2026 The Festival Weekend Vilnius Live Blog

Franke came into the heads-up battle with an overwhelming chip lead. In Sviten Special, Reinis Kluss called in the small and Franke checked his option. Both checked the J 6 10 flop. Franke drew two, and Kluss drew one. He declined the 2 , which he got face up. On the 4 turn, Kluss bet 80,000. Franke reraised and Kluss called.

Franke had A 5 6 Q Q . Kluss had 10 8 3 4 A for two pair. The 9 gave Franke a flush, and his pair of queens in hand was good to take the whole pot. Below are the payouts.

And that is all for now, folks. The Festival will return in nine days to the Czech countryside for a week-long stretch at King’s Resort in Rozvadov.

Theilemann was forced all in for 35,000 in the big blind. Franke folded and let Reinis Kluss call in the small blind. Both players drew 2 and they showed down. Kluss had the nut flush and nines in hand with 9 9 2 6 A and Theilemann had 7 3 3 6 K , and was drawing dead.

Joshua Theilemann doubled through Franke in Stud8. He made kings and sixes, which bested Franke’s aces and missed a low draw. The Festival founder is still clear at the top of the chip counts.

Franke raised to 60,000 from the small blind. Joshua Theilemann moved all in for 74,000 in the big blind. Franke drew two, Theilemann drew three. Franke then drew two, Theilemann one. Both players drew one on the final draw.

Theilemann had the best of it with 2 5 6 7 8 and he doubled. “Always draw three, thats the tactic” said Theilemann, and this has been a running joke at the final table. The majority of times, each player has drawn three and made a winning hand on the first draw has been above average.

Theilemann then doubled up Reinis Kluss, as the latter made the nuts with 2 3 4 5 7 . Kluss was in for 41,000.

Reinis Kluss opened to 50,000. Franke called in the small blind. Joshua Theilemann moved all in for 69,000. Kluss called and Franke raised to 75,000. Kluss called. The 7 10 8 flop sae Franke lead for 25,000 and Kluss fold. Franke had 2 3 8 6 against Theilemann’s 5 7 7 9 .

Franke had outs to scoop but the A turn and J turn and river saw Theilemann take half the pot with a set and Franke take the other with a six-eight low.

On the flop of K 5 A in PLO8, Reinis Kluss bet 25,000 from the small blind. Franke called in the big blind. The 9 turn was checked around before Kluss led for 50,000 on the 2 river. “Call” said Franke. Kluss tabled A 4 6 9 for two pair and a low. Franke had Q 2 6 4 for the same low and no high.

In Sviten Special, Reinis Kluss called in the small blind. Franke checked his option. Both players checked the A 6 Q flop. Franke discarded one and Kluss took two. Franke accepted the 3 face up.

On the 6 Kluss bet 40,000. Franke made it 80,000. Kluss then clicked it up for to 120,000. Franke called and was all in. The players showed down on the 4 river. Franke had the wheel in hand, ace through five, and Kluss had two pair in hand sixes and threes and quads on board. The players chopped the pot.

In 2-7 Triple Draw, Joshua Theilemann opened to 30,000 from the small blind. Kluss made it 45,000. Theilemann called. Thielemann pat and Kluss drew three. “You take no cards? What the fuck is this? Punish him dealer” said Kluss. Thielemann bet 15,000 and Kluss said “ok, I raise” before making it 30,000. Thielemann called. He stood pat again and Kluss drew one. Theilemann bet 15,000, Kluss raised all in for 31,000. Thielemann called. Both pat the last draw.

Kluss had the winner with 2 3 6 7 8 to double up and put Franke back into the chip lead.

Fabio Bianchi was all in and at risk versus Joshua Theilemann for 5,000. Bianchi bust as he made two pair across seven streets with 5 J 2 4 K J 2 . Theilemann had A 2 4 7 10 2 10 A for a ten-low.

Theilemann then bust the last Italian standing, Carlo Braccini, again in Razz.

Fabio Bianchi limped with blinds at 6,000/12,000 in PLO8. Franke called in the small blind and Joshua Theilemann checked his option. The 5 2 2 flop was checked around. Franke then led for 24,000 on the Q . Bianchi folded and Franke called. The J river was checked down. Theilemann had 2 3 9 9 for three of a kind.

Across two hands of Stud Hi, Franke has dispatched Grzegorz Iskra and Juergen Fittschen. Fittschen was all in on third street, and the players showed down.

Fittschen had 2 10 Q 5 9 6 4 for queen-high, and Franke’s 10 10 J 8 3 5 4 was good to take the pot and score a second elimination in quick succession.

Action was picked up with seven-card stud action in play. Franke went to bet his hand with 8 8 J and Bianchi went to muck Q 10 . Franke then said, “I check I will be nice.” He then hit the J and snap-led for 20,000 before the dealer gave Bianchi another Q . Bianchi called.

Franke led again on his 7 , Bianchi had the 2 . “This is a very strange hand, I have two pairs. You go to bet then you check.” Bianchi went into the tank before finding the laydown with queens and fours. Franke revealed he made trip eights.

The Festival’s resident Dutchman, Melvin Schroen, has missed out on the Baby TORSES Supreme Final Table as he fell during a Sviten Special hand. The final table has come together, and it is none other than The Festival founder and Mixed Games enthusiast, Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk, who is atop the counts. Fabio Bianchi and Grzegorz Iskra are on short-stack duties. Below are the payouts.

In Stud Hi-Lo, Quinten Spyckerelle brought in with 2 showing. Albertas Voišnarovič completed with the A before Spyckerelle reraised. Voišnarovič called. Voišnarovič was given the Q and bet 15,000. Spyckerelle called with the 9 . He then led for 30,000 as he paired his deuce with the 2 . “Put the rest in” said Voišnarovič, he had been given a jack. Spyckerelle obliged and tossed in his last 1,000.

By seventh street, both players had two pair but no low. Spyckerelle had two pair with threes and deuces, but Voišnarovič had queens and eights for a superior two pair. Voišnarovič was happy with his victory, saying “I am more than happy, I was the only person at the table drinking alcohol as well. I play a lot of Mixed Games online so I think I have an edge on the field.”

He completes a Lithuanian Main Event double on the debut of The Festival Weekend Vilnius. Below are the payouts.

Quinten Spyckerelle was all in for 45,000 before the draws in 2-7. He drew 1 and pat two streets. Albertas Voišnarovič drew 1 three times. Spyckerelle had 2 4 6 8 9 to take the pot.

Vinci Pasqale has become the latest elimination in the TORSES Mixed Games Main Event. Quinten Spyckerelle has 64,000 and Albertas Voišnarovič has a whopping 625,000.

Play is now three-handed after the departure of Ericks Gedirocs. Albertas Voišnarovič still leads the way, and Quinten Spyckerelle is in second place. Vinci Pasqale is very short-stacked.

Gerardas Lukšėnas and Liutauras Armanavičius decided to flip for the trophy. Armanavičius had 9 6 , and Gerardas Lukšėnas had Q 3 . Lukšėnas took the lead on the 2 Q J flop, and Armanavičius was drawing dead on the 3 turn. There were calls for another queen from his compatriot and TORSES Main Event chipleader, Albertas Voišnarovič. The deck obliged, and Lukšėnas sealed the deal with the Q river. He takes home an additional €2,100 in bounties. Armanavičius won €4,200. Below are the payouts exclusive of bounties.

Jens Rössel has fallen in the TORSES Main Event. Albertas Voišnarovič has continued his spin-up, and he is now the clear chip leader.

Liutauras Armanavičius opened to 160,000 on the button with blinds at 80,000/160,000. Marc Gork reraised all in and was snap-called. He was the shortest stack at the table, and his stack of around 1,200,000 found the middle with his K Q . Armanavičius had A K . Ace-high was good across the J J 9 2 3 .

Peter Bergman moved all in for 720,000 from the button. Marc Gork called in the big blind. Bergmans 10 10 were dominated by the J J of Gork. Bergman was left with under a big blind after the 2 6 A 2 7 runout.

Bergman’s last 25,000 was in the middle, and the remaining players had a family pot for a big blind a head. The 5 9 J flop was checked to Armanavičius who bet 110,000. Gork folded and Lukšėnas called. He check-called again on the K turn, this time a bet of 220,000. He then led for around 775,000 on the 10 river. Armanavičius folded. “Flush,” declared Lukšėnas, as he tabled 5 2 . Bergman’s A 8 was no good and he hit the payout desk after a friendly goodbye to his table mates.

In the TORSES Main Event, Eriks Gedroics was all in and covered by Quinten Spyckerelle and Vinci Pasqale. Gedroics and Spyckerelle chopped it up, as the former made trip tens with 10 10 10 8 Q K J . Spyckerelle had A 2 3 4 6 7 for the low.

Three of the top four hail from Italy in the Baby TORSES Supreme. Currently, 18 players have entered the final tournament of the weekend, a few of whom are taking to the Mixed Game streets for the first time. Two of these players are the Bratislava 2026 Main Event champion, Petros Theodosiou, and Crazy Pineapple runner-up from this weekend, Markus Kaerpijoki. Self-proclaimed best poker player in Europe, Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk, is, of course, in the mix. Below are the counts of the top 4.

Albertas Voišnarovič called a raise in the big blind versus Eriks Gedroics in the small blind. The J 7 2 flop saw Gedorics lead for 8,000 and Voišnarovič raise to 16,000. Gedroics called. He then check-called 16,000 wagers across the 3 turn and K river. Voišnarovič had the winner with J 2 5 4 .

Matteo Crapanzano has become the latest elimination in the TORSES Main Event. He has now become the bubble boy, as a deal was made between the final five to give a payout to fifth place. Below are the updated payouts.

Raymond de Groot moved all in for around 700,000 from the small blind. Gerardas Lukšėnas called in the big blind. de Groot was dominated, as his A 3 was covered by the A Q of Lukšėnas. Kicker played across the 4 10 9 9 K runout.

Jari-Pekka Hurri moved all in from the button for 450,000. Liutauras Armanavičius called from the big blind. He had 8 7 against Hurri’s A 4 . Armanavičius made two pair across the 8 4 7 6 2 runout to bust Hurri.

Bergman was next up against Armanavičius. He jammed 460,000 from the button with A 9 . Armanavičius called with A J . Bergman flopped his opponent dead across the 5 Q 6 8 A runout.

It is a Lithuanian 1-2 atop the counts in the Main Event.

Jens Rössel is still atop the counts in the TORSES Main Event.

Gerardas Lukšėnas was all in and at risk versus Liutauras Armanavičius in quick succession. Firstly, he doubled with A 3 against K 5 across the J 3 6 J 6 . A few hands later versus the same opponent, he jammed over a button open for 1,060,000 with A 8 . Armanavičius made the call.

Lukšėnas flopped a flush draw and rivered a pair to best the superior holding of A 9 across the 6 K 2 6 8 to double.

Liutauras Armanavičius opened to 100,000 from the button. Marc Gork three-bet to 325,000 from the small blind. Armanavičius called. The 9 4 9 flop was checked around before Gork check-called a bet of 400,000 on the 8 turn. Gork checked again on the 8 river. Armanavičius then bed 800,000. Gork tanked for a moment before flicking in the call. He had A A but was bested by A 9 .

The next hand, Gork was all in for 625,000 versus Armanavičius once again. Gork had another premium in the form of K K and Armanavičius had A 10 . Gork made quads across the J 2 10 K K .

Albertas Voišnarovič was all in in the small blind versus Vinci Pasquale in the big blind in 2-7 Triple Draw. Voišnarovič drew one and Pasquale stood pat. Both players pat the following two draws. Voišnarovič had the winner with 2 4 6 7 8 to best the 2 3 4 6 9 of Pasqale. Voišnarovič then asked in jest whether he could pick the next game as he won the hand.

The final table has been reached in the TORSES Main Event. So far, Aleksej Staroverov has been the only elimination. Jens Rössel and Vinci Pasquale are the biggest stacks in play. The field will be in the money when four players remain.

Kęstutis Jungevičius opened to 80,000 from the hijack. Peter Bergman called in the small blind and Liutauras Armanavičius defended the big blind. The 7 2 4 flop was checked around. Bergman then led for 155,000 on the 10 turn. Armanavičius called and Jungevičius moved all in for around 500,000. Bergman folded and Armanavičius called. He had 6 9 against Jungevičius’s A 10 . An ace hit the river, but it was the A to give Armanavičius a flush. There were handshakes all round before Jungevičius collected his payout.

Here is the lineup taking to the felt from the start of the Baby TORSES Supreme.

Liutauras Armanavičius opened from the hijack to 80,000 with the blinds at 20,000/40,000. Sigitas Raila moved all in for 545,000 from the button. Action folded around to Armanavičius who went into the tank for a minute or so before making the call.

His 5 5 was in bad shape on the flop against Raila’s A J , as the dealer fanned the A 10 3 flop. The 10 gave both players two pair, but the 5 gave Armanavičius a full house.

Action was picked up with all in and call was announced. Sigitas Raila moved all in from the big blind over an under the gun open from Kęstutis Jungevičius, who had A Q . Raila had A 9 . It was plain sailing for Jungevičius across the 2 2 10 6 flop and turn, but the 9 river bailed Raila out and kept him in the tournament.

A hand or two later, Raila was all in again with A K from the cutoff. Gerardas Lukšėnas made the call from the big blind with A 9 . He picked up a flush draw on the K 10 J flop, but couldn’t hit across the A turn or J river.

In the TORSES final day, Giorgio Savignone was all in for 10,000 in Seven Card Stud. He was called by Quentin Spyckerelle, who had him covered. He made queens up across the seven streets, and Savignone could only catch a pair of jacks.

Liutauras Armanavičius opened to 60,000 with blinds at 15,000/30,000. Marc Gork called on the button, and Kęstutis Jungevičius reraised from the big blind. Armanavičius folded, and Gork moved all in. Jungevičius called with 9 9 . Gork had K K .

The cowboys held up across the 5 10 A 7 5 to propel Gork up the chip counts.

The players are filtering through the double doors at Olympic Casino Lietuva here in the Lithuanian capital. The Main Event and TORSES final frames will kick off in the coming minutes. Below are the chip counts of the players returning for the final day of Festival action.

TORSES Chip Counts

Main Event Chip Counts and Bounties

Blogger is resigning for the night. The Big Bounty FT rolls on. 12 are left in the last Bomb Pot Feature of the week, and only 6 will be paid. Below are the payouts for the PLO4/5/6.

The Festival is once again represented at the final table, as photographer Mairo Toom has made his first ft of the Weekend. He will need a spin-up to win as he’s towards the bottom end of the chip counts. Torgil Hellman appears to be the biggest stack. Below are the payouts exclusive of bounties.

Play has stopped for Day 1 in the €350 TORSES Main Event. Jens Rössel has the chip lead heading into the final day, and play will resume at 12 p.m. local time.

Registration is closed, and there is a level and change left to play in the TORSES Main Event. Below are the payouts.

Here are the chip counts and bounties from the Main Event.

Marc Gork opened from early position to 60,000 with blinds at 15,000/30,000. Petros Theodosiou moved all in for 200,000 from the button, Jari-Pekka Hurri followed suit in the small blind for 250,000. Gork made the call with A Q , Theodosiou had Q 10 and Hurri had A 10 .

The 5 4 3 kept Gork ahead, as did the K turn. There were calls for a ten, and the deck obliged, with the 10 hitting the river to give Hurri a needed triple up. Theodosiou was left with crumbs.

A few hands later, Theodosiou moved in for 65,000 with 8 5 . Liutauras Armanavičius raised to 450,000 with J J from the button. Both blinds folded. “Jacks never win,” said Theodosiou, and Armanavičius agreed. However, unfortunately for Theodosiou, it was one of the rare occasions where jacks were good, as the 4 6 A A 3 runout gave Armanavičius two pair.

As The Festival Founder, Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk, is an accommodating host, he decided to give a 75-minute dinner break to the players in the €350 TORSES Main Event, mainly so the Italian players in attendance here at Olympic Casino Lietuva can take their time and enjoy a hearty meal.

As the clock ticked down towards the restart of the tournament, players began to return to the felt for the start. However, there was a distinct lack of Italians, some of whom had gone across town to find somewhere to eat. Slowly but surely, they started to return to their seats, and miraculously, the tournament resumed without too many hiccups.

In the Main Event, Petros Theodosiou opened to 50,000 with blinds at 10,000/25,000 from early position. Kęstutis Jungevičius called in the small blind before Raymond de Groot moved all in for 480,000. Theodosiou then moved all in for 65,000. Jungevičius folded and the players showed down. de Groot had K K and Theodosiou had A 10 .

The flop of 5 A 9 saw Theodosiou take the lead, but the K turned the tables in de Groot’s favour. The 5 river changed nothing other than the chip counts.

Granit Haziraj opened pocket fours off a short-stack. Gerardas Lukšėnas put him all in from the blinds. Haziraj went deep into the tank for over 5 minutes before making the call. It was a pure flip, with Lukšėnas having queen-jack off suit. The runout of 6 [J 3 2 6 gave both players two pair, but Lukšėnas had the best of it. The players took a quick break, and play will stop for the day when eight players remain.

The TORSES field is currently on a dinner break. Jens Rössel is currently in the lead, but “Franke” is in hot pursuit on his second bullet.

Here are the players who will be playing for big bounties in the €200 NLH Big Bounty. Of the €200 buy-in, €150 will go into the bounty prize pool. If you like to get it in and play for stacks and cash, this is the tournament for you.

Here are the players who have been sent to the payout desk in the Main Event.

Kęstutis Jungevičius has built upon his chip lead in the Main Event PKO here at Olympic Casino Lietuva. Marc Gork has moved up the counts into second. Below are the counts of the remaining 14 players.

Join our Hospitality host Christel Natri, online package winners, and members of The Festival team for a spot of darts and billiards at the Bronx Pool Club, located a short walk from Olympic Casino Lietuva, the perfect warm-up before this evening’s tournament action!

The Festival founder, Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk, was the first out in the TORSES Main Event Day 1. He was quickly followed to the rail by Luigi Canclini.

Raimonds Tuls, Jurgis Beinoras and Andrius Mažeika have become the first eliminations of the Main Event. Both have banked €650 plus bounties. In the €350 TORSES, 20 remain of the 20 entrants.

Here are the payouts in the Main Event, exclusive of bounties.

The final 20 will be taking to the felt at 4 p.m. local time in the €555 Main Event PKO. Below is the full list of players and their chip counts.

The bubble has burst in 1C of the Main Event with two back-to-back KO’s. Egidijus Matonis was all in with A J to double his short stack. Tomas Kovalenka called with K Q . He hit a king across the 5 K 2 J 8 runout.

Ryhor Karapanau was then all in for a big blind from the cutoff. Kovalenka called, as did big stack Raimonds Tuls in the small blind. Granit Haziraj then isojammed from the big blind. Both Kovalenka and Tuls folded. Karapanau had K 3 and Haziraj had A 6 . Ace high was still good after the 4 5 4 8 10 runout and confirmed the Day 2 field. The chip counts will be confirmed shortly.

The €350 TORSES Main Event Day 2 will start at 12 p.m. local time tomorrow, instead of the original scheduled time of 12.30 p.m.

Places in Day 2 of the Main Event are at a premium, and of the 16 remaining players, only 4 will make it through to Day 2, which kicks off at 3.30 p.m. local time.

1C Hyper Turbo flight registration has now closed. Here is a look at the overall Top 10 stacks from 1A and 1B.

The Mixed Game TORSES Main Event has just gotten underway here at Olympic Casino Lietuva. In the field is last night’s PLO5 Bomb Pot Feature winner, Fabio Bianchi, €350 Sviten Special runner-up Giorgio Savignone, and of course, The Festival Founder, Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk.

For those who are not playing until later, or on a break, consider going down to the river to check out the fourth Pink Soup Festival. Vilnius will be celebrating its love of illuminous pink soup called šaltibarščiai, which is served cold and made from beets. There are plenty of activities to get involved in, such as a floating parade which starts at Mindaugas Bridge and ends at White Bridge.

Hospitality package winners have already been down to visit to indulge in the local delicacy and get involved in the good vibes.

It’s just outside the front entrance to Olympic Casino, and is worth checking out to soak in the atmosphere of a truly local celebration. Check out more information here.

23 total entrants are in the last chance saloon in hopes of making it to today’s Day 2 of the €555 Main Event PKO. Registration remains open until the end of Level 12, so there is still plenty of time to register if you would like to battle it out for bounties. A proper international affair, 10 different nationalities are represented, from Lithuania to Barbados!

Remigijus Politika has completed a miraculous comeback to win the BigO. He was short-stacked for a decent amount of final table play before mounting a comeback to finish at the top of the Lithuanian podium. Below are the payouts.

The Freezeout and PLO Bomb Pot Feature will run into the small hours, and the results will be posted in the recap of today’s action, which will be up in the morning.

That’s all for now, folks. Until next time.

Here are the counts from 1B of the €555 Main Event PKO. Gintaras Naglius was in the top 10 for most of the day, and the home team representative bagged the biggest. Current Main Event champion Petros Theodosiou also bagged. Below are the chip counts of the 8 progressors.

Valentinas Liuzinas has gone from a dominant lead to a short stack in the €350 BigO. His compatriot Albertas Voišnarovič has taken the lead, and long-time short stack Remigijus Politika has moved up to second.

Now registration has closed, the payouts have been finalised. Here is what the remaining players are battling for in the €150 PLO5 Bomb Pot Feature.

Festival Founder Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk has been frozen out of the €200 Freezeout. Not aware that there was an open raise behind him, “Franke” decided to jam on the button to bully the small and big blind. Much to “Franke’s” dismay, he was snapped off by the open-raiser with ace-three offsuit. “Franke’s” five-deuce offsuit was dead on the flop. Cries of “I hate poker!” rang out across the tournament floor.

Frank Stüken has been stacked in the BigO, leaving a Lithuanian 1-2-3 battling it out for the title. Valentinas Liuzinas remains out in front with a strong advantage, and his compatriot Albertas Voišnarovič sits in second place. Remigijus Politika has a few chips and a chair and will need a drastic scoop-filled spin-up if he is to take down the title.

Tomas Kovalenka fell victim to the bubble in the €555 Main Event. The bounties are starting to build up, and the two biggest bounties accumulated from today’s session are worth €1,400 and €1,000. Both belong to the top two in the counts, Gintaras Naglius and Marc Gork. If you would like to try and win these bounties, there is a Hyper Turbo Flight at 11 a.m. local time tomorrow morning.

Nine remain in the field in 1B of the Main Event. Only 8 can progress to Day 2. The final table has been drawn, and it is Peter Bergman on short-stack duties. At a glance, it appears Marc Gork has taken the chip lead from Gintaras Naglius.

With registration now closed, here is what the remaining 32 players will be playing for in the €200 Freezeout. The Festival is represented by Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk and Melvin Schroen, who are somehow side by side at the table. Last nights Crazy Pineapple champion Lars Ridell is also in the field.

Carlo Braccini and Rita Paus have been the first in the money bust-outs in the BigO final table. Valentinas Liuzinas has a stranglehold on the table and has a huge chip advantage over the field. Below are the payouts and the up-to-date chip counts.

Gintaras Naglius has continued to build upon his chiplead stack in the penultimate Main Event flight. Friend of The Festival, Marc Gork, has been trending up and sits in second place. Below is the top 10, which also features The Festival Bratislava 2026 Main Event champion, Petros Theodosiou.

After some deliberation at the table, sixth place will now be paid. This also means that last night’s Sviten Special champion, Simone Fumagalli, has become the bubble boy. Below are the updated payouts.

A field of 21 players has come together to play the PLO5 Bomb Pot Feature here at Olympic Casino Lietuva. Last night’s PLO4 Bomb Pot Feature champion, Andreas “Wiseguy” Hogland, has taken to the felt to become a back-to-back Bomb Pot champion. Also in the field is Main Event chip leader, Kęstutis Jungevičius, as well as last night’s Sviten Special runner-up, Giorgio Savignone.

A total of 48 entrants have been made to the €200 NLH Freezeout. Each player can have one bullet and one bullet only! So far, 42 are left, with current Main Event chipleader Kęstutis Jungevičius being amongst the early exits. Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk and Berhan Ahmadi agreed to a last longer wager in this tournament, so “Franke” has taken the sensible decision to sit out to maximize his EV, as this is the one tournament he can’t fire a handful of bullets in.

Here is the final table lineup for the €350 BigO tournament. It is a Lithuanian 1-2 atop the counts, and the home nation is represented by 5th and 6th in the counts. Italy claims 3rd, 4th and 7th spots, with the sole German, Frank Stüken, coming in at the bottom of the counts.

Olybet package winners were treated to a dinner at the Tashkent Nr. 1 Uzbek House as part of their package. Enough food was served to feed a small country, and the players and members of The Festival team tucked into a hearty dinner of Beef tongue, eggplant salad, succulent beef, and pork served on giant metal skewers, washed down with local beers and European wines.

For the players who didn’t attend, it is well worth checking out for lunch or in between tournaments. The food is filling, fast, and served and presented to a high quality. The waiting staff are attentive but not intrusive, and very friendly and accommodating. Check it out!

Here are the payouts for the €350 BigO tournament. Only 5 of the 44 total entrants will be paid.

Here are the latest counts from the Main Event. Now leading the way is Gintaras Naglius, who is representing the home nation of Lithuania. Dutchman Raymond de Groot is his nearest competitor.

This is the last chance for Hospitality package winners to join their fellow players and members of The Festival team at the Tashkent Nr. 1 Uzbek House restaurant, just a short walk from the casino. Come and join us for a hearty meal before the evening’s tournaments start.

Here is the state of play in 1B of the €555 Main Event. Robertas Žebrauskis has climbed the chip counts, overtaking Artjoms Hromovs, who was leading at the first break. Robert Montell’s second bullet has been more successful, and he sits in eighth. Reigning Main Event champion Petros Theodosiou is towards the bottom of the counts and will need a spin-up or a rebuy to qualify to Day 2 from this flight. Below are the top 10 stacks in the field.

There are two more tournaments to come today, the first of which is the only Freezeout of the week. The €200 NLH Freezeout means it’s one bullet and one bullet only per player. The tournament kicks off at 7 p.m. local time, and levels run for 20 minutes.

Bomb pot action returns in the form of the €150 PLO5 Bomb Pot Feature. The same rules apply as yesterday, but each player receives one more card. Every nine hands, a bomb pot will be played. Every player contributes one big blind to the pot preflop, and then two boards are dealt with additional betting rounds. Levels run for 15 minutes each for the first 8 levels; registration will then close. After that, the levels are reduced to 10 minutes. Last night, The Festival’s very own Wiseguy, Andreas Hoglund, won the four-card edition. We will see later on whether he decides to take to the five-card streets to win a second title for the weekend.

Those who have won a package through the Olybet qualification campaign have access to the amazing Hospitality Events that are taking place throughout the weekend. Today’s activity is a group dinner at the Tashkent Nr.1 Uzbek House restaurant, a short walk from the casino. Meet by the bar at 5:20 p.m. local time to meet up with The Festival Team and fellow package winners. Below is a list of the remaining events.

Leading the way in 1B of the Main Event is Artjoms Hromovs. The field is tightly packed, and it is still early days in this tournament. 43 remain of the 45 entrants, and it was Robert Mantell and Torgil Helman who became the first eliminations of the day.

The BigO has proven popular with the Italian crowd attending this Festival Weekend in Vilnius. Of the 24 remaining in the field, 12 are from Italy. This echoes the Italian domination of yesterday’s Sviten Special, which saw 13 players from the beautiful nation take to the felt over yesterday evening. It ended with an Italian 1-2, with Simone Fumagalli taking down the title.

To read the recap of yesterday’s action, click here.

Here is the highlight reel from Day 1 of The Festival Weekend Vilnius. Don’t forget to like, comment, share and subscribe to keep up to date with all things The Festival.

A total of 43 entrants have taken to the felt in the penultimate flight of the Main Event. This has taken the total entrants to this tournament to 107. This is the last flight with 30-minute levels, and tomorrow morning’s flight is a Hyper Turbo with 10-minute levels.

The BigO is about to get underway. In the field are Sviten Special runner-up Giorgio Savignone, third-place finisher Jari Virta, and Blackjack bubble boy and Festival Founder Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk.

Reigning Festival Series Main Event champion Petros Theodosiou has taken to the felt to defend his Main Event title in 1B of the €555 Main Event PKO. Dmitri Dudakov won a ticket yesterday online to the marquee Hold’em tournament of the week and flew in today bright and early.

Markus Kaerpijoki, fresh off a runner-up finish in yesterday’s €200 Crazy Pineapple, has taken to the field in pursuit of bounties and Main Event glory. He went on a spin to come back from half a big blind to fade being the bubble boy. Attila Erdei FT’d the €350 Sviten Special, and he’s taken to the Hold’em streets this afternoon.

Stay tuned to The Festival Series Facebook page for additional late-night Festival Series content. Keep it posted to thefestival.com for the recap of today’s action and continued live blogging content.

The Festival Series own Wiseguy has taken down the PLO4 Bomb Pot Feature, besting Robertas Jasnauskas heads-up. Below are the payouts.

Kazimieras Ramaška was all in for under 10 big blinds with pocket fours. Kęstutis Jungevičius moved all in to isolate the short stack and bounty with pocket tens. No surprises across the 9 3 Q Q 6 runout and Ramaška will have to fire again to make Day 2. Below are the counts in full.

Sviten Special continues to chop and split and will do so for a while yet. Meanwhile, in the PLO4 Bomb Pot Feature, The Festival Series very own wiseguy Andreas Hoglund is heads-up against Robertas Jasnauskas.

Lars Ridell has won the Crazy Pineapple, beating Markus Kaerpijoki heads-up for the trophy. Kaerpijoki made a miraculous comeback from half a big blind to cash and take second-place money. Below are the payouts.

Only four remain in pursuit of the €350 Sviten Special title. Of the four, only two nationalities are represented: three players hail from Italy and one from Sweden. Jari Virta leads the way for Sweden, and his nearest rival is Simone Fumagalli. Giorgio Savignone is in third and Vinci Pasquale has a chip and a chair.

Here are the payouts in the PLO4 Bomb Pot Feature, which features a tasty €2,617 top prize for the winner.

Darren Kennedy has bubbled the €200 Crazy Pineapple. Kennedy has made the journey over from Canada, and it is his first time in Lithuania. Markus Kaerpijoki had half a big blind at one stage four-handed, but he has managed to chip up and maneuver himself into the money.

Fabian Bartushck fell victim to the bubble and narrowly missed out, departing in 7th place. Below is the final table lineup and chip counts. Jari Virta has the chip lead heading into the final table, but second through fourth remain tightly packed.

The first of three Day 1 flights of the €555 Main Event attracted 64 players to the table over the course of the evening here at Olympic Casino Lietuva. Currently, 20 remain, and only 8 will find their way to Day 2, where they will be in the money.

Only 4 remain of the field of 12 total entrants that took to the felt in the €200 Crazy Pineapple tournament. The bubble is upon the final table, and it is Markus Kaerpijoki who is the shortest stack. He will need a spin-up to find the money.

Marko “Naxer” Keskel has become the first winner of the week, winning the €150 Blackjack Tournament for €1,000. Keskel made the long journey from Estonia just to play the Blackjack Tournament; clearly, it is a decision that has paid off! He bested The Festival Team trio of Mairo Toom, Nikita Valts, and Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk, who was the bubble boy. He was leading the way until the penultimate hand, which is where Keskel then took the lead. The deficit between Toom and Keskel was only 500 chips. Below are the payouts of the Estonian podium.

Only 12 remain in the Sviten Special tournament. Long-time chip leaders Fabian Bartushck and Attila Erdei remain in the field and still have plenty of chips to play with. Jari Virta has been on the uptrend, and he joins Bartushck and Erdei on the podium of big stacks.

The good vibes continued in the second heat of the €150 Blackjack Tournament. The Festival founder Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk and Blackjack specialist Marko “Naxer” Keskel join The Festival photographer Mairo Toom and The Festival Videographer Nikita Valts in the final. All players will restart the final table with a 10,000 starting stack with the minimum bet of 300 and the maximum at 3,000.

“Franke’s” progression was aided by a well-timed double that he placed after a tablemate asked him to double on 15 versus a 17, 16, and 20 in the hands of the players. The dealer had a queen showing. “Because I like you, I will double” said Franke. The deck obliged, with the dealer pulling a 5 from the shoe to give Franke 21.

It was a Team Festival Series 1-2 in the first heat of the Blackjack Tournament. Photographer Mairo Toom and Videographer Nikita Valts had made the most amount of chips when the 15-hand-long session came to an end. The vibes at the Blackjack table were lively and spirited, with all players having a good laugh at the tables. Heat 2 is currently in process, and two more players will progress to the final table. Toom banked just over 20,000, and Valts around 16,000. The results of Heat 2 will be in soon once this series of hands has come to an end.

Here are the payouts in the Sviten Special tournament. Currently, 21 are left, and only 6 will be paid.

Fabian Bartushck and Attila Erdei continue to dominate the chip counts at Olympic Casino Lietuva. 24 remain in pursuit of the first title of the week. The payouts will be released when the numbers are finalised.

A field of six players are tucking into the fruitiest tournament of the week, the €200 NLH Crazy Pineapple tournament. Registration is open for another two hours, and will close at the end of Level 9.

Four tables of six remain in the €350 Sviten Special. Attila Erdei has a mountain of chips in front of him and will be looking to take down a maiden Sviten title. Fabian Bartushck has also built upon his stack in what is a record-breaking Sviten Special tournament in Lithuania.

The field has been sent on a 15-minute break. The remaining 38 players from the 57 total entrants thus far are led by home nation representatives, Adomas Juozapavičius, Kęstutis Jungevičius, Gerardas Lukšėnas, and Finnish national Berhan Ahmadi appear to be the four biggest stacks in the room.

The fruitiest game of the week will be getting underway in just under an hour. The €200 No Limit Hold’em Crazy Pineapple is Hold’em with an extra card. Players all receive 3 cards preflop, followed by a round of betting. On the flop, everyone must discard one card before another round of betting ensues. Then the same again for turn and river, with no discards. It’s a frantic and fun format to try. Registration is open for the first 8 Levels, and each level will run for 15 minutes in duration.

One player who has excelled in Crazy Pineapple at The Festival is Jaroslav Stulhofer (pictured below) of Austria. He has three victories in Crazy Pineapple to his name, with his wins coming in Bratislava in 2024, 2025 and 2026! Quite the achievement in a high-variance game.

The biggest stacks in the room upon a visual inspection are Open Face Chinese specialist Fabian Bartushck, friend of The Festival and The Hendon Mob Championship runner up at The Festival Malta 2025, Attila Erdei. A member of the Italian delegation, Stefano Lagorio, is also at the top of the chip count. Registration remains open for another level, so there is still time for the 36 total entrant field to continue to grow.

A field of 50 total entrants has taken to the felt at Olympic Casino Lietuva in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. A total of 12 nationalities are represented in the Main Event, from Lithuania to Luxembourg, a breadth that truly epitomises The Festival Series. The bulk of the entrants are representing the home team, but as always, there is a strong Scandinavian presence at the tables.

Here are the rules and regulations for the Blackjack Tournament that will kick off at 9.30 p.m. The buy-in is €150 and is the perfect tournament for table game enthusiasts.

• Buy-in to the tournament will be done at the Tournament Cashdesk, and the player will receive a tournament ticket
• Once your flight starts, exchange the tournament ticket for a seating card in the designated tournament area.
• Tables will have a maximum of 7 players, and each player will receive 10,000 chips
• One dealer per table, max 7 boxes
• Players must always place one bet per hand
• Each round is 15 hands
  ROUND 1
• Rounds min/max bet
• Round 1 – min.100/max. 1500
• Re-entry is possible within the first 10 hands
• Stack surrender in the first round is possible, and the player can re-enter
• Re-entry must be done immediately when busting
• The top 2 players from each table advance to the second round. If a table only has 2 players left, the table closes, and both participants have advanced to the next round
• If a round has 3 players or less then the top player will advance to the second round
  ROUND 2 (SEMIFINALS)
• Round 2 – min.200/max. 2000
• All players start with a new stack of 10,000 chips
• Betting round and set-up as round 1 (no re-entry)
• Top 2 players from each table advance to round 3. If a table only has 2 players left, the table closes, and both participants have advanced.
  ROUND 3 (FINAL)
• Round 3 – min. 300/max. 3000
• All players start with a new stack of 10,000 chips
• Betting rounds and set-up for round 2
• The player with the biggest stack wins the tournament, and so forth
• In case of a deal, 10% of the remaining prize pool needs to be left for the 1st place.
  BETTING & DEALING
• We are using the dealer button to make sure that everyone has a position at one point against other players. Before the game starts, we draw a button. The player who gets dealt the highest card will have the button.
• Players are betting one-by-one.
• Players need to wait until their turn to bet. Once all bets are placed, the dealer will deal the cards.
• All other house rules apply.

The Boss has been stacked by Attila Erdei in the €350 Sviten Special. “Franke” went for a triple barrel bluff with nothing against Erdei’s flush in hand for the best 5 Card Draw hand, and a straight on the board for the best PLO hand. He has become the first player to be eliminated across this tournament and the first flight of the €555 Main Event. Currently, there are 21 players at the tables in pursuit of Sviten Special glory.

To learn more about this Mixed Game variant, click here.

A field of 32 have come together to play the opening flight of the €555 Main Event. The marquee Hold’em tournament of the week has attracted a wide range of nationalities. This is the first time The Festival Main Event has featured the PKO format. Bounties will be big, with €200 of each buy-in going into the prize pool. The floor is quickly filling up, and Sviten Special will be starting soon.

Petros Theodosiou has arrived at Olympic Casino Lieutva to defend his Main Event crown. Theodosiou topped the field last time out in Bratislava, taking home a score of €39,490 for his efforts. He has taken his seat on the tournament floor, but not in the Main Event. Instead, he has hopped into the €350 Sviten Special that has just got underway, joining The Festival founder, Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk, and Open Face Chinese specialist, Fabian Bartushk. Below is the full lineup of players who are in from the start.

Welcome to the live coverage of The Festival Weekend Vilnius! It is the first time we have had the pleasure of hosting The Festival in Lithuania, thanks to our collaboration with Olympic Casino. The first of three Baltic bashes for this year, The Festival will also grace the beautiful historic cities of Tallinn and Riga. Here is a look at what is happening this evening.

€555 Main Event 1A PKO

We will be kicking off the fun-filled four-day stint with the first flight of the premier No Limit Hold’em tournament of the weekend, the €555 Main Event. In another first for The Festival, this weekend’s Main Event will be a Progressive Knockout (PKO) tournament. €200 of each buy-in will be placed into the bounty prize pool, so expect chips to be flying from flag fall.

Players have the option for unlimited re-entries for the first 12 Levels of play, but of course, only wager what you can afford to lose.

€350 Sviten Special

Arguably the hottest game in the Mixed Game scene at the moment, Sviten Special has captured the hearts and minds of Mixed Game players around the world. The split pot game is decided by the best PLO hand and the best 5-card draw hand, instead of a high and low hand in the standard split pot games. Link rules and an interview with Bengan. Last year, The Festival Series set the record for most amount of entrants in a Sviten Special tournament, and “Franke” will be gunning to best his own record this year. There are certainly going to be plenty of opportunities. Levels run for 25 minutes, and unlimited registration possibilities are available to players for the first 8 levels.

€200 NL Crazy Pineapple

A fun and swingy three-card game, players receive three cards preflop, followed by a round of betting as per standard flop, turn, and river games. On the flop, there is another round of betting. Then players have to discard one of their three cards. A popular tournament at The Festival, it is a great twist on standard No Limit Hold’em. Crazy Pineapple starts at 9 p.m. local time and will feature 15-minute-long Levels and unlimited reentries for the first 9 Levels.

€150 Blackjack Tournament

One of the unique selling points of The Festival Series is its accommodation of a wide and eclectic range of games. This tournament is a prime example. The €150 Blackjack Tournament will see players pit themselves against the house in the famous casino game. The objective is simple: make the most money over the course of the session to take home the title and win a trophy drawn by our talented artist Modernoise.

€150 PLO4 Bombpot Feature

Another variation that has emerged and grown in popularity over the last several Festival Series stops has been the Bombpot tournaments. The first foray into the four-card streets will feature a Bombpot once every x hands, which is where everyone contributes 1 big blind preflop. This helps generate a lot of action as there is around 10 big blinds in the pot with the players not having seen their cards. Blinds run for 15 mins for the first 8 levels, which is when registration will close. Unlimited re-entries are available until registration closes.

Hospitality!

For those who have won a package through OlyBet, please join us at the luxurious Casino Bar for welcome drinks! It is the perfect opportunity to start your weekend off right with a nice glass of something alcoholic or not. Come and mingle with fellow package and seat winners, as well as members of The Festival team. If you see us around, come say hi, be careful of Melvin, though, he bites.

That’s all for now, folks. We hope you enjoy the Weekend and the coverage from the tournament floor from wherever you may be.