/2015 WSOP: 12/4

At age 55 Seidel doesn’t seem to have peaked at all. In fact it looks much more like he's he's only just reaching his stride.

239 cashes (He'll probably reach 250 before the BOM starts), total earnings of over $25 million (#3 all-time) and a #6 ranking in the GPI popularity index -- all just a fraction of what makes Seidel so great.

For eight weeks the unassuming Seidel quietly made it to the top spot of the GPI ranking. With eight bracelets, he’s also the sixth most successful WSOP player of all time.

Seidel was raised in New York and he’s a big fan of jazz music and theater. He also used to be a top-class Backgammon player.

If you're not a big poker fan and wondering where you recognize him from, he made the heads-up of his first WSOP main event in 1988 and lost to Johnny Chan. The last hand has become a legend since it was featured in Rounders.

When talking about poker in Malta, there’s no way you won’t eventually hear the name Jackie Cachia - better known on the island as “Poker Mama.”

Cachia won the Ladies Event at EPT London 2014 and has the most career live cashes of any Maltese poker player.

She’s also one of the few people on the island who can make a living from it.

Jackie loves the game of poker. She plays every big tournament on the island and has earned her respect at the tables over more than a decade.

She is a true inspiration for all Maltese poker players, male or female. That’s why she's nominated for the 2015 Spirit of Poker Living Legend Award.

We visited her at home to introduce the First Lady of Maltese poker to a broader audience.

-- by Lars Liedtke

In the past few years Malta has become a poker hot spot in Europe thanks to several big tournaments like the EPT and the Battle of Malta.

When you come to the island to play poker one thing you can be absolutely sure of is to come across the name Jackie Cachia.

Jackie is an institution in the Maltese poker scene and a few years ago became universally known as the “Poker Mama.”

“At that time,” Cachia says, “the Casino Portomaso had an Italian tournament director named Raffaele.

“He called me Poker Mama and it stuck. Out of fun I then made a t-shirt with the saying Poker Mama. After that everybody used it.”

Far from being just a self-appointed label Cachia has held her own at the tables for many years. With the most cashes of any Maltese poker player under her belt, she also doesn’t have to be anything less than straightforward. And she doesn’t mince words.

“I’ve been playing Five Card Draw with friends for many years and that’s where I really learned poker. Nine years ago I started to play Hold’em for play money online.

“At that time the local casino used to run freerolls every Monday. I played and won it and then I played another one and I won it. Afterwards I started to play the regular tournaments as well and slowly started to build a bankroll.”

Unconditional Love for the Game

Nowadays the Casino Portomaso has become her second home as she lives only a couple of meters away in St. Julian’s. Almost every evening she goes there to play tournaments or cash games.

Grinding live games requires stamina, patience and a lot of discipline. Cachia reaches that through her unconditional love for the game.

Making her mark on the EPT (Photo: Neil Stoddart)

In fact I don’t know many people who love poker more than me but Jackie is definitely one of them. She lives, breathes and loves poker, which makes her a true inspiration for all players.

It pays off as Cachia is one of the very few Maltese who plays poker professionally and makes a living from it. She has an impressive 26 cashes and almost $80,000 in live tournament earnings.

Her biggest success was winning the Ladies Event at the EPT London 2014. She also had a deep run at the Irish Open 2013 where she was among the chipleaders for three days before falling to online legend Calvin “cal42688” Anderson.

First Maltese Nominee for SOPA

Cachia does a lot for poker in Malta and works diligently to improve the local situation for younger poker players. Despite being one of the most attractive destinations for poker players, Maltese legislation is still very conservative.

Malta is the only country where you have to be 25 years old to be able to enter a casino.

Included in same breath as legends like Barry G.

“I think it is a big discrimination,” Cachia says. “I wish somebody from the young players will challenge this and I am sure if they would go to the European Court of Justice they would win."

The Spirit of Poker Awards value passion and enthusiasm over results and, together with all the points mentioned above, is why Cachia is nominated in the Living Legend category this year among poker icons like Erik Seidel and Barry Greenstein.

The intention of the award is to honor players who do something special and help promote poker in their countries. Jackie Cachia is the first Maltese poker player ever to be nominated.

“My first reaction was that of embarrassment. You’re talking about Barry Greenstein, Erik Seidel and in the same breath me.

"At the same time I’m very honored and thankful as I get a lot of support from the local players and my family. When my mother heard about the nomination, she came and said ‘We are very proud of you!," Jackie says with shining eyes.

Dreams of the Main Event

She does indeed get a lot of local support as the Maltese poker community is very strong and proud. On their Facebook page, “Malta Poker Fish,” they even started an initiative to collect votes.

So far it’s working as Cachia is in the top three of the voting. But if there’s something in her life and poker she’s still to accomplish and has always wanted to do, it’s easy for her to decide.

Main Event waits.

“Definitely play the WSOP Main Event. I would love to play this tournament one day, but to be able to do that I have to win a package or build my bankroll.

“Vegas is always fun. The second one would be to go really deep in an EPT or win a big tournament.”

Jackie shares her dream to play the greatest tournament in the world with many poker players. She knows how important bankroll management is and that she has to grind hard to reach it.

She's one of us and that, together with her unconditional love for the game, is what makes “Poker Mama” so authentic and likable. She’s earned her nomination along with poker legends like Greenstein, Humberto Brenes and Seidel.

Visit the PokerListings Living Legends page to cast your vote. Voting ends September 13.

Watch the full interview with Jackie Cachia here:

The voting period for the 2015 PokerListings Spirit of Poker Awards has officially closed and we have our three finalists in each of our three categories.

An eclectic mix of poker players from around the world, the nine finalists exemplify exactly what we envisioned when we created the awards in 2013.

There are "big" names and lesser-knowns, high-stakes pros and everyday grinders and eight different nationalities represented.

The third annual Spirit of Poker Awards will be handed out during the 2015 Battle of Malta and our readers have picked an impressive group on nominees to now pick a winner from.

Here are the finalists selected via fan voting.

Living Legend: Brenes, Cachia, Seidel

In our Living Legends category we’re honoring players who disprove the popular notion that poker is now a young person’s game.

These players consistently distinguish themselves with both extraordinary spirit and a level of skill that passes the test of time. They are true role models for players around the world.

Poker mama inspires.

Poker personalities in this pool for 2015 included characters like Dan Heimiller (US), long-time high roller and charity legend Barry Greenstein (US), eternal tournament regular Konstantin Puchkov (RUS), one-liner specialist and spearhead of Irish poker Padraig Parkinson (IRL), and Hollywood icon/poker player James Woods (US).

In the end the three players who captured your imagination the most were Humberto “The Chark” Brenes, Jackie “Pokermama” Cachia, and Erik “Seiborg” Seidel. Without a doubt there are good reasons for each of the three to be there.

Humberto Brenes is the man who single-handedly put Costa Rica on the poker map. A long-time PokerStars pro team member Brenes moved on from the team last year but not before he nailed 10 cashes at the WSOP.

An endless source of enthusiasm and poker stories Brenes has brought innumerable amounts of new players into the poker fold in Central America and beyond.

Jackie Cachia is our "surprise" candidate here but her nomination and number of votes show that a local hero with a bottomless passion for the game can inspire people as much as any WSOP bracelet.

And then there is Erik Seidel. Some call him “Sly;" some call him “Gentle Giant;" some call him “Seiborg." We just call him unstoppable.

Former winners of this category are Norwegian poker icon Thor Hansen and 2015 WSOP November Niner Pierre Neuville. Hansen and Neuville are also players that have stood the test of time in multiple ways. Read here how they literally fought death to find life in poker.

Most Inspiring Player: Filatov, Agarwal, Somerville

No game in the world is as multi-faceted and global as poker. This is why it can be equally well represented by Russian eccentric Anatoly Filatov, Indian phenomenon Aditya Agarwal, and US Twitch star Jason Somerville.

Bright light for Indian poker.

These are your most inspiring players of the last twelve months, edging out (still reigning) WSOP champion Martin Jacobson, highest ranking European in the GPI Davidi Kitai from Belgium, first European with four bracelets Max Pescatori from Italy, WSOP Last Woman Standing and social media activist Leo Margets and poker nomad Dominik Nitsche.

Seen by many as the most important category of the PokerListings Awards, a look at the past winners says a lot about the quality and qualities that players need to have to become the favorites of PokerListings readers.

The first winner was Japan’s first-ever bracelet winner Naora Kihara and last year Shannon Shorr earned the award.

Rising Star: Carrel, Urbanovich, Holz

The closest race in all of the PL awards categories. The top three all finished very close and results confirm these three have shown impressive performances over the last 12 months.

Psychedelic Charlie Carrel.

Charlie Carrel from England, known to some as the guy with the psychedelic attire, to others as Epiphany77, went from online player to €25k EPT Grand Final high roller winner within a year of his first live cash.

Dzmitry Urbanovich, a Belarussian player based in Poland, has been crushing one high roller event after the other, final tabling 18 events within one year and finishing in the top three 12 times.

Fedor Holz, another weapon in the German poker arsenal, has cashed big everywhere he's been since joining the live scene, from Barcelona to Vegas.

And that’s not even including his success as CrownUpGuy online, not the least of which is a WCOOP Main Event title. Even more impressively he continues to share his poker profits with noble causes via the REG Charity.

To the Panel

The PokerListings Awards Panel will now sit down this week to determine the winners in each category.

The final results will be published on Monday next week. Good luck to all of our deserving candidates!

It’s not a stretch to say at one point in 2004, at least for a while, William Hung was the most famous person in America.

Or one of them at least.

To millions of Americans Hung is still instantly recognizable as "the 'She Bangs' guy" from the third season of American Idol. The endearing, off-key performer and unintentional star of one of the United States' first truly 'viral' videos.

What followed Hung's mocking at the hands of the judges (and onslaught of negative stereotyping in the media to follow), however, is a story that continues to inspire people around the world to "live a life without regrets."

A student of the game for over 10 years Hung has taken poker a bit more seriously over the past couple of years and has some results to show for it.

He has over $30k in cashes since 2014 including a win in a Nightly Aria $100 tournament this summer and a third in a Rio Deepstacks event for over $17k.

He'll be one of our special VIP guests at the 2015 Battle of Malta and graciously answered a few questions for us about his past, present and poker future.

PokerListings: It’s pretty fair to say at one moment in time you were the most famous person in America. American Idol was still a relatively new thing, as was “going viral.” How do you explain/put into context just what happened to someone who might not have seen it?

She Bangs forever.

William Hung: I was fortunate to be at the right place at the right time. This goes to show you can’t always predict what comes next in your life.

PL: Over a decade later what’s the one thing that stands out about the experience for you? The greatest opportunity it’s given? Your favorite moment?

WH: The one thing that stands out is how most people still recognize me as a celebrity 11 years later, since people saw my audition back in 2004. I thought the entire experience was the greatest opportunity, being able to travel and make new friends around the world.

PL: When you went out for that first audition what were your expectations? Did you have any idea people would be so drawn to it, both positively and negatively?

WH: I did not expect very much from my audition at all. I thought just the experience of going through the audition was already good. I know for many people who auditioned for American Idol, they hope to win and make a name for themselves. I did not expect to win at all. I was just trying to have fun.

PL: After your appearance you eventually got to record three albums. That’s more than most people who make it to the late stages of American Idol  - even some winners – get. Has that satisfied all of your musical aspirations? Do you still hope to sing/make more music?

Wouldn't trade experience at all.

WH: I still enjoy singing as a hobby, but I don’t see that as my focus moving forward. I am definitely satisfied with my musical aspirations. I tried something different and got a lot out of it. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything else.

PL: One of the things we love most about poker is the range of people who are drawn to the game. How did you get into it? Did you play online, around Los Angeles, etc?

WH: I started playing poker about 10 years ago. I still remember the first time I played poker, it was $2/$4 Limit Hold’em at the Reno Hilton. I won a few hundred dollars and I got hooked into the game afterwards.

I also played quite a bit online when it was still legal in the U.S. Unfortunately, after Black Friday, I couldn’t play as much in live games and I only played when I have time.

PL: Since 2014 it looks like you’ve taken the game a bit more seriously. You’ve even taken down a couple of $100 buy-in events and scored $17k in a Rio Deepstack this summer. Do you consider yourself a semi-pro of sorts or still just a hobbyist? Cash games or tournaments?

Hung at the felt. (Photo: Bicycle Casino)

WH: I play both cash games and tournaments. I still treat poker as a hobby. I realize how people have improved so much the last 4-5 years from studying poker online, so I am doing the same thing.

PL: What’s your favorite poker moment so far? And your poker aspirations?

WH: My favorite poker moment was when my KK held up against my opponent’s TT at the final table at the Rio Deepstack tournament. It just felt like a huge relief. As for my poker aspirations, I am planning to play at the World Series of Poker Main Event next year. That is my goal.

PL: Your background is a bit varied from engineering to statistical analysis to now pursuing an MBA. How does it help/hurt you in poker?

WH: I feel it helps me in poker, as I can learn the basics very quickly.

PL: You’ve spoken a lot about not giving up in the face of negativity/living a life of no regrets since your American Idol experience. Has that attitude helped you in poker?

WH: In poker, being able to handle adversity is very important. Especially when playing tournaments, because it is easy to get short-stacked and it is natural to just feel like giving up.

But that is not a good attitude to have, because anything can happen in poker. If you play bad when your luck is bad, then you may not have a chance to turn things around when your luck is good.

Naturally, a Maria Ho fan.

PL: You must get recognized at the poker tables. Does your image from American Idol help your game? Do people expect you to be a bit of an amateur/easy mark? What can people expect if they draw the same table as you?

WH: It’s a mixed bag. Sometimes people want to play more straightforward against me because they think I am an amateur. Other times, people are trying harder than usual to bluff me off a hand, because they think I am easy to push over.

With this in mind, I don’t have any default strategy I stick to very long. It all depends on how they decide to play against me.

PL: Any poker players in particular you admire? Have you made many friends in poker or do you have a professional group of players you talk hands with, etc?

WH: My favorite poker players are Jonathan Little, Bart Hanson, David Tuchman and Maria Ho. I typically post my hands online for discussion after my sessions using an online nickname.

PL: Do you know much about Malta? Have you been there before?

WH: No, I’ve never been there before. I found out that it’s a nice beautiful island south of Italy.

PL: We’re running a Karaoke contest this year for one of our readers to win a Battle of Malta package. Any suggestions for what to do/how to make it memorable? Do you have a go-to Karaoke number of your own?

WH: For singing, the hardest thing to do is to sing from your heart. This means making the words you sing match the emotions you are trying to portray. As for my favorite Karaoke song, I don’t have a particular favorite. I just pick songs that I enjoy singing.

PL: Last question: Is there anything you wish you had said to Randy or Simon during your audition? Especially when it became clear they were not taking you seriously?

WH: Well, I said 'I already gave my best, I have no regrets at all.' I don’t think I would have said something different.

Very often in life, things don’t work out the way you want it to and that’s okay. As long as you gave your best, you can move on and try again next time.

After three months of fan voting and a long, heated debate by the PokerListings panel the winners of the 2015 Spirit of Poker Awards have been determined.

Costa Rican poker legend Humberto Brenes, Russian spark plug Anatoly Filatov and psychedelic young Brit Charlie Carrel will receive PokerListings’ own Spirit of Poker Awards during the 2015 Battle of Malta.

Brenes will collect the Living Legend Award, Filatov Most Inspiring Player and Carrel the Rising Star Award.

Brenes a True Legend

In our Living Legend category there was no denying that fan favorite Humberto Brenes, the spearhead of Latin-American poker, deserved more than just an honorable mention as a nominee.

Game changer for Latin American poker.

“The Chark” was nominated for the Poker Hall of Fame last year and didn’t make the shortlist this year, but Brenes took up tournament poker the year (1974!) before Daniel Negreanu was born.

He’s an old school, all-round player who feels just as comfortable in NLHE as in Omaha Hi-Lo or Ace-Five Triple Draw.

Brenes came fourth in the WSOP main event before any of the GPI top 20 were even born and was one of the early members of Team PokerStars, joining in 2006 and staying on for nine years.

Still, despite all his success, Brenes never considered himself a professional player. He was always involved in a business on the side to keep poker more fun than work.

It showed in his joy at the tables and that clearly still resonates with fans as Brenes easily collected the most votes overall to top fellow nominees like Erik Seidel and Barry Greenstein.

Congratulations to Humberto Brenes from everyone at PokerListings! We look forward to greeting him at the Battle of Malta in early November and seeing Maria Ho hand over our Living Legends Award to “the epitome of competitive spirit and class” (Nolan Dalla).

Filatov in a Landslide for Most Inspiring Player

Our search for the Most Inspiring Player over the last 12 months found such a clear winner this year there wasn't much to discuss.

Russian Anatoly Filatov received over 70% of the total votes to make him the runaway choice and obvious driving force in one of the most important markets in the poker economy.

Anatoly Filatov or JCVD?

Known online and on Twitter as nl_profit Filatov has amassed $1.8 million in earnings and transitioned to being a regular at the biggest live tournaments around the world.

Filatov represents the fastest growing poker room in Russia – Pokerdom – and is known for being a meticulous worker who spends a lot of time coaching other players.

Long before Twitch Filatov was also one of the first players who streamed his games live using a website now known as gosupoker.

For the European Poker Awards held last March in Malta he was elected to be on the panel of judges who picked the winners.

With his outspoken nature and his memorable style Filatov won the PokerListings readers over to defeat Indian superstar Aditya Agarwal and Twitch phenomenon Jason Somerville, both of whom have recently joined the PokerStars pro team.

Last not least his famous “Filatov splits” show that he’s one of the modern players who values physical fitness just as highly as mental vigor. Kudos from PokerListings to Anatoly Filatov, who on his next trip to Malta will be on the receiving side of an awards ceremony.

Carrel Claims Rising Star

It's always difficult to predict if a young gun who’s had some early success will make it to the top of the international elite and stay there.

Talented and fashionable.

This year there's no doubt in our minds that each of the top three players in the Rising Star category will have long careers in the game if they choose to.

We'll hear from Charlie Carrel, Dzmitry Urbanovich and Fedor Holz for many years but it was British player Carrel who has collected and inspired the most fans among the readers of PokerListings so far.

Carrel has risen to the highest levels of the game in a dazzlingly short timeframe, going from ranking around 20,000 in the GPI to the top 200 within the last 12 months; from depositing $15 to playing NL5k; from being a relatively anonymous online player as 'epiphany77' to EPT Grand Final high roller champion.

This was the closest race of the three categories of the Spirit of Poker Awards and in the final vote Carrel rose to the top over German wunderkind Holz, who just may have grown right past the level of 'rising' and into the legend category.

Kudos to Mr Carrel; we look forward to presenting your award at the Battle of Malta.

Ceremony at Battle of Malta in November

Our three winners follow in the footsteps of popular poker personalities Shannon Shorr, Pierre Neuville, Dominik Panka, Thor Hansen, Naoya Kihara and Luca Moschitta.

Maria presents Dominik Panka with Rising Star award.

This is the third year PokerListings has presented the Spirit of Poker Awards and the list of nine winners already covers some of the most fascinating and inspiring players around the globe.

Representing nine different nationalities they also show just how far-reaching the game of poker has become and hint at how much further it can go.

Host Maria Ho will present our latest group of awards at the Battle of Malta 2015, held November 4-9 at the Portomaso Casino in St. Julian’s.

There are still lots of seats for the “Best Low Buy-in Tournament of the Year" winner at last year's European Poker Awards. Buy your complete package here or qualify online at one of our partnering online poker rooms.

The 2015 Battle of Malta begins in three weeks and it will be the biggest, most high-value edition ever.

What can players expect? More events, more parties, more players, more money – and more battle.

Last year the Battle of Malta broke the record for largest standalone tournament in Europe. But that was last year.

Just how epic will the 2015 edition be? Let's count down the ways.

10. Buy-In Still Just €550

Last year the Battle of Malta aimed to be the best-value tournament in Europe. According to the European Poker Awards, it was.

Big field, tiny buy-in.

The 1,447 entries, €700,000 prize pool, 4,934 pints of Maltese Cisk poured and 4 am heads-up battle were all record-breaking numbers as one new BOM Wikipedia page can attest.

Still, despite the massive success, the one thing that won't grow this year is the buy-in.

The guarantee is again a massive €500,000 but the buy-in is still a very affordable €550.

9. Still Satellites Running at 1 Cent

If you're wondering how to get a ticket to the BOM cheap there are still plenty of options.

Check our “How to Qualify” page to find out which online poker sites are still offering satellites.

888poker, RedBet, NetBet, betsson, betsafe, NordicBet, paf.com and Ladbrokes are all sending players to the BOM main event with VIP packages.

If you’re running out of time or patience for online satellites you can always purchase your ticket or BOM package online.

8. Easy Online Purchase of Economy + VIP Packages

If you can't be bothered to go the online qualifier route you can hit our BOM payment page right now and secure a ticket to the main event.

Hilton Malta

The big-value economy package includes your main event ticket (Day 1b), four nights in the Rokna Hotel right around the corner, Cocktail Party, All-in Friday, VIP Player Party and daily Casino buffet.

If you treat yourself to the full VIP package you'll stay in the 5-Star Intercontinental Hotel, choose which starting day you want to play and get free entrance to all three parties on top of everything the economy package offers.

Note: The Hilton Hotel is already fully booked so hurry up! We strongly suggest you reserve yourself a ticket upfront to make sure you’ll get a seat. You can also get single-entry tickets to any of the parties and special events. There are many ways/levels to join and many options to have fun.

7. Play the Pros

The Battle of Malta is a tournament for poker players who aren't professionals. Hobby players are the vast majority of all BOM players and, as many can attest, the level of fun/play reflects that.

Gaelle is back.

But that doesn’t mean that international pros aren't interested in it.

In past years pros and celebrities in the field have included Dan “jungleman” Cates, Dominik Panka, Thor Hansen, Naoya Kihara, Pierre Neuville, Luca Moschitta, Sofia Lövgren, Lauri Pesonen, Fabrice Soulier, Leo Margets, Luca Pagano, Dominik Nitsche, Johnny Lodden, Dermot Blain, Rupert Elder and Andreas Hoivold.

This year Humberto Brenes, Anatoly Filatov, Gaelle Garcia Diaz and Sabina Hiatullah are just a few of the big names who have confirmed they'll play.

6. More Parties

If you remember this party song or this one, you've likely been sitting at poker tables legally for over 20 years. And you like to party.

Today there's no poker event with a higher party frequency than the Battle of Malta. That’s a fact.

We will treat you to an Opening Cocktail Party on Thursday, the All-in Friday special event at Club Level 22 and the official VIP Players Party on Saturday.

5. Maria Ho

Maria gets mobbed.

Our fabulous Battle of Malta host Maria Ho took over from Kara Scott last year and she’ll be back in 2015.

Maria will play the main event, get the party started again and be around the players area for the entire tournament.

If last year is an indication she’ll also be the most photographed person at the whole BOM.

4. Flippers in November

Yes, even in early November the weather in Malta is so nice and warm that you can go swimming.

Temperatures usually rise well above the 20° mark. Although there can be rain, too, it’s rather an exception.

If you wonder how to spend the time when you’re not playing we suggest you go outside and start walking. There are many things to do and we have collected some suggestions for you.

3. Inside Poker Jokes!

When you walk around the Casino and tournament areas, pay attention to our new PokerListings roll-ups.

They're a special edition with less political correctness and more fun.

Also, you’ll need a bit of poker knowledge to understand them. Poker jokes are funny, right?

2 - Side Events

The Battle of Malta main event will break records again and we expect the same for the side events. Last year all but the high roller tournament completely sold out, so we’ve added more.

We’ll give you the chance to play the now famous Siege of Malta Second Chance, the Grandmaster High Roller, the PLO Knight Crusade as well as a Deepstack turbo and a Win the Button event.

Are you asking yourself what all this means? Check it out here.

1. And the Main Reasons Are ...

This, this, this, and this. Oh, and these, of course. There's now even this, if you really want to embrace (and permanently capture) the whole experience.

And if you click on this, you’ll definitely want to be there. Let the Battle begin!

What started out as just a "crazy idea" has turned into one of the biggest standalone poker tournaments in Europe.

Now going into its fourth year the PokerListings Battle of Malta has also established itself as a valuable asset to Malta’s economy.

Last Friday BOM organizers, Maltese Tourism representatives and a cross-section of poker industry workers gathered in the conference center in the Hilton Hotel in St. Julian’s for a press conference.

It was hosted by Ivonne Montealegre, BOM Tournament Director, Martin Carlesund, CEO of Highlight Media Group Ltd, Paul Bugeja, COO of the Malta Tourism Authority and Eros Ganzina, General Manager of the Portomaso Casino.

Introducing some of the new additions for BOM 2015 they also recounted the astonishing development of the Battle of Malta from just another poker tournament to an event so big it has an effect on Malta’s national economic growth.

With 349 players BOM 1 showed promise.

A "Crazy Idea"

In 2012, when Montealegre approached PokerListings with the idea to create a new poker event, it was, in her words, "just a crazy idea.

"But within three years it has turned into one of the largest poker tournaments in Europe and beyond.”

“We were very happy to see 349 players that year but in 2014 that number had grown to an amazing 1,447. People are coming to Malta to play from all over Europe, from the Americas, and even as far as Australia.”

The initial (and still) ultimate goal of the BOM, added Carlesund, “was to bring back something that was lost from poker – fun.”

“We are now looking at 2,000 players for 2015, so it seems like we succeeded in doing so. It’s a fantastic development, and we are proud to be in the industry.”

Put Malta on the Map

An emerging poker and gaming industry in Malta has started to have a significant effect on the economy of Malta.

On the map as poker destination.

Paul Bugeja, COO of the Malta Tourism Authority, said it accounts “for 12% of the GDP and growing. It is second only to tourism.”

The MTA is running an initiative to extend the tourism season in Malta beyond the summer months and with the BOM taking place in November “it has really put Malta on the map," he says.

“More than 30 international journalists have covered the Battle of Malta and it has become a fixed component of the initiative above.”

Today you can find information about the Battle of Malta not only on poker websites but also on plenty of other media venues from promotional sites like visitmalta.com to public review websites like tripadvisor.com.

Now Playing in the Champions League

Ganzina, the General Manager of the Portomaso Casino, was one of the many people who initially doubted the chances of success.

Growing force every year.

“When I was first contacted by Mrs. Montealegre," he said, “I wasn’t convinced of the project. But when I heard the next day they had booked 300 nights at the Hilton Hotel I knew they were serious.”

“This past year the Battle of Malta won the European Poker Award for Best Tournament Under $2,000 buy-in, which really put us in the spotlight. We’re now playing in the Champions League.”

The success of the Battle of Malta is extraordinary. From the first to the second edition the main event field grew by 154% from 349 to 888 players. The next year saw growth of 64% to 1,447 players. This year the target number is 2,000 entries.

“To reach another 30% more players is not a joke," said Gazina in his last statement. “But I’m optimistic that we’re going to have a bigger festival every year.”

The next Battle of Malta will place from November 4-9 at the Portomaso Casino. The Hilton Hotel is already fully booked for the event but packages and single buy-ins are still widely available on our Battle of Malta page.

Find out more about online qualifiers, satellites and side events there as well.

Battle of Malta Quick Stats

Watch the video from the press conference below:

For a poker "hobbyist," Humberto Brenes has piled up some pretty impressive results over his decade-long career.

The Costa Rican poker "Chark" became a household name during the poker boom years with his entertaining appearances on the WSOP broadcast and he's barely slowed down since.

In 2014, in fact, he cashed 10 times at the World Series of Poker and looked as primed to capture his third career gold bracelet as ever.

Since moving on from Team PokerStars pro last year Brenes has slipped into a much more casual role as a hobby player but make no mistake: he's still as sharp as ever when the game's afoot.

He's also not lost much of his worldwide popularity as he was a clear winner in the online voting for the Living Legend Award this year, defeating such esteemed nominees as Erik Seidel, Barry Greenstein and James Woods.

He's here on the island to accept his award and play the Battle of Malta Main Event and PokerListings Spain's Esther Amores had a quick chat with him before things got underway:

Happy and flattered.

PokerListings: The final vote tally for the PokerListings Living Legend Award gave you a landslide win that shows just how strongly the poker community admires you. How do you feel to be the winner of this award?

Humberto Brenes: I feel very happy and flattered to receive this recognition that has been decided with the participation of the people. I would like to thank everybody who thought of me to receive this award.

PL: You already have one of the most important poker titles with two WSOP bracelets but we know you're looking for the third. What are your poker goals now?

HB: My goal is to keep playing more years as I have the opportunity of being a poker player as a hobby, a kind of hobby where age does not matter so much and I can keep enjoying it.

PL: You're playing the Main Event of the Battle of Malta 2015. Although this is your first time at this tournament we'd like to know what attracted you to play and what do you expect to find?

HB: One of the things that attracts me is the fact that I am going to discover such as nice place as Malta and also lot of new faces in the poker community.

PL: As you know the Battle of Malta is a low buy-in tournament that appeals to recreational players with an atmosphere of more fun than other tournaments. In Europe we know there are not too many tournaments like this but we're not sure about Latin America. Are there any similar tournaments or shall we start thinking of exporting our Battle?

HB: I have played in several similar tournaments with low buy-ins but they try to spread the gamer of poker and also to promote tourism among the players. This kind of tournaments are more enjoyable because the main focus is not the money; it's just the game.

PL: You're one of the players that prefers to play tournaments over cash games. Why? And how do you think the game has changed?

HB: Yes, the tournament tables are more competitive. At the tournaments everybody starts with the same stack so players make the difference among the others with their skills and not with their economic power.

PL: At the tables you're very well known for being The Shark but also because of your personality and your singing. We've heard you singing at the tables while you're listening to your iPod and sometimes not everybody likes that. Do you have a memorable story that happened at the table with your music?

HB: Yes. At one of the WSOP tournaments after playing for nine hours with a young player next to me, he went All-In with a pair of Aces and lost the hand.

Never play a buy-in where you don't feel comfortable

When he stands up from the table, he says 'goodbye' and with very bad Spanish says 'well Humberto, see you later. The only good thing about leaving is that I won't have to listen to you singing.'

Then he shakes hands with me smiling and leaves the room.

PL: Remembering again that you have won the Living Legend Award can you tell us the recipe for your success?

HB: The biggest secret is that poker is my hobby, so I have never played any tournament or cash table where I didn't feel comfortable with the people or with the buy-in.

PL: Finally, what are the 3 tips you can give to new players?

HB: If you want to be a winner I recommend:

Never play a buy-in where you don't feel comfortable

Never play when you don't feel good or your mind is not clear

Spend some time at the beginning to know the players at your table. What you know about your opponents will make the difference.

The Battle of Malta — Europe’s leading stand-alone tournament — kicked off today in dramatic fashion.

Maria Ho provided the traditional shuffle up and deal with Maltese knights in her entourage.

A total of 305 players joined the action on Day 1A of the 2015 Battle of Malta. That’s just under the total number of players in the WSOPE main event in Berlin.

Twelve levels were played and when the dust settled at around 1:00 a.m. Ninety-eight of them made it into Day 2.

Here’s a look at the top 10 chip counts to end the day:

1. Alexander Kosholap - 213700
2. 
Linus Loeliger - 200000

3. Rasmus Ericson - 176900

3. Mateuz Moolhuizen - 176000

4. Alexis Urli - 169600
5. 
Jacki Cachia - 169400

6. Alexandre Bey - 159800

7. Bernardo Cucio - 148600
8. 
Claudio Pagano - 141500

9. Sesay Sulaiman - 140000
10. Alan Gilmore - 133600

Felix Stephensen, Sabina Hiatullah Make Day 2

The Chaaark was in the house.

Day 1a attracted notable pros like Fabrice Soulier, WSOP runner-up Felix Stephensen, Humberto Brenes, Andreas Hoivold, Sofia Lövgren, Anatoly Filatov and Sabina Hiatullah.

Most of them didn’t actually make it through, however. They will have to give it another try tomorrow, as the BOM allows every player one re-entry.

Brenes was the first of the pros to fall but he took it with the grandeur of a true poker gentleman, wishing everybody good luck and saying “see you tomorrow," which means there’s a very good chance he fires another bullet.

Andreas Hoivold and Fabrice Soulier had proper rollercoaster rides but also busted before the chips were bagged.

Sofia Lövgren and Anatoly Filatov got hit by the poker gods when they suffered bad beats and got busted in terrible fashion.

Felix Stephensen ended the day with a stack of 30,800 chips, which puts him at the bottom of the leaderboard, while Sabina Hiatullah finished only a little above that with 40k.

Kosholap Charges Hard on Day 1a

Alexander Kosholap

Our first chipleader at the BOM 2015 is Alexander Kosholap who managed to accumulate 213,700 chips, which will surely make him one of the top contenders in Day 2 no matter what happens on the other two starting days.

The only other player who finished the day with 200,000 chips (exactly) is Linus Loeliger from Switzerland, who had his first and only live tournament cash yet at the IPT Malta last March.

Last year, we had over 500 players on the first starting day but with an additional starting day this year there’s a good chance the final numbers will trump the record 1,447 total entries in 2014.

The second-to-last satellite for the Main Event was also running today, with a staggering 278 players taking part.

Seats Still Up for Grabs in Last Live Satellite

There will be one more satellite on Thursday evening at 9 PM. Use your chance to get a main event ticket – or maybe even a second one that you can sell to one of the unlucky poker fans who didn’t manage to get a seat.

If you’re still thinking of playing the Battle of Malta, make sure to take your seat tomorrow on day 1B, because the third starting day might be sold out.

There’s a good chance many of the busted poker pros will be back tomorrow. Maria Ho and American Idol legend William Hung are also going to play.

Day 1b begins at 2PM tomorrow and PokerListings is going to guide you through the whole day with live updates and videos.