The largest poker festival ever organized in the region has officially been announced by Apollonia Casino and is set to take place from September 4 to 13, aiming to raise the standards of poker events to unprecedented levels.

The festival will feature a massive €350,000 in guaranteed prize pools (350K GTD), marking the biggest guaranteed prize pool ever announced in the region. The event is expected to attract a large number of players from across the Balkans, as well as several European countries.

The casino management has entrusted the organization of the festival to Jim Davinci, Panagiotis Oikonomidis, and Giannis Mantsis, who will be responsible for delivering the most ambitious and demanding poker festival ever hosted at Apollonia Casino.

The organizers carefully listened to the wishes and suggestions of the players, setting a clear goal: to satisfy even the most demanding poker enthusiasts. For this reason, completely redesigned tournament structures have been created, featuring blind levels and starting stacks of up to 200,000 chips, offering deeper gameplay and greater strategic depth in every event.

A Dynamic Start with a Mystery Bounty

The festival will kick off with an exciting Mystery Bounty event, specially designed for fans of mystery envelopes and big surprises. Among the top prizes will be a €10,000 mystery bounty envelope, adding even more excitement to the action from day one.

The New “King of the Balkans” Arrives

Next comes the brand-new King of the Balkans tournament, an event designed to capture the attention of the entire Balkan poker community. In the coming weeks, the official “Kings” representing each country are expected to be announced, creating a unique and highly competitive atmosphere.

In addition, every “King” eliminated during their first attempt will receive a €350 Main Event ticket, giving them another opportunity to compete for the title.

The winner of the King of the Balkans tournament will receive a €2,500 package for EPT Prague, including:

• €1,650 buy-in for the PokerStars Open Main Event
• €850 in cash for travel and accommodation expenses

The Balkan Poker Championship Main Event Returns

Attention then shifts to the now-established Balkan Poker Championship Main Event, which returns with more flights and an improved schedule.

Changes to the starting times will allow players to organize their trips and participation more efficiently, choosing between morning or afternoon flights depending on their schedule and preferences.

The organizers are also introducing an innovative addition to the schedule. On Sunday, September 6, a special Day 1 flight of the Main Event will take place. For this particular flight, the buy-in will be reduced to €250 instead of the standard €350 applied to the other flights, giving even more players the opportunity to compete in the festival’s flagship tournament.

Bomb All-In Satellites & Zero-Rake Qualifiers

Players will also have another chance to secure their seats through the highly popular Bomb All-In Satellites for Day 1, as well as Bomb All-In Qualifiers for Day 2.

These formats have already achieved major success in some of Europe’s top poker festivals. However, the organizers decided to go one step further by offering zero rake (0% rake) to players choosing this last-chance qualification path.

At the same time, players who have already qualified for Day 2 of the Main Event will still be allowed to participate in additional Day 1 flights in an attempt to qualify with a bigger stack. In the event of a second qualification, the larger stack will be carried forward into the tournament.

A Festival Focused on the Future

The innovations and improvements do not stop here. The organization’s primary goal is the continuous enhancement of the player experience and the creation of even larger guaranteed prize pools in future festivals.

The organizers’ message is clear: evolution, quality, and player satisfaction remain at the center of every decision.

Stay tuned for the upcoming announcements, where the full tournament structures and schedules will be revealed, along with the official presentation of the “Kings” representing each country and many more surprises expected to raise the bar even higher for the festival.

Below, you can find the organizers’ contact details, the full festival schedule, and the new tournament structures.

Jim Davinci: 6988 199 155 (Facebook/Instagram)
Παναγιώτης Οικονομίδης: 6907 725 055 (Facebook/Instagram)
Γιάννης Μάντσης: 6981 074 024 (Facebook/Instagram)