The Festival Series NLHE Main Event at Banco Casino Bratislava with €500,000 GTD!
Poker people, the most anticipated tournament of The Festival Series is upon us—The NLHE Main Event! With a modest buy-in of just €550, which you know is standard during our event, the guarantee at Banco Casino Bratislava consists of €500,000. Last year, it was Polish sensation Gabriel Rymar who took it down for €80,000. For the fourth time, The Festival Series returns to Banco Casino, who will be crowned as the ultimate Main Event champion this time?
| Date | Time (CET) | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 19 | 12:00 | Day 1A |
| Nov 20 | 12:00 | Day 1B |
| Nov 21 | 12:00 | Day 1C |
| Nov 21 | 20:00 | Day 1D |
| Nov 22 | 12:00 | Day 1E |
| Nov 22 | 20:00 | Day 1F |
| Nov 23 | 12:00 (late reg 2 lvls) | Day 2 |
| Nov 24 | 13:00 | Day 3 |
The Champions Hall of Fame
Our upcoming stop in Bratislava (Nov 18-24) will be our 9th stop in our humble history. All winners of the Main Events were truly exceptional, and some of them went ahead and tried to conquer the world of live poker. Take for example Dutchman Michel Molenaar, who catapulted his career after his Festival Series Main Event win in 2022, good for over €125,000 in winnings. Until this very day, it is still the largest first prize in a poker tournament at Banco Casino, and even in Slovakia! He now travels all over the world, chasing more wins!
While Austrian Martin Mauthner triumphed over a Main Event field of 621 entries back in 2021 for a cool €56,870, it was young gun Gabriel Rymar who amazed us in 2023. Not only did he win the Deepstack event for just over €14,000, but he also took down the Main Event for a wicked €80,000.
Who will be added to the list below and follow up with our most recent Main Event winner Victor den Houting from Spain? Perhaps himself! He will be heading to Bratislava to try and defend his title!
Here is the list of all (€550) Main Event winners in the history of The Festival Series:
| Place | Entries | Total Prize Pool | Winner Name | First Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malta '24 | 566 | €268,850 |  Victor den Hounting | €55,000 |
| Rozvadov '24 | 989 | €296,610 |  Presiyan Tsvetanov | €90,350 |
| Bratislava '23 | 1025 | €486,785 |  Gabriel Rymar | €80,000 |
| Malta '23 | 617 | €296,610 |  Oystein Brenden | €60,700 |
| Nottingham '23 | 609 | £236,292 |  Ignacio Menendez | £38,595 |
| Bratislava '22 | 1271 | €603,725 |  Michel Molenaar | €126,650 |
| Tallinn '22 | 552 | €264,960 | Eirik Kristiansen | €56,100 |
| Bratislava '21 | 621 | €304,245 |  Martin Mauthner | €56,870 |
Tournament Structure: Main Event
The Main Event’s tournament structure returns unchanged from the previous edition in Banco Casino Bratislava, following positive player feedback on its balance and playability. With a 30,000 starting stack and 40-minute levels on Day 1 (accept turbo flights D+F), players will have plenty of opportunities to make their moves and build mountains of chips. There are six starting days to choose from, and for those with tight schedules due to all the mixed games going on throughout the week, late registration remains open until the end of the second blind level on Day 2.
Here’s the full breakdown of the levels for this Main Event:
| ID | Small Blind | Big Blind | Ante | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 100 | 40 min. | |
| 2 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 40 min. |
| 3 | 100 | 200 | 200 | 40 min. |
| Break | 20 min. | |||
| 4 | 100 | 300 | 300 | 40 min. |
| 5 | 200 | 400 | 400 | 40 min. |
| 6 | 200 | 500 | 500 | 40 min. |
| Break | 20 min. | |||
| 7 | 300 | 600 | 600 | 40 min. |
| 8 | 400 | 800 | 800 | 40 min. |
| 9 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 40 min. |
| Break | 20 min. | |||
| 10 | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 | 40 min. |
| 11 | 800 | 1,600 | 1,600 | 40 min. |
| 12 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 40 min. |
| End of Day 1 | ||||
| 13 | 1,000 | 3,000 | 3,000 | 45 min. |
| 14 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 45 min. |
| Break | 20 min. | |||
| 15 | 2,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 45 min. |
| 16 | 3,000 | 6,000 | 6,000 | 45 min. |
| 17 | 4,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 | 45 min. |
| Dinner Break | ||||
| 18 | 5,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 45 min. |
| 19 | 6,000 | 12,000 | 12,000 | 45 min. |
| 20 | 8,000 | 16,000 | 16,000 | 45 min. |
| Break | 20 min. | |||
| 21 | 10,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 45 min. |
| 22 | 15,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 45 min. |
| 23 | 20,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 45 min. |
| Break | 20 min. | |||
| 24 | 25,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 45 min. |
| 25 | 30,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 | 45 min. |
| 26 | 40,000 | 80,000 | 80,000 | 45 min. |
| Break | 20 min. | |||
| 27 | 50,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 45 min. |
| 28 | 60,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 45 min. |
| 29 | 80,000 | 160,000 | 160,000 | 45 min. |
| Break | 20 min. | |||
| 30 | 100,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 45 min. |
| 31 | 125,000 | 250,000 | 250,000 | 45 min. |
| 32 | 150,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 45 min. |
| Break | 20 min. | |||
| 33 | 200,000 | 400,000 | 400,000 | 45 min. |
| 34 | 250,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 25 min. |
| 35 | 300,000 | 600,000 | 600,000 | 25 min. |
| Break | 20 min. | |||
| 36 | 400,000 | 800,000 | 800,000 | 25 min. |
| 37 | 500,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 25 min. |
| 38 | 600,000 | 1,200,000 | 1,200,000 | 25 min. |
