OlyBet Showdown Vilnius 2026 launches with high-stakes poker action

Vilnius transforms into a poker battleground as Finland's Ville Keranen claims the first trophy. Nine players still vie for €6,979 in the NLH Opening Event.

, and Administrator

2026 May 10 . 8:01 PM

1 min read

The image shows a gold medal with a red, white and blue ribbon around it, depicting a person in the... — The image shows a gold medal with a red, white and blue ribbon around it, depicting a person in the center of the medal. The medal is inscribed with the words "Lithuanian Olympic Games" in bold lettering.

OlyBet Showdown Vilnius 2026 launches with high-stakes poker action

The 2026 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius kicked off on May 9 at Olympic Casino Lietuva. Over nine days, the festival will host 32 poker events, running until May 17 in the Lithuanian capital. The action started strong with the €250 No-Limit Hold’em Opening Event drawing 131 players and building a €27,379 prize pool. The first trophy of the series went to Finland’s Ville Keranen, who topped the €150 PLO5 Bounty event. He defeated Latvia’s Edijs Sidko in heads-up play, taking home €761 plus bounties, while Sidko earned €535 plus bounties.

The €250 NLH Opening Event paused with nine players still in contention, led by Lithuania’s Sigitas Raila. They return on Sunday at noon to compete for the €6,979 top prize. Sunday’s schedule includes four trophy opportunities. At 4 p.m., the €80 NLH Mega Satellite begins, guaranteeing at least five seats to the €555 NLH OlyBet Showdown Championship. Later, two new events start: the €200 PLO4/PLO5 at 7 p.m. and the €150 NLH at 9 p.m.

The festival’s opening weekend has already crowned one champion and set the stage for more winners. With multiple events concluding on Sunday, May 10, players will compete for trophies, prize money, and seats in the championship. The action continues daily until the final event on May 17.