Tereza Vernerova Becomes Battle of Malta’s First Female Main Event Champion
The €600 Autumn Edition Main Event drew 5,368 entries before Vernerova prevailed in a 12-hour final table.
- Vernerova won €162,635 and the Knight Trophy after a three-way ICM deal.
- The €600 Main Event drew 5,368 entries and generated a €2.4 million prize pool.
- She began the final day with roughly one-third of the chips in play.
- Ofer Tadmor finished runner-up, while James Malatynski placed third.
- The win earned Vernerova an invitation to the 2027 Battle of Malta tour.
Tereza Vernerova won the €600 no-limit hold’em Battle of Malta Autumn Edition Main Event, becoming the first woman to capture the festival’s Main Event title. She outlasted a field of 5,368 entries at Casino Malta and defeated Ofer Tadmor heads-up after a final table that ran for more than 12 hours.
Vernerova collected €162,635 and the Knight Trophy. PokerNews reported that the final three, Vernerova, Tadmor and James Malatynski, agreed to an ICM deal that guaranteed each player more than €124,000, while €22,635 and the trophy remained in play. Malatynski ultimately finished third.
The Main Event generated a €2.4 million prize pool. Before the deal, the listed first prize was €227,835. The final table also included players representing eight different countries.
Vernerova brought a large stack into the closing day. Battle of Malta’s live blog recorded her with 68.75 million chips at the end of Day 4, more than twice Tadmor’s 31.25 million and roughly one-third of all chips in play. Eight players remained at that point, each assured at least €21,150.
Her route to the final table included eliminating Vasileios Tsaknis in 12th place and Alessandro De Michele in 10th, holding pocket kings on both hands. At the final eight, she had 172 big blinds but lost chips when Tadmor made a river straight flush, then regained momentum by doubling through Marios Kapiris with pocket kings.
In the heads-up match, Vernerova took control when she flopped trips against Tadmor’s top two pair in a major pot. She sealed the title by calling Tadmor’s final all-in with trip tens; the turn and river did not improve his hand.
“I think it’s one of the best feelings in my life,” Vernerova said after the win. “I’m very happy to be the first woman champion.” She said she had been nervous going into her first final table of that size, and credited her husband with helping her prepare and supporting her during the tournament.
The victory also earned Vernerova an invitation to join the 2027 Battle of Malta tour, which is planned to visit Barcelona, Bratislava and Tallinn before returning to Malta for a summer edition.
