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Malta Poker Festival 2026 Results: British Players Make Their Mark in Malta
- England swept the Ladies First! podium at the Malta Poker Festival Autumn 2026.
- British players recorded top finishes in the IPS Main Event, Mini IPS and Seniors event.
- Winners in major events received additional tickets for future poker festivals.
UK players enjoyed strong results at the Malta Poker Festival Autumn Edition 2026, including an English sweep of the Ladies First! podium.
UK players had plenty to celebrate at the Malta Poker Festival Autumn Edition 2026, with strong results in several of the festival's biggest tournaments. England provided the entire Ladies First! podium, while players from England and Wales also featured in the Seniors event and other major competitions.
The festival's headline tournament was the €600 MPF Grand Event, which attracted 2,147 entries and generated a €1,069,635.40 prize pool. The final four reached a deal, with Aleksandar Kosarkoski taking the title and Gabriele Santoro collecting the largest payout.
There was also plenty of action in the Italian Poker Sport (IPS) Main Event and Mini IPS, which attracted 5,552 and 3,247 entries.
UK Players Feature in Multiple MPF Final Tables
The UK made its presence felt in Malta Poker Festival, with players from England and Wales recording several top results.
The biggest British payday in the results available came from D. S., who finished fourth in the €1.5M GTD IPS Main Event for €69,000 and an additional ticket. England also claimed all three podium positions in the Ladies First! tournament.
Here are some of the notable British results from the festival:
| Tournament | Player | Country | Position | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPS Main Event | D. S. | England | 4th | €69,000 + Ticket |
| Mini IPS | P. B. | England | 4th | €25,360 + Ticket |
| Bounty Hunters | I. H. | England | 3rd | €6,388 |
| Seniors | D. H. | Wales | 4th | €9,448 |
| Seniors | J. T. | England | 6th | €4,300 |
| Seniors | T. S. | England | 7th | €3,350 |
| Seniors | A. T. | England | 10th | €1,960 |
| Ladies First! | A. K. | England | 1st | €6,000 |
| Ladies First! | S. K. | England | 2nd | €4,330 |
| Ladies First! | M. C. | England | 3rd | €3,040 |
| Ladies First! | R. B. | England | 7th | €970 |
| PLO Knights | I. M. | England | 2nd | €6,815 |
| PLO Knights | J. G. | England | 7th | €1,763 |
England Sweeps the Ladies First! Podium
The €200 Ladies First! tournament, hosted by Kerryjane Craigie, attracted 155 players and ended with an all-English podium.
A. K. took the title and €6,000 first prize, with S. K. finishing second for €4,330. M. C. completed the English clean sweep, collecting €3,040 for third place.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A. K. | England | €6,000 |
| 2 | S. K. | England | €4,330 |
| 3 | M. C. | England | €3,040 |
| 4 | S. A. | Israel | €2,276 |
| 5 | M. F. | Germany | €1,700 |
| 6 | P. M. | Not shown | €1,250 |
| 7 | R. B. | England | €970 |
| 8 | R. D. | South Africa | €770 |
| 9 | F. Y. | Not shown | €630 |
UK Players Make Their Mark in the Seniors Event
The €300 MPF Seniors event attracted 442 entries and offered another strong showing from British players.
Switzerland's Y. T. won the tournament for €12,925, but players from England and Wales occupied four of the top ten places.
Ireland added two more players to the final standings, although Irish results are listed separately from the UK contingent.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Y. T. | Switzerland | €12,925 |
| 2 | J. G. | Netherlands | €11,368 |
| 3 | G. V. | Italy | €10,605 |
| 4 | D. H. | Wales | €9,448 |
| 5 | J. O. | Ireland | €8,453 |
| 6 | J. T. | England | €4,300 |
| 7 | T. S. | England | €3,350 |
| 8 | P. S. | Ireland | €2,500 |
| 9 | D. A. | Iceland | €1,960 |
| 10 | A. T. | England | €1,960 |
IPS Main Event Attracts 5,552 Entries
The Italian Poker Sport €1.5M GTD Main Event was the biggest tournament by field size at the Malta Poker Festival. Its €390 buy-in attracted 5,552 entries, with the top three all collecting payouts close to €150,000.
Belgium's W. S. received the largest payout, €152,000, despite finishing third. The unusual payout order suggests that a deal may have been made, although the full details have not been confirmed.
England's D. S. finished fourth for €69,000 and an additional ticket, while Italy's A. F. took the title.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A. F. | Italy | €148,000 |
| 2 | M. P. | Italy | €145,000 |
| 3 | W. S. | Belgium | €152,000 |
| 4 | D. S. | England | €69,000 + Ticket |
| 5 | A. C. | Italy | €50,000 + Ticket |
| 6 | A. K. | Hungary | €33,500 |
| 7 | D. M. | Ireland | €23,000 + Ticket |
| 8 | N. L. | Italy | €16,000 |
| 9 | M. P. | Romania | €12,165 + Ticket |
| 10 | Z. S. | Belgium | €12,165 |
Mini IPS Brings in 3,247 Players
The €250 Mini IPS came with a €500K guarantee and attracted 3,247 entries. The Czech Republic's T. S. took the title for €51,000.
England's P. B. finished fourth for €25,360 and an additional ticket. Seven of the top ten players also received tickets.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | T. S. | Czech Republic | €51,000 |
| 2 | J. G. | Not shown | €40,360 + Ticket |
| 3 | O. S. | Malta | €32,500 |
| 4 | P. B. | England | €25,360 + Ticket |
| 5 | E. A. | France | €20,860 + Ticket |
| 6 | E. C. | Greece | €17,360 + Ticket |
| 7 | T. I. | Turkey | €14,598 + Ticket |
| 8 | G. Q. | France | €12,260 + Ticket |
| 9 | F. B. | Not shown | €11,000 |
| 10 | N. M. | Not shown | €11,000 |
Kosarkoski Wins the €1M MPF Grand Event
The €600 MPF Grand Event attracted 2,147 entries and created a €1,069,635.40 prize pool, comfortably exceeding its €1 million guarantee.
The final four players agreed to a deal, with Aleksandar Kosarkoski taking the title for €137,000. Gabriele Santoro finished second but collected €137,380, making him the biggest earner at the final table.
Seven of the nine finalists also received an additional ticket. The destination has not yet been confirmed, with either the Costa Rica Poker Festival in February 2027 or next year's Malta Poker Festival a possibility.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksandar Kosarkoski | North Macedonia | €137,000 + Ticket |
| 2 | Gabriele Santoro | Italy | €137,380 + Ticket |
| 3 | Raffaele Prezzi | Italy | €67,000 + Ticket |
| 4 | Marius Olsvik | Norway | €88,000 |
| 5 | Aris Velisarios Diminikos | Sweden | €97,000 + Ticket |
| 6 | Alessandro Siena | Italy | €29,770 |
| 7 | Daniel Andrew Jackson | To be confirmed | €20,160 + Ticket |
| 8 | Alberto Marullo | Italy | €14,420 + Ticket |
| 9 | Maciej Przemyslaw Gut | Poland | €10,600 + Ticket |
Other Malta Poker Festival Autumn 2026 Winners
The festival schedule also included several other tournaments, covering Omaha, mixed games, bounty formats and more.
| Tournament | Buy-in | Entries | Winner's Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| MPF High Roller | €700 | 392 | €40,000 |
| Bounty Hunters | €230 | 845 | €7,863 |
| MPF Halloween | €260 | 301 | €11,000 |
| MPF Last Chance | €300 | 294 | €14,000 |
| MPF Knockout | €450 | 255 | €8,700 |
| MPF Mystery Highroller Bounty | €1,150 | 128 | €9,100 |
| MPF PLO Knights | €250 | 249 | €7,100 |
| MPF 8-Games | €200 | 57 | €2,600 |
Malta Poker Festival Wraps Up, Costa Rica Next?
The Malta Poker Festival Autumn Edition 2026 delivered plenty of action at Portomaso Casino, with the €1M Grand Event and the two major IPS tournaments leading the way.
For British players, the results included an English sweep of the Ladies First! podium, several deep runs in the Seniors event and strong finishes in the IPS Main Event, Mini IPS and PLO Knights.
The next stop could be the Costa Rica Poker Festival in February 2027. Some of the players who received additional tickets in Malta may already have another poker trip on their calendar.
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