Man, isn’t the weather nice? The wonderful month of May is here, and the sun is at its zenith. Not only is it hot outside, but it is also warm on the poker tables. From a poker.pro perspective, it’s going to be a very busy month with a lot of traveling for the team. The world of poker never sleeps, and as the colder months are now in the past, players are packing their bags, eager to travel and explore the world doing what they love the most – playing live poker.
For your (and our) sake, let’s take a look at what the poker.pro editorial office will be up to this month.
The 2026 Pure Poker Tour
It’s poker.pro live reporter/journalist Lyle Bateman, who kicks off the May campaign on the other side of the Atlantic. It’s the second edition of the 2026 Pure Poker Tour, and it’s going down at the Pure Casino Yellowhead in Edmonton, Canada. While the festival kicked off on May 3, it’s all satellites until May 7 at 12:00 local time, when the C$340 Seniors First 50+ commences. All in all, there are 17 unique events on the schedule, and Bateman will provide coverage from all of them.
The most intriguing affair will, naturally, be the C$1,100 Main Event. During the tour’s first 2026 stop back in March at the same venue, the same tournament attracted 329 entries, creating a C$309,425 prize pool. Cameron Stewart claimed the trophy, the title, and the C$64,555 first-place payout, and perhaps, “Cam” will return to defend his trophy this time around.
Make sure to follow Bateman’s live blog here on poker.pro, which is guaranteed to bring you the full picture from what will be the highlight of the Canadian poker scene between May 3-17.
The 2026 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius
OlyBet is the entity that hosts the biggest and most prestigious live poker events in the Baltic states. While their flagship tournament, the Kings of Tallinn, is already done and dusted this year (with Veli-pekka Penttinen winning the €1,100 Main Event for €149,775), there are still many intriguing stops on the OlyBet train.
In fact, the next one will kick off this Saturday, this time in Lithuania. The 2026 OlyBet Showdown Vilnius will be played May 9-17 at Olympic Casino Lithuania. Somewhat due to the fact that poker.pro CEO Jason Glatzer resides in the City of Baroque, Vilnius has become somewhat of a second home for poker.pro. It’s a certain vibe at Lithuania’s biggest casino during the OlyBet events, and this time will be no exception. The tournament schedule is highlighted by the, at this point, recognizable €1,100 Main Event. It’s a tournament known for attracting a large crowd of players; the last time we saw this tournament on Lithuanian soil was in January during the 2026 OlyBet Showdown Ace Breaker Vilnius. Then, the tournament scored 183 entries, which translated to a €173,850 prize pool. Finland’s Jarmo Luokkala claimed the €39,260 first-place prize. Perhaps, there will be similar money up-top this time?
Richard Hayes, poker.pro correspondent, will arrive in Lithuania on May 13. He will provide live coverage of the €555 NLH Championship (Day 2 and onwards), and then, of course, the Main Event. A new chapter of poker history is about to be written in Vilnius, and Olympic Casino Lithuania is about to become the epicenter of Baltic poker for nine straight days.
The 2026 PartyPoker Tour Madrid
Next stop: Spain! The 2026 PartyPoker Tour has been off to a stellar start with two stops thus far: one in Sheffield and one in Seville. The latter one was actually the tour’s debut on Spanish soil, and what a success it was. Arguably, the cherry on top was brand-new PartyPoker Tour Ambassador Bárbara Jiménez finishing second in the prestigious €500 Main Event for €20,035.
- Read more: 2026 PartyPoker Tour Seville Day 7: Francisco Garrido Wins the €500 Main Event for €30,500
Jiménez, Daniel Garcia, the rest of the PartyPoker Tour Ambassadors, the crew, the players, and poker.pro are now preparing for the next stop. The 2026 PartyPoker Tour Madrid will be played May 11-17 at Gran Casino Via Madrid, and it’s going to be one of the poker highlights in Spain this year. The aforementioned Main Event will return, as will the €150 Mini Main Event. What’s more, there are three poker.pro-branded Mixed Games tournaments on the schedule. Add the PLO Masters to the mix, and you have a live poker festival that leaves nothing to ask for. The poker.pro live reporter Christoffer Karlén will be on-site from day one, covering every nook and cranny of action at Casino Gran Via Madrid, and accompanied by poker.pro host/PartyPoker Tour Ambassador Glenn Brown, it’ll be a busy yet very exciting week for poker.pro.
The 2026 Festival Weekend Vilnius
It seems like Vilnius can’t get enough of live poker. Then again, one should never expect a dull moment once Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk is involved to the slightest degree. The poker entrepreneur has been drinking from the Fountain of Youth, and the amount of projects he’s able to juggle at the same time reminds of Enrico Rastelli in his prime at the Hippodrome Theatre in 1923.
The 2026 Festival Weekend will be played May 28-31 at Olympic Casino Lithuania, and it’s a collaboration between Franke, Olympic Park Casino, and OlyBet. Franke is arguably most known for The Festival, his live poker series that runs roughly five times a year at various locations in Europe. It’s a very popular series that focuses on a lot of Mixed Games, and last year, he introduced The Festival Weekend – same concept, just more compact, played only during a few days; an extended weekend, to be more precise.
This will be the first-ever Festival Weekend Event in Lithuania, and it should be four festive days. The schedule features nuggets such as the €555 PKO Main Event (a three-day affair with three starting-day flights, featuring massive €200 progressive bounties), the €350 Sviten Special, and the €350 T.O.R.S.E.S. Mixed Games Main Event.
While poker.pro won’t provide any live coverage from the event, Glatzer will instead recap the action with daily articles, which is a sublime way for all poker enthusiasts to get a wide grasp on everything that will go down at Lithuania’s biggest live poker stage. Perhaps, Glatzer will even find time to exchange a word or two with Franke himself, which is always entertaining.
The 2026 Battle of Malta
Last but not least, quite the contrary. The poker.pro editorial office will once again pack their bags at the end of the month and make the trip to what is considered by many to be the utopian poker paradise. The 2026 Battle of Malta Summer Edition will be played at Casino Malta between May 27-June 3, and it’s predicted to be one heck of a live poker event. The €700 Main Event features a staggering €700,000 guarantee, and with seven starting-day flights, it could possibly become the biggest live poker tournament ever played in Malta; only time will tell. As if that wasn’t appealing enough, the whole festival boasts an €1,000,000 overall guarantee.
The €300 Mystery Bounty “Siege of Malta” is another tournament that is also destined to bring excitement to the tables. It’s been said before, but nothing beats the thrill of a live poker mystery bounty tournament. Not knowing what awaits in that sealed envelope is something else, and it’s a feeling best experienced on-site.
The tropical paradise that is Malta is, first and foremost, a live poker paradise. That being said, the scenery of the Island is absolutely mesmerizing. The English dictionary lacks words to make Malta justice. On a day off from poker, players and general visitors are recommended to enjoy a walk to Valletta and soak in not only the stunning scenery but also the history of the city.
Hayes and Karlén will both be on the paradise island, providing live coverage from the impeccable festival. Glatzer and Brown will also be there, hosting the tournament and spreading the good vibes that have grown to become synonymous with the Battle of Malta. Those who want to join the fun, hunting for glory and substantial financial amounts in Malta, would be very wise to check out the qualifiers running on Optibet, Novibet, and the iPoker network. There, it’s possible to secure one’s package to the poker adventure of a lifetime for mere coffee money.
- Read more: Battle of Malta Returns in 2026 Following Historic Attendance Highs
- Read more: Secure Your 2026 Battle of Malta Summer Edition Main Event Ticket Through the iPoker Satellites
- Read more: Battle of Malta Packages Up for Grabs from €0.01 on bwin & OptiBet
Just thinking of everything that’s in store for poker.pro this month brings goosebumps to the neck. May is going to be busy, but the poker.pro editorial office is ready to suck its teeth into everything that’s in store. It’s all going to be great fun, and hopefully, all of you players will be along for the ride.
