With the €150 THMC being concluded, the primary focus of poker.pro for the remainder of the 2025 Festival Rozvadov is the Cash Game Challenge. Sessions three and four of the segment were played yesterday (June 9), and it’s safe to say that one particular player dominated both sessions.
What is the Cash Game Challenge?
Before getting into the recap of yesterday’s action, though, let’s do a quick summary of what the Cash Game Challenge actually is and what’s up for grabs for the winner.
During four days – June 8, 9, 10, and 13 – there are two Cash Game Challenge sessions a day. Each session is two hours, and the goal is to be the player who profits the most Big Blinds during one day (i.e., both sessions combined).
Cash Game Challenge – Full Schedule
| Date & Time | Game | Minimum Buy-in |
|---|---|---|
| June 8, 8:00 p.m. | Texas NL €1/€2 | €200 |
| 10:30 p.m. | Texas NL €1/€2 | €200 |
| June 9, 8:00 p.m. | PLO €2/€2 | €200 |
| 10:30 p.m. | Texas NL €1/€2 | €200 |
| June 10, 8:00 p.m. | PLO €2/€2 | €200 |
| 10:30 p.m. | Texas NL €1/€2 | €200 |
| June 13, 8:00 p.m. | Texas NL €2/€5 | €500 |
| 10:30 p.m. | PLO €5/€5 | €500 |
With this concept, the Cash Game Challenge will most likely have four winners (one winner each day). All winners will be entitled to participate in the exclusive Flip Shootout on Sunday, June 15, at 13:30. Here, they will compete for a €1,600 package to the upcoming the 2025 Festival Malta.
Volkats’ Bulldozer Session
As previously mentioned, sessions three and four of the Cash Game Challenge were played on June 9, and the first game on the schedule was PLO €2/€2. The eight players took their seats, bought in for their preferred amount, and the game was on.
The first big hand of the session played out roughly 30 minutes in. Dennis Kolbueken kicked things off with a Mississippi Straddle from the Button to €5. Diamond Gallow (Small Blind), Balint Jagadics (UTG), Daddy Cool (TG+1), and Helman Volkats (Hi-jack) all made the call before Chikkita raised to €37 from the Cut-off. Diamond and Volkats both made the call.
Action was checked to Chikkita on the4♠6♠A♠ flop, who continued for €75. Diamond folded, while Volkats made the call. On the 2♥ turn, Chikkita bet €278, and was instantly called by Volkats. “You have the nuts? I have second nuts,” Chikkita asked his opponent as the dealer dealt the 6♣ river. Volkats bet 65 to force Chikkita all in, and the call was made.
Chikkita: A♣Q♠3♣2♠
Helman Volkats: A♥K♠10♠6♥
Indeed, it was nuts versus second nuts, and the. Volkats took a solid lead as Chikkita re-bought for €460.
One who wasn’t running as hot as Volkats during the game was poker.pro CEO Jason Glatzer. On a 8♦K♣3♥9♣ board with €110 in the middle, he went all in for €105. Gallow made the call.
Jason Glatzer: K♠K♦5♦4♣
Diamond Gallow: J♥10♦9♦2♦
The players decided to run the river twice, and even though being a 70 % favorite, Glatzer lost both runouts, as the river cards were 7♠ and Q♥. Glatzer rebought for €200.
Just a couple of minutes later, Chikkita and Volkats clashed all in again. The board read 8♦9♥3♦5♥, and after a €62 bet from Chikkita, Volkats forced his opponent all in for an additional 507. Chikkita snap-called.
Helman Volkats: K♠K♥7♦6♥
Chikkita: 7♥6♠3♣2♥
The 8♥ on the river gave Volkats the superior flush, and at this point, roughly halfway into the PLO session, he had a lead that would be very difficult for any of the other players to tie.
Chikkita wasn’t done yet, though, and re-bought for €1,000. Together with Gallow and Michael Teplitski, he was soon part of a three-way all in on a 8♠5♠J♥ flop. With €1,764 in the middle, this was the biggest pot of the session.
Michael Teplitski: J♦10♥8♣7♦
Chikkita: A♠J♣7♠5♥
Diamond Gallow: 10♠9♥7♣2♥
The 7♥2♠ runout secured Chikkita the win, and he reduced his previous losses against Volkats.
There were a couple of more interesting hands during the PLO session; a replay of the full session can be watched here.
PLO €2/€2 June 9 – Full Results
| Place | Player | Country | Initial Buy-in | Rebuy | Cumulative Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Helman Volkats | Israel | €510 | No | Up, €1,195 |
| 2 |  Dennis Kolbueken | Germany | €400 | €300 | Up, €486 |
| 3 |  Balint Jagadics | Hungary | €275 | No | Up, €15 |
| 4 |  Jason Glatzer | Lithuania | €200 | €200 | Down, €81 |
| 5 |  Chikkita | Czech Republic | €500 | €460, €1,000 | Down, €173 |
| 6 | DadyCool | Germany | €280 | €400 | Down, €264 |
| 7 | Michael Teplitski | Israel | €440 | €590 | Down, €539 |
| 8 |  Diamond Gallow | USA | €500 | €250 | Down, €639 |
Moving on to Texas
In terms of highlights, the following €1/€ Texas NLH session didn’t live up to the standard set by the PLO. Volkats and Teplitski were the only two players who participated in both the PLO and the Texas sessions.
Arguably, the most exciting hand of the session was when the board read 8♦7♥6♦2♠K♦, with €192 in the pot. Daniel had barreled the turn, and now proceeded with a €90 bet on the river. After a few minute’s worth of consideration, Teplitski made the call.
Daniel: A♣5♣
Michael Teplitski: A♠Q♥
An impressive hero call by Teplitski during the later stages of the session, which secured him a profit in the sessions, reducing his losses from the PLO.
Texas €1/€2 June 9 – Full Results
| Place | Player | Country | Initial Buy-in | Rebuy | Cumulative Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helman Volkats | Israel | €1,707 | No | Up, €335 |
| 2 | Michael Teplitski | Israel | €492 | No | Up, €250 |
| 3 |  Victor | Spain | €1,200 | No | Up, €179 |
| 4 |  Roland Boothby | United Kingdom | €500 | No | Up, €161 |
| 5 | Kirshbluff | Israel | €500 | No | Down, €36 |
| 6 |  Christoffer Karlén | Sweden | €300 | No | Down, €106 |
| 7 |  Presian | Bulgaria | €525 | No | Down, €326 |
| 8 | Daniel | United Kingdom | €400 | Yes | Down, €457 |
All in all, there was no doubt about it: Volkats was the winner of the second day of the Cash Game Challenge. He is the second player to secure a seat in Sunday’s Flip Shootout final, after X was the most profitable player on June 8.
For those who want to participate in the Cash Game Challenge, head on over to the cash game registration desk at King’s Resort and sign up.
