World Poker Tour Announces Malta Stop

Poker News / Short-Stacked Shamus / 11 August 2011 / Leave a Comment

Overlooking a yacht marina is the Casino at Portomaso, Malta

This week the World Poker Tour announced an addition to its Season X schedule, a new stop in Portomaso, Malta happening next month. The WPT will land at the Mediterranean archipelago for the week of September 17-24, during which a couple of side events will take place plus a €3,000 + €300 buy-in Main Event.

The Malta stop comes shortly after the WPT visits the Aviation Club de France in Paris earlier in September. It also takes place just prior to the 2011 World Series of Poker Europe in Cannes that begins in early October. Thus it is expected many top pros will be including Malta among their European travels. Indeed, both Jake Cody and Matt Perrins -- fresh off their 2011 WSOP successes -- have made known their intentions to participate.

"I think we showed the strength of UK poker in Vegas this year," said Cody, winner of Event No. 2, the $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em Heads-Up Championship. "With many Europeans doing well, we want to make sure the big titles keep on coming," added the 22-year-old.

Matt Savage (interviewed here) will be on hand as well at Malta as the WPT's Executive Tour Director. This will be the first time the WPT has visited the Casino at Portomaso, Malta, although the site has hosted several poker tournaments of note over recent years, including a few already in 2011.

The Italian Poker Tour swung through Portomaso back in February for a €2,000 Main Event which attracted 237 runners, won by Italy's Giacomo Loccarini who took home €122,000. The Unibet Open also had a €1,500 NLHE Main Event at Portomaso in March that drew 293 players. Mateusz Moolhuizen of the Netherlands won that one, earning €117,000.

Those turnouts -- along with numerous satellites in place for the WPT's main event -- suggest there will be a decent-sized field in Malta next month.

"This Mediterranean hotspot already has poker in its veins," said WPT President Adam Pliska. "So we hope that by introducing a World Poker Tour stop we will satisfy the desires of locals and the international contingent looking for some late summer sun."

More information about the upcoming WPT Malta event can be found over on the World Poker Tour site.

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