PokerListings to Live Report The Festival Series Bratislava
The Festival Series has been all the rage since its first event last year in the heart of the Slovakian capital of Bratislava at Banco Casino when players got to witness dozens of poker events along with unique casino events including Blackjack, Roulette, and Sports Wagering Main Events. The inclusion of non-poker events generates a more recreational vibe for the poker events while also exposing poker players to casino games in a game-theory environment.
The momentum continued during The Festival Series Tallinn over the summer where hundreds of new players were exposed to the budding and quickly growing poker and casino tour. Next week, The Festival Series returns to where it all began in Bratislava for what will be the biggest tour to date.
Not only will the events mentioned all take place, but the 2022 The Festival Series Bratislava €550 Main Event will guarantee a whopping €500,000 prize pool. For the first time, PokerListings will live report the Main Event while providing some highlights for the casino and side events. While this might be a first for PokerListings, it is far from the first for its Live Reporting and English Content Manager Jason Glatzer who has reported both the previous The Festival Series Main Events. Glatzer, who is the voice behind the On The Road with PokerListings by Jason Glatzer podcast will also be recording podcast episodes with exciting poker and industry guests throughout the week.
Glatzer recently sat down for a podcast with The Festival Series founder Martin "Franke" von Zweigbergk to discuss some of the excitement surrounding the event.
"Now we do our third event in total and our second in Bratislava with a half a million guarantee for a €550 buy-in," von Zweigbergk shared on the podcast. "Yeah, it's crazy. It's the biggest guarantee in Slovakian history."
PokerListings to Cover the €500K GTD 2022 The Festival Series Bratislava Main Event
While PokerListings will provide highlights from the casino and side events, its primary focus will be the poker highlight of the festival in the €500,000 guaranteed The Festival Series Bratislava €550 Main Event. The event boasts five opening flights from Oct. 11-14, each boasting 40-minute blind levels except the final opening flight which is a turbo-charged affair with 20-minute blind levels.
Players will have tons of chances to build a monster stack thanks to each opening flight allowing for two re-entries. If this is not enough, players can either enter or re-enter during the first two levels of Day 2 on Oct. 15 where blind levels are increased to 45 minutes each. Those surviving Day 2 will return for one more day of action on Oct. 16 where the poker Main Event winner will be crowned.
While covering this event in detail, PokerListings will also provide updates on some of the bigger side events throughout its Main Event coverage.
The Festival Series Main Event History
The Festival Series is a relatively new tour yet is already squeezing in its third event in about a year with the inaugural event taking place at Banco Casino Bratislava at the end of September 2021. The inaugural Main Event provided tons of excitement with former EPT poker dealer Martin Mauthner agreeing to a three-way deal with an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth during the entire final table before going on to win the event for €47,600.
A few months ago, Eirik Kristiansen won an even bigger prize of €56,100 when he shipped The Festival Series Tallinn Main Event.
The prize pools for both tournaments weren't close to the €500,000 guarantee for the upcoming The Festival Series Bratislava Main Event. However, but the opportunist entrepreneur von Zweigbergk feels the guarantee will be surpassed with many hotels already sold out. That being said, there are still some rooms available at some hotels nearby. Head to The Festival Series website for more details.
| Year | Location | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Banco Casino Bratislava | 621 | €294,875 | Martin Mauthner | €47,600* |
| 2022 | Olympic Park Casino Tallinn | 552 | €264,960 | Eirik Kristiansen | €56,100 |
| 2022 | Banco Casino Bratislava | ? | ? | ? | ? |
*Prize adjusted due to a three-way deal.
Amazing Hospitality Package
The Festival Series founder von Zweigbergk also co-founded the popular Cash Game Festival, which became recognized around the world as a fun event for cash game players. The vibe is always amazing in any event organized by von Zweigbergk. This isn't just due to the helpful and friendly staff and the innovative ideas such as rake-free flips and casino tournaments as those that qualify for packages online will be included in the famous Hospitality Package.
While the activities for this event have yet to be announced, rest assured that there will be amazing parties and other activities curated by von Zweigbergk and his team.
While you can purchase the Hospitality package directly at The Festival Series website, you can potentially get it for free with satellites for packages still running at some of the more than a dozen online partners of The Festival Series.
The Festival Bratislava Schedule
The Festival Series Bratislava schedule has something for everyone. Not only is there a full catalog of no-limit hold'em events, but players that enjoy other formats will be pleased to learn there is something for them too with plenty of events in other poker variants as well. This is on top of the many casino events including Blackjack, Roulette, Sports Wagering, and Slots events.
PokerListings will also keep a close eye on the €250 PokerListings Championship on Friday, Oct. 14.
Here is a look at the full schedule of the 2022 The Festival Series Tallinn:
Date | Time | # | Event | Buy-in | RE | Chips/Blinds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Every day | 21:00 - 23:00 | X | Stand'n'Gos - Franke's Flip Flops | Various | - | ||
| Monday, October 10 | |||||||
| Mon Oct-10 | 16:00 | 1 | Sviten Special Day 1 | 225+25 | 6 lvls | 30k / 30 | |
| Mon Oct-10 | 18:00 | 2 | The HendonMob Championship Day 1 | 225+25 | 6 lvls | 25k / 30 | |
| Mon Oct-10 | 19:00 | 3 | Super Satellite to Main Event 10x €550 Main Event tickets gtd. | 50+10 | 8 lvls | 10k / 20 | |
| Mon Oct-10 | 20:00 | 4 | Cash Game Challenge €2/2 Texas | 250 | - | 📺 | |
| Mon Oct-10 | 22:00 | 5 | Texas Knockout (bounty 50€) | 60+50+15 | 6 lvls | 15k / 15 | |
| Mon Oct-10 | 22:30 | 6 | Cash Game Challenge €2/2 PLO4 | 250 | - | 📺 | |
| Tuesday, October 11 | |||||||
| Tue Oct-11 | 12:00 | 8 | MAIN EVENT DAY 1A - 12 Levels €500,000 gtd. | 500+50 | 2x per flight | 30k / 40 | |
| Tue Oct-11 | 13:00 | 2 | The HendonMob Championship Day 2 | 225+25 | Closed | 30k / 30 | |
| Tue Oct-11 | 14:00 - 22:00 | 10 | Roulette Championship Day 1A + B + C | 225+25 | 30 spins | 10k / 25 spins | |
| Tue Oct-11 | 17:00 | 11 | PLO Masters | 225+25 | 6 lvls | 20k / 20 | 📺 |
| Tue Oct-11 | 19:00 | 7 | Satellite to Main Event 5x €550 Main Event tickets gtd. | 50+10 | 8 lvls | 10k / 20 | |
| Tue Oct-11 | 19:00 | 1 | Sviten Special Day 2/FT | Closed | Closed | - | |
| Tue Oct-11 | 21:00 | 12 | Acroud Charity Invitational | 1000 | - | 📺 | |
| Tue Oct-11 | 21:00 | 14 | Turbo Sat to PLO HR (2 Tickets gtd) 2x €1,100 PLO High Roller tickets gtd. | 135+15 | 8 lvls | 10k / 15 | |
| Tue Oct-11 | 22:00 | 13 | Win the Button, Texas | 110+15 | 6 lvls | 15k / 15 | |
| Wednesday, October 12 | |||||||
| Wed Oct-12 | 12:00 | 8 | MAIN EVENT DAY 1B - 12 Levels €500,000 gtd. | 500+50 | 2x per flight | 30k / 40 | |
| Wed Oct-12 | 14:00 | 16 | 8-Game | 110+15 | 6 lvls | 10k / 20 | |
| Wed Oct-12 | 14:00 - 22:00 | 9 | Blackjack Championship Day 1A + B + C | 225+25 | 3 rounds | 10k / 20 hands | |
| Wed Oct-12 | 17:00 | 17 | PLO High Roller €20,000 gtd. | 1000+100 | 8 lvls | 100k / 30 | 📺 |
| Wed Oct-12 | 17:00 | 18 | Gambling Cabin Sportsbook Tourney | 50+10 | No | - | |
| Wed Oct-12 | 19:00 | 15 | Satellite to Main Event 5x €550 Main Event tickets gtd. | 50+10 | 8 lvls | 10k / 20 | |
| Wed Oct-12 | 20:00 | 19 | Cash Game Challenge €2/2 Texas | 250 | - | ||
| Wed Oct-12 | 21:00 | 22 | Turbo Sat to NL HR (2 Tickets gtd) 2x €1,100 NLH High Roller tickets gtd. | 135+15 | 8 lvls | 10k / 15 | |
| Wed Oct-12 | 22:00 | 10 | Roulette Championship Day 2 | - | |||
| Wed Oct-12 | 22:00 | 20 | Texas Progressive Knockout | 125+100+25 | 6 lvls | 15k / 20 | |
| Wed Oct-12 | 22:30 | 21 | Cash Game Challenge €2/2 PLO4 | 250 | - | ||
| Wed Oct-12 | 00:00 | 9 | Blackjack Championship Day 2 | - | |||
| Thursday, October 13 | |||||||
| Thu Oct-13 | 12:00 | 8 | MAIN EVENT DAY 1C - 12 Levels €500,000 gtd. | 500+50 | 2x per flight | 30k / 40 | |
| Thu Oct-13 | 13:00 | 24 | Heads Up Texas, CAP 32, Day 1 | 225+25 | No | 10k / 25/20 | |
| Thu Oct-13 | 13:00 | 25 | H.O.R.S.E. | 225+25 | 6 lvls | 25k / 30 | |
| Thu Oct-13 | 17:00 | 26 | Half 'n' Half (Texas & PLO) | 110+15 | 4 lvls | 20k / 20 | |
| Thu Oct-13 | 17:00 | 27 | NLH High Roller €30,000 gtd. | 1000+100 | 8 lvls | 100k / 30 | 📺 |
| Thu Oct-13 | 19:00 | 23 | Satellite to Main Event 5x €550 Main Event tickets gtd. | 50+10 | 8 lvls | 10k / 20 | |
| Thu Oct-13 | 20:00 | 28 | PLO 4/5/6 Cards (7 Max) | 225+25 | 6 lvls | 25k / 20 | |
| Thu Oct-13 | 21:00 | 29 | Matching Visions Slots Tournament | 225+25 | No | - | |
| Thu Oct-13 | 21:00 | 30 | NL Surprise (package to next Stop added) | 225+25 | 6 lvls | 15k / 20 | |
| Thu Oct-13 | 22:00 | 10 | Roulette Championship Final | Closed | Closed | - | |
| Thu Oct-13 | 00:00 | 9 | Blackjack Championship Final | Closed | Closed | - | |
| Friday, October 14 | |||||||
| Fri Oct-14 | 12:00 | 8 | MAIN EVENT DAY 1D - 12 Levels €500,000 gtd. | 500+50 | 2x per flight | 30k / 40 | |
| Fri Oct-14 | 13:00 | 31 | Pokerlistings Championship | 225+25 | 8 lvls | 30k / 30 | |
| Fri Oct-14 | 13:00 | 32 | Open Face Chinese | 225+25 | 6 lvls | 20k / 30 | |
| Fri Oct-14 | 14:00 | 24 | Heads Up Texas, CAP 32, Final 4 players | Closed | Closed | - | |
| Fri Oct-14 | 16:00 | 33 | The Festival Queens | 110+15 | 25k / 25 | ||
| Fri Oct-14 | 19:00 | 34 | NL Texas 15.000€ gtd. €15,000 gtd. | 110+15 | 8 lvls | 20k / 20 | |
| Fri Oct-14 | 20:00 | 35 | Cash Game Challenge €5/5 Texas | 500 | - | 📺 | |
| Fri Oct-14 | 20:00 | 8 | MAIN EVENT DAY 1E Turbo - 12 Levels €500,000 gtd. | 500+50 | 2x per flight | 30k / 20 | |
| Fri Oct-14 | 21:00 | 36 | PLO/PLO8 | 110+15 | 6 lvls | 15k / 20 | |
| Fri Oct-14 | 23:00 | 37 | Texas Turbo Midnight Madness | 110+15 | 8 lvls | 10k / 15 | |
| Fri Oct-14 | 22:30 | 38 | Cash Game Challenge €5/5 PLO4 | 500 | - | 📺 | |
| Saturday, October 15 | |||||||
| Sat Oct-15 | 12:00 | 8 | MAIN EVENT DAY 2 €500,000 gtd. | 500+50 | 2 lvls | 30k / 45 | 📺 |
| Sat Oct-15 | 13:00 | 40 | Gambling Cabin Sportsbook Tourney | 225+25 | No | - | |
| Sat Oct-15 | 14:00 | 39 | PLO Freezeout | 225+25 | No | 25k / 25 | |
| Sat Oct-15 | 15:00 | 41 | NL Texas Freezeout | 225+25 | No | 25k / 25 | |
| Sat Oct-15 | 17:00 | 42 | NL Texas 30.000 gtd. | 110+15 | 12 lvls | 50k / 25 | |
| Sat Oct-15 | 20:00 | 43 | Coolbet Club Championship Norway | Closed | No | 20k / 20 | |
| Sat Oct-15 | 20:00 | 44 | Cash Game Challenge €10/10 Texas | 1000 | - | ||
| Sat Oct-15 | 23:00 | 45 | PLO Turbo Midnight Madness | 110+15 | 8 lvls | 10k / 15 | |
| Sat Oct-15 | 22:30 | 46 | Cash Game Challenge €10/10 PLO4 | 1000 | - | ||
| Sunday, October 16 | |||||||
| Sun Oct-16 | 13:00 | 47 | Texas Lowroller | 50+10 | 6 lvls | 15k / 20 | |
| Sun Oct-16 | 13:00 | 48 | Texas Shortdeck/ 6+ Hold´em | 225+25 | 4 lvls | 20k / 20 | |
| Sun Oct-16 | 14:00 | 8 | MAIN EVENT DAY 3 (Final 2 Tables) €500,000 gtd. | Closed | Closed | - | 📺 |
| Sun Oct-16 | 16:00 | 49 | OFC High Roller | 1000+100 | 6 lvls | 30k / 25 | |
| Sun Oct-16 | 17:00 | 50 | Staff Tournament €500 added | 10 | Max 2 | - |
*Images courtesy of The Festival Series.
