The Festival in Bratislava 2026 Player of the Series – Revealed
The Festival in Bratislava 2026 is now consigned to the past, but the memories will live on, especially for those who forced their way into the narrative for their prowess at the poker tables. The Player of the Series race was another hard fought contest and although it didn’t exactly go down to the wire, there was often less than a point or two separating the top runners, as the week progressed.
Those in contention included perennial challengers, such as Lachezar Tsenov, Scott Kenyon and Wouter Schuurbiers. Defending champion Ville Hakala and compatriot Kare Hallamaa were in attendance, but following last season’s efforts, both chose to take a less competitive stance this time around, trading participation in every discipline, with social time off the tables. Kare did eventually secure a win, on the penultimate day of the series and also cashed in the closing Low Roller. If his success had come earlier in the week, there’s a high chance he might made a shot for glory once again, but now has to wait until next time.
It was Bulgarian Ivo Petkov who set the pace early on in the week, by winning the H.O.R.S.E. He topped the table after the second and third day of The Festival in Bratislava and remained in the top 10 throughout, ending up in 6th place overall with 121.25 points, three points behind 5th place Jari Kaerkkaienen. The Finn gave a very strong performance, taking the runner-up spot in the Mystery Bounty and graced three other final tables during the week.
Young Polish player Komil Khamidov won the PL Razz PKO at his very first attempt of the format, topping the table after Day 1 and he maintained his position in the top ten for most of the week. He secured two second place finishes in the NLH Turbo Madness and the PLO5 PKO Turbo Madness and went further in the Main Event than any of the other top leaderboard challengers. But his exit in 20th place on Saturday’s Day 2 effectively ended his chances of securing the Player of the Series title, finishing in 4th place with 129 points.
A run to the final table would have put him in prime position to win the race, but it was not to be. Despite this, Komil impressed with his aggressive and adaptive approach to the game and has strongly signalled that his arrival will not be short-lived. He will be a formidable opponent and worthy of being included in the pre-Series discussion ahead of the next stop in Rozvadov.
By the midway point of the series, a core group of mixed game players, that included Scott Kenyon, Lachezar Tsenov, Wouter Schuurbiers and Sandeep Nene, were stamping their authority on the race, with the majority of those in the top 10 focused primarily on non-Hold’em formats. Festival founder Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk did not make a significant challenge this time, but did cash in both of the Open Face Chinese Pineapple events on the schedule.
Although players from almost 50 different countries participated in the Series, there were notably no Italian players in either of the OFC Pineapple events. Perhaps they like their poker the same way they like their pizza, as the use of the tropical fruit as a topping is effectively illegal in Italy.
Close But No Cigar
Three players who gave a good shot at competing for the title, but ultimately failed to break into the top three were Sandeep Nene, Wouter Schuurbiers and Scott “pokerbrahs” Kenyon.
By the mid-point of the week, Sandeep Nene from Netherlands was owning 4th place, finishing in that position in both the T.O.R.S.E.S events, plus the NLH Win the Button. These three results propelled him into 5th place on the leaderboard, less than eight points behind then leader Jens Voertmann, who finished 2nd in the Baby TORSES and third in the H.O.R.S.E, the same format that the German won his sole WSOP bracelet in back in 2008. But neither Nene nor Voertmann recorded any further cashes for the rest of the week, both slipping backwards in the Player of the Series race, ending the week in 10th and 12th places respectively.
Belgian Wouter Schuurbiers, who famously owns a shirt that is a collage of Franke’s face also had a consistent week, making four final tables, his best finish being 6th place in the Mixed Games Main Event (T.O.R.S.E.S). Had he pushed on little higher in a few of these, he would have been in a great position to challenge for the title, but his chances faded at the end of the week and he had to settle for 7th place on the leaderboard, with 116.5 points.
With 111 points, Scott “pokerbrahs” Kenyon ended the week in 8th place. He had been in third place by Friday and was well poised to challenge for a record setting 3rd Player of the Series title, but had to return home unexpectedly, due to personal reasons, missing the last two days of competition.
Jari Pekka Rattya from Finland rounded off the top ten on the leaderboard, with a strong week, that included victory in the NLH PKO Madness and the runner-up spot in the Bratislava Deepstack.
Notable Performances
There were also notable performances in other events by players who otherwise didn’t get close to the top of the leaderboard. Ari Engel was a surprise attendee and scooped the Sviten Special, his first time playing the format.
Canadian Ari traveled to Bratislava with his girlfriend and producer of his Poker dot org hosted podcast Jo Kim. She only entered the Main Event, exiting in 11th place, just missing the final table, as the last female player standing.
Koen Roos had just been presented with his GPI award for being the best Hendon Mob flag hunter of 2025 when he took down the Open Face Chinese Pineapple. In 2025 the Dutchman cashed 50 times, in 50 different countries, setting a new world record in the process, however this was his only cash of the week.
Medal Cermony: The Top Three
Now, let’s take a closer look at the top three protagonists for the Player of the Series title and reveal (to those who didn’t follow the coverage during the series) who sat on top of the leaderboard when it all came to a close.
Third Place: Lachezar Tsenov, 133.75 points
Bulgarian Lachezar Tsenov is a player who has frequently challenged for the top spot in previous Player of the Series races. At Rozvadov 2024 he finished in 5th place and followed that up in Malta in the same year, taking the 4th place spot. He was absent for the last two Festival events, but once again put up a strong showing and topped the leaderboard on Friday, after winning the 2-7 double Draw. He also has strong showings in three other non-Hold’em formats, including 4th place in the Sviten Special.
By the final day of the series, Tsenov was 36.5 points behind the leader and to win the Player of the Series title he would have had to go deep in both the 10-Game and the OFC Pineapple, ideally winning at least one of them. But after busting the 10-Game in 9th spot, outside the money, his challenge was over. He finished up as the virtual bronze medalist on 133.75 points. With a fifth, a fourth and now a third place finish, he is improving each time and there will be high expectations when he next attends The Festival Series.
Events Played: 19
Cashes: 4
| Event | Buy-In (€) | Position | ITM Points | Participation Points | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (39) PL 2-7 Double Draw | 250 | 1 | 30 | 2.5 | 32.5 |
| (25) Sviten Special | 250 | 4 | 24 | 2.5 | 26.5 |
| (14) H.O.R.S.E. | 125 | 7 | 19.5 | 1.25 | 20.75 |
| (7) PL RAZZ P.K.O. | 125 | 9 | 16.5 | 1.25 | 17.75 |
| (10) Main Event | 550 | 71 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| (46) The Festival 10-Game Mix | 1,100 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| (1) Mixed Games Main Event - TORSES | 550 | 46 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| (34) 8-Game Mix | 250 | 34 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| (36) PLO 4/5/6 Cards | 250 | 40 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| (45) Big O | 250 | 11 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| (18) Open Face Chinese Pineapple | 250 | 46 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| (2) Hendon Mob Championship | 250 | 323 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| (37) NLH 15k GTD | 125 | 98 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| (44) Sportsbook Tournament | 125 | 27 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| (47) NLH Turbo Madness | 125 | 74 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| (48) PLO5 Turbo P.K.O. Madness | 125 | 38 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| (11) Half ’n Half (NLH / PLO) Bomb Pot Feature | 125 | 65 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| (22) Bomb Pot Madness (NLH/PLO) | 125 | 80 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| (23) NLH P.K.O. Madness | 125 | 14 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| TOTAL | 90 | 43.75 | 133.75 |
Second Place: Igor Narajczyk, 139.75 points
With a runner-up finish in The Hendon Mob Championship and two further 4th placed finishes, Polish Igor Narajczyk was also in contention going into the final day of the series. But like Tsenov, he was more than 25 points adrift of the top spot and also needed to cash in both of the final events of the week to stand a chance. But he busted in 18th place in the 10-Game, bringing his challenge to a mathematical end, finishing with 139.75 points in the silver medal position.
Events Played: 14
Cashes: 5
| Event | Buy-In (€) | Position | ITM Points | Participation Points | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2) Hendon Mob Championship | 250 | 2 | 40 | 2.5 | 42.5 |
| (48) PLO5 Turbo P.K.O. Madness | 125 | 4 | 24 | 1.25 | 25.25 |
| (27) NLH High Roller | 1,100 | 4 | 16 | 5 | 21 |
| (11) Half ’n Half (NLH / PLO) Bomb Pot Feature | 125 | 8 | 18 | 1.25 | 19.25 |
| (43) NLH Mystery Bounty | 225 | 23 | 3 | 2.5 | 5.5 |
| (10) Main Event | 550 | 89 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| (46) The Festival 10-Game Mix | 1,100 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| (1) Mixed Games Main Event - TORSES | 550 | 38 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| (34) 8-Game Mix | 250 | 36 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| (36) PLO 4/5/6 Cards | 250 | 12 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| (39) PL 2-7 Double Draw | 250 | 29 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| (37) NLH 15k GTD | 125 | 62 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| (41) NLH Turbo Madness | 125 | 9 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| (8) NLH Knockout Madness | 125 | 48 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| TOTAL | 101 | 38.75 | 139.75 |
First Place: Barrie Dear, 165.25 points
Barrie Dear finished in 3rd place behind Franke on The Festival in Malta leaderboard last year and was one of the pre-series favourites featured in the preview for Bratislava’s Player of the Series race. By the Friday he had moved into the top two, 5 points behind Tsenov, thanks to a 3rd place finish in the 2-7 Double Draw and also took 8th in the PLO 4/5/6 to be the top points earner of the day.
On Saturday he repeated that feat, earning the most points for the second day in a row, with 7th place in the Big O and 5th in the PLO5 Turbo PKO Madness. That left him in a virtually unassailable lead, with his nearest challengers needing to do something really special to catch him. Just to make it even harder for them Barrie played the 10-Game, adding a further 5 participation points to his total, to end the week with a grand total of 165.25 points.
Barrie, from Edinburgh was being cheered on from afar by his family back in Scotland and also by Scott Kenyon, who lent him his support after he had to step down his challenge before the weekend began. He cashed a record six times and put in the most volume of any player, entering 17 events over the course of the week-long series. He wins a €1,600 Festival in Rozvadov package for his sterling poker-ing efforts.
Congratulations to Barrie Dear, the Festival in Bratislava 2026 Player of the Series!
Events Played: 17
Cashes: 6
| Event | Buy-In | Position | ITM Points | Participation Points | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (39) PL 2-7 Double Draw | 250 | 3 | 27 | 2.5 | 29.5 |
| (7) PL RAZZ P.K.O. | 125 | 3 | 27 | 1.25 | 28.25 |
| (48) PLO5 Turbo P.K.O. Madness | 125 | 5 | 22.5 | 1.25 | 23.75 |
| (45) Big O | 250 | 7 | 19.5 | 2.5 | 22 |
| (36) PLO 4/5/6 Cards | 250 | 8 | 18 | 2.5 | 20.5 |
| (1) Mixed Games Main Event - TORSES | 550 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 20 |
| (46) The Festival 10-Game Mix | 1,100 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| (34) 8-Game Mix | 250 | 35 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| (18) Open Face Chinese Pineapple | 250 | 18 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| (25) Sviten Special | 250 | 28 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| (44) Sportsbook Tournament | 125 | 20 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| (47) NLH Turbo Madness | 125 | 59 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| (14) H.O.R.S.E. | 125 | 13 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| (22) Bomb Pot Madness (NLH/PLO) | 125 | 40 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| (23) NLH P.K.O. Madness | 125 | 65 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| (32) NL Crazy Pineapple Turbo Madness | 125 | 37 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| (29) Baby TORSES (Supreme) | 125 | 47 | 0 | 1.25 | 1.25 |
| TOTAL | 129 | 36.25 | 165.25 |
Tracking the Scores
The Player of the Series used to be something that wasn’t tallied up until the end of the series, but in 2025, that changed, with daily updates. This continued in 2026, with a special tool created by the online and live planning site MTTDB being utilized to calculate the scores and keep track of positions on the leaderboard throughout the week. The tool also keeps track of various other metrics, such as which players cashed the most times and who had the biggest payouts. The positions of the top three players on the leaderboard have also been tracked as the week progressed and the following graphs shows their progress.
The Path to Glory - The Top Three
Most Cashes
The star performer of the week in terms of making visits to the payout window was Player of the Series Barrie Dear, with six cashes, while a further six players achieved five.
| Rank | Player | Country | Cashes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barrie Dear |  | 6 |
| 2 | Komil Khamidov |  | 5 |
| 3 | Marco Herman |  | 5 |
| 4 | Jari Pekka Rattya |  | 5 |
| 5 | Igor Narajczyk | | 5 |
| 6 | Ivo Petkov |  | 5 |
| 7 | Jari Kaerkkaeinen | | 5 |
| 8 | Scott "pokerbrahs" Kenyon | | 5 |
The Festival in Bratislava Player of the Series Top 50
| Rank | Player | Country | Total Points | ITM Points | Participation Points | Events Played | Cashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barrie Dear | | 165.25 | 129 | 36.25 | 17 | 6 |
| 2 | Igor Narajczyk | | 139.75 | 101 | 38.75 | 14 | 5 |
| 3 | Lachezar Tsenov | | 133.75 | 97.5 | 43.75 | 19 | 4 |
| 4 | Komil Khamidov | | 129 | 106.5 | 22.5 | 11 | 5 |
| 5 | Jari Kaerkkaeinen | | 124.25 | 108 | 16.25 | 8 | 5 |
| 6 | Ivo Petkov | | 121.25 | 90 | 31.25 | 14 | 4 |
| 7 | Wouter Schuurbiers | | 116.5 | 76.5 | 40 | 16 | 4 |
| 8 | Scott "pokerbrahs" Kenyon | | 111 | 88.5 | 22.5 | 11 | 5 |
| 9 | Jari Pekka Rattya | | 110.25 | 94 | 16.25 | 9 | 5 |
| 10 | Sandeep Nene | | 108.25 | 72 | 36.25 | 13 | 3 |
| 11 | Marco Herman | | 108 | 85.5 | 22.5 | 11 | 5 |
| 12 | Jens Voertmann |  | 105.5 | 78 | 27.5 | 10 | 3 |
| 13 | Bas de Laat | | 100.5 | 84.5 | 15 | 7 | 4 |
| 14 | Julius Jurksaitis |  | 100.25 | 84 | 16.25 | 7 | 3 |
| 15 | Heiko Hinkelmann | | 100 | 75 | 25 | 11 | 3 |
| 16 | Johnny Johansen |  | 95.75 | 72 | 23.75 | 8 | 3 |
| 17 | Reinhard Faltejsek |  | 94.75 | 76 | 18.75 | 10 | 4 |
| 18 | Walodik Gregorian |  | 85.5 | 68 | 17.5 | 8 | 3 |
| 19 | Jaroslav Stulhofer |  | 82.75 | 71.5 | 11.25 | 7 | 3 |
| 20 | Mickael Lacaze |  | 82.25 | 63.5 | 18.75 | 7 | 3 |
| 21 | Joakim Bakke | | 81 | 51 | 30 | 12 | 2 |
| 22 | Samuiel Stan |  | 80.25 | 61.5 | 18.75 | 5 | 3 |
| 23 | Yevhenii Ivanov |  | 79.5 | 72 | 7.5 | 5 | 3 |
| 24 | Nicolas Bokowski | | 78.75 | 52.5 | 26.25 | 10 | 2 |
| 25 | Petros Theodosiou |  | 78.5 | 76 | 15 | 7 | 2 |
| 26 | Wiktor Marcinkowski | | 77.5 | 67.5 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| 27 | Gilles Lamy | | 77.25 | 58.5 | 18.75 | 7 | 2 |
| 28 | Krzysztof Kozlowski | | 76.75 | 55.5 | 21.25 | 10 | 3 |
| 29 | Riku Koivurinne | | 76.5 | 46.5 | 30 | 10 | 2 |
| 30 | Siarhei Narozhny | 76.25 | 45 | 31.25 | 14 | 2 | |
| 31 | Aaron Thiel | | 75 | 60 | 15 | 7 | 3 |
| 32 | Markus Volk | | 74.5 | 64.5 | 10 | 4 | 2 |
| 33 | Robert Bruil | | 74.5 | 57 | 17.5 | 8 | 2 |
| 34 | Simon Wilenius | | 74 | 61.5 | 12.5 | 6 | 3 |
| 35 | Oleksii Lezhepokov | | 73.25 | 62 | 11.25 | 4 | 4 |
| 36 | Jacek Piontke | | 72.75 | 34 | 38.75 | 15 | 2 |
| 37 | Gani Weiss |  | 71 | 51 | 20 | 8 | 2 |
| 38 | Sascha Manns | | 70.5 | 38 | 32.5 | 12 | 2 |
| 39 | Andreas Paliogiannis |  | 70 | 50 | 20 | 7 | 1 |
| 40 | Matthew Kelley |  | 69.5 | 42 | 27.5 | 8 | 2 |
| 41 | Ari Engel | | 69 | 51.5 | 17.5 | 5 | 2 |
| 42 | Jyri Merivirta | | 68.75 | 45 | 23.75 | 7 | 3 |
| 43 | Gabor Erdei |  | 67.25 | 51 | 16.25 | 6 | 2 |
| 44 | Jiri Dusek |  | 67 | 54.5 | 12.5 | 5 | 4 |
| 45 | Miles Rees | | 66.25 | 40 | 26.25 | 13 | 3 |
| 46 | Nathan Ruell | | 66.25 | 37.5 | 28.75 | 10 | 2 |
| 47 | Mladen Stojanovic |  | 65.75 | 52 | 13.75 | 7 | 2 |
| 48 | Joni Limatta | | 65 | 52.5 | 12.5 | 5 | 2 |
| 49 | Jenny Westerlund |  | 64.75 | 36 | 28.75 | 15 | 2 |
| 50 | Ugo Bodino |  | 64.25 | 48 | 16.25 | 10 | 2 |
