Israeli Poker Federation Cup Main Event Reaches Final 16 in Bratislava
A 2,308-entry field built a €387,774 prize pool, with three Slovak players leading the chase for €65,494.
The Israeli Poker Federation Cup Main Event at Banco Bratislava drew 2,308 entries and built a €387,774 prize pool, finishing €87,774 above its originally announced €300,000 pool. Sixteen players survived Day 2 to contest the €65,494 first prize.
Jozef Bihári, Lukáš Pažma and Peter Ješko, all from Slovakia, led the remaining field by chip count. Day 2 began with 231 contenders, and every player who reached the final day had secured at least €400.
The final-day livestream was scheduled to begin at 16:30. Side events featuring Israeli players continued at Banco Bratislava alongside the Main Event’s closing stages.
The Oct. 6-12 festival was the second Israeli Federation Cup held at the Bratislava venue following its January debut. Banco Casino Bratislava had kept the Main Event buy-in at €200 while raising the advertised prize pool from €250,000 in January to €300,000 for October.
The series was organized with IPC — Israeli Poker Championship and was intended to bring Israeli, Slovak and other European players together. More than 300 Israeli players had been expected to travel to Bratislava for the festival.
The October Main Event was also announced as Banco Bratislava’s first tournament to use a Shot Clock, which requires decisions such as folding, calling, betting or raising within a set time limit. The feature was intended to maintain the pace of play and limit excessively long decisions.
Banco Bratislava’s next scheduled festival is the Polish Poker Championship 2026, running Nov. 4-16. Its €150 Main Event carries a €500,000 prize pool, while the schedule also includes €60,000 High Roller and €40,000 Super High Roller events; the previous Polish Poker Championship drew 7,740 entries.
