Italy's Luca Topazio is the first-ever WSOP Circuit Malta Main Event champion. He beat a field of 879 entries in the €1,500 buy-in event, taking home €200,000 and a €5,000 WSOP Paradise package after a heads-up win over Poland's Radoslaw Kopec, according to PokerNews' report on the final day.
The result closes the book on the inaugural Malta stop, which our earlier WSOP Circuit Malta preview flagged as one of the more significant additions to the 2026 Circuit calendar. With a prize pool of €1,115,451, the event comfortably passed the million-euro mark in its first year, a strong start for a new international stop.
The Numbers: Entries, Prize Pool and Payouts
The Main Event drew 879 entries at a €1,500 buy-in, creating a €1,115,451 prize pool. The nine-handed final table paid as follows:
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luca Topazio | Italy | €200,000 |
| 2 | Radoslaw Kopec | Poland | €125,000 |
| 3 | Lucas van den Belt | Netherlands | €85,000 |
| 4 | Matteo Ricco | Italy | €60,000 |
| 5 | Aleksandar Georgiev | Bulgaria | €43,000 |
| 6 | Alberto Cigliano | Italy | €31,000 |
| 7 | Vitali Bibik | Poland | €23,000 |
| 8 | Christoffer Jensen | Denmark | €17,300 |
| 9 | Nicola Bordignon | Italy | €14,191 |
The geographic spread is worth noticing. Four of the nine finalists were Italian, two were Polish, and the rest came from the Netherlands, Bulgaria and Denmark. That reflects Malta's position as a convenient, English-speaking destination for a wide range of European players, and it suggests the festival drew a genuinely international crowd rather than a purely local one.
How Topazio Won
Topazio described his approach in simple terms. "I am very happy, I played a very good poker," he said, adding, "I am more mature now. I adapted my game to get this result."
His strategy at the final table was aggressive. PokerNews reported that he followed a plan to "make everyone short and to kill everyone," using his chip lead to apply pressure on opponents. Heads-up against Kopec, Topazio held roughly a 5:1 chip advantage, and he closed the match with a full house.
That approach illustrates a basic principle of tournament poker. Once a player takes a commanding chip lead at a final table, opponents are forced to make decisions under pressure from the escalating blinds and the increasing cost of each pay jump. A large stack can bet and raise without risking elimination, and shorter stacks must choose between waiting for a premium hand and taking a gamble. Our what is ICM page explains how tournament equity changes as stacks shift, and why the chip leader gains an extra edge at the later stages.
What Makes the Malta Stop Notable
Malta has a long history as a poker destination, with a number of well-known festivals in recent years. But this was the first time a WSOP Circuit ring event was hosted on the island. The fact that the Main Event passed 879 entries in year one is a positive sign for the Circuit's international expansion.
It also fits a wider pattern. The WSOP Circuit has been adding European stops this year, and our coverage of WSOP Circuit's global footprint across five countries shows how the brand has moved beyond its traditional US base. Spain's first stop, in Madrid, is next on the calendar, and we cover it in a separate report.
The Paradise Connection
Topazio's prize included a €5,000 package for WSOP Paradise, the December festival at Baha Mar in the Bahamas. This is an increasingly common way for the WSOP to link its live Circuit events to its biggest international series. The 2026 Paradise schedule includes 20 bracelet events and $120 million in guarantees, as we covered in our WSOP Paradise 2026 guide.
For players, the takeaway is that Circuit events serve a dual purpose. They are attractive on their own, with cash prizes and a ring for each winner, and they act as qualifiers for the larger series. If you are building a path to a bracelet event, entering a Circuit stop can be a more affordable route than buying in directly to a high buy-in event. Our WSOP schedule page and tournaments page explain the schedule structure and where to find similar events.
Lessons for Tournament Players
There are some useful lessons from the way this event played out.
Chip lead is leverage
Topazio's decision to apply pressure at the final table is a standard example of using a stack as a weapon. If you hold the chip lead, the question is not whether to play your good hands, but how to maximise pressure on the shorter stacks without taking unnecessary risk yourself.
Players adapt
His comment about being "more mature" is a reminder that tournament players improve over time. Adjusting to different opponents, field sizes and structures is a core part of success in live events. If you are interested in building a consistent approach, our poker strategy section covers fundamentals for both tournaments and cash games.
Fields are getting bigger
An 879-entry field at €1,500 is a healthy turnout. Larger fields mean more weak players and more variance. That is good for recreational players in terms of potential payouts, but it also means that the winner must navigate several days of play against a wide range of opponents.
What This Means for Players
If you are considering live tournaments in Europe, the Malta stop shows that mid-priced events can draw strong participation and decent prize pools. A €1,500 buy-in is accessible to many serious recreational players, and the payout structure rewards deep runs while keeping the top prize meaningful at €200,000.
The Paradise package is another reason to pay attention to Circuit events. Even if you do not win, the series can be a stepping stone to bigger tournaments. Online, many of the major rooms also run satellites to live events. Our Americas Cardroom review and BetOnline poker review cover sites that run tournament series for players in eligible regions.
Looking Ahead
The WSOP Circuit's next European stop is Madrid, followed by a packed winter schedule. Topazio, meanwhile, will head to the Bahamas in December with a Paradise package in hand. For a first-year event, Malta delivered what organisers would have wanted: a large field, a million-euro prize pool and a clean, popular champion.
The most important point may be that the Circuit's expansion is working. Fields are large enough to support significant payouts, players travel for the events, and the link to WSOP Paradise gives winners a reason to keep playing. If that pattern holds, expect more first-time stops across Europe in the years ahead.