Vernerova Builds Massive Lead as Eight Players Advance to Battle of Malta Main Event Final Day

Day 4 of the €600 Main Event at the 2026 Battle of Malta Autumn Edition came to an end after almost exactly six hours of play at Casino Malta. From the 5,368 entries that created a €2,413,281 prize pool, just eight players remain in contention for the title and the €227,835 first-place prize.

Tereza Vernerova will return as the overwhelming chip leader after putting together an impressive performance that saw her turn a fourth-place starting stack into a commanding lead. She bagged 68,675,000 chips, more than three times the stack of her nearest challenger, Rosario Saddemi, who finished the day with 21,550,000. Ivane Khazaradze rounded out the top three with 20,250,000.

Final Table Chip Counts

Rank	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Tereza Vernerova	Czechia	68,675,000	172
2	Rosario Saddemi	Italy	21,550,000	54
3	Ivane Khazaradze	Georgia	20,250,000	51
4	James Malatynski	United Kingdom	16,500,000	41
5	Marco Lopez Coronado	Spain	15,025,000	38
6	Ofer Tadmor	Israel	13,250,000	33
7	Marios Kapiris	Greece	12,750,000	32
8	Lulei Hu	Italy	7,725,000	19

Vernerova Takes Control with Pocket Kings

Vernerova's rise began early in the day when she picked up a set of nines to eliminate Ryan Sweeney. That was only the beginning of what would become a dominant performance, as she later picked up pocket kings in two major pots that helped her pull away from the rest of the field.

In one of those hands, Vernerova's kings held up against Vasileios Tsaknis' queens, allowing her to take the chip lead. She then found another opportunity to put her kings to work, eliminating Alessandro De Michele and extending her advantage even further.

Alessandro De Michele - Tereza Vernerova

By the time play concluded, Vernerova had built a stack of 68,675,000, putting her in a very comfortable position heading into the final day. With eight players left, she will have a sizeable lead to work with as she looks to turn her advantage into the Battle of Malta title.

Hu Survives a Rollercoaster Day

Lulei Hu experienced one of the more eventful days at the tables. His stack went up and down throughout the session, with several important pots shaping his run to the final eight.

Hu first made a significant move by eliminating Dor Itah with kings against ace-king, giving himself a comfortable stack. However, his day ended on a much less comfortable note.

In the final hand of the day, Saddemi's pocket aces held in a three-way all-in against Hu's pocket kings and Jakub Skurzynski's pocket queens. Saddemi nearly tripled up to secure the second-largest stack, while Skurzynski was eliminated and Hu was left with just 7,725,000. The hand brought the field down to the final eight.

There were also some notable exits during the six-hour session. Day 3 chip leader Anton Makejev was unable to carry his momentum into the next stage, falling in 19th place. Jon Kyte also came up short of the final day, finishing in 21st place.

Final Day Awaits at the Battle of Malta

The remaining eight players will return to Casino Malta tomorrow, November 4, at 2 p.m. local time, with the live stream also getting underway at that time. Play will resume with the remaining time in Level 33, featuring blinds of 200,000/400,000 and a 400,000 big blind ante. The action will continue until a champion is crowned.

All eight players have locked up at least €21,150, while the eventual winner will walk away with €227,835, the coveted Battle of Malta Knight Trophy, and the title of 2026 Autumn Edition Main Event champion.