New Personal Best for The Festival Series as €550 T.O.R.S.E.S Main Event in Bratislava Smashes Record
Mixed Games have been commonplace at The Festival Series ever since its first stop in Bratislava back in 2021. It seemed only fitting that Banco Bratislava, host of five Festival Series stops (soon to be six), was the place where The Festival's personal best field in the €550 Mixed Game Main Event was broken. It wasn't just broken, it was smashed by 43 entrants! Here is a look back at that tournament and how the Mixed Game Main Event has boomed in popularity.
First Outings
Newcomers to the series have been treated to the T.O.R.S.E.S Mixed Game variant, but previously, it was H.O.R.S.E.S., the traditional Mixed Game variant, plus Sviten Special. The Mixed Game Main Event wasn't introduced until 2023 at Banco Bratislava.
There, the event drew 67 entrants, setting a high benchmark. That number wasn't matched until The Festival Malta, when a new record of 69 was set. The first instalment was won by none other than the Norwegian all-around crusher Jon Kyte, who banked €8,825 and the prestige of being the first Festival Series Mixed Game Main Event winner.
The event saw many regular players emerge, including Barrie Dear, Sascha Manns and Antoine Degiorgio, who have all been amazing supporters of The Festival Series since the beginning. Word spread, and more faces joined the fray of regular players, and more and more keep coming to every stop.
T.O.R.S.E.S. for C.O.U.R.S.E.S - A Successful Switch Up
A decision was made to change the format from H.O.R.S.E.S to T.O.R.S.E.S, which meant removing Limit Hold'em for 2-7 Triple Draw. This proved to be an instant success off the bat; besides, who likes Limit Hold'em anyway?
Malta drew the biggest crowd to date, with 69 total entrants taking to the tables at the Portomaso Casino over two starting flights. Festival Series regular Barrie Dear took down the title and €9,901 in prize money. This score was also a career best for Barrie, and we are happy that he has found success at The Festival.
The growing popularity of Sviten Special has impacted these fields, in this poker writer's opinion. Bumper fields have been assembled in the Sviten Special tournaments in Malta and in Bratislava, and it seems that its increasing popularity has contributed to the growth in field sizes in the Mixed Game Main Event.
Last time out in Bratislava, the field of 131 broke The Festival's own record of 101, and a potential world record according to thehendonmob.com, eclipsing the previous best in the €250 Pot Limit Sviten Special 6-Max at the Kings of Tallinn.
The Festival Malta €550 T.O.R.S.E.S Main Event Payout
| Rank | Name | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barrie Dear | €9,901 |
| 2 | Benjamin Sweetman | €6,450 |
| 3 | Ville Hakala | €4,540 |
| 4 | Quinten Spyckerelle | €3,440 |
| 5 | Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk | €2,640 |
| 6 | Matteo Crapanzano | €2,040 |
| 7 | Antoine Degiorgio | €1,550 |
| 8 | Christer Johansson | €1,214 |
| 9 | Martin Schamaun | €1,000 |
A Record-Breaking Bratislava Stop
The 102 total entrants in the latest outing were nothing short of a resounding success. As expected, the field was solid and full of familiar names. Kyte was back to see if he could become the first multiple Mixed Game Main Event winner in The Festival Series history. Despite a massive chip advantage heading into the final table, he could only manage third place. Defending champion Barrie Dear couldn't go back-to-back, and he was the tournament's bubble boy.
Ukrainian national Sergeii Baranov recorded his first-ever Festival Series cash and title, winning the event for €12,950. The win added to a banner year for Baranov, as he won the €5,200 8-Game for €53,600 at EPT Barcelona back in August. Time will only tell if the record can be bested once again, and it would be no surprise if the next Festival stop in Bratislava drew similar numbers.
€550 Mixed Game Main Event Bratislava Payouts
| Place | Player | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sergii Baranov | €12,950 |
| 2 | JJ Hazan | €9,500 |
| 3 | Jon Kyte | €6,250 |
| 4 | Marc Gork | €4,250 |
| 5 | Rolf Bechstrom | €3,000 |
| 6 | Joonas Lyttinen | €2,250 |
| 7 | Mattia Ruebenstrunk | €1,750 |
| 8 | Riku Koivurinne | €1,500 |
| 9 | Alexander Freund | €1,500 |
| 10 | Philipp Krieger | €1,250 |
| 11 | Asgejr Lund | €1,250 |
| 12 | Fedor Stadtrucker | €1,000 |
| 13 | Aaron Thiel | €1,000 |
| 14 | "Bambi" | €1,000 |
New Ground Made - Can We Go Again?
The field of 102 is quite the step up from the previous best of 69. However, given the boom in popularity of Mixed Games across Europe, it is not inconceivable that the target could be surpassed once more in 2026, considering the exponential gain seen between Malta and Bratislava, and the seven live stops we have coming up across Europe. Below is a table of the turnouts so far.
| Event | Total Entrant | Prizepool |
|---|---|---|
| Bratislava 2023 €550 H.O.R.S.E.S | 67 | €31,825 |
| Rozvadov 2024 €550 H.O.R.S.E.S. | 46 | €23,750 |
| Malta 2024 €550 H.O.R.S.E.S | 53 | €25,175 |
| Bratislava 2024 €550 H.O.R.S.E.S | 46 | €21,850 |
| Rozvadov 2025 €550 H.O.R.S.E.S. | 46 | €21,505 |
| Malta 2025 €550 T.O.R.S.E.S | 69 | €32,775 |
| Bratislava 2025 €550 T.O.R.S.E.S | 102 | €48,450 |
A Quick Word From 'Franke'
The Festival Founder, Martin 'Franke' von Zweigbergk, was obviously elated when registration for this tournament closed, and the numbers were finalised. He said: "The moment you reach 100+ entries in mixed games, it is a time of happiness. Now we are there with our T.O.R.S.E.S! Love it!"
The Boss isn't one to rest on his laurels, and he will be gunning for more personal and world records throughout 2026 and beyond.
What's Next?
The team at The Festival Series is preparing to continue breaking personal and world records next year, as mentioned before, with seven live stops! Want to get involved? Qualify online via iPoker, Unibet, where you can win a package for as little as 1 cent!
That's all for now, folks. Until next time.
