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.
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.
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.
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
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!
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