A €600 buy-in and a €1.5 million guarantee were the invitations to this year's milestone tenth edition of the Battle of Malta series. Players answered the call brilliantly, setting a historic record with 6,039 entries, creating a €2,728,270 prize pool. The largest shares of this were awarded in yesterday's finale.
The top 8 players battled their way to the final table, with Italy boasting an impressive five representatives. Each finalist was guaranteed a payout of €28,000, but with a top prize of €254,070 up for grabs, excitement was high. The over eight-hour live-streamed finale certainly met these expectations.
After more than two hours, the first elimination arrived with Polish player Rafal Lubczynski exiting with €28,000. Moments later, Italian Marco D'Amico went all-in, claiming €36,850 for seventh place. The pace then slowed temporarily until a break reignited the action.
The tournament's boldest play soon came from former chipleader Davids Modans, who received a 3-bet from Italian Candido Cappiello from the big blind. Modans opted for a 4-bet shove with 30bb holding K c J s. Unfortunately, Cappiello was sitting on A d A c. The board offered no assistance, sending the former chipleader out in 6th place for €48,450, and catapulting the Italian into a massive chiplead, holding more chips than his four remaining opponents combined.
From this point, Cappiello took full control, while his opponents aimed to survive for an additional pay jump. As time passed, Marius Campan (€63,700), Leonardo Romeo (€83,800), and Giuseppe Ciancio (€110,150) were gradually eliminated, bringing the event to heads-up play.
Heading into the duel, Cappiello was the clear favorite, entering with 93bb against his opponent's 16bb. The short-stacked Shehadeh managed to double up immediately in the first heads-up hand, prompting players to pause and negotiate a deal, given the nearly €100,000 pay jump.
Following a handshake and a further half-hour of play, Cappiello ensured there were no surprises. He finished off with a preflop shove as Luigi committed his last 4bb with J c 6 s, which Cappiello called with T h 9 d. The final board of 8 c 8 h 9 h 6 d Q c decided it. Runner-up Luigi Shehadeh took home €181,750 thanks to the deal, but the champion was Candido Cappiello, earning €225,770 for his triumph.
Final Table Results:
| Place | Name | Country | Winnings |
| 1. | Candido Cappiello | Italy | €225,770* |
| 2. | Luigi Shehadeh | Italy | €181,750* |
| 3. | Giuseppe Ciancio | Italy | €110,150 |
| 4. | Leonardo Romeo | Italy | €83,800 |
| 5. | Marius Campan | Romania | €63,700 |
| 6. | Davis Modans | Latvia | €48,450 |
| 7. | Marco D'Amico | Italy | €36,850 |
| 8. | Rafal Lubczynski | Poland | €28,000 |
Sources – BattleOfMalta, YouTube
