| Level 27: | 25,000/50,000/50,000 |
| Entries: | 1/181 |
| Prizes: | €85,975 |
After a 12-hour final day, Normunds Rumba of Latvia has emerged as a worthy winner of the €555 NLH Championship at the 2026 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Spring Edition here at Olympic Voodoo Casino, Riga.
Rumba defeated fellow countryman Vladislavs Petrov heads-up to bank €19,435 and take the trophy, a feat made all the more remarkable as Rumba revealed this week is the first time he has played a live poker tournament in at least five years.
Rumba overcame a 181-entry field to scoop the lion’s share of the €85,975 prize pool, while Petrovs had to console himself with the runner-up prize of €12,540.
Rumba’s score represents a new career best in terms of recorded live results, and marks his first recorded live cash since 2015.
€555 NLH Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Normunds Rumba | €19,435 |
| 2 | Vladislavs Petrovs | €12,540 |
| 3 |  Gediminas Guzelis | €8,960 |
| 4 |  Hryhorii Meleshenko | €6,970 |
| 5 | Eriks Krumins | €5,370 |
| 6 | Marijus Dirgela | €4,180 |
| 7 | Yehven Pavlenko | €3,320 |
| 8 | Juris Bonders | €2,790 |
| 9 |  Mateusz Oscilowski | €2,390 |
Winner’s Reaction
Gambling industry professional Rumba was delighted with the win, mainly as it proved to himself that he can still cut it at the poker table, after significantly reducing his volume in recent years.
“Thank you, it was actually quite a smooth ride these last couple of days. I mostly had a top-ten stack throughout and wasn’t in too many all-in situations.
The final table was strong, so I’m very satisfied and happy. I had a long break from poker, I used to play a lot online and live, but my other businesses have taken over and I just haven’t had the time. I think this series is my first live tournament in at least five years. I like the venue, it’s my home casino. I wanted to find my old self, and I thought this could help.
I don’t think it will result in me getting back on the scene too much. It’s really nice to bring this trophy home, and prove to myself I still have it, the instincts are still there! It definitely won’t be five years before you see me again though! I didn’t realize this was my biggest live score. I’ve had some good scores online, but that’s great to have a new mark to try to beat!
I wasn’t playing for the money really. I felt so confident and just wanted to win it. I wanted this trophy, and I kept that no fear mindset in the moment. Money is nice, but it wasn’t my main motivation, maybe it should have been!”
Final Day Recap
A total of 43 players had progressed from the two starting flights, with Rumba sitting in the top ten, but with late registration open for the first two levels of the final day, a further 27 entries were gathered before closing time.
Rumba was still sitting pretty in third at the first break, but had a setback when he was caught bluffing by Raivo Grislis. Rumba bounced back however, and was in the chip lead by the time of the second break.
The bubble was reached in the third session, and the double elimination of Kristaps Zarans and Garijs Rozkalns meant neither player went home empty-handed. Rumba kept steadily building during this period, and by the dinner break was still sitting second, just behind Marijus Dirgela.
Not long after dinner, Nauris Jansons was eliminated to set the final table, which began with Hryhorii Meleshenko leading the way, followed by Dirgela and Petrovs, while Rumba was still well positioned.
The final table got off to a slow start, and it was at least 90-minutes before Mateusz Oscilowski was first to fall, bowing out to Gediminas Guzelis. Juris Bonders followed suit shortly thereafter after running into Eriks Krumins bigger pair.
Rumba took the chip lead when he severely damaged Dirgela, turning trips and getting a full double-up on the river. After the exit of Yehvan Pavlenko to Guzelis, Rumba then took a big pot against the same opponent, forcing Guzelis to fold pocket queens on a king-high board.
After Dirgela and Krumins were disposed of by Guzelis and Petrovs in fifth and sixth respectively, Meleshenko busted to Guzelis in fourth. A lengthy period of three-handed combat then ensued between Rumba, Petrovs and Guzelis, with neither player willing to give an inch or lose patience in pursuit of the trophy, despite the session stretching into its eleventh hour.
The logjam was broken when Guzelis jammed from the small blind into Rumba’s aces, and that set the scene for the heads-up contest between Rumba and Petrovs, Rumba starting with a reasonable lead.
After brief deal discussions did not bear fruit, the players embarked on a back and forth fight for the title. Petrovs took the lead briefly, but the final curtain came shortly after. Petrovs limp-jammed pocket sixes, and was looked up by Rumba with a strong ace.
Rumba flopped top pair, and improved to two pair on the turn. Petrovs could not find a miracle two-outer on the river, and the contest was suddenly over, with Rumba crowned the champion.
That concludes poker.pro’s coverage of this event, but be sure to stay tuned throughout the week for our coverage of the 2026 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Spring Edition €1,100 Main Event, starting at noon tomorrow.
€555 NLH Championship Full Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Normunds Rumba | €19,435 |
| 2 | Vladislavs Petrovs | €12,540 |
| 3 | Gediminas Guzelis | €8,960 |
| 4 | Hryhorii Meleshenko | €6,970 |
| 5 | Eriks Krumins | €5,370 |
| 6 | Marijus Dirgela | €4,180 |
| 7 | Yehven Pavlenko | €3,320 |
| 8 | Juris Bonders | €2,790 |
| 9 | Mateusz Oscilowski | €2,390 |
| 10 | Nauris Jansons | €2,000 |
| 11 | Matiss Celmins | €2,000 |
| 12 | Kristaps Deksnis | €1,730 |
| 13 | Daniels Viksna | €1,730 |
| 14 |  Tero Hokkanen | €1,520 |
| 15 | Algirdas Saveikis | €1,520 |
| 16 | Sergejs Piratovs | €1,340 |
| 17 | Edgars Hauks | €1,340 |
| 18 | Axel Saarniala | €1,190 |
| 19 | Viesturs Osis | €1,190 |
| 20 |  Eric Wasylenko | €1,190 |
| 21 |  Jorgen Andersen | €1,090 |
| 22 | Janis Velkeris | €1,090 |
| 23 | Garijs Rozkalns | €545 |
| 24 | Kristaps Zarans | €545 |
