Roughly three months have passed in 2026, and in terms of live poker, it’s been a hectic start to the year all over the world. The one who fancies playing some cards is truly living in a golden age; there’s always a festival running somewhere, and it’s safe to say that live poker is hotter than ever.
When it comes to the Baltics, OlyBet is undoubtedly the biggest actor on the stage when it comes to live poker events. In Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, OlyBet is the home of poker, and they’ve proven time after time that they are beyond great at organizing poker events. There have already been two major OlyBet events this year: one in Lithuania and, most recently, in Estonia. Now, it’s soon time for Latvia and Riga to roll out the red carpet, seeing as the 2026 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Spring Edition is just shy of a month away in the heart of the Latvian capital of Riga at Olympic Casino Voodoo.
Poker Heaven in Riga
OlyBet might just have cracked the code for organizing live poker events. Staff, schedules, casino interior, social media… their events are nothing short of impeccable, and yet they somehow find new ways to improve. Their flagship tournament, Kings of Tallinn, wrapped up just a few days ago; being on-site, the poker.pro editorial office can vouch for it being a utopian live poker festival. It all culminated with Veli-Pekka Penttinen winning the €1,100 Main Event, claiming the title in the most prestigious tournament during the 10-day behemoth of a festival.
Now, all poker players should gather their attention to the next OlyBet live poker event on the calendar. The 2026 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Spring Edition will be played at Olympic Voodoo Casino, Riga, Latvia, from March 14-22. The question is not whether it will be an event for the ages, but just how much higher OlyBet can raise the bar.
Like all live poker events, there must be one specific tournament that puts the cherry on top. The €1,100 Main Event is a three-day affair that most certainly will attract a large number of players. It was last year that the buy-ins of the OlyBet Showdown Main Events were raised to €1,100, making the tournaments even more prestigious and appealing. Players can choose to join any of the three starting-day flights; the third and final one is a turbo (25-minute levels instead of 40, as on Day 1a and 1b). That being said, late registration will also be open during the first two 60-minute levels of Day 2. The tournament will wrap up after Day 3 concludes on March 21; perhaps, the first-place payout will be similar to the €33,330 that Arunas Satkus took home during the 2025 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Autumn Edition, the most recent major live poker festival in Riga.
While the aforementioned Main Event is destined to be the star of the show, there are many more golden nuggets on the 2026 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Autumn Edition schedule. The €555 NLH Championship has become a recurring feature on the OlyBet tournament schedule, and one could argue that it is a form of a Mini Main Event. The tournament offers two starting-day flights, and as was the case for the Main Event, players can enter the competition during the earlier stages of Day 2. The reigning champion Janis Menģelis earned €19,845 for conquering the field that consisted of 185 entries back in September; perhaps, the Latvian will defend his title next month?
The €555 NLH Championship kicks off on Monday, March 16, but there’s no reason to miss out on the first weekend of the festival. The €250 Opening Event will be played over two days, with Day 1 kicking off the festival as the first tournament on the schedule (excluding the €20 Satellite to the same event). Another event that deserves a shoutout is the €350 OlyBet Mystery Bounty. Nothing beats the thrill of a live poker mystery bounty tournament, and being played at the end of the festival, this event will be a fitting conclusion to what is destined to be another sublime live poker festival from OlyBet.
In other news, daily Texas NLH and PLO tournaments are on the schedule, as are satellites to the various events. One can tell that OlyBet has put a lot of time and effort into creating a finger-licking menu for the poker gourmets, and all the prerequisites are in place for the 2026 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Spring Edition to be a live poker festival for the ages.
2026 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Spring Edition Schedule
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| March 14 | 12:00 | Event #1: €20 Satellite to €250 NLH Opening Event (10 Seats Guaranteed) |
| 15:00 | Event #2: €250 NLH Opening Event Day 1 | |
| 19:00 | Event #3: €20 Satellite to €350 NLH DeepStack Progressive Bounty (Five Seats Guaranteed) | |
| 21:00 | Event #4: €250 PLO4/5 Progressive Bounty | |
| March 15 | 12:00 | Event #2: €250 NLH Opening Event Day 2 (Final Day) |
| 12:00 | Event #5: €350 NLH DeepStack Progressive Bounty | |
| 17:00 | Event #6: €80 Mega Satellite to €555 NLH Championship Day 1a (Four Seats Guaranteed) | |
| 20:00 | Event #7: €200 NLH | |
| March 16 | 12:00 | Event #8: €30 Satellite to €555 NLH Championship (Three Seats Guaranteed) |
| 16:00 | Event #9: €555 NLH Championship Day 1a | |
| 18:00 | Event #10: €200 PLO4/5 | |
| 20:30 | Event #11: €80 Mega Satellite to €1,100 Main Event (Four Seats Guaranteed) | |
| March 17 | 12:00 | Event #12: €20 Satellite to €250 NLH Progressive Bounty (Five Seats Guaranteed) |
| 15:00 | Event #13: €250 NLH Progressive Bounty | |
| 18:00 | Event #9: €555 NLH Championship Day 1b | |
| 21:00 | Event #14: €80 Mega Satellite to €1,100 Main Event (Four Seats Guaranteed) | |
| March 18 | 12:00 | Event #9: €555 NLH Championship Day 2 (Final Day) |
| 14:00 | Event #15: €80 Satellite to €1,100 Main Event (Two Seats Guaranteed) | |
| 17:00 | Event #16: €1,100 Main Event Day 1a | |
| 18:00 | Event #17: €250 PLO4/5 Progressive Bounty Deepstack | |
| 21:00 | Event #18: €200 NLH | |
| March 19 | 12:00 | Event #16: €1,100 Main Event Day 1b |
| 17:00 | Event #19: €250 NLH | |
| 20:00 | Event #16: €1,100 Main Event Day 1c | |
| 21:30 | Event #20: €250 NLH Progressive Bounty | |
| March 20 | 12:00 | Event #16: €1,100 Main Event Day 2 |
| 15:00 | Event #21: €350 NLH Deepstack Progressive Bounty Day 1 | |
| 18:00 | Event #22: €200 PLO4/5 | |
| 21:00 | Event #23: €200 NLH Turbo | |
| March 21 | 12:00 | Event #16: €1,100 Main Event Day 3 (Final Day) |
| 12:00 | Event #21: €350 NLH Deepstack Progressive Bounty Day 2 (Final Day) | |
| 12:00 | Event #24: €10 Satellite to €150 NLH Queens (Three Seats Guaranteed) | |
| 13:00 | Event #25: €350 NLH OlyBet Mystery Bounty Day 1 | |
| 16:00 | Event #26: €150 NLH Queens | |
| 19:00 | Event #27: €250 NLH | |
| 21:00 | Event #28: €200 PLO4/5 | |
| 21:00 | Event #29: €150 OlyBet Showdown Riga Online Progressive Bounty | |
| March 22 | 12:00 | Event #25: €350 NLH OlyBet Mystery Bounty Day 2 (Final Day) |
| 12:00 | Event #30: €20 Satellite to €250 NLH Deepstack Closing Event (Five Seats Guaranteed) | |
| 15:00 | Event #31: €250 NLH Deepstack Closing Event |
The 2026 OlyBet Showdown Riga Voodoo Spring Edition is going to be something extraordinary, and poker.pro is excited to follow the festival at close range, delivering live updates and daily recaps from the event. What OlyBet are capable of is already common knowledge; it’ll be an enjoyable and exciting experience seeing the festival unfold.
