As of the start of Level 8 on Day 1a a total of 1,193 players are now registered for the Main Event, blowing past the €500,000 guarantee.
There's still room for plenty more to join the action on Day 1b, too.
With expected rebuys and walk-ins tomorrow the final field tally could climb well past the 1,300-player mark and a €650,000+ prize pool.
The overflow room will come into play and all efforts will be made to accommodate as many players as possible.
Battle of Malta Keeps Growing, Profile Rises
In just three years the Battle of Malta has continued to expand its reach well past the island and across the world.
Players from virtually every country in Europe can be found on the player list today along with a number of long-distance visitors from the US and Canada.
As usual Italians, Scandinavians and Brits are out in force but the vibe is decidely international.
Here's how the numbers have progressed by starting day since the BOM's inception in 2012
Day 1a
2012: 153
2013: 417
2014: 521
Day 1b
2012: 196
2013: 471
2014: 670 (confirmed) plus expanded capacity for even more
Lodden, Soulier, Margets Join Crowd of Big Names
Along with the growing fields has come an increased profile across the industry and the attention of several big-name pros who usually battle for much higher stakes.
Drawn to both the vacation-friendly setting and the casual atmosphere the pros have come out in force in 2014. Among the participants already in the field are:
PokerStars pro Johnny Lodden Godfather of Norwegian Poker Thor Hansen 888poker pro Sofia Lovgren BOM Host Maria Ho Team Everest Poker star Fabrice Soulier 2014 PCA Main Event winner Dominik Panka Ireland’s Dermot Blain Poland's Marcin Horecki Russia’s Konstantin Puchkov High Stakes Poker vet Andreas Hoivold UK footballer Steve Watts and more
Joining us for Day 1b tomorrow are PokerStars pros Leo Margets and Luca Pagano, three-time WSOP bracelet winner Dominik Nitsche and former WSOP Main Event final tablist Phillip Hilm.
For a look at all the action from Day 1a, check our Battle of Malta Live Coverage page.
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