OlyBet Showdown Riga
Tomas Bulkšas dominated the €1,100 Main Event at OlyBet Showdown Riga, while Joni Nenonen claimed two bounty titles and Mantas Bagočius won the €555 Championship.
The autumn edition of the OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo wrapped up at the Olympic Casino Voodoo with a victory for Tomas Bulkšas in the €1,100 Main Event. The Lithuanian began the final day as the commanding chipleader and, roughly three hours later, was holding the trophy. Following a deal among the final three players, he collected €18,217.
Bulkšas Controls the Final Table
The Main Event drew 63 entries, generating a prize pool of €59,850. Nine players returned for the final table, but only eight spots were paid. The bubble burst on the very first hand when Raivo Grīslihs clashed preflop with Ēriks Krūmiņš and was eliminated. The exit was especially painful because Grīslihs had won the festival's Mystery Bounty just the day before.
Bulkšas quickly demonstrated why he held the chip lead. A pivotal moment arrived with six players remaining: his pocket kings collided with the pocket queens of Baptiste Caim. The Frenchman, who had started the day second in chips, was eliminated, and Bulkšas collected more than half of the chips in play. He used that advantage to pressure the shorter stacks. After eliminating Jurgis Beinoras, only three players remained.
Bulkšas, Eduards Rakuss, and Ryhor Karapanau agreed to split part of the prize pool according to ICM. They continued to play for the trophy and the remaining €4,032. Karapanau finished third for €10,962, and Rakuss took second for €11,141. Bulkšas eliminated both opponents to secure his third OlyBet event title and a first-place payout of €18,217.
Final Table Results
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- Tomas Bulkšas (Lithuania) – €18,217*
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- Eduards Rakuss (Latvia) – €11,141*
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- Ryhor Karapanau (Belarus) – €10,962*
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- Jurgis Beinoras (Lithuania) – €6,030
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- Ēriks Krūmiņš (Latvia) – €4,610
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- Baptiste Caim (France) – €3,690
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- Baris Borsa (Sweden) – €2,910
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- Roberts Rumba (Latvia) – €2,290
*Denotes a deal among the final three players.
Nenonen Claims Two Bounty Titles
Finnish player Joni Nenonen won two different bounty tournaments over two days. He first triumphed in the €250 NLH Progressive Bounty, then followed up with a victory in the €250 PLO4/PLO5 Progressive Bounty. For both wins, the announced payouts from the main prize pool were separate from the bounty prizes: he earned €1,469 for the first win and €1,475 for the second, along with his bounties.
The €200 Mini Main Event attracted a larger field than the main events, with 125 entries. Dane Kim Kirkeby Kjaer claimed the title and took home €4,383. The festival's last trophy went to Frenchman Josselin Daoulas, who turned 28 entries in the €250 DeepStack Closing Event into a victory worth €2,200.
Other Notable Results
Mantas Bagočius won the €555 Championship, adding another title to the festival's list of winners. The nine-day series featured a mix of no-limit hold'em and pot-limit Omaha variants, with progressive bounty formats proving popular among players.
A detailed live report of the event is available on the partner website poker.pro.
FAQ
- Tomas Bulkšas from Lithuania won the €1,100 Main Event, earning €18,217 after a deal among the final three players.