Friend of the site Phil Pearson was one of the most entertaining fixtures at this year’s Battle of Malta. He didn’t just play a ton of tournaments—he made each one a spectacle. Whether it was wild side bets, spur-of-the-moment charity donations, or just general chaos, Pearson brought the kind of energy that makes live poker so much fun to watch (and write about). Let’s break down some of his best moments from the series, including a quick chat he had with poker.pro where he dove into the heart of his hijinks.
Pearson Turns the Action Up to Eleven
A Blind All-In for Charity
Day 1c of the €600 Battle of Malta Main Event kicked off like any other… until whispers of a Phil Pearson stunt began to circulate. Pearson—who has a big heart for causes like ALS charities—decided to combine his love of action with a good cause. The plan? Go all-in every hand until he either doubled up or busted, all while raising money for charity.
With friends placing side bets, Pearson either got his buy-in back if he lost, or if he won, he’d donate €1,000 to ALS research at the cost of €400 out of his own pocket. It was a win-win: gamble hard, raise some funds, and entertain the crowd.
The table, already in on the plan, gave him a walk on Hand #1. He flipped over J♣2♣—clearly not the heater he was hoping for. The next hand, though, he jammed early and found action.
Phil Pearson: 9♠3♥
Opponent: A♥8♦
The board ran out 10♦8♠10♥3♣2♥ — giving both players a piece, but not enough for Phil, who was left with just 200 chips.
On the very next hand, he was all-in blind again, and two players went to war in a side pot. The board: 8♥K♣J♥7♥4♦. Action folded down to a big shove and fold, and Pearson’s opponent tabled 10♥4♥ for a flush.
Phil flipped over 5♣9♠, laughed it off, and hit the rail.
The Rebuy Runback
Never one to go quietly, Pearson rebought and quickly caught fire—flopping top set early and cruising to a solid stack. He ran deep into the day with steady momentum and sharp play, but in the end, the run fell just short of a cash.
Still, win or lose, Phil made sure it wasn’t just another tournament day. He brought energy, laughs, and a bit of heart to the tables. We caught up with him after the fact to talk degeneracy, side bets, and the fun of mixing poker with personality.
Kings vs Aces and a Glimmer of Hope
Pearson wasn’t done yet. He re-entered and soon found himself in a monster pot—his K♦K♣ up against A♦A♠ with nearly 200,000 in the middle. A king in the window had him dreaming, but an ace on the turn crushed the comeback. The river blanked, and just like that, his second bullet was gone.
On his final try, there were no fireworks—just steady grinding. By the dinner break, he was sitting on 180,000 with blinds at 1,000/1,500/1,500.
Between hands, conversation turned to deli plans in Malta, but we circled back to the action.
We asked: did all the tight play throughout the day balance out the early shoves?
“No, I four-bet bluffed six-deuce off suit earlier. Keep up the variance. That was fun. They folded, so it worked. But we also make little side bets. There’s me and a couple of other people doing… How many people will enter? How many will be out by the next break? If they will delay because they f*** up the sound system, that kind of thing.”
The €108K PLO Flip
Of course, we couldn’t leave without asking about his biggest degenerate moment.
“How degenerate are we going? So, we have a cash game in Malta outside of this… At the end of the last one I was at, three people, one of them including me, did a €36,000 each flip of PLO 10.”
He laughed and continued:
“So, we’re slowly turning over one card at a time to see who’s winning. And my first two cards give me the straight, but there’s flushes, there’s everything… Somehow I dodge 10 outs twice and win with straight for €108,000. I had like eighth nuts, but they both had three cards left to turn… And none of them had flushes, and I just somehow dodged all three.”
Part 2: High Roller Mayhem
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
Phil Pearson, clearly not content with the chaos already caused, decided to up the ante with another wild stunt—this time in the €1,100 High Roller. Echoing his antics from the Main Event, he and his friend Killian Desnos agreed to shove all in blind until they either doubled up or busted out.
The action didn’t take long.
On the very first hand, Desnos was all in, and two players made the call. The cards were tabled:
Killian Desnos: J♣8♠
Late Position: A♦K♠
Big Blind: K♥K♦
It looked grim—until the flop came 7♣8♣8♦, flipping the script and putting Desnos firmly in the lead with trips. The board ran out 7♠Q♦, and his hand held to lock up an early triple-up.
At another table, Pearson moved all in from early position and was called by the big blind. Both players tabled their hands.
Phil Pearson: 7♠2♣
Big Blind: J♥J♣
Pearson was a massive underdog, holding just a 12% chance to win. But the flop of 2♦Q♠4♣ gave him a glimmer of hope with bottom pair. The K♠ on the turn changed nothing, leaving him with just five outs.
Then, as fate would have it, the river landed the 7♣, giving Pearson two pair and the improbable double-up.
With double the starting stack, Pearson and Desnos looked poised for a deep run. Unfortunately, neither would make the money, both busting later in the day.
Still, Pearson’s appearance at the Battle of Malta was unforgettable—equal parts action, entertainment, and pure degeneracy. It was poker in its rawest form: a gamble for glory with a heart for good, as approximately €2,200 was raised for charity along the way.
