The moment we have all been waiting for is finally here as The Festival Series returns to Banco Casino, located in the heart of the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, for eight days of thrilling poker action.
Get ready for tons of fun and excitement with the 2023 The Festival Series Bratislava boasting 54 numbered events. While The Festival Series Bratislava boasts plenty of hold'em including a €550 Main Event on Nov. 28 to Dec. 3 boasting a whopping €500,000 guarantee, the budding event boasts much more with casino tournaments including blackjack, slots, roulette, and sports wagering alongside mixed games littered throughout the schedule including the start of today's €550 HORSES which runs from Nov. 26-28.
The HORSES is similar to HORSE, The Festival Series founder Martin "Franke" von Zweigbergk added a twist. In addition to the standard limit games of HORSE in Hold'em, Omaha h/l, Razz, Stud, Stud h/l, and Razz, the tournament has added a sixth game in limit Sviten Special. We will explain more about the rules of this amazing game later in our coverage. In the meantime, we can share that Day 1a kicks off today at 6 p.m. followed two more opening flights from Nov. 27-28 with surviving players battling it out until a winner is crowned on Day 2 which starts at 8 p.m. on Nov. 28.
The HORSES event is not the only game in town today as the day begins at 3 p.m. with a €35 satellite, which guarantees at least five seats to the €250 Bratislava Deepstack.
The Deepstack kicks off the first of its three opening flights today as well at 7 p.m. followed by the fun €125 Crazy Pineapple at 9 p.m.
We will share about all of these events and much more as the day proceeds. So stay tuned to The Festival Series blog to stay up to date.
Any player that wins any event will not only be awarded a handsome cash prize but also a one-of-a-kind portrait drawing of their winner’s photo.
Cash game players also have something to look forward to as not only will there be ring games in a variety of poker formats around the clock but also a live-streamed Cash Game Challenge where the top performing player of the week will be awarded a €1,600 package to the first The Festival Series stop in 2024.
Franke’s Flip Flops has become a fun staple to The Festival Series after it was added last year. It has proven to be popular and, of course, it will be back for The Festival Series Bratislava.
Starting on Monday and running through Saturday, a designated table will be created for rake-free flips to a variety of events. Players can get lucky without a house edge to earn a buy-in at an event of their choosing for a fraction of the cost. The player that wins the most flips will win a package to the next The Festival Series stop to be announced shortly and a coveted framed pair of Franke’s actual flip flops.
Rolf Bechstrom at The Festival Series and will attend The Festival Series Malta compliments on the house. The emotions run high in these flips and we recommend giving them a try or at least watching some of the action from the rail. There will also be a chance for one skilled player to win a package to the next The Festival Series stop in the Player of the Festival contest which we will also elaborate on throughout our coverage.
| Time | Event | GTD |
|---|---|---|
| 3 p.m. | Event #1: €35 Satellite to Bratislava Deepstack Day 1a | 5x €250 Seats |
| 6 p.m. | Event #2: €550 Mixed Main Event - HORSES Day 1a | |
| 7 p.m. | Event #3: €250 Bratislava Deepstack Day 1a | |
| 9 p.m. | Event #4: €125 Crazy Pineapple |
