Poker North Masters Joins Norwegian Poker Championship’s 25th Anniversary at Banco Casino

Banco Casino, Bratislava, is one of the most popular casinos in Europe. The said casino has hosted numerous live poker events throughout the years, and considering Banco has been focusing solely on poker since last year, their popularity as a venue for big events is only growing.

The Norwegian Poker Championship is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary this year, and Banco Casino will (once again) welcome the legendary event with open arms. The 2025 Poker North Masters, an open-to-all-player tour, will accompany the 2025 Norwegian Poker Championship. Together, the two events create a schedule that features more than 80 events. It’s safe to say that the atmosphere at Banco Casino will be electrifying this March.

• Read more: Magnus Carlsen Finished 25th at Norwegian Poker Championship, Indersund Crowned Champion

A Schedule for the Ages

The first-ever edition of the Norwegian Poker Championship was hosted in 2002, and it’s safe to say they’ve been growing at a rapid pace. From having 89 players in the inaugural Main Event, much bigger numbers are now expected. In 2015, the Main Event in Dublin recorded 1,275 entries, which remains the largest-ever Norwegian Poker Championship Main Event to date.

Throughout the years, the Norwegian Poker Championship has been played in Oslo (Norway), Grebbestad (Sweden), Nottingham (England), Riga (Latvia), Dublin (Ireland), and Bratislava (Slovakia). Bratislava has been the destination of choice since 2023, and the city of three borders will now, once again, roll out the red carpet for a very noble live poker event.

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The 2025 Norwegian Poker Championship will be played at Banco Casino, Bratislava, between March 5-15. A total of nine championship events will be played during the 11-day bonanza, but all players – Norwegians or not – can expect a lot more poker action at Slovakia’s finest live poker venue. This is thanks to the Poker North Masters, an, as they describe themselves, “International poker festival open to everyone held alongside the Norwegian Championship of Poker”.

This will be the fourth edition of the Poker North Masters, and it has proved to be an excellent complement to the Norwegian Poker Championship. The Poker North Masters attracts players from all across the world, and like so many times before, Banco Casino will once again become the pinnacle of European live poker in March.

Let’s begin breaking down the Norwegian Championship events. The most intriguing one will arguably be the €800 Main Event. It’s a four-day affair with two starting-day flights, and with 60-minute levels throughout the tournament, it will allow all Norwegian poker players to put all of their poker skills on full display. Last year, Espen Hagen navigated his way through a field that consisted of 756 entries to capture the prestigious title and a €100,000 first-place payout. It’s an educated guess that Hagen will get a run for his money this year, as many competent Norwegian players are set to compete for eternal poker glory.

On the first day of the festival, March 5, it will all begin with the €800 Texas NLH Heads-up event. Capped to 64 players, some Norwegian players will do their best to prove that they are the best at one of poker’s most skillful disciplines. Heads-up tournaments are somewhat rare, and perhaps that is what makes them all so prestigious. The first two rounds of the tournament will be played on March 5, and the remaining four will be played on March 6 before a winner can be crowned.

Norwegians love Mixed Games, and they have some of the best players in the world, such as Tobias Leknes (who recently captured two Mixed Games titles during the 2025 EPT Prague). The €800 8-Game Mixed Limit tournament will surely be one of the most popular Norwegian Championship events. Last year, Torstein Iversen beat the legendary Jon Kyte heads-up to claim the title and the €22,299 first-place prize; perhaps, Kyte will return to Banco Casino this year in an attempt to get his revenge?

• Read more: Leknes Cements Status as Mixed Games Master at the 2025 EPT Prague

The other Norwegian Championship Events are the €400 NLH Seniors, the €400 NLH Ladies, the €800 PLO, the €400 Texas Fixed Limit 6-Max, the €1,600 NLH High Roller Supreme, and, last but not least, the €400 NLH Turbo. All and all, nine new Norwegian champions will be crowned, and new chapters will be written in the Norwegian poker history books.

Let’s move on to the open-for-all tour, the 2025 Poker North Masters. It’s the tour that will contribute to a swarm of side events, including eight juicy Mixed Games events. Perhaps, the €400 Poker North Masters Main Event will be the most intriguing tournament for all players. Considering the tournament has 11 starting-day flights, the field is expected to be massive. It’s a two-day event, and those who move on from the various starting day flights will battle it out for the title on March 15.

As previously mentioned, eight Mixed Games events stand out on the schedule that features a swarm of side events. The €400 6-Game Mystery Bounty two-day event should be one of the most popular ones; everyone loves the thrill of a Mystery Bounty, and it’s a tournament format that has grown more and more popular during the last couple of years. Another golden nugget on the schedule is the €400 10-Game. This is yet another two-day event, and although the tournament is part of the Poker North Masters (open to all players), many Norwegian players are expected to enter the competition. Again, Norwegian poker players and Mixed Games go hand in hand like coffee and cream, and who can blame them? Mixed Games are a lot of fun.

2025 Norwegian Poker Championship & Poker North Masters – Tournament Schedule

All things considered, March will be a busy month in the Slovakian capital. Norwegians and others are destined to have the time of their lives, and when all is finished, there’ll be a bunch of new winners who’ve etched their names into poker history.