Five Years of Champions: The Best of The Festival Bratislava Tournaments (Part 2)
With The Festival Bratislava behind us for 2026, we have over 130 event winners crowned in the entire history of The Festival Series. In this topic, we will be looking back at some of these memorable moments together with the players who managed to collect a trophy along the way. In the first episode we highlighted Fabian Bartuschk and Eva Jiretorn. Let's dive into it!
At first sight, our visit to Banco Casino looked like it might be a challenge. The decision had been made not to place a guaranteed prize pool on the NLH Main Event, and many believed this stop would feel different for The Festival. In the end, however, the opposite proved to be true.
Although the NLH Main Event drew 505 entries, the energy across the venue was incredible. Every side event was buzzing with excitement, the tables were full of players enjoying themselves, and our hospitality events were well attended throughout the entire week. The atmosphere was exactly what live poker should feel like.
To make a bold statement: this may have been one of the best decisions we have ever made. The whole stop felt like one big home game. Relaxed, social, and full of genuine poker spirit. Going back to the roots isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, it’s exactly what makes the experience special.
Let's go through the winners' list and pick random players!
Two-Time Event Winner JJ Hazan
Among the players who have become regulars at The Festival, two-time event winner JJ Hazan is one who particularly values the diversity the series brings to the poker schedule. For Hazan, the appeal lies not only in individual tournaments, but in the variety of formats available throughout an entire The Festival week.
Speaking about the schedule, Hazan points out how the series has continued to evolve while listening closely to the player community.
''The schedule offers one thing for everyone. The Festival always innovates and listens to players pleas to expand Mixed Games offerings.''
For players who specialize in formats beyond No-Limit Hold’em (which is still the dominating format at The Festival), that variety is what makes the Festival stand out on the poker calendar following JJ.
''There aren't many other offerings around the poker scene that offers Mixed Games and Omaha players like myself the wealth of offerings within any Festival week.''
Another addition that particularly excites Hazan is the introduction of The Festival Weekends, which will bring us to new locations spread over the Baltic area.
''I’m also looking forward to playing the new weekend mini Baltic Way Festivals, known as The Festival Weekend stops. Lower buy-ins and a packed weekend of Mixed games is a great choice. Plus the opportunity for me to visit new areas like Riga and Vilnius.''
Beyond the poker itself, the social aspect of the series is something Hazan values just as much. Over the past five years, the Festival has created a growing network of familiar faces and friendships within the community.
''Plus, of course, another key positive is meeting up with old friends who have expanded over the last 5 years within the Festival’s life. And I believe poker is synonymous with community, which The Festival is built on.''
JJ Hazan is a two-time event winner, and just like he kicked off his Hendon Mob profile with his largest cash to date, he did the same at The Festival Series by winning the PokerListing Deepstack Championship at the very first stop in the history of The Festival Series. Not only did he win two events, he also has several notable cashes at a final table, of which his deep run (4th place) during the 10-Game in Malta was the latest one.
| Date | Event | Location | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23-Nov-2024 | €110 + €15 Pot Limit Omaha 5 Card – Turbo Late Night Madness (Event #48) | The Festival in Bratislava | 1st | €2,196 |
| 24-Sep-2021 | €200 + €20 No Limit Hold'em – Pokerlistings Deepstack Championships (Event #13) | The Festival in Bratislava | 1st | €7,375 |
Bratislava '22 Main Event Winner Michel Molenaar
When we dive a bit further into the history of The Festival Series, we came across Michel Molenaar, Main Event winner of The Festival Bratislava 2022. Until this very day, his victory is still the largest sum ever awarded to the winner (€126,650). It would mean his first-ever 6-figure score as well, something which he would be repeating in the years after his win in Bratislava on various occasions.
We had done a couple interviews with Michel, and in one of them he was saying the following about The Festival:
''I had a lot of fun throughout the series, obviously the big run helped a bunch but seeing a lot of friendly people and meeting new people that I can call friends along the way really made the week a party. Do have to say that the hospitality package I missed out on''.
Seeing a player like Michel develop after his legendary victory during The Festival Series, is something truly admiring. In the interviews we had with him just after his wins, he was enthusiastic to hunt down a package in one of the online qualifiers, so he could be joining in on one of the hospitality activities.
The Festival’s diverse selection of games was another thing that immediately caught Michel’s attention.
''I enjoy playing different games quite a bit, I’m not too big of a purist when it comes to poker. I think playing more than one game improves how you play in other games too since youre given more ideas to work with or think about. I have actually played some Sviten cash with I believe the person who’s invented the game in Banco Bratislava, I am quite bad at it but had a very fun time learning on the spot. Other mixgames have been fun to play on occasion.''
These days, Michel is travelling all over the world to compete in tournaments with buy-ins that vary between €500 and €10,000, with even some occasion even higher buy-ins. He has been collecting over $2,000,000 in tournament earnings in his poker career, and we hope to see him back at The Festival in one of the upcoming stops, despite us knowing that he might be too busy travelling the world.
| Date | Event | Location | Position | Prize (€) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11-Oct-2022 | TF €500 + 50 No Limit Hold'em – Main Event (Event #8) | The Festival in Bratislava | 1st | €126,650 |
| 10-Oct-2022 | €225 + 25 No Limit Hold'em – THMC Grand Final Warm Up (Event #2) | The Festival in Bratislava | 13th | €490 |
| 30-Nov-2023 | €1,000 + 100 No Limit Hold'em – High Roller (Event #30) | The Festival in Bratislava | 5th | €3,750 |
| 28-Nov-2023 | TF €500 + 50 No Limit Hold'em – Main Event (Event #10) | The Festival in Bratislava | 13th | €5,275 |
