Luca Topazio won the first WSOP Circuit Malta Main Event

For the first time, a WSOP Circuit event was held in Malta. Italian player Luca Topazio became the Main Event champion, outlasting 879 participants and winning the gold ring.

At the end of November 2023, Malta hosted a stage of the prestigious World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) for the first time in history. The main event of the festival, organized by Texapoker and held at Casino Malta, was a tournament with a €1,500 buy-in. Players from all over Europe gathered to compete for the first-ever WSOPC Malta gold ring, and the final prize pool reached an impressive €1,115,451 thanks to 879 entries. The winner and new titleholder was Italian player Luca Topazio, who not only took home the top prize of €200,000 but also won a €5,000 package for a future WSOP Paradise tournament. Final Table: The Battle for the First WSOPC Ring in Malta The final table of the WSOPC Malta Main Event brought together the nine strongest players of the tournament. Each started with a comfortable stack: no one had less than 20 big blinds, allowing for thoughtful strategic play. However, the pace of the final table quickly picked up. The first highlight was a hand where Christoffer Jensen doubled up with queens against the ace-king of Aleksandar Georgiev. Soon after, Nicola Bordignon couldn’t hold on with pocket fives and became the first player eliminated from the final table. After Bordignon’s exit, the official final table broadcast began. Jensen once again found himself all-in on a coin flip, but this time lost to Lucas van den Belt and finished in eighth place, earning €17,300. At the same time, Vitali Bibik and Georgiev both managed to double up, with Georgiev making a flush on the river. However, by the next break, both remained the shortest stacks. After the break, Bibik went all-in with Q-10 against Matteo Ricco’s A-7, but couldn’t improve and finished seventh (€23,000). Shortly after, Ricco doubled through Radoslaw Kopec. Alberto Cigliano tried to double up with K-Q, but ran into van den Belt’s pocket aces and finished in sixth place (€31,000). Ten minutes later, Georgiev (5th place, €43,000) also ran into domination, this time from eventual champion Topazio. At this point, Radoslaw Kopec was on the brink of elimination but managed to double up by catching an ace on the river and even regained the chip lead. Topazio also doubled up with A-Q against A-J, and then van den Belt managed to bluff him off pocket aces, evening out the stacks among the four remaining players. Kopec pulled ahead again by knocking out Ricco (4th place, €60,000), and even after van den Belt doubled up, he remained the chip leader. However, Topazio soon made a successful hero call and then hit a full house, allowing him to take van den Belt’s stack (3rd place, €85,000) and start heads-up play with a five-to-one chip advantage. In the decisive showdown, Topazio needed just two hands to secure victory, making a full house and becoming the first-ever WSOPC Malta Main Event champion. Tournament Results: Prizes and Final Table Placings Below are the official results of the WSOPC Malta Main Event final table: 1st place: Luca Topazio — €200,000 + €5,000 package for WSOP Paradise 2nd place: Radoslaw Kopec — €120,000 3rd place: Lucas van den Belt — €85,000 4th place: Matteo Ricco — €60,000 5th place: Aleksandar Georgiev — €43,000 6th place: Alberto Cigliano — €31,000 7th place: Vitali Bibik — €23,000 8th place: Christoffer Jensen — €17,300 9th place: Nicola Bordignon — €13,500 The total prize pool for the tournament was €1,115,451, with 879 entries. Every finalist received a significant prize, and the winner not only took home the cash but also earned the chance to play at the prestigious WSOP Paradise thanks to the package he won. Luca Topazio’s Journey: From First Success to a Mature Victory This victory was the biggest in Luca Topazio’s career in the past 16 years. In 2007, he first made a name for himself by winning the Italian Poker Tour Main Event and earning €190,000. Until now, that result remained his best. After his win, Topazio noted that he now feels much more mature and experienced as a player: "I’ve become more mature and adapted my game to achieve this result." According to the tournament director, who translated his words from Italian, Luca was very pleased with his performance and said he played excellent poker. Topazio demonstrated an aggressive and assertive style, especially after becoming chip leader. He explained his strategy as follows: "My goal as chip leader was to make everyone short and knock each one out." This approach not only helped him win the tournament but also previously secure 11th place in the Mystery Bounty event at EPT Barcelona. Inspired by his success in Malta, Topazio is already making plans for the near future: he intends to play in the Battle of Malta, which will also be held at Casino Malta at the end of the month, then head to EPT Prague in December, and also visit WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas thanks to the package he won. Radoslaw Kopec: Second Consecutive WSOPC Final Table Special mention goes to Radoslaw Kopec, who finished second. This was his second consecutive WSOP Circuit Main Event final table: last year, he was also runner-up at the WSOPC Middelkerke Main Event. This time, Kopec came close to the title, especially after doubling up on the river and regaining the chip lead, but in heads-up against Topazio, his chances were slim due to the large chip deficit. Nevertheless, Kopec showed consistent and confident play throughout the tournament, allowing him to once again finish among the best and earn €120,000. Key Moments of the Final Table: Hands and Strategies The WSOPC Malta Main Event final table was memorable for several important hands and strategic decisions. At the start of the final, none of the participants were in a critical stack situation, which helped avoid quick all-ins and allowed for more maneuvering. However, already in the early part of the final table, players began to get all-in preflop more actively. Christoffer Jensen doubled up with queens against ace-king, but soon left the tournament after losing a coin flip. Vitali Bibik and Aleksandar Georgiev both managed to double up, but ultimately finished in seventh and fifth place, respectively. The hands between Kopec and Topazio were especially dramatic: both players alternately took the lead, doubled up, and lost chips. In one key hand, van den Belt managed to bluff Topazio off pocket aces, evening out the chip counts. However, later Topazio made a successful hero call, hit a full house, and entered the final heads-up with a huge advantage. In heads-up, Topazio quickly closed out the victory, capitalizing on his chip lead and finishing the tournament in just two hands. WSOPC Malta: The Significance of the Series and the Venue The World Series of Poker Circuit is one of the most prestigious poker series, held around the world and giving players the chance to win the famous WSOPC gold ring. In 2023, for the first time, a stage of the series was held in Malta at Casino Malta, attracting top European players and creating a large prize pool. The festival was organized by Texapoker, known for its large-scale poker events. Thanks to the high level of organization, the series’ tournaments were held at the highest standard, and the Main Event final was a true highlight of the festival. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players This news is a great example of how an aggressive and adaptive strategy can bring success even at the highest level. Luca Topazio, using his chip leader advantage and not being afraid to put pressure on his opponents, was able to leverage his stack and secure the win. For PPPoker club players, this is a good reason to reconsider their approach to final table play and think about the importance of stack control and timing their attacks. It’s also worth noting how important experience and adaptability are: Topazio himself said that over 16 years he has learned to better understand tournament dynamics and adjust his game to the situation. For club game participants, this means that constant learning, hand analysis, and playing in different tournament formats help you grow as a player and achieve better results. Finally, participating in major live series like the WSOPC is becoming increasingly accessible for online players. Many of the winners and finalists of WSOPC Malta regularly play online, and successful experience in PPPoker clubs can be an excellent platform for entering the international stage. Stay tuned for news, play satellites, and don’t miss your chance to test your skills in major tournaments!