I had the chance to interview WSOP Tournament Director Andy Tillman as he joined the Battle of Malta. He shared his thoughts on the opening day of the series, his first time traveling to Malta, and his experience working with the local tournament staff and dealers.
“It’s my first time in Malta, so it’s a new experience—a place I’ve always wanted to visit for poker,” an elated Tillman shared. He is in Malta to help run the 2025 Battle of Malta and added that it will be an interesting weekend. While the fields are much smaller than those he is used to during the summer at the World Series of Poker, Tillman noted, “It just seems like everybody’s been enjoying themselves, meeting each other again. It’s been really relaxed so far, but we’ll see what happens this weekend.”
Tillman, who has extensive international experience working alongside WSOP Circuit stops, commented on his first impressions of the Malta dealers. “It’s my first time working with these dealers, but they seem to be doing well so far. It’s only day two, but everyone’s been friendly, and there haven’t been any issues.” Always up for a challenge, Tillman added that he was most excited to see the chaos that comes with the Battle of Malta. “Last year, they had 800 entries on Day 1c. This year, I’m expecting closer to 1,800.” The fall iteration of the series garnered 5,799 entries for the main event leading to a massive prize pool of €2,578,172.
Tillman wrapped up the interview by inviting us to check in on him later in the week to see how he’s holding up. He joked that he would try not to work too hard in the coming week. Check back later in the week for a follow-up interview, and stay tuned for all your Battle of Malta news.
