The Slovak Series of Poker is back! From September 2nd to 8th, 2025, Banco Bratislava will host the eighth edition of the prestigious Slovak Poker Championships. The Main Event guarantees €300,000, with the top three players in each flight earning a chipleader bonus of up to €2,100. Additionally, the best player of SSOP 2025 will receive an exclusive “Golden Passport” worth over €3,000 for the 2026 edition.
Besides the Main Event, look forward to a wide variety of tournaments - bracelet events, High Roller tournaments, the Slovak PLO Championship, Deepstack, Freezeout, Mystery Bounty, and the traditional Heads-Up National Championship. We discussed upcoming innovations, history, and the significance of SSOP with the most qualified person - manager Ján Packa!
Do you remember how the idea of the Slovak Series of Poker came about and how it evolved from the first edition?
Banco Bratislava officially opened its doors to poker players in June 2015, and exactly a year later, the Slovak Series Of Poker was born, with the first edition starting on the symbolic date of June 21, 2016. It was 2016, and we wanted to bring an accessible format of attractive tournaments for our players, which I think we succeeded in doing.
What does SSOP mean for Banco Casino - not just from a sporting perspective, but also marketing and socially?
The Slovak Series Of Poker is essentially the Slovak Poker Championships. They offer a diverse array of “championship” tournaments beyond the Main Event with €300,000 GTD, PLO High Roller, NLH High Roller, events like the Heads-Up Championship, Team Poker Championships, or the Women's Championship, where special trophies in the form of bracelets will be awarded to the champions. We're excited to see many domestic players battling for championship titles at Banco.
What major innovations does this year's SSOP bring compared to previous editions?
The main innovation will be the official ranking “Player of SSOP 2025.” At the end of this, we will discover the most successful player of this edition, who will win an extra bracelet and also a “Golden Passport” for 2026 worth over €3,000.
The second novelty/exclusivity in the Main Event is the chipleader bonus worth €3,600 in each playing day. So it’s certainly worth being the chipleader in the early days, as the top spot in each flight will get the best bonus of €2,100 right after the day's end.
The third novelty will be the SSOP bracelets, which will be unique every year from this edition, so trophy collectors have something to look forward to.
Which events do you consider “must play” and why?
The SSOP 2025 schedule is diverse; it really depends on the preferences of participants what is “must play.” Personally, I'm excited about events that are rarely held, like the NLH Heads-Up Championship or the Team Championships – pre-registration is open for both – I’m curious to see what teams will be formed and who will become champions.
What do you think is the biggest draw for players?
An attractive schedule with excellent guarantees is the foundation of any good festival, and SSOP will bring even more – prestigious titles, bracelet events, a great atmosphere, the chipleader bonus in the Main Event, the Heads-Up Championship, and the Team Championships.
The festival also attracts international players – from which countries do you expect the most this year?
The Slovak Series Of Poker appeals to a wide poker audience, and we believe, as always, players from across Europe will gather at Banco Bratislava. Certainly, we can expect strong participation from over 100 Israeli players who have confirmed their presence in large numbers.
Where can SSOP advance in the coming years – do you see room for even larger guarantees or more international reach?
We always have ambitious plans, and the Slovak Series Of Poker is no exception. I wouldn't want to get ahead of myself, but right after this year's conclusion, we’ll be working on SSOP 2026 to elevate the Slovak Poker Championships to a higher level.
What would you say to players who are still undecided about attending SSOP?
I'll put it this way, I always watch with joy and excitement when I see other countries travel together to their poker championships in Slovakia – for example, from Poland, Sweden, or Norway. They come to enjoy tournaments or cash games, have fun with friends who share the same hobby, and chat in their native language about how they lost J3off on the small blind during the break. I’d like to see the same in Slovakia, where, let's face it, we're lucky enough not to have to travel abroad but just to the capital. I'll be glad to see local players in large numbers at SSOP at Banco, with as many titles remaining “at home.”
Complete schedule of SSOP 2025:
