The 2025 Kings of Vilnius festival kicked off in style at Olympic Casino Lietuva, buzzing with the kind of positive energy that only a big poker week can bring. Players from across Europe and beyond packed the tables early, trading smiles, handshakes, and stories as chips started to fly under the soft casino lights. It wasn’t just another Friday evening in Vilnius. It felt like the start of something special.
Special will be a keyword, as the 2025 Kings of Vilnius is expected to become the largest poker event in Lithuanian poker history, with 34 numbered events highlighted by the €250,000 guaranteed 2025 Kings of Vilnius Main Event on Nov. 20-24, live reported at OlyBet Poker’s media partner, poker.pro.
Lithuania’s Simonas Aleksius assured that the first trophy remained on home soil after winning Event #3: €200 NLH for €2,484.
In addition to two popular satellites, Friday boasted the start of the three-day €555 NLH Kings of Vilnius Championship. The event is off to a hot start with 101 entries getting into the mix on Day 1a, with Vilius Zabarauskas leading the way after parlaying his 30,000 opening stack into 247,500 in chips. The event will feature two more opening flights on Saturday, with late registration also open during the first two blind levels on Sunday’s Day 2, before a winner is crowned on Monday’s final day.
Read more to learn more about the opening day at the 2025 Kings of Vilnius at Olympic Casino Lietuva.
- Read more: Your Guide to the 2025 Kings of Vilnius Schedule and Events
- Read more: First Weekend of Kings of Vilnius Packed with Action Starting Friday
Simonas Aleksius Wins First Trophy
The €200 NLH attracted 43 entries, creating a €6,944 prize pool. The first trophy of the festival was guaranteed to go to the home country of Lithuania after Latvia’s Martins Verdins exited in third place for €1,250, leaving the Lithuanian duo of Simonas Aleksius and Gintaras Naglius heads-up for the only trophy awarded on Friday.
Aleksius defeated Naglius to earn the €2,484 top prize, while Naglius also notched a decent score of €1,740 to kickstart an amazing start to their Kings of Vilnius journeys.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Simonas Aleksius | Lithuania | €2,484 |
| 2 | Gintaras Naglius | Lithuania | €1,740 |
| 3 |  Martins Verdins | Latvia | €1,250 |
| 4 |  Mykola Korbut | Ukraine | €850 |
| 5 | Vidas Kreiza | Lithuania | €620 |
Vilius Zabarauskas Leads €555 NLH Kings of Vilnius Championship
Day 1a of the three-day €555 NLH Kings of Vilnius Championship attracted 101 entries to add nearly €48,000 to the prize pool. Two Lithuanian players surpassed 200,000 in chips including Day 1a chip leader Vilius Zabarauskas (247,000) and Adomas Juozapavičius (205,000) with countrymate Jonas Lapinskas (190,500) not too far behind.
Players will battle on Saturday during two more opening flights with players able to enter and re-enter until the start of the third blind level of Sunday’s Day 2.
Check out the top 10 chip counts from Day 1a of the €555 NLH Kings of Vilnius Championship below and best of luck to all of the players in winning what promises to be a healthy top prize.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vilius Zabarauskas | Lithuania | 247,000 | 124 |
| 2 | Adomas Juozapavičius | Lithuania | 205,000 | 103 |
| 3 | Jonas Lapinskas | Lithuania | 190,500 | 95 |
| 4 |  Michael Ravn | Denmark | 159,000 | 80 |
| 5 | Sigitas Raila | Lithuania | 145,000 | 73 |
| 6 | Marijus Vaiginas | Lithuania | 143,500 | 72 |
| 7 | Algirdas Saveikis | Lithuania | 133,000 | 67 |
| 8 | Grigorijus Vasilavičius | Lithuania | 132,500 | 66 |
| 9 | Egidijus Digrys | Lithuania | 130,500 | 65 |
| 10 | Tomas Bassus | Lithuania | 129,500 | 65 |
2025 Kings of Vilnius Schedule Day 2 (Saturday, November 15)
Saturday boasts the final two opening flights of the €555 NLH Kings of Vilnius Championship at 12 p.m. and 9 p.m. While a trophy can’t be earned in this event until Monday, players will have two opportunities to go home with some hardware on Saturday in the €250 NLH Knockout at 3 p.m., followed by the €200 PLO5 at 7 p.m.
The day concludes with a fun €30 satellite that guarantees at least three seats to the €1,100 Kings of Vilnius Main Event.
Check out the full Saturday schedule below for the Kings of Vilnius and head to OlyBetEvents.com to see the full festival schedule, a player’s guide, and more.
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 12 p.m. | €555 NLH Kings of Vilnius Championship Day 1b |
| 3 p.m. | €250 NLH Knockout (€50 Bounty) |
| 7 p.m. | €200 PLO5 |
| 9 p.m. | €555 NLH Kings of Vilnius Championship Day 1c Turbo |
| 9:30 p.m. | €30 Satellite to €1,100 Main Event, 3 Seats GTD |
