Possible soft play at Battle of Malta 2025 Main Event Final Table – missing hand
Has anyone
else noticed a potentially suspicious hand missing from the official *Battle of Malta 2025 Main Event Final Table* stream? Hand summary (based on screenshot evidence): -
Players: Candido (BB) vs Luigi (Button)
Board: 7♠️ 3♠️ J♥️ 10♦️ 4♣️
Candido: J♣️2♣️ (top pair) -
Luigi: Q♥️5♥️ (no pair, no draw) -
Action: Luigi bets 3.2M into 7.3M → Candido *folds top pair* despite being chip leader.
This looks highly irregular — possibly soft play or chip dumping, especially given both players are from the same country (Italy). Even stranger: the official YouTube stream ([link here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCi1ueiE...)) appears to start later in the day, omitting this and other early hands from the final table. Screenshot attached shows the board and stacks clearly. I’m *not accusing anyone directly*, but this seems worth public and official review for tournament integrity. Has anyone: - Saved a *full copy* of the live stream before edits? - Noticed similar hands between Italian players during the final? Tagging for visibility: #BattleOfMalta #pokerintegrity #chipdumping #softplay Would appreciate any confirmation, timestamps, or other footage you might have.
5 Replies
Top pair no kicker vs guy who betting all-in (almost) on a final table. Not a great spot to bluff-catch.
Obvious soft play, not at the level either of them will face any consequences. I think the cherry on top is that the 2nd guy is in the celebrating photo looking thrilled. Kinda seems a bit weird to chop with a 60bb advantage unless you are friends with the other guy but mby people are that nitty.
It's not ideal but would be surprised if these things not happen on a regular basis. I don't got access to icm sims. But for BB it's a 4.5bb call which is huge relative to pot size and BU should bet KT+ for value.
pretty sure thats soft play from them
