One of the highlights of the 2026 Baltic live poker calendar has wrapped up, as multiple winners have been crowned in Vilnius. The 2026 OlyBet Showdown Ace Breaker Vilnius kicked off Olympic Casino Lithuania’s season in stellar fashion, and the nine-day poker festival brought unparalleled action to the party. The €1,100 Main Event was the cherry on top, and it’s safe to say it would turn out to be one of the strongest tournaments with that specific buy-in. In other words, there were many prominent names in the field. In the end, though, only one would be crowned the first OlyBet Showdown champion of 2026, claiming the €39,260 first-place prize and the coveted trophy.
Luokkala Locks it Up
The 2026 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius Ace Breaker was played at Olympic Casino Lithuania from January 10-18, and was yet another example that OlyBet are experts when it comes to arranging live poker events. Everything from a stellar visual setting in the poker room to impeccable tournament structures has been sublime, and it’s been an impeccable event from start to finish. The expectations for the upcoming OlyBet live poker events are humongous, especially for the 2026 Kings of Tallinn, which is just around the corner (February 6-15).
Read more: OlyBet Announced Record 74-Event 2026 Kings of Tallinn Schedule (Feb. 5-15)
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The €1,100 Main Event was arguably the most sought-after piece of cake during the ten-day poker festival, and what an affair it would turn out to be. The tournament offered three starting-day flights, and a total of 52 players advanced through these to Day 2. Late registration was still open during the first two levels of the second day; when the window eventually did close, the screens told the tales of 183 entries and a €173,850 prize pool. Twenty-three players would be guaranteed a €2,210 min-cash, but it’s an educated guess that all contestants had their eyes on the €39,260 first-place payout.
The bubble burst a couple of hours after late registration closed, and Day 2 wrapped up roughly an hour before midnight, sending 12 players into the final Day 3. These were set to resume the battle at noon on January 17, and to say the remaining contestants were above average would be an understatement. Rarely before has a €1,100 field been so strong, and the presumptions were set for an epic showdown.
The first three players of the final day busted within the first hour, and the floor conducted a redraw for the final table. It’s an educated guess that the nine survivors were relieved to see Deividas Daubaris go out in tenth place. The online legend who has a WSOP Bracelet to his name (after winning the $400 Colossus during the 2021 WSOP Online) is also a very prominent live player, but some unfortunate hands crippled his stack early on Day 3, and as he hit the rail, the official final table was set.
It didn’t take too long before Audrius Stakelis became the first victim on the final table. He did begin the final stage of the tournament as the shortest stack with 17 Big Blinds, and within the first half hour, he flipped for his tournament life with J♣J♥ against the A♥Q♣ of Jurgis Ragauskas. Ragauskas hit a pair of queens on the flop, and seeing as Stakelis never managed to catch up, he went out in ninth place for €4,830.
The final table progressed with chip leader Luokkala being the most aggressive player, and together with some of the other bigger stacks at the table, they managed to cripple a few players significantly, getting them all fairly short. Perhaps one hour after Stakelis’ exit, Kornelijus Smilingis became the next one to go, as he lost a flip with A♠K♣ against the 6♥6♦. Smilingis earned himself €5,630 for his eighth-place finish.
Shortly thereafter, Jurgis Ragauskas got his stack in against Norwegian Evaldas Narmontas. It was a classic coinflip confrontation, and Ragauskas was praying for his Q♥Q♣ to hold up against A♠K♦. Narmontas flopped two-pair, though, and as Ragauskas wasn’t able to catch up, he bid farewell in seventh place for €6,720.
With six players remaining at the second break, Luokkala was the overwhelming chipleader with 96 Big Blinds. The remaining players were trailing the Finn, all having between 21 and 15 Bigs to work with. The shortest stack left belonged to the arguably strongest player in the field, Gediminas Uselis. Uselis, who has both a WSOP Bracelet and a WPT title to his name, eventually got his stack all in with K♥J♥. He was in rough shape against the A♥K♠ of Martynas Mockevicius, and he wasn’t able to produce a miracle. The very competent Uselis earned himself €8,450 for his sixth-place finish.
It wouldn’t take more than two hands before Uselis would be accompanied on the rail by Justinas Adomauskas. In the last few years, Adomauskas has had a lot of success at Olympic Casino Lithuania, and he’s proven to be a very competent player. He got it in good with A♦K♣ against the K♦J♦ of Luokkala, but as the Finn improved to a straight on the turn, Adomauskas was drawing dead. As he went to claim his €10,870 fourth-place prize, Luokkala extended his chip lead even further.
Three players left then, and to say that the action amped up would be an understatement. Butnoras managed to double up against Luokkala two times, and at the third break, they were tied with 40 Big Blinds each, while Mockevicius was fighting with half as much. Just as the stacks indicated, Mockevicius would become the third-place finisher for €18,110, as he experienced a bad beat with A♠Q♥ against the A♥J♣ of Luokkala.
The stage was then set for the heads-up between Luokkala and Butnoras, and what a lengthy and well-played battle it would prove to be. Luokkala entered the duel as the chip leader, but Butnoras was ready for the fight. Eventually, he secured a solid lead after being on the right side of the ultimate setup; A♣A♦ against K♠K♥. One hand after another, though, Luokkala climbed his way back, and eventually, he was once again in the driver’s seat. This feels like a fitting place to give a shoutout to the sublime OlyBet Showdown structure; even though being a one-to-four dog heads-up, play is still deep enough for a player to climb back.
That is exactly what Luokkala did. He reclaimed the chip lead and was coming closer and closer to the win again. Eventually, it was time for another all-in and call scenario. Again, it was Butnoras who came out on the better side of things, as his Q♠Q♥ held up against the A♣8♣ of his opponent. Still, though, Luokkala kept the spirit high. He once again managed to eat up his opponent’s stack bit by little bit, and as the players reached Level 31, featuring Blinds 50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 Ante, he was again a four-to-one chip leader. Roughly two hours into the heads-up, the two players clashed all in again, this time on a Q♦9♣K♥ flop. Luokkala had flopped the world with J♠10♥, and Butnoras was trailing with K♠6♣. The Lithuanian didn’t improve to a full house, and that settled it. Butnoras was eliminated in second place for €25,350, and Finland’s Luokkala secured the win and took home the €39,260 first-place prize.
2026 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius – €1,100 Main Event Final Table Results
| Position | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jarmo Luokkala | Finland | €39,260 |
| 2 |  Deividas Butnoras | Lithuania | €25,350 |
| 3 | Martynas Mockevicius | Lithuania | €18,110 |
| 4 |  Evaldas Narmontas | Norway | €14,090 |
| 5 | Justinas Adomauskas | Lithuania | €10,870 |
| 6 | Gedimiras Uselis | Lithuania | €8,450 |
| 7 | Jurgis Ragauskas | Lithuania | €6,720 |
| 8 | Kornelijus Smilingis | Lithuania | €5,630 |
| 9 | Audrius Stakelis | Lithuania | €4,830 |
Although the last day of the 2026 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius Ace Breaker, January 18, is still going on, X’s Main Event win wraps up poker.pro’s live coverage on-site. Again, it’s been a flawless festival from start to finish, and Olympic Casino Lithuania has set the bar high for their upcoming live poker events in 2026. There’ll be several more festivals in Vilnius this year, for example, the 2026 Festival Weekend Vilnius. The founder of The Festival, Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk, actually played some poker himself in the Lithuanian capital this week, claiming the win in the €250 PL Sviten Championship. He’ll be excited to return May 28-31 for The Festival’s first live poker event on Lithuanian soil, and if it’s anything like the 2026 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius Ace Breaker, all players are in for a treat.
