Heads-up Battle Leads to Skridulis's Landmark Victory
In the penultimate day of the 2025 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius, the highly-anticipated final table of the €1,100 Main Event commenced. Nine fierce competitors gathered at noon, each with dreams of eternal poker glory, a unique trophy, and the €40,060 first-place prize.
The tournament, which drew 187 entries, accumulating a prize pool of €177,650, had been a resounding success. From the outset, it was evident that the players were focused on the trophy rather than merely the money.
Lithuanian poker icon, Vladas Burneikis, began the final table with the second smallest stack. After running into Rokas Skridulis' flopped straight, Burneikis was the first player to be eliminated, taking home €4,880.
Skridulis maintained the chiplead during the first break, with only one player holding more than a million chips. Rasmus Sihvonen, the reigning champion, found himself down to 30 Big Blinds after an unfavorable run of cards. Soon after the break, Sihvonen was on the verge of elimination when he found himself pitted against Skridulis. However, in a dramatic turn of events, Sihvonen managed to hit a straight on the river, surviving the round.
With a mix of aggressiveness and patience, Skridulis and Sihvonen alternated leading the table in chip count throughout the play. Janis Markss, Justinas Adomauskas, and Sigitas Raila were among the players to fall by the wayside, respectively claiming €5,790, sending Gintautas Danilevičius to the rail for €8,640, and eliminating Sigitas Raila with pocket queens for €6,980.
Following a brief 15-minute break, Adomauskas continued his impressive run, eliminating Aklesandras Rusinovas for €11,100. Despite exiting in fifth place, Rusinovas had reason to feel proud, having won the €555 NLH Championship earlier in the tournament.
With Adomauskas' stack now swelled, he took aim at Sihvonen, forcing him all-in on a 3♠Q♦8♥9♥3♦ board. After careful consideration, Sihvonen made the hero call with ace high, dealt a severe blow to Adomauskas' stack. Over the next several hands, Adomauskas continued to lose pots, ultimately falling victim to Sihvonen's wise play and finding himself eliminated in fourth place for €14,390.
Now enter the final three: Skridulis, Sihvonen, and Edgaras Truskauskas. With Sihvonen leading with 3,000,000 chips, compared to his opponents' approximately 1,000,000 each, Skridulis set the stage for a thrilling heads-up duel, eliminating Truskauskas in third place for €18,510 with a set of eights.
With a seemingly unassailable chiplead, Skridulis and Sihvonen agreed to a deal, securing Sihvonen a significant portion of the prize money. The heads-up play continued, with a great deal at stake for Sihvonen as he strived to become a back-to-back OlyBet Showdown champion.
Despite Sihvonen's valiant effort, showcasing impressive poker skills, Skridulis maintained his grip on the lead, eventually forcing all the chips into the pot. In a tense moment reminiscent of a coin flip, Skridulis' A♠J♠ outperformed Sihvonen's pocket tens, claiming the well-deserved title. Sihvonen, while undoubtedly disappointed, displayed remarkable resilience in the face of defeat.
The €1,100 Main Event concluded with the following results:
| Position | Player | Country | Prize ||----------|---------------------|------------|-------------|| 1 | Rokas Skridulis | Lithuania | €32,595 || 2 | Rasmus Sihvonen | Finland | €33,325 || 3 | Edgaras Truskauskas | Lithuania | €18,510 || 4 | Justinas Adomauskas | Lithuania | €14,390 || 5 | Aleksandras Rusinovas| Lithuania | €11,100 || 6 | Gintautas Danilevičius | Lithuania| €8,640 || 7 | Sigitas Raila | Lithuania | €6,980 || 8 | Janis Markss | Latvia | €5,790 || 9 | Vladas Burneikis | Lithuania | €4,880 |
*Note: A deal was made heads-up between Skridulis and Sihvonen, adjusting the prize money distribution[3].
In the heat of the final table, Justinas Adomauskas and Rasmus Sihvonen engaged in a high-stakes poker match, their chips scattered across the casino-and-gambling table as they battled for casino-games supremacy, with a hand of poker deciding their fates.
As the chips dwindled, Adomauskas found himself at a critical juncture, all-in against Sihvonen with a precarious hand. Despite the risk, Sihvonen made the hero call, ultimately leading to Adomauskas' elimination from the €1,100 Main Event.
