If you think you've seen the Battle of Malta at its peak before, wait until you see 2018.
Now just 21(!) days away, the 2018 Battle of Malta has hit the gas pedal on both preparations and pre-sales and all signs are pointing to a blow-out festival the size of which the island of Malta has never seen before.
Among the new additions champing at the bit for the shuffle up and deal:
Finnish poker legend Patrik Antonius A new €1,000,000 main event guarantee almost guaranteed to be smashed German tennis folk hero Boris Becker Malta's largest 5-star hotel and poker tournament floorAnd that's just scratching the surface of what's in store.
BoM ME Pre-Sales Hit 1,300 & Counting
A brief history of Battle of Malta Main Event entries, for context:
Each of those respective years set a record for biggest poker tournament held on Malta.
And with just a €550 buy-in, each shattered the €500,000 guarantee each and every time - last year topping the €1m mark for the first time.
Current BoM Main Event seats already sold for 2018:
1,300+What does that portend for this year's Main Event field?
Let's just say another record-setting tournament is a heavy betting favorite. And so is smashing through this year's new €1m guarantee and heading for €1.5m.
200+ Qualifiers from MPN Network Alone
With big buzz comes big demand and, with the move to the new Olympic Casino & 5-star InterContinental Hotel for 2018, the BoM now has a place to put the hordes who want to take part in the best low buy-in tournament in Europe.
With room for 140 tables in the main conference room itself the sheer physical capacity for another record has been met and the signs from pre-sales and both live and online satellites suggest we'll need every seat.
The MPN network, for example, has long since sold out its €1,500 BoM packages and will do the same for its €1,800 packages, which include a buy-in to the €150 MPNPT Battle side event.
Online satellites on Winamax (€100 satellites every Sunday at 21:15 for €1,100 package) and 888poker are similarly in high demand while live satellites in 7 countries across Europe and at Casino Malta itself continue to fill out the field.
All told well over 1,300 seats are already spoken for in the 2018 Battle of Malta Main Event and the counter continues to tick upwards as we speak.
Add in the usual deluge of visitors arriving from Italy on Days 1a, 1b and 1c plus the surging local poker community - plus unlimited re-entries for the first time ever this year - and you have the recipe for a truly legendary event set to take flight.
Antonius, Becker Join the BoM Party
Befitting an event that appears on the brink of legendary status, two legends in their own right will be joining the festivities at the Battle of Malta this year.
When it comes to poker superheroes, it doesn't get much bigger than Patrik Antonius.
An iconic figure from the past decade of poker's high-stakes scene, both live and online, the unassuming Finn can put his resume up against some of poker's greatest names, including Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu, and more than hold his own.
Germany's Boris Becker can claim similar cachet. The youngest ever Grand Slam winner at 17 and member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Becker was an iconic figure in tennis while he was still a teenager.
As poker fans know Becker has shifted into a poker regular over the past decade or so and showed comparable aptitude at the felt where he's racked up over $110,000 in live cashes.
Becker will bring his fame and prowess to BoM specifically for the high roller charity tournament to raise funds for Pink October Malta on October 26 but it wouldn't surprise to see him shuffling chips in the main or side events either.
888poker ambassadors Sofia Lövgren and Ana Marquez are among the other notable pros to have already committed but with a history of well over 100 well known pros that have attended BoM expect to see dozens of familiar faces among the fields.
Phone Chargers, Table Service, Parties & More
Beyond the expected turnout and the impressive new space, BoM attendees can expect plenty of new perks to enhance their experience.
New this year are mobile phone charging hotspots throughout the tournament area, table service call buttons at each table for instant food, drinks & massages and streamlined registration services for all events.
The expanded side event schedule is also worth taking note of with significant high-value events running alongside the signature Main Event. Among the highlights:
2-day €245 Siege of Malta Second Chance 2-day €1,320 High Roller Crazy 888 Battle €88+8 Win the Button €300+30 NLH European Poker Series Battle €135+15 NLH MPNPT BattleBeautiful weather, VIP Parties, great restaurants and nightlife, Malta's signature hospitality and historic culture and more all await for what will surely be another BoM to remember.
Want a seat? There are still plenty to be had. Buy in directly at Casino Malta, qualify online or purchase a package through Main Event Travel and the Battle of Malta right here.
Check the full calendar and schedule for the 2018 Battle of Malta here.
See you on October 25th!
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