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€600 Let The Battle Begin
Day 3 Completed
2026 Battle of Malta Summer Edition
€600 Let The Battle Begin
Day: 3
Players Left 1 / 2,667
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Final Table
Level 29
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
If Day 3 of the €600 Battle of Malta Summer Edition Main Event was expected to be a relatively short day, few could have anticipated just how quickly it would unfold, with only four and a half hours needed to reduce the field from 75 players to the final 24.
They are the last contenders standing from a field of 2,667 entries recorded at Casino Malta, for a total prize pool of €1,186,962. The eventual champion will take home €176,070 after Wednesday’s final table.
There is still a long way to go to win the coveted knight trophy. However, that path looks a little shorter for Stavros Passias, who bagged the chip lead at the end of Day 3.
The Greek player was not expected to finish on top of the counts, even though he already sat third in chips at the dinner break. But after play resumed, he found himself on the right side of a massive cooler, flopping quads against a full house to scoop a huge pot which propelled him into the chip lead.
Day 3 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stavros Passias | Greece | 10,760,000 | 108 |
| 2 | Angelo Censabella | Italy | 8,800,000 | 88 |
| 3 | Daniele Renzi | Italy | 7,345,000 | 73 |
| 4 | Luigi D'Alterio | Italy | 5,460,000 | 55 |
| 5 | Robin Kruhai | Germany | 4,975,000 | 50 |
| 6 | Marko Cosic | Serbia | 4,415,000 | 44 |
| 7 | Georgios Papakonstantinou | Greece | 4,410,000 | 44 |
| 8 | Arnaud Boudet | France | 4,380,000 | 44 |
| 9 | Joao Da Silva | Portugal | 4,230,000 | 42 |
| 10 | Tiberiu Florescu | Romania | 4,215,000 | 42 |
Before Passias’ surge to the top of the counts, the Italian duo Angelo Censabella and Daniele Renzi had established themselves as the clear frontrunners.
On one hand, Censabella built his stack throughout the day by scoring multiple eliminations on his way to bagging 8,800,000 chips. Renzi, on the other hand, enjoyed a key moment early in the day when a fortunate queen helped him crack pocket kings, sending Kristian Holmgren to the rail. The hand was particularly significant, as Holmgren had started Day 3 as the chip leader. Instead of running deep with his big stack, he ultimately had to settle for €2,370 for his 58th-place finish.
Luigi D’Alterio (5,460,000) and Robin Kruhai (4,975,000) also made the top five, followed by Marko Cosic (4,415,000), Georgios Papakonstantinou (4,410,000), and Arnaud Boudet (4,380,000), who doubled up several times during the day, including once with a straight hit on the river.
He doubled once through fellow countrywoman Florence Mazet (3,735,000), who herself tripled her stack on Day 3 and was proud to be the last woman standing after the eliminations of Karen Kalif (31st - €4,430) and Carina Voncken (46th - €3,000).
Mark Vella (4,215,000) is also in contention for a possible home-soil triumph, alongside players such as Gianluca Donini (3,715,000), Panteleimon Pontos (2,920,000), Gareth Hamilton (2,330,000), Daniel Yerin (2,080,000), and Fredrick Bratein, who sits as the short stack with 800,000.
Play is set to resume this Tuesday, June 2, at 4 p.m. local time for Day 4 of the Main Event. Approximately 30 minutes remain in Level 29, which features blinds of 50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 big blind ante.
The 24 remaining players have already locked up a minimum cash prize of €5,200, and the day will conclude once eight players remain for the official final table.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €176,070 | 9 | €14,690 |
| 2 | €101,910 | 10-11 | €12,340 |
| 3 | €69,480 | 12-13 | €11,110 |
| 4 | €52,660 | 14-15 | €9,910 |
| 5 | €43,900 | 16-17 | €8,720 |
| 6 | €35,600 | 18-20 | €7,530 |
| 7 | €27,050 | 21-23 | €6,340 |
| 8 | €19,350 | 24 | €5,200 |
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews for continued coverage until the very end of this Battle of Malta Main Event!
Level 29
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip count | Big blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | Tomas Major | Czech Republic | 1,965,000 | 20 |
| 10 | 2 | Florence Mazet | France | 3,735,000 | 37 |
| 10 | 3 | Rami Amuri | Latvia | 2,930,000 | 29 |
| 10 | 4 | Georgios Papakonstantinou | Greece | 4,410,000 | 44 |
| 10 | 5 | Konstantinos Asgoudakis | Greece | 3,240,000 | 32 |
| 10 | 6 | Arnaud Boudet | France | 4,380,000 | 44 |
| 10 | 7 | Sebastian Mortensen | Malta | 1,840,000 | 18 |
| 10 | 8 | Mark Vella | Malta | 4,215,000 | 42 |
| 13 | 1 | Alejandro Asenjo | Spain | 1,550,000 | 16 |
| 13 | 2 | Robin Kruhai | Germany | 4,975,000 | 50 |
| 13 | 3 | Fredrick Bratein | Norway | 800,000 | 8 |
| 13 | 4 | Marko Cosic | Serbia | 4,415,000 | 44 |
| 13 | 5 | Joao Da Silva | Portugal | 4,230,000 | 42 |
| 13 | 6 | Angelo Censabella | Italy | 8,800,000 | 88 |
| 13 | 7 | Luigi D'alterio | Italy | 5,460,000 | 55 |
| 13 | 8 | Gianluca Donini | Italy | 3,715,000 | 37 |
| 14 | 1 | Danilo Scevola | Italy | 1,165,000 | 12 |
| 14 | 2 | Daniele Renzi | Italy | 7,345,000 | 73 |
| 14 | 3 | Daniel Yerin | Germany | 2,080,000 | 21 |
| 14 | 4 | Gareth Hamilton | Ireland | 2,330,000 | 23 |
| 14 | 5 | Igor Pasierbek | Poland | 4,000,000 | 40 |
| 14 | 6 | Panteleimon Pontos | Greece | 2,920,000 | 29 |
| 14 | 7 | Tiberiu Florescu | Romania | 4,215,000 | 42 |
| 14 | 8 | Stavros Passias | Greece | 10,760,000 | 108 |
Level 29
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
Level 29
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
After Stavros Passias won his massive pot and Gianmarco Grande was eliminated, Ronen Avraham, Ugnius Vestartas, and Paolo Di Girolamo were also quickly sent to the rail, narrowing the field to the final 24 players.
With that, the day’s target had been reached, and the remaining players are now bagging their chips after securing their spots in Day 4.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for chip counts and a full recap of today’s action!
Level 29
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
Stavros Passias raised to 200,000 from the cutoff but Gianmarco Grande in the small blind three-bet to 700,000. Passias called and they discovered a flop of 8♦9♦9♠ where Grande continued for 650,000.
Passias called and called a second barrel to 900,000 on the A♣ turn.
Grande eventually moved all-in for approximately 1,500,000 on the K♠ river. Passias quickly called with 9♥9♣ for quads to win this massive pot against Grande's full house with K♥K♣
Grande was covered and eliminated while Passias jumps on top of the counts.
Level 29
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
Level: 29
Blinds: 50,000/100,000
Ante: 100,000
Level 28
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
The 28 remaining players of the Main Event are now on a 60-minute dinner break. Play is set to resume at 9:33 p.m. local time.
At the restart, four more eliminations will be needed to end the day.
Level 28
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
After an open by the hijack, Angelo Censabella on the button called. Audrius Daugvilavicius in the small blind three-bet to 650,000 and made Daugvilavicius fold, but Censabella moved all-in. Daugvilavicius called, finding himself at risk for approximately 3,150,000.
Audrius Daugvilavicius: 9♠9♣ 
Angelo Censabella: A♠Q♥
The dealer fanned a board of J♥3♠K♠4♥ so Daugvilavicius was on his way to double up, but the A♦ landed on the river to send him to the rail.
