Sebastian Kotowicz Becomes Back-to-Back Champion of The Festival, Takes Home €78,100

Sebastian Kotowicz has done it again. A year later, he has once more emerged as the champion of The Festival Main Event, marking a fantastic achievement. Besides the trophy and title, he also earns a prize of €78,100, to which we extend our congratulations.

The Festival Main Event reached its final day yesterday, which you could watch live via our website. The festival's highlight event guaranteed €500,000, although the casino had to cover a slight shortfall.

The final day began with 16 of the best players who had advanced from Day 2, each guaranteed at least €4,500. It took over two hours before we heard 'seat open' seven times, leading to the formation of the final table. Last year's winner, Sebastian Kotowicz from Poland, joined the table as the chipleader, determined to defend his title.

Going into the final day, a trio of local players managed to pack the largest stacks. This resulted in fifth place for Tomáš Štvrtecký, third place for Dávid Urban, and second place for Andrej Tekel, who only succumbed to champion Sebastian Kotowicz. Kotowicz became The Festival's back-to-back champion, now claiming €78,100 after last year's €77,001 win, making history as the first player to win two years in a row. Congratulations!

Result:

#	Name	Country	Payout
1.	KOTOWITZ SEBASTIAN ANDRZEJ	Poland	€78,100
2.	TEKEL ANDREJ	Slovakia	€48,850
3.	URBAN DAVID	Slovakia	€33,250
4.	MEIER MAXIMILIAN	Germany	€24,700
5.	STVRTECKY TOMAS	Slovakia	€19,000
6.	HAMACEK MICHAL	Czech Republic	€14,600
7.	MAEHOENEN JARI MIKA JUHANI	Finland	€11,700
8.	LARSSON RIKARD	Sweden	€9,350
9.	GUMULA DANIEL MAREK	Poland	€7,500

December will bring the Spanish Poker Festival with a guaranteed Main Event of €150,000. More than 200 players from the Iberian Peninsula are expected to arrive in Bratislava.

The New Year will kick off with the legendary Banco Casino Masters, featuring its 43rd edition and a €250,000 guarantee for a €170 buy-in. How better to start 2026 than as a Masters champion?

Banco is also introducing another novelty to Slovakia, bringing the prestigious Israeli Federation Cup under the auspices of the oldest poker organization IPC from Israel. Over 300 Israeli players are expected from January 20-26, 2026, with the Main Event offering a €250,000 guarantee for just a €200 entry.