Thursday proved to be a monumental day at the 2025 Kings of Vilnius, powered by OlyBet, at Olympic Casino Lietuva with both the two-day €2,000 NLH High Roller concluding and the start of the €1,100 Kings of Vilnius Main Event.
Lithuania’s Tomas Bulkšas was easily the hero of the day. He defeated two-time WSOP Online bracelet winner Marius Kudzmanas heads-up to win the €2,000 High Roller for €24,281. While Lithuania boasts a few poker families who are witnessed playing poker at prestigious events, outside of Vincas Vincas Tamašauskas and Vladas Tamašauskas, both of whom are WSOP winners, two brothers winning two of the most significant events in a festival is rare.
The Bulkšas family will go down in poker history in doing just that after winning, thus far, the two largest top prizes at the 2025 Kings of Vilnius. On Monday, Tomas’s brother Linas Bulkšas won the €555 NLH Kings of Vilnius Championship for €25,915.
Lithuania’s Tomas Pinkevičius earned his second trophy this festival, defeating a player as well for the second straight time with the same first name. On Monday, Pinkevičius defeated Tomas Andriuska heads-up after agreeing to a three-way deal in the €200 PLO4/PLO5/PLO6 for €1,860. Fast forward three days, and this time Pinkevičius ousted Tomas Kovalenka in the €250 NLH Progressive Knockout for €1,469 plus bounties.
Meanwhile, the €1,100 Kings of Vilnius Main Event, which guarantees a tasty €250,000 in prize money, attracted 105 entries. Lithuania’s Jurgis Beinoras bagged the overnight chip lead after parlaying his 30,000 opening stack into 252,000.
Read more to learn more about Thursday’s action 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
- Read more: 2025 Kings of Vilnius Off to a Hot Start on Friday
- Read more: Raimonds Ozolins & Mark Adams Win Kings of Vilnius Trophies
- Read more: Kęstutis Jungevičius Wins Third Vilnius Trophy This Year at Kings of Vilnius
- Read more: Linas Bulkšas Wins €555 NLH Kings of Vilnius Championship
- Read more: Karvall & Babincev Earn Kings of Vilnius Crowns on Tuesday
- Read more: Marius Kudzmanas Wins Big Flip to Lead Kings of Vilnius €2K High Roller
- Read more: LIVE REPORTING of €2,000 High Roller at poker.pro
- Read more: LIVE REPORTING of €1,100 Kings of Vilnius Main Event at poker.pro
Tomas Bulkšas Wins €2K High Roller
Tomas Bulkšas etched his name into Lithuanian poker history with an impressive victory in the prestigious Kings of Vilnius €2,000 High Roller, claiming the top prize of €24,281 after a dramatic eight-hour final day. Entering Day 2 in 10th place out of 11 players remaining, Bulkšas had significant ground to make up, yet showcased immense poise and determination to navigate his way to the final table and, ultimately, to the winner’s circle.
The final day of play saw Bulkšas steadily gain momentum, especially after eliminating fellow countryman Tomas Bassus to burst the money bubble. As the field whittled down, Bulkšas ramped up the aggression at just the right moments, flopping a crucial set to bust Jae Han Kim (third – €12,240) and set up a heads-up clash with two-time WSOP Online bracelet winner Marius Kudzmanas. Despite holding a healthy chip lead to start their duel, Bulksas would need every ounce of focus, as Kudzmanas doubled twice to nearly erase the deficit.
The heads-up contest reached its turning point when Kudzmanas, holding a flopped straight, found himself the victim of a gut-wrenching runout. Bulkšas went runner-runner to make a flush, leaving his opponent with only a handful of chips. The very next hand, Bulksas sealed the victory, making two pair with jack-four suited against Kudzmanas’s dominated five-four, prompting an outpouring of celebration that included a heartfelt embrace with his brother Linas, who had also won a trophy earlier in the series.
This win marks a new career-high score for Bulksas and caps a memorable week for the Bulkšas family, following Linas’s triumph in the €555 Championship event. Tomas, whose total career live poker earnings before this result stood at just $13,653, according to The Hendon Mob, will now be viewed in a different light thanks to an epic victory at the 2025 Kings of Vilnius.
The €2,000 NLH High Roller attracted 38 entries, creating a €68,191 prize pool, with the top five players earning at least €6,120, more than triple the buy-in.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tomas Bulkšas | Lithuania | €24,281 |
| 2 | Marius Kudzmanas | Lithuania | €17,070 |
| 3 |  Jae Han Kim | South Korea | €12,240 |
| 4 |  Vidar Assersen | Norway | €8,380 |
| 5 | Evaldas Narmontas | Norway | €6,120 |
Tomas Pinkevičius Wins Second Kings of Vilnius Trophy in €250 NLH Progressive Bounty
The €250 NLH Progressive Bounty awarded the second and final trophy on Thursday. The event featured 51 entries, creating €10,659 in prizes, including €5,100 in progressive bounties.
Tomas Pinkevičius eliminated another Tomas, Tomas Andriuska, heads-up on Monday, to win the €200 PLO4/PLO5/PLO6. In some ways, it was déjà vu, this time in a two-card game, with Pinkevičius defeating another Tomas in Tomas Kovalenka heads-up to win the €250 NLH Progressive Bounty for €1,469 plus bounties.
Poland’s Dominik Nagly (third – €991 + bounties) was the only player from outside Lithuania to earn a payout slip, alongside three well-known Lithuanian players, Andrius Mažeika, Gintaras Naglius, and Vilius Zabarauskas, who also officially cashed in Thursday’s final event.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tomas Pinkevičius | Lithuania | €1,469 |
| 2 | Tomas Kovalenka | Lithuania | €1,469 |
| 3 |  Dominik Nagly | Poland | €991 |
| 4 | Andrius Mažeika | Lithuania | €700 |
| 5 | Gintaras Naglius | Lithuania | €530 |
| 6 | Vilius Zabarauskas | Lithuania | €400 |
Jurgis Beinoras Bags €1,100 Kings of Vilnius Main Event Day 1a Chip Lead
The €1,100 Kings of Vilnius Main Event is well on its way to crushing its €250,000 guarantee with 105 entries getting into the mix on Thursday’s Day 1a.
Lithuania’s Jurgis Beinoras bagged the overnight chip lead after parlaying his 30,000 opening stack into 252,000 in chips. Poker veteran Liutauras Armanavičius was just a few blinds behind with 245,500 with Latvia’s Edgars Hauks (228,000) and Lithuania’s Armandas Zrelskis (215,500) also advancing with more than 200,000.
Players can compete in two more opening flights on Friday and also in the first two 60-minute blind levels on Saturday’s Day 2. Check out the complete chip counts from the Day 1a survivors.
| Place | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jurgis Beinoras | Lithuania | 252,000 | 168 |
| 2 | Liutauras Armanavičius | Lithuania | 245,500 | 164 |
| 3 |  Edgars Hauks | Latvia | 228,000 | 152 |
| 4 | Armandas Zrelskis | Lithuania | 215,500 | 144 |
| 5 | Vasilij Barna | Lithuania | 150,000 | 100 |
| 6 | Egidijus Digrys | Lithuania | 150,000 | 100 |
| 7 | Paulius Jucys | Lithuania | 139,000 | 93 |
| 8 | Evaldas Narmontas | Norway | 135,000 | 90 |
| 9 | Linas Bulkšas | Lithuania | 125,000 | 83 |
| 10 | Nidas Jarusevičius | Lithuania | 104,500 | 70 |
| 11 | Justas Semaška | Lithuania | 103,500 | 69 |
| 12 | Roman Kulijev | Lithuania | 101,000 | 67 |
| 13 | Valerij Dobrinskij | Lithuania | 98,000 | 65 |
| 14 | Žymantas Sakalauskas | Lithuania | 96,000 | 64 |
| 15 | Ridas Bitauskas | Lithuania | 90,500 | 60 |
| 16 | Martynas Kukucionis | Lithuania | 85,500 | 57 |
| 17 | Deividas Daubaris | Lithuania | 74,000 | 49 |
| 18 | Lukas Peteška | Lithuania | 73,500 | 49 |
| 19 | Aurelijus Sipavičius | Lithuania | 71,500 | 48 |
| 20 | Martynas Račinskas | Lithuania | 65,500 | 44 |
| 21 | Sergej Babincev | Lithuania | 65,000 | 43 |
| 22 | Viktors Caikins | Latvia | 63,000 | 42 |
| 23 | Rokas Skridulis | Lithuania | 59,500 | 40 |
| 24 | Aleksandrs Krumins | Latvia | 58,500 | 39 |
| 25 | Tomas Možeiko | Lithuania | 55,000 | 37 |
| 26 |  Fredrik Karvall | Sweden | 48,500 | 32 |
| 27 | Benjamin Lindqvist | Finland | 47,000 | 31 |
| 28 | Thomas Rott | Norway | 45,000 | 30 |
| 29 | Marijus Dirgela | Lithuania | 40,000 | 27 |
| 30 | Tomas Bassus | Lithuania | 39,500 | 26 |
| 31 | Mantas Bagočius | Lithuania | 39,000 | 26 |
| 32 |  Rasmus Sihvonen | Finland | 35,000 | 23 |
| 33 | Jari Porkka | Sweden | 33,500 | 22 |
| 34 |  Josh Mitchell | Australia | 22,500 | 15 |
2025 Kings of Vilnius Schedule Day 8 (Friday, November 21)
The €1,100 Main Event boasts its final two opening flights on Friday at 12 p.m. and at 8 p.m., with the latter a turbo-charged affair.
That being said, players will have three chances to earn a crown in three one-day side events, starting with the €250 PL Sviten Championship at 4 p.m. One hour later, players will battle in the €250 NLH with a turbo version of this event taking place at 9 p.m. Of course, as it is the weekend, the cash games will be busier than ever, with seats readily available for anyone looking for something other than tournaments.
Check out the full Friday 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 |
|---|---|
| 12:00 | Event #25: €1,100 NLH Main Event Day 1b, €250,000 GUARANTEED! |
| 16:00 | Event #27: €250 PL Sviten Championship, Five-card PLO & Draw, 6-handed |
| 17:00 | Event #28: €250 NLH |
| 20:00 | Event #25: €1,100 NLH Main Event Turbo Day 1C |
| 21:00 | Event #29: €250 NLH Turbo |
