Kotowicz Wins The Festival Series Main Event in Bratislava for €77,001!
The Festival Series Bratislava came to its conclusion yesterday, with Sebastian Kotowicz taking down the illustrious €500,000 GTD Main Event. He secured not only the trophy in this event but also over €77,001 in prize money. Over 50 events were completed during this series, all going into the history books.
The Main Event of The Festival Series was once again the flagship tournament on our schedule at Banco Casino Bratislava. With a buy-in of €550 (as always), the tournament attracted a total of 983 entries, just shy of reaching the guarantee. With 621 in 2021, 1,271 in 2022, and 1,025 entries in 2023, this year’s stop fits right in!
Prior to the second day of the Main Event on Saturday, it was highly possible that it would turn out to be much overlay. Thanks to an astonishing 131 entries during the first two levels of day 2, the total still ended up being 983, which is roughly even with the total guaranteed prize pool.
| Main Event Flights | Total Entries | Survivors |
|---|---|---|
| day 1/a | 54 | 12 |
| day 1/b | 109 | 34 |
| day 1/c | 179 | 55 |
| day 1/d | 42 | 12 |
| day 1/e | 365 | 106 |
| day 1/f | 103 | |
| Subtotal | 852 | 219 |
| day 2 | 131 | |
| Total | 983 |
| #1 |  | Jaap Smits | 4,415,000 |
| #2 |  | David Kozma | 3,760,000 |
| #3 |  | Sebastian Kotowicz | 3,060,000 |
| #4 |  | Jaromir Sitavanc | 2,520,000 |
| #5 |  | Halvor Dahlberg | 2,325,000 |
| #6 |  | Simon Bozhinoski | 1,930,000 |
| #7 |  | Sebastian Supper | 1,925,000 |
| #8 | | Szymon Politowski | 1,900,000 |
| #9 | | Andre Berg | 1,765,000 |
| #10 |  | Ilya Smolko | 1,715,000 |
| #11 |  | Cristian Bele | 1,580,000 |
| #12 |  | Matus Gabzdil | 1,025,000 |
| #13 | | Andrei Balan | 745,000 |
| #14 | | Paul Minzariu | 700,000 |
The Festival Series Main Event - Final Day Action
The final day of the event started with 14 players instead of the expected 16, after a surprising end to Day 2. Leading the pack was Jaap Smits, followed by a strong field that included Kozma, Sebastian Kotowicz, and Matúš Gabzdil. The day started like it ended yesterday with quick eliminations, going on full speed to the final 10 players.
Dutchman Jaap Smits emerged as the chip leader among the remaining players. Initially seated at an outer table, Smits transitioned to the feature table upon reaching the final nine. His aggressive play and consistently chipping up made him someone to stand out, and someone not to mess around with. Smits’ dominance contributed significantly to the final day wrapping up within just seven hours of play.
After Jaromír Sitavanc (10th - €5,900), and Ilya Smolko (9th - €7,000) got eliminated, it would go smoothly with the eliminations. Despite a strong performance throughout the entire tournament leading up to the final day, David Kozma couldn't seal the deal. He brought with him an impressive resume, including a €250,000 win at the WPT Liechtenstein. Unfortunately, despite starting strong, Kozma found himself struggling in critical pots and was eliminated in 8th place after running into a dominant hand in a three-way pot. His exit was yet another reminder that early momentum doesn’t always translate to a top finish.
As the day progressed, Paul Minzariu (7th), Cristian Belle (6th), Halvor Dahlberg (5th), and Andre Berg (4th) fell in quick succession, leaving three players standing: Jaap Smits, Sebastian Kotowicz, and Matúš Gabzdil. Each brought unique skills to the table, but it was Kotowicz who consistently showed dominance, eliminating Gabzdil to set up a heads-up showdown against Smits.
The final hand of the tournament was as dramatic as the rest of the event. With a board showing 8♣ 9♥ 4♥ 2♥, Smits bet aggressively with two pair, 8♦ 2♦, only for Kotowicz to shove all-in holding J♥ 6♥ for a flush. Smits called, and when the river revealed the 5♠, Kotowicz secured his victory and the title of The Festival Series Bratislava Main Event champion.
Sebastian Andrzej Kotowicz took home €77,001 for his remarkable efforts, while Jaap Smits earned €53,100 as the runner-up. Matúš Gabzdil completed the podium in third place with €36,000. Once again, congratulations to all players who reached it to the final table! You all deserved to be part of the final day, and we hope to see you all on our next stop in 2025.
The final day kicked off at 13:00 CET, with the live stream (including excellent commentary by George Sandford) covering everything from the get-go. If you wish to relive the moments of this ultimate Final Day of The Festival Main Event at Banco Casino Bratislava, check out the video below!
| 1st | | Sebastian Kotowicz | €77,001 |
| 2nd | | Jaap Smits | €53,100 |
| 3rd | | Matuš Gabzdil | €37,600 |
| 4th | | Andre Berg | €27,700 |
| 5th | | Halvor Dahlberg | €19,700 |
| 6th | | Cristian Bele | €14,600 |
| 7th | | Paul Minzariu | €11,300 |
| 8th | | David Kozma | €8,800 |
| 9th |  | Ilya Smolko | €7,000 |
| 10th | | Jaromir Sitavanc | €5,900 |
| 11th | | Simon Bozhinoski | €5,900 |
| 12th | | Szymon Politowski | €5,150 |
| 13th | | Sebastian Supper | €5,150 |
| 14th |  | Andrei Balan | €4,400 |
