The Festival Series Returns to Malta: Full Schedule Released
The Festival Series returns to Malta in September with another varied schedule of poker tournaments, gaming events and off-the-table activities. It begins on September 8th, ending on the 15th, with the first day of the Festival Series timed to coincide with the last day of the Vamos Poker Tour.
The Festival Schedule
The event schedule for The Festival in Malta includes all the established favourites that the series has become famous for. The €250 Hendon Mob Championship is the opener, along with the €550 Mixed Games Main Event, with a H.O.R.S.E.S format (Sviten Special accounts for the additional S, which is added to the usual H.O.R.S.E rotation). Both of these have more than one starting day, as does the €550 NLH Main Event, which begins later in the week.
The Mystery Bounty returns to being a single starting day event and there are €1,100 High Rollers for No Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha and Open Face Chinese.
Festival favourites like the Festival Queens ladies event and Seniors both make their way onto the 45-event schedule.
Key Events at The Festival in Malta
- The Hendon Mob Championship, €250 Buy-in, 3 x Starting Days, 8-11 September
- Mixed Games Main Event (H.O.R.S.E.S format), €550 Buy-in, 2 x Starting Days, 8-10 September
- The Festival Series Main Event, €550 Buy-In, 5 x Starting Days, 10-15 September
The Full Festival Schedule
Qualify Online for The Festival Series
Qualification via satellites for The Festival Series is available on many online poker sites, where players can not only win their entry to the €550 Main Event, but also secure their hotel accommodation and a hospitality package.
Full details of all qualifying options will be revealed soon, however there are already satellites running on several online poker sites for a package to The Festival in Malta. For further details about satellites, check out our qualification page.
Mixed Games Schedule
As always, mixed-games and non-Hold’em games have extra special importance at The Festival Series. The Festival Series doesn’t just give lip-service to mixed games, they are one of its defining characteristics, offering specialists a full week of non-Hold’Em action to get stuck into.
There is at least one non-Texas Hold’em tournament every day during The Festival in Malta, including Sviten Special, 8-Game, H.O.R.S.E, Open Face Chinese and Pot Limit Omaha. Both the Open Face Chinese and the PLO have €1,100 high roller versions, as well as more affordable sides priced at either €125 or €250.
| Date | Start Time | Event Number | Event Name | Buy-In |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday 8th September | 15:00 | 2 | Mixed Games Main Event - HORSES Day 1a | €550 |
| Monday 9th September | 15:00 | 4 | Sviten Special | €250 |
| Monday 9th September | 17:00 | 2 | Mixed Games Main Event - HORSES Day 1b | €550 |
| Tuesday 10th September | 13:00 | 10 | PLO Masters | €250 |
| Tuesday 10th September | 15:00 | 2 | Mixed Games Main Event - HORSES Day 2 | N/A |
| Wednesday 11th September | 14:00 | 16 | 8-Game | €125 |
| Wednesday 11th September | 17:00 | 18 | PLO High Roller | €1,100 |
| Thursday 12th September | 13:00 | 23 | HORSE | €250 |
| Thursday12th September | 20:00 | 27 | PLO 4/5/6 Card (7-Max) | €250 |
| Friday 13th September | 12:30 | 31 | Open Face Chinese | €250 |
| Friday 13th September | 21:00 | 35 | Big O | €250 |
| Saturday 14th September | 14:00 | 38 | PLO Freezeout | €250 |
| Sunday 15th September | 15:00 | 45 | OFC High Roller | €1,100 |
Franke’s Flip Flops
Another unique and established element of the Festival Series is Franke’s Flip Flops, a series of one-table stand and go tournaments which take place every evening from 9pm onwards. These are €25 to enter and all players are dealt one hand, with play continuing until just one player is left standing.
- They are fast - they usually only taking one or two hands to complete.
- They are furious - you will often be ahead by the turn only to face devastation on the river.
- They are fun - half the room chanting ‘flips, flips flips, flips, while chugging beers creates a wild atmosphere.
- They have no rake - winnings must be used to buy-in to events at the series.
We keep a tally of how many flips each player wins and the player with the most wins each day will earn a place on the final flip table, at the end of the festival, where the winner will receive a €1,600 package to The Festival in Bratislava. There’s also a trophy, constructed with the actual flip flops worn by Franke during the series.
Casino Games Competitions
Also an essential part of The Festival’s schedule are the casino games tournaments, which take place throughout the week. The format of the roulette and blackjack tournaments was uniquely re-crafted for the recent Festival in Rozvadov, to give as many players as possible a chance to participate. Over 90 players took part in these, smashing the previous series participation records.
There is also a slots competition and and a sports betting tournament, which you don’t usually find at regular poker festivals. Full details of the formats that will be used for each casino game tournament will be released at a later date.
Cash Game Challenge
The Festival Series focuses largely on tournament poker, but it began as The Cash Game Festival and still incorporates activities that pay homage to its roots. At every Festival Series event there is a cash game challenge, in which players aim to make as much profit as possible in a series of 2-hour cash game sessions, at a variety of different stakes and formats. Profit is calculated in big blinds and there is a prize for the player who makes the most profit from a single session. The winner of the challenge receives a €1,600 package to The Festival in Bratislava.
Hospitality & Off the Table Activities
Off the table activities don’t just involve drinking beer, although you can multi-task most of them will a cool glass of Cisk in your hand. At the recent Festival in Rozvadov, hospitality events included a tuna sushi preparation demo, a sports day BBQ, pub games competitions, a trip to a brewery, karaoke, a late night music festival and a treasure hunt.
Franke has been scouting the island to find top notch activities for all to enjoy during The Festival in Malta. The full plan is still being curated, but if the research pictures are anything to go by, its going to be a fun-filled week, with plenty to do off the tables as well as on them.
The Festival Malta 2024 Venue: Portomaso Casino
The Festival Malta 2024 will take place, similar to last year, at Portomaso Casino. As a result of the collaboration between The Festival Series, Portomaso Casino, and Ludos Academy, we have prepared a casino area where, in addition to poker tournaments, we will also organize blackjack and roulette tournaments.
Important information that is good to know
Following the laws in Malta, entry to the casino (and consequently to The Festival Malta 2024 tournament area) is permitted for all individuals over 18 years old who have a valid ID and are not subject to any existing casino restrictions. It is worth noting that this age limit applies only to visitors from outside Malta. Residents must be at least 25 years old to enter the casino.
To avoid unnecessary waiting times when entering the casino, it is advisable to complete the pre-registration form. While this does not guarantee entry, it facilitates the process and reduces the time required for admission.
