2025 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Autumn Edition – €1,100 NLH Main Event

“The OlyBet Showdown is the premier poker festival series, bringing together enthusiasts from across the Baltic States and beyond for a celebration of live poker.” This is how OlyBet describes the OlyBet Showdown, and considering the success and growth of this recurring event that pays regular visits to Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn, their claim is most definitely valid.

The ongoing 2025 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Autumn Edition is the third OlyBet Showdown event at the Olympic Voodoo Casino here in Riga. The first one was played roughly one year ago, and was then a purified Mystery Bounty festival.

OlyBet Showdown Riga – Previous Event

*Not including bounties.

While there are no more announced OlyBet Showdown events for 2025, there are other OlyBet events before the year ends. After Riga is done and dusted, all players should switch their focus to the upcoming 2025 Kings of Vilnius, which will be played November 14-23 in the Lithuanian capital. The €1,100 Main Event holds a €250,000 guarantee; it’s going to be one of the major highlights of the Baltic poker year.

• Read more: Your Guide to the 2025 Kings of Vilnius Schedule and Events

Slowly but steadily, the number of entries in Day 1a is increasing. Out of the 16 players who are in so far, Israeli player/poker Gabi Livshitz is the most experienced out of the bunch. A fourth-place finish in the €5,300 Main Event during the 2019 EPT Prague for €316,780 could be considered the highlight of Livshitz’s career so far.

The 2025 WSOP Circuit Tallinn Main Event champion Jenny Westerlund – who also finished second in the €250 Progressive PKO yesterday – has also registered for Day 1a.

While the €555 NLH Championship soon is down to two tables, Day 1a of the €1,100 has recently commened. From the get-go, there are 11 players in; keep in mind, though, that late registration is open the entire flight, as well as during the first two levels of Day 2.

There are currently 11 players left in the €80 satellite, which started a couple of hours ago. The contestants are battling it out for three tickets, meaning there are most likely many more players joining the first Main Event flight during the night.

After roughly 30 minutes of hand-for-hand play, the bubble burst in the €555 NLH Championship.

Action folded to Rasmus Sihvonen, who opened to 16,000 from the Hi-jack. Seated right next to him, Roberts Krīgers – who is the reigning 2025 OlyBet Showdown Voodoo Spring Edition Main Event winner – three-bet to 70,000. Back to Sihvonen, who would have none of it; he decided to force Krīgers all in for 120,000 in total. Krīgers looked agonized, but, eventually, decided to make the call, putting his tournament life at risk.

Rasmus Sihvonen: J♥J♣
Roberts Krīgers: 10♠10♦

Sihvonen was way ahead, and he took an even firmer lead on the 5♠J♦Q♥ flop. No miracle for Krīgers as the board finished with 3♦9♠. As such, the remaining 23 players are now in the money, all guaranteed a €1,120 min-cash.

Rasmus Sihvonen: 610,000
Roberts Krīgers: 0

The 26 remaining players in the €555 NLH Championship have just returned from a shorter break. Below are the current chip counts.

Considering Day 1a of the €1,100 Main Event isn’t starting until 17:00, poker.pro will provide some coverage of the final day of the €555 NLH Championship.

The tournament has become a staple on all OlyBet Showdown schedules in recent years; it’s one of the most popular tournaments of the week, and the 2025 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Autumn Edition has proved not to be an exception. In fact, the tournament scored 185 entries, making this the biggest OlyBet tournament with the €555 buy-in ever.

Late registration closed roughly two hours ago, and 32 players are still in. The current goal is to become the top 23 and secure a €1,120 minimum cash. Of course, all players have their eyes on the €19,845 first-place payout. Notable names still in the field are 2025 OlyBet Showdown Ace Breaker Vilnius Main Event winner Rasmus Sihvonen, 2024 Queens of Tallinn Main Event winner Saara Benlamine, and the winner of yesterday’s €250 NLH Progressive Bounty, Artur Külanurk.

Cheers, poker lovers. Welcome to Day 5 of the 2025 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Autumn Edition, and to the poker.pro live coverage.

After some shenanigans with the flight, this live reporter arrived at the Latvian capital around 18:00 last night. Allow me to introduce myself for those who don’t know me. My name is Christoffer Karlén, and I’m a live reporter/journalist here at poker.pro. This week, I will be providing live updates from the €1,100 Main Event. Chip counts, mind-blowing hands, hilarious moments…you’ll be able to keep up with everything’s that going down at the Olympic Voodoo Casino.

Also, make sure to follow OlyBet and poker.pro on all social media channels. Poker media icon Glenn Brown will also be here all week and share stellar content from the event.

Considering the live reporting will focus on the Main Event, today’s live coverage will commence around 17:00. That being said, under the “Results” tab, you’ll be able to find all results from the side events. Under the “Photos” tab, all photos taken from various tournaments will be uploaded.

For those on-site in Riga and interested in enjoying some poker on this lovely Wednesday, this is today’s schedule:

In terms of the Main Event, Day 1a will play 12 40-minute levels; those who survive will bag their chips for Day 2, which is scheduled on Friday at 12:00. Late registration will be open until the conclusion of Level 14, i.e., the first two levels of Day 2.

The 2025 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Autumn Edition is a world-class poker event, and it’s an absolute pleasure to be here working with such a good product. It’s going to be a fun couple of days, and in the end, there’ll be a bunch of new players who will’ve etched their names into Latvian poker history.