And headlining that group is the legendary Dan "Jungleman12" Cates.
PokerListings.com’s first live tournament is just days away and some of the event's other prominent participants have already arrived.
BOM host Kara Scott, who’s lent her expertise to marquee events like the European Poker Tour, the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker has just touched down and is eagerly awaiting her chance to announce shuffle up and deal Thursday afternoon.
She’ll be joined soon by BOM ambassadors Gaelle Baumann, who narrowly missed the final table of this year’s WSOP Main Event, and Johannes Strassmann, one of the hottest young players on the German poker scene.
Rounding out the group of pros who have signed on to represent the event is Andrea Dato who has been tearing up the Italian live poker circuit for the last few years.
Also taking a shot at the inaugural Battle of Malta title is one of the biggest winners in online poker history, Dan “Jungleman12” Cates.
Cates Sets Sights on Battle of Malta Title
Even by conservative estimates Dan Cates has won more than $7 million playing high-stakes poker online, most recently winning the $100k All-Star Showdown on PokerStars.
Considering he was a regular at the nosebleed stakes of $500/$1,000 online, it’s telling that he’s willing to fly to Malta to play a live event with a buy-in of just €500.
“I’m excited to be coming to Malta for the first time and to be part of this new event,” Cates told PokerListings.com.
When asked if he’d be bringing his trademark aggression with him, Cates answered simply, “Of course.”
“I’ll have to see what the players are like but there will be plenty of aggression,” he added.
Of course a few days playing poker in Malta in November isn’t exactly a tough sell, as Cates was quick to point out.
“The weather atmosphere will definitely be better in Malta compared to most places in Europe right now!” he said.
The PokerListings Battle of Malta is set to kick off November 22 and will conclude on the 25th. You can get more information and follow all the action on our Battle of Malta page.
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