The Festival Malta: Main Event Champion Nuno Morais Takes Home €61,001 Without a Deal

At Portomaso Casino in Saint Julians, Malta, the popular The Festival Series took place over the past few days, bringing plenty of entertainment, a healthy mix of games tournaments, and, of course, a successful Main Event. The tournament, with a buy-in of €550, recorded a record-breaking attendance — 666 entries made this the largest Main Event ever for The Festival in Malta, with the prize pool soaring to €316,350.

Yesterday’s final day saw the top 16 players advance, each guaranteed at least €1,920, but all eyes were on the €60,001 top prize reserved for the winner. The international cast in the final day immediately brought drama. The day didn’t end as expected for early chipleader Philip Pearson, who didn’t make it to the final table and finished in 10th place, bagging €4,780.

From there, we witnessed an incredible one-man show by Portugal’s Nuno Morais. He navigated the table with ease, and when play went down to four players, he held a bigger stack than all his opponents combined. He carried this advantage into heads-up against Italy's Damir Savio, starting with a nearly 4:1 chip lead.

With this chip disparity, there was no room for deal discussions, and the players continued to play for an approximate €22,000 pay jump. A sizzling Morais allowed no surprises, dispatching his final opponent and walking away as champion with the full €61,001. Runner-up Damir Savio didn’t leave empty-handed, securing €38,980 for his second place.

Nuno’s journey to the title wasn’t straightforward, as he busted just before the bubble in his first flight. This setback didn’t deter him; he secured his progress in Day 1B, and perhaps even he didn’t foresee how his story would unfold. According to HendonMob, this is only Morais' third recorded cash, with his first two totaling €1,985 coming just two weeks ago, also in Malta. Could this be the rise of a new poker star?

Final Table Results:

Source – TheFestival, TheHendonMob, PokerLens