When one of your friends runs deep in a tournament or wins a side event, it’s already a big deal. But two friends winning the same Main Event feels like an even rarer feat.
But rare isn’t impossible and just two years after Cosme Gomez triumphed in the 2024 Autumn Edition, Alejandro Asenjo eventually managed to take down the 2026 Battle of Malta Summer Edition Main Event at Casino Malta.
From a field of 2,667 entries that generated a €1,186,962 prize pool, Asenjo emerged victorious after a four-way deal was agreed. He locked up €94,520 before doubling up multiple times to claim the trophy.
He defeated Marko Cosic (€90,850) in a very short heads-up battle, while Stavros Passias finished third for the largest payout of €114,150. Chip leader going into the final table, Georgios Papakonstantinou, completed the deal in fourth place for €100,800.
2026 Battle of Malta Summer Edition Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alejandro Asenjo | Spain | €94,520* |
| 2 | Marko Cosic | Serbia | €90,850* |
| 3 | Stavros Passias | Greece | €114,150* |
| 4 | Georgios Papakonstantinou | Greece | €100,800* |
| 5 | Angelo Censabella | Italy | €43,900 |
| 6 | Danilo Scevola | Italy | €35,600 |
| 7 | Gianluca Donini | Italy | €27,050 |
| 8 | Fredrick Bratein | Norway | €19,350 |
*denotes four-way deal
Winner’s Reaction
Asenjo could not hide his joy after his victory as friends surrounded him with bottles of champagne. “I feel very good, it’s the first Main Event win in my life,” he said with a big smile, also recalling a previous victory in a side event at the 2024 WPO Bratislava.
The Spanish pro from Madrid came to Malta with his friend Cosme Gomez, who won the 2024 Autumn Edition of the Battle of Malta Main Event. While matching that achievement seemed unlikely, Asenjo ultimately managed to do just that, securing the biggest cash of his career in the process. “Malta is always very good for us,” he joked as he was asked for selfies by other players.
Asenjo qualified through the final starting flight, Day 1g, and crossed the million-chip mark on Day 2. Although his stack remained pretty much unchanged on Day 3, he still navigated his way into the final table in the chip-leading group by Day 4.
Beyond skill, he also had luck on his side after a four-way deal was made and the players agreed to go all in blind for the trophy. “Whatever happens happens,” he said to his opponents, already content with locking up €94,520. He initially lost the first four-way all-in and found himself short, but won all the other preflop confrontations to capture the 2026 Battle of Malta title.
This victory could now change his future plans. “I sold my WSOP package earlier this week so I was not planning on going to Vegas. But with this win… maybe!” he added. Let’s see if the knight trophy will have a bracelet around its wrist in a few weeks.
Final Table Action
The final table did not begin at a particularly fast pace, with only a single double-up by Danilo Scevola recorded before the first break.
At the restart, Fredrick Bratein found himself with less than a big blind in the big blind and was forced all in. Holding five-deuce against queen-deuce, he was unable to improve and became the first player eliminated at the final table in 8th place for €19,350.
Moments later, Gianluca Donini won a flip against the eventual champion to double up, but was soon involved in another all-in confrontation. This time, both he and Asenjo were called by Cosic’s kings. While Asenjo spiked an ace to survive, Donini with king-ten was eliminated in 7th place for €27,050.
Scevola then doubled up for the second time thanks to a lucky river but remained short. A few hands later, he shoved again, only for his fives to fall short against Passias’ ace-ten which flopped top pair.
With five players remaining, Angelo Censabella four-bet with king-jack offsuit but folded after Passias five-bet all in with queens. That hand cost him half of his stack, which he pushed ten minutes later with king-jack again. Facing Cosic’s pocket fours, he flopped trips and was on his way to double, but Cosic hit a two-outer on the turn to send the Italian to the rail.
Down to four players, a deal was made to split the money and play for the trophy. However, after Asenjo secured a big double through Papakonstantinou, all four players agreed to go all in preflop in the next hands to decide the winner.
In the first of those showdowns, Cosic hit two pair with nine-seven to take a commanding lead, while Papakonstantinou was eliminated in 4th place for €100,800. Asenjo then managed to triple up twice, leaving Passias on the side of the road in 3rd place for €114,150.
Heads-up then lasted only two hands. Asenjo first doubled to level stacks, then he went on to capture the Main Event title in the very next hand.
This concludes PokerNews’ coverage of the Battle of Malta Summer Edition. The circuit will soon be back on the road, this time far from Malta, with a stop in Bratislava, Slovakia, from September 7 to 14!
