The European Mixed Poker Championship is heading to Tallinn, Estonia, for its 2026 edition, and the six-day festival is bringing a full mixed-game buffet to Olympic Park Casino from October 26 to 31. With 12 events on the schedule, including the €800 8-Game Main Event and two €1,500 high rollers, EMPC 2026 is shaping up as the most ambitious stop yet for Europe’s mixed-game community.
What started as a niche celebration of mixed poker has evolved into one of the most distinctive festivals on the European calendar. EMPC has built its identity around variety, accessibility, and serious all-around poker, and Tallinn now becomes the latest stage for a championship that has steadily grown from its Norwegian roots into a true continental destination.
A Festival Built for Mixed-Game Players
The European Mixed Poker Championship was born out of the Norwegian mixed-game scene, where interest in formats beyond Hold’em has long been unusually strong. The event’s history traces back to the broader Nordic mixed-game community and the efforts of Frode Fagerli and Tobias Leknes, who helped shape the concept into a standalone championship.
The first EMPC edition arrived in 2023 as part of Poker North Masters in Bratislava, giving the format its first major test on the live circuit. By 2024, the championship had become a standalone event, and by 2025, it had already moved to Dublin, where it continued to expand its footprint and prove that mixed games could draw a dedicated festival audience. Tallinn is the next step in that progression, and the 2026 schedule reflects a series that has grown more polished, more varied, and more confident in its own lane.
First Time in Tallinn
The 2026 festival will be held at Olympic Park Casino, in association with OlyBet Poker, inside Hilton Tallinn Park, a fitting venue for a championship that seeks both comfort and credibility. The location gives players a central base in Estonia’s capital while keeping the event close to the kind of international travel infrastructure that matters for a week-long poker festival.
The headlining attraction is the €800 8-Game Main Event, a two-day championship that will crown the player who best navigates the full mixed-game gauntlet. Around it sits a schedule that ranges from €200 opening events to €1,500 high rollers, giving the series a proper ladder from recreational-friendly entries to serious high-stakes tests. In other words, this is not just a festival for specialists; it is a festival designed to let specialists separate themselves from the field.
Full European Mixed Poker Championship 2026 Schedule
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 26 | 18:30 | Event #1: €200 Welcomer Big Bet Mix |
| Oct. 27 | 12:00 | Event #2: €555 Lowball Draw Mix |
| Oct. 27 | 18:00 | Event #3: €300 Nordic Blood Mix |
| Oct. 28 | 12:00 | Event #4: €700 Dealer’s Choice |
| Oct. 28 | 18:00 | €200 S.O.R.B.E.T. |
| Oct. 28 | 20:00 | €1,500 S.O.R.B.E.T. High Roller |
| Oct. 29 | 12:00 | Mixed Community Lunch |
| Oct. 29 | 13:00 | €800 T.O.E. Turbo |
| Oct. 29 | 18:00 | €300 Senkel’s Paradise Pick’em |
| Oct. 29–30 | 12:00 | €800 8-Game Main Event |
| Oct. 30 | 12:00 | €300 6-Game Mystery Bounty |
| Oct. 30 | 18:00 | €1,500 6-Game High Roller |
| Oct. 31 | 12:00 | €200 Omaha Dealer’s Choice |
Game Formats and Rules
EMPC’s biggest strength is the way its schedule forces players to constantly shift gears. The opening Welcomer Big Bet Mix is exactly what it sounds like: a high-action, big-bet rotation built around No Limit Omaha High-Low 8 or Better, No Limit 5-Card Draw, Pot Limit Omaha, No Limit 2-7 Single Draw, No Limit Hold’em, and Pot Limit Sviten Special. The structure rewards aggression and comfort in big-pot situations, making it a strong opening test for players who like to get involved early.
The Lowball Draw Mix is a much more specialist-heavy affair. It features Fixed Limit Badacey, Fixed Limit A-5 Triple Draw, Fixed Limit Badugi, Fixed Limit Badeucey, and Fixed Limit 2-7 Triple Draw. These are all lowball-based formats, which means the goal is generally to make the lowest qualifying hand under each game’s specific rules, with fixed-limit betting keeping the emphasis on precision rather than raw aggression.
The Nordic Blood Mix leans into Scandinavian mixed-game identity. Its lineup includes Nordic Fixed-Limit Østfold Razz, Nordic Fixed-Limit Sviten Special, Nordic Fixed-Limit Stud, and Nordic Fixed-Limit 2-7 Triple Draw, with a Nordic Big Bet on the final betting street that doubles the big bet. It is a uniquely regional event and one of the clearest reminders that EMPC is not trying to mimic generic festival structures.
The Dealer’s Choice event is one of the schedule’s purest skill tests. It offers 20 game options, including NLH, FLH, PLO, 5C PLO, Sviten, FLO8, PLO8, 5C PLO8, NLO8, Stud, Stud8, Razz, 5CD, NL2-7, A-5TD, 2-7TD, Badugi, Badacey, and Badeucey. The button chooses the game, so players need to understand not only their own strengths but also how to steer the table toward their opponents’ weaknesses.
S.O.R.B.E.T. is one of the more traditional mixed formats on the schedule, even if the name gives it some flair. The games are Limit Stud, Fixed-Limit Omaha High-Low 8 or Better, Fixed-Limit Razz, Fixed-Limit Badugi, Fixed-Limit Stud High-Low 8 or Better, and 2-7 Triple Draw. That makes it a strong test of fundamentals across stud, split-pot, and draw variants, all within a classic fixed-limit framework.
T.O.E. Turbo compresses the action. The rotation is Fixed-Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball, Fixed-Limit Omaha High-Low 8 or Better, and Fixed-Limit Stud High-Low 8 or Better. The turbo pace means less room to settle in and more pressure to make fast, accurate adjustments across three very different disciplines.
Senkel’s Paradise Pick’em is one of the most inventive events on the calendar. The lineup includes Fixed-Limit Hold’em, Fixed-Limit Omaha High-Low 8 or Better, Fixed-Limit 2-7 Razz, Fixed-Limit Stud, and Fixed-Limit Stud High-Low 8 or Better, while the special rule allows the button to see three cards before choosing the game for the orbit. The event also notes that players are dealt as a stud hand, with special adjustments if Omaha or Hold’em is selected, and that Razz is played as 2-7 Razz, where aces are high, and straights and flushes count against you.
The 8-Game Main Event is the centerpiece of the championship. Its rotation includes No Limit Hold’em, Fixed Limit Stud, Fixed Limit Omaha High-Low 8 or better, Fixed Limit Razz, Pot Limit Omaha, Fixed Limit Hold’em, Fixed Limit Stud High-Low 8 or better, and Fixed Limit 2-7 Triple Draw. This is the event that best defines EMPC’s identity because it demands complete poker fluency rather than mastery of a single format.
The 6-Game Mystery Bounty adds a modern twist to the mix. It features Stud8, PLO8, Razz, NLH, Badugi, and 2-7 Single Draw, combining limit and big-bet structures with the added incentive of mystery bounty payouts. That combination creates the kind of dynamic field that can shift quickly as the knockout layer starts to matter.
The 6-Game High Roller uses the same games as the mystery bounty, but at a significantly higher price point. The event is listed at €1,500 and is described as a format that originated with EMPC before later appearing on the EPT circuit. That detail gives the high roller extra credibility as more than just a side event; it is now part of the broader mixed-game conversation in Europe.
The festival closes with Omaha Dealer’s Choice, a fitting end for a mixed-game championship. The menu includes PLO, PLO8, 5C PLO, 5C PLO8 (Big O), PL Courchevel, and PL Sviten Special. It is a strong final exam for players who understand that Omaha is not a single game but a family of games with distinct textures and strategic demands.
Why EMPC matters
EMPC has found a clear niche by giving mixed-game players a festival that feels built for them rather than borrowed from a Hold’em-first schedule. The combination of classic split-pot formats, draw variants, Stud, and dealer’s choice events creates a week that rewards deep preparation and genuine versatility. That is rare enough in live poker to make the championship stand out on its own.
The 2026 edition also benefits from timing and momentum. Mixed-game interest continues to be a strong signal among dedicated poker players, and EMPC has positioned itself as one of the few festivals in Europe that treats that audience as the main event rather than a side note. Tallinn gives the series a fresh backdrop, but the real story is the same one EMPC has been telling since its earliest days: the all-around player still has a home in live poker.
