Juan Pardo and Roland Rokita Strike Gold Early Into EPT Malta

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Oct 03, 2025 6 min read

The PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Malta festival only kicked off on October 1, but two of poker's superstars have already captured titles. Juan Pardo and Roland Rokita gave their bankrolls a sizable boost by taking down the €5,000 Mystery Bounty and the €12,300 PokerStars Cuatro Knockout, respectively, at the Casino Malta in St. Julians.

According to The Hendon Mob Database, Pardo ranks tenth on the EPT's all-time money list courtesy of winning $6,672,744 on the prestigious tour. The talented Spaniard is only $190,283 behind French veteran Jean-Noel Thorel ($6,863,027) in ninth place. Pardo closed that gap significantly by reeling in a €145,900 prize in the €5,000 Mystery Bounty event.

€5,000 Mystery Bounty Final Table Results

A compact crowd of 36 entrants fought it out over a €349,200 prize pool. The top six finishers received prize money from the regular prize pool, with Jon Ander Vallinas being the first grinder to fall inside the money places. Vallinas didn't collect any mystery bounty payments, so his take-home pay was €11,800 for this event.

China's Weiran Pu also didn't receive any mystery bounties, so his reward for a fifth-place exit was €15,200. Latvian Pavel Spirins scooped €59,500 after busting in fourth, and Ireland's Paul Lagan won €66,200 for his third-place finish.

Pardo battled Samuel Mullur heads-up for the title and the lion's share of the prize pool. Mullur has been on a tear for several months, but he couldn't find a way past his Spanish opponent. Mullur bowed out in second place, a result good for €50,600, leaving Pardo to get his hands on another Spadie trophy and €145,900 in prize money.

Roland Rokita Rakes in €99,200

The €12,300 PokerStars Cuatro Knockout may have only attracted 17 entrants, but the large buy-ins meant €199,920 was up for grabs across the regular prize pool and bounty payments.

Only three of those starters received cash from the regular prize pool, and what a trio they were. Dutchman Joris Ruijs busted in third and took home €30,400 for his efforts. Ruijs' exit left Austria's Roland Rokita in a one-on-one situation against American high-stakes guru Byron Kaverman, who was Ruijs' executioner.

Rokita got the job done heads-up, which resigned Kaverman to a €69,600 consolation prize while locking up a €99,920 payday for himself.

€12,300 PokerStars Cuatro Knockout Final Table Results

Other Early EPT Malta Champions

Several other players have also captured titles in the early EPT Malta side events. Peter Krajnyak won the €550 Seniors event for €7,265 while Italian Umberto Ruggeri won the €1,100 NL Hold'em Freezeout for €38,700.

Another Italian, Federico Fulciniti, took down the €550 Hyper Turbo Freezeout for €12,020, with the 2016 EPT Grand Final champion Jan Bendik collecting €20,560 for his victory in the €1,050 Hyper Turbo Freezeout.

Remaining EPT Malta Schedule

The tournaments continue coming thick and fast during the EPT Malta festival, which runs until October 12. PokerNews' live reporting team will be on the ground bringing you live and exclusive coverage of the €1,650 PokerStars Open (from Day 2 onward), the €100,000 EPT Super High Roller, and the eagerly anticipated €5,300 EPT Malta Main Event.

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.

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• Tags Byron Kaverman EPT European Poker Tour Federico Fulcinti Jan Bedik Jean-Noel Thorel Jon Ander Vallinas Juan Pardo Peter Krajnyak PokerStars Roland Rokita Samuel Mullur The Hendon Mob
• Related Tournaments European Poker Tour
• Related Players Byron KavermanJean-Noel ThorelJuan PardoRoland RokitaJon Vallinas SantosSamuel Mullur