EPT Malta Returns — Casino Malta to Host Tour After 9-Year Hiatus

The EPT is coming back to Malta. PokerStars has scheduled EPT Malta at Casino Malta in St. Julian’s from October 1–12, ending a nine-year absence. The series is built around a €5,300 Main Event and a six-flight €1,650 PokerStars Open, with live and online satellites, mixed games, and a full high-roller menu filling the two-week slate.

What’s on the Table

The headline is the €5,300 EPT Main Event, and the PokerStars Open (€1,650) kicks off the series with six Day-1 flights to generate volume. At the top end, the schedule includes a €50,000 EPT Super High Roller and multiple €25,000 buy-ins (including PLO), alongside Mystery Bounties (€10,200 and €3,250), mid-stakes like €2,700 and €1,650, mixed-game events, and late-night hyper-turbos.

Entry Routes and Field Indicators

The path from micro to live this year is fantastic: you can spin in from online sat’s as low as €0.55 and ladder into a €530 EPT qualifier that feeds the €5,300 Main. The Malta timetable also lists on-site “Win Your Seat” feeders — notable examples include €200 and €370 satellites to the Open, €600 Main satellites, and mid-level €1,125 / €1,155 qualifiers — Power Path / pass-redemption options are available, too.

As we can see, there are lots of entry routes, Day-1s to pick from, and a steady stream of live feeders if you’re chasing a cheaper shot at the Main.

EPT Schedule Highlights

Below are the key events from the published timetable (check the official schedule for exact start times and Day-1 labels):

• Oct 1 (Opening day) — €1,650 PokerStars Open Day 1a; €1,100 NLHE Freezeout Day 1; €10,200 NLHE Mystery Bounty Day 1; €550 Hyper Turbo Freezeout (late session).
• Oct 2 — Further Open flights (1b/1c/1d); €12,300 NLHE PokerStars Cuatro Knockout; €1,100 8-Game Day 1; multiple satellites.
• Oct 3 — Open Day 1e/1f and Day 2; €20,000 NLHE one-day; satellites to Main and Super High Roller.
• Oct 4–5 — PokerStars Open Cup (€825) and Open Day 2/3; €25,000 Super High Roller Warm-Up; €50,000 EPT Super High Roller starts; €2,700 Open High Roller; €330 Women’s Event.
• Oct 6–8 — €5,300 NLHE EPT Main starts (Day 1a on Oct 6, Day 1b on Oct 7, Day 2 on Oct 8); PLO highlights (€5,200 PLO, €1,100 PLO Hi-Lo); mid-stakes and Mystery Bounties continue.
• Oct 9–10 — EPT Main Days 3–4; €25,000 Super High Roller Second Chance and other €25k features; €10,300 NLHE High Roller starts.
• Oct 11–12 — Final day for the EPT Main (Oct 12); high-roller finals and last-chance satellites, and turbo events close the festival.

Past Editions and Benchmarks

Malta hosted EPT Main events in 2015–16. The 2015 Main drew 651 entries and produced a multi-million euro prize pool (Niall Farrell won after a heads-up deal); the 2016 Main followed with 468 entrants and another headline winner (Aliaksei Boika).

The 2015 Main generated a €3,157,350 prize pool, though the 2016 Main fell with a €2,269,800 pool. As for this year’s, watch PokerStars Live and the on-site live reports for the final entries and package totals, as it will give you the clearest read on how big the Main Event will be.