Champion player Ken Lennaard is known as ‘Mr Poker’. Photo: PokerListings.comA mid-stakes poker tournament in Malta is fast becoming one of Europe’s premier events, thrusting the island into the industry’s limelight, according to champion player Ken Lennaard.
“It’s more than just a tournament. It’s the beginning of an exciting era for Malta,” the poker pro said.
The high brow competition, Battle of Malta, is a no-limit, hold’em poker tournament organised by online site, pokerlistings.com, last month.
Held at the Portomaso Casino, the event attracted about 900 players all vying for the €430,000 prize pool.
“I’ve played in some of the biggest tournaments in the world and I was really impressed by what happened here. This is putting Malta on the poker map. People are really talking about it,” Mr Lennaard told Times of Malta.
Known as ‘Mr Poker’ in the international cards community, Mr Lennaard offered this newspaper a unique glimpse into the cagey world of high-stakes poker.
“Professional poker is a very lonely world. Most of it is introspective and I suppose that’s why the outside world doesn’t know much about it.
“On the tables, your character is stripped naked and, trust me, that’s not always a beautiful thing,” he said as he prepared for the Swedish Poker Championship hosted at the same casino last week.
This is putting Malta on the poker map. People are really talking about it
Asked how long he expected to be at tables for the Swedish event, Mr Lennaard said he was “in it to win it”, which in competition terms translated to a gruelling 12-hour shift from 4pm to 4am.
He explained that a strict health regimen helped build up his stamina for the long stretches on the felt.
“When I first started I couldn’t keep up with the pros, many of whom would take regular doses of drugs every second hour. That’s never been my thing, so, instead, I keep fit and stay hydrated,” he said, admitting that he had dabbled in a few home-made remedies but reverted back to exercise when the chips were down.
Pokerlistings.com editor Matt Showell said the Battle of Malta’s relatively low buy-in of €550 and inclusive service had attracted world class players such as Vegas titans Dan Cates and Andreas Hoivold.
A little over €250,000 was split between the nine finalists with home-grown player, Konrad Abela, walking away with a neat €52,000 in second place at the final hand.
The event grew an unprecedented 245 per cent over the debut competition last year and has been widely touted by industry publications as a “must do”.
Mr Lennaard believes the tournament could become a major asset for the niche tourism sector.
“This event and others like it are attracting hundreds of players to Malta. These are very particular people who like to gamble and spend big money- predominantly on entertainment,” he said.
Mr Lennaard insisted, however, that poker players were not all thrill seeking “wild cards”.
Himself a recent father, Mr Lennaard said many high stake players would relish the chance to merge professional playing with a family break.
Some have turned holiday breaks into full-time relocations as a string of foreign poker pros, including Mustapha Kanit and former world champion Fillipo Candio, have relocated to Malta in recent years, citing legal online poker and friendlier tax laws as the main incentives.
“You’ve got a good thing going here and I’m sure the industry is going to blossom,” Mr Lennaard said.