European poker players and international card enthusiasts are in for a treat this July when the Bratislava Poker Festival begins at Slovakia’s largest land-based gaming establishment – the Card Casino!
The six-day live poker tournament series – organized by the Irish Poker Tour in coordination with partypoker Live, starts on Tuesday, July 18th, and will boast a guaranteed €1,000,000 combined prize pool over the course of more than a dozen events.
“We’re ready to bring the magic of Irish Poker to the heart of Europe,” said Irish Poker Tour CEO Fintan Gavin in a recent conversation with Cardplayer Lifestyle. ”We know what players want and we’re ready to give it to them.”
The 2023 Bratislava Poker Festival will be headlined by the €500,000 GTD No Limit Hold’em Grand Prix Main Event, which players can enter for a relatively modest €500+€50 buy-in.
Key Events Feature Texas Hold’em and Omaha Game Variants
Aside from Texas Hold’em, the Bratislava Poker Festival 2023 will offer events in which Omaha is played, where entrants will be dealt four hole cards at the beginning of each hand.
The tournament series will feature a heavy dose of Texas Hold’em and Omaha Hold’em game variants, with multiple buy-in levels for players of all bankrolls as well as different formats including Limit, Pot Limit, and No Limit.
The €500,000 GTD Grand Prix Main Event will commence on Wednesday, July 19th, at 6:00pm local time. Each player who enters the event will receive multiple opportunities to re-enter due to the tournament’s single re-entry per flight accommodation.
In all, there will be five starting flights for the Grand Prix Main Event (two on Friday), with rebuys ceasing before Day 2 on Saturday, July 22nd.
Other featured events include:
- European Omaha 7-Max Championship (€2,300+€200 – starts July 20th)
- No Limit Texas Hold’em High Roller (€2,700+€300 – starts July 22nd)
- No Limit Hold’em Bratislava Poker Cup Event (€315+€35 – starts/ends July 23rd)
The Card Casino (the “Rising Star” of European poker) will host satellite qualifier tournaments for all featured events. On-site players can attempt to gain entry into one of the marquee main tournaments with a smaller buy-in amount through these live qualifier events..
There will also be a single €130+€20 NLHE Turbo side event hosted during each day of the festival, plus cash games of various stake sizes.
Qualify Online: Bratislava Poker Festival 2023
Bratislava Poker Festival sponsors are anticipating a large contingent of Irish poker players to opt for a three-hour flight to western Slovakia, where they will enjoy nearly a full week of live poker competition and fun.
European poker players who would like to qualify for the 2023 Bratislava Poker Festival Grand Prix Main Event can do so online now at partypoker via sub-feeder satellites that start for as low as €0.01 buy-in and range up to €125 in order to win a seat into the Festival’s headline tournament.
There are also special online satellite qualifiers set up exclusively for Latvian poker players at Optibet (Latvia only).
For complete details on the 2023 Bratislava Poker Festival, including a complete schedule, tournament structures, lodging, and more, visit the Festival’s homepage.
About Bratislava & Environs
Located in the western portion of Slovakia, Bratislava has become one of the most popular tourist destinations not only for Europeans, but for travelers worldwide.
While attending the 2023 Bratislava Poker Festival, players can visit local attractions such as the Bratislava Castle which overlooks the city and currently holds the Museum of History, or catch up on some shopping at the Eurovea Waterfront, which is just a 5-minute taxi ride away.
About the Irish Poker Tour
With more than two decades of experience organizing major live poker tournaments, Irish Poker Tour founder Fintan Gavin has been at the head of the tour since its inception.
The IPT hosts major live poker festivals and individual tournaments throughout Europe, and brings an intense focus on the needs of poker players who routinely compete in sponsored Irish Poker Tour events.
About Card Casino (Bratislava, Slovakia)
The Card Casino is located near the Bratislava Airport and has become the largest gaming establishment in the city, with 24/7 service, an on-site cabaret that features shows, parties, and concerts, plus dining options for its visitors.
The Card Casino in Bratislava offers a full casino and table game portfolio to its customers, as well as the city’s most popular card room that hosts live poker cash games and tournaments.