EPICBET’s First-Ever Live Festival

The EPICBET CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP will not be just another tournament on the Banco Bratislava calendar. For EPICBET, it will be the brand’s first-ever live festival, built around the idea of connecting the digital world with the communities and clubs the brand has been working closely with for a long time.

As Svein Olav Eidseter, EPICBET Manager and a well-known figure in the poker industry who currently lives in Bratislava, explains, EPICBET has been planning for some time to create its own live event that would take place once a year.

 

As a poker operator working closely with a large number of poker clubs and communities, creating a festival specifically for this international community was a natural next step. However, the event will not be closed to the public – the EPICBET CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP is open to all players, while the schedule will also feature an exclusive tournament dedicated to EPICBET’s club partners.

The EPICBET team is extremely excited about its premiere and considers its cooperation with Banco Bratislava to be a major advantage. According to Eidseter, Banco’s extensive experience in organizing major international poker festivals played an important role in selecting the organizer. EPICBET therefore believes that the inaugural edition will be delivered to a high standard and become a successful foundation for a new annual tradition.

€150,000 Main Event and Hundreds of International Players

The main tournament attraction will be the EPICBET CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP €150,000 Main Event with a €340 buy-in.

The festival will take place from September 16 to 21, 2026, with more than 400 international poker players expected to attend. Banco Bratislava is therefore set for six days of intense tournament and cash game action.

The international community itself is expected to be one of the biggest strengths of the inaugural edition. After previously meeting in the online environment, players from different clubs and countries will now come together in person at the same tables – and it is precisely this community atmosphere that EPICBET wants to bring to the entire festival.

 

Espen Jørstad and the EPICBET PRO TEAM Are Heading to Bratislava

Another major attraction will be the presence of the EPICBET PRO TEAM, which will travel to Banco Bratislava alongside the players. Leading the team will be none other than Espen Jørstad – WSOP Main Event champion, who has established himself as one of Europe’s best-known poker personalities.

And this will not be merely a formal appearance or a meet-and-greet with fans. Jørstad will take his seat directly at the poker tables at Banco Bratislava during the festival, giving players the opportunity to play against the champion of the world’s most prestigious poker tournament.

 

Poker Doesn’t End with the Last Card Dealt

EPICBET does not want a visit to Bratislava to consist solely of moving between the hotel and the poker table. The festival will therefore also have a strong social dimension.

Players can look forward to a Welcome Party, darts, billiards and, weather permitting, a Saturday DJ Warmup Party ahead of the Club Championship Event.

The idea is simple – to bring different poker communities together around the same table not only during tournaments, but also to create opportunities to meet, have fun and enjoy activities together away from the tables.

And the tournament schedule itself will feature two events that, according to Eidseter, the EPICBET team is particularly excited about.

 

Epic Friday Night Squid Game: The Rules Remain a Secret

The first will be the Epic Friday Night Squid Game.

The name itself makes it clear that this will not be an entirely standard poker tournament. EPICBET is preparing a series of special challenges, which it deliberately does not want to reveal to players in advance.

The aim is to create a fun and interactive tournament accessible to everyone, regardless of their poker experience. Players will therefore have to come prepared for situations they would never encounter in a traditional poker tournament.

And, as the EPICBET team humorously adds – despite the name Squid Game, the organizer can guarantee at least one thing: nobody will be killed. :)

 

Team Poker Event Will Bring a Completely Different Perspective to Tournament Poker

The second unique format will be the Team Poker Event.

EPICBET has already successfully organized this concept online and will now bring it to the live poker tables for the first time. At its core will be genuine teamwork combined with live scoring throughout the event.

In one room, three tournaments will take place simultaneously – NLH, PLO and LOE. Each team will nominate one player for each tournament, and every participant will wear their team name on their chest.

From that moment on, players will no longer be playing only for themselves.

The scoring will be based on final finishing position. The first player eliminated will receive 1 point, the next 2 points, the third 3 points, with the number of points continuing to increase according to finishing position. The top three will also receive a significant bonus – 10 points for first place, 5 for second and 2 for third.

The prize pool will be divided in an equally interesting way. 50% will go towards team prizes, while the remaining 50% will be paid out as individual prizes in the respective tournaments.

 

Live Results That Can Change Strategy During the Game

The most interesting element, however, will come with the live scoring.

The current results of each team will be continuously displayed on screens directly inside Banco Bratislava. Players will therefore be able to see during play how their teammates are performing in the other two tournaments.

The system will not display only the current score. For each team, it will also be possible to track the minimum and maximum number of points the team can still achieve.

This could create an entirely new strategic dimension during the closing stages of the tournaments.

Imagine sitting in the PLO tournament while your teammate is battling for a final table spot in NLH and the third member of your team is still playing in LOE. At the same time, you can see on the screen exactly how many points you need to secure the overall victory.

At certain moments, you may even know exactly which opponent at your table you need to eliminate in order for your team to remain in contention for first place.

This is precisely where EPICBET sees the magic of the entire format. It is no longer just about winning your own tournament. Every hand dealt, every elimination, every finishing position and every point earned can determine the final result of the entire team.

 

Six Days Designed to Be More Than Just a Poker Festival

On one side, there will be the €150,000 Main Event, an international field of players and plenty of cash game action. On the other, there will be the Team Poker Event, Epic Friday Night Squid Game, the EPICBET PRO TEAM featuring Espen Jørstad, Welcome Party, DJ, darts, billiards and other group activities.

The result is intended to be six days where it will not only be about who walks away with the biggest prize. It will be EPICBET community’s first major live gathering – and at the same time a festival open to everyone who wants to be there for its premiere.