It’s impossible to have a conversation about the Baltic live poker scene without mentioning OlyBet. For years, they’ve been the biggest provider of live poker events in Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, and their events just keep getting bigger and better. Now, it’s soon time for Olympic Casino Lithuania to roll out the red carpet for another OlyBet affair, as the 2026 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius will take over Vilnius between May 9-17. Headlined by a €1,100 Main Event, the festival is destined to be one of the biggest live poker happenings in Lithuania this year.
Vilnius Brings the Action
It’s safe to say that OlyBet’s been off to a great start in 2026. Their flagship event, Kings of Tallinn, set all kinds of new records back in February. Before that, the 2026 OlyBet Showdown Ace Breaker kicked off the OlyBet year in Vilnius. Most recently, the 2026 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Spring Edition and the inaugural 2026 OlyBet Showdown Tallinn have continued the campaign, and it’s safe to say that the OlyBet brand is, and always has been, strong.
The Tallinn event wrapped up only a few days ago, but there won’t be any long wait for the Baltic poker community, seeing as the 2026 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius is roughly two weeks away. The atmosphere ought to be electric at Olympic Casino Lithuania, and judging from the tournament schedule, all poker enthusiasts are in for a treat.
The 2026 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius will be played May 9-17, and the whole festival will kick off with the €250 NLH Opening Event. It’s a two-day affair that will play down to the final table on the first day, before a winner will be crowned on May 10. It’ll be a nice way for all contestants to warm up before even bigger and more prestigious events take the stage. The €555 NLH Championship is a recurring feature on the OlyBet Showdown schedules, and it’s usually one of the most popular tournaments in terms of entries. There are two starting-day flights (May 11 and May 12) for this three-day tournament, and late registration will be open during the first two hours of Level 2. When the tournament was held during the 2026 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius Ace Breaker in January this year, a €85,025 prize pool was created thanks to the 179 entries, and Finland’s Rasmus Sihvonen ultimately emerged victorious, claiming a €18,055 first-place prize.
Then, of course, it’s the cherry on top: the €1,100 Main Event. This bonanza of a live poker tournament will also be played over the course of three days, with three starting-day flights. Let’s roll back the clock to January once again, when Finn Jarmo Luokkala conquered a field that consisted of 183 entries to win €39,260, which was the biggest slice of the €173,850. Impressive numbers, but it wouldn’t be too surprising to see an even bigger prize pool this time.
Let’s leave the Texas NLH affairs for a while, seeing as there is good news for all PLO lovers. There are six purified PLO tournaments running during the nine-day festival, where an event such as the €250 PLO4/5 Progressive Bounty is guaranteed to bring the action to the blue-felted tables. Somewhat related to PLO is also the €200 PL Sviten, scheduled for May 15. There are few, if any, poker disciplines that bring as much action to the table as Sviten does, and even though there can only be one winner in a poker tournament, all players partaking in the Sviten goodness are guaranteed to have the time of their lives.
Another event that deserves to be highlighted is the €150 NLH Queens. The ladies always enjoy locking horns in Vilnius, and, perhaps, Lithuania’s Indre Kasten-Martoviciute will return to the capital, chasing the back-to-back. The same day, all women will have a very cheap opportunity to secure their seats, as there is a €10 satellite with four tickets guaranteed.
All OlyBet Showdown events typically have an online event, and this will be the case once again. On May 16, the €150 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius Online Progressive Bounty will kick off at 21:00 on the OlyBet poker client. The tournament has a €5,000 guarantee, and it’s a safe bet that many players will multitask, mixing online poker with the side events at Olympic Casino Lithuania.
The tournament is too vast to highlight everything, but aside from everything mentioned, there are many more side events, for example, many Texas NLH tournaments around the €200 mark. Check out the full tournament schedule below and sync it with your calendar.
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| May 9 | 12:00 | Event #1: €20 NLH Satellite to €250 NLH Opening Event (Five Seats Guaranteed) |
| 15:00 | Event #2: €250 NLH Opening Event Day 1 | |
| 17:00 | Event #3: €150 PLO5 Bounty | |
| 21:00 | Event #4: €30 NLH Satellite to €555 NLH OlyBet Showdown Championship | |
| May 10 | 12:00 | Event #2: €250 NLH Opening Event Day 2 (Final Day) |
| 12:00 | Event #5: €350 NLH Deepstack Progressive Bounty | |
| 16:00 | Event #6: €80 NLH Mega Satellite to €555 NLH OlyBet Showdown Championship Day 1a (Five Seats Guaranteed) | |
| 19:00 | Event #7: €200 PLO4/5 | |
| 21:00 | Event #8: €150 NLH | |
| May 11 | 12:00 | Event #9: €30 NLH Satellite to €555 NLH OlyBet Showdown Championship |
| 16:00 | Event #10: €555 NLH Championship Day 1a | |
| 18:00 | Event #11: €250 PLO5 | |
| 20:00 | Event #12: €200 NLH | |
| 21:30 | Event #13: €80 NLH Satellite to €1,100 Main Event Day 1a (Two Seats Guaranteed) | |
| May 12 | 12:00 | Event #10: €555 NLH Championship Day 1b |
| 15:00 | Event #14: €250 PLO4/5 | |
| 18:00 | Event #15: €250 NLH Progressive Bounty | |
| 20:00 | Event #16: €80 NLH Satellite to €1,100 Main Event Day 1a (Three Seats Guaranteed) | |
| May 13 | 12:00 | Event #10: €555 NLH Championship Day 2 |
| 16:00 | Event #17: €1,100 NLH Main Event Day 1a | |
| 18:00 | Event E18: €250 PLO4/5 Progressive Bounty | |
| 20:00 | Event #19: €80 NLH Mega Satellite to €1,100 Main Event (Four Seats Guaranteed) | |
| May 14 | 12:00 | Event #10: €555 NLH Championship Day 3 (Final Day) |
| 12:00 | Event #17: €1,100 NLH Main Event Day 1b | |
| 17:00 | Event #20: €200 NLH | |
| 19:00 | Event #17: €1,100 NLH Main Event Day 1c | |
| 21:00 | Event #21: €250 NLH Progressive Bounty | |
| May 15 | 12:00 | Event #17: €1,100 NLH Main Event Day 2 |
| 14:00 | Event #22: €200 PL Sviten | |
| 15:00 | Event #23: €350 NLH Deepstack Progressive Bounty | |
| 19:00 | Event #24: €200 NLH | |
| 21:00 | Event #25: €80 NLH Satellite to The 2026 Festival Weekend Vilnius €555 Main Event (Two Seats Guaranteed) | |
| May 16 | 12:00 | Event #17: €1,100 NLH Main Event Day 3 (Final Day) |
| 12:00 | Event #26: €350 NLH OlyBet Special Day 1 | |
| 12:00 | Event #27: €10 NLH Satellite to €150 NLH Queens (Four Tickets Guaranteed) | |
| 16:00 | Event #28: €150 NLH Queens | |
| 18:00 | Event #29: €200 PLO4/5 | |
| 21:00 | Event #30: €200 NLH Bounty | |
| 21:00 | Event #31: €150 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius Online Progressive Bounty | |
| May 17 | 12:00 | Event #26: €350 NlH OlyBet Special Day 2 (Final Day) |
| 13:00 | Event #32: €250 NLH Wrap-up |
Live reporter Richard Hayes will represent poker.pro on-site in Vilnius, live reporting from the €555 NLH Championship (from Day 2 and onwards) and the €1,100 Main Event. It’s always good vibes at the OlyBet live events, and Casino Olympic Lithuania is prepared to deliver a live poker event of magnificent proportions. The expectations for the 2026 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius are high, and for nine days straight, the biggest card room in the Lithuanian capital will be boiling.
