In roughly one month, it’s time for King’s Resort to roll out the red carpet for arguably one of the most anticipated live poker festivals of the year. That’s right, folks; for the second time ever, The Festival will be hosted in Rozvadov, June 6-16.
The Festival has been a very popular event ever since its inaugural edition back in 2021, and The 2025 Festival Rozvadov will be the tenth event. It’s safe to say that The Festival has been evolving throughout the years, and one intriguing addition came in 2023 in Nottingham. Since then, there has been a THMC (The Hendon Mob Championship) event at every stop. This has been very appreciated by all the Festival visitors, and it has also attracted its fair share of flag hunters, seeking the very prestigious and exclusive Hendon Mob flag.
With the biggest-ever Hendon Mob tournament during The Festival Series coming up in Rozvadov, it makes sense to look back at the previous collaborations between The Festival and The Hendon Mob.
Ahmed, Engedal, and Rudolf Claimed 2023 Victories
As previously stated, it all started in Nottingham back in 2023. The Festival occupied the Dusk Till Dawn, and the €120 THMC was one of the total 20 events featured on the tournament schedule. With 384 entries, the collaboration was off to a superb start from the get-go, and the £25,000 guarantee was shattered; the players battled it out for £6,715, the biggest slice out of the £37,248 prize pool. When the dust had settled, victory belonged to Reem Ahmed, and with the first THMC tournament during The Festival Series coming to an end, the saga had started.
The next stop of 2023 was in Malta. This time, the Portomaso Casino acted as host, and the buy-in for the €250 THMC tournament was more than twice as large as the inaugural edition in Nottingham. 102 players threw their name into the competition, creating a €22,032 prize pool.
When browsing through the names of the 15 players who cashed in the event, it becomes evident that The Festival attracts players from all across the globe. 11 different nationalities were represented during the ITM stage, and in the end, it was Norwegian Jonas Engedal who claimed top dollar, as he won the trophy and €6,100. On the final table, Irish poker legend David Lappin was one of the players that Engedal had to beat in order to emerge victorious.
Fast-forward to the end of November of the same year, and Banco Casino in Bratislava was ready to welcome the Festival with open arms. The third-ever THMC event was apparent on the schedule, and the buy-in remained at €250. The number of entries, 172, was an increase compared to Malta, and this resulted in the prize pool growing to a mouth-watering €36,765. Slovenian Mitja Rudolf claimed the win, and he was awarded €9,100 for his achievements.
- Read more: poker.pro Player Mitja Rudolf Wins THMC
Second Title to Norway
Eventually, 2023 came to an end, and The Festival revealed that their first stop of 2024 would be in Rozvadov. In terms of the €250 THMC event, this was an overwhelming success. A whopping 825 entries were much more than had been seen before, and the prize pool reached an impressive €200,000. Majid Alimoradpour won it after agreeing to a deal; he and the runner-up Marek Sukup both walked away with €35,250 each.
Then, it was back to Malta. The venue was familiar, and 334 entries were made in the €250 THMC event; apparently, the atmosphere was absolutely electrifying at Portomaso Casino. The winner, Max Frederic, walked away with €14,600.
The Festival closed out the 2024 season by returning to Bratislava and Banco Casino. In a The Festival context, Norway would capture their second THMC title, as Vegard Granli won the €250 tournament, and received a €17,745 paycheck alongside the trophy. This means that Granli is the reigning THMC champion at The Festival events heading into the upcoming Rozvadov bonanza.
All THMC Winners During The Festival Events
| Year | Event | Player | Payout | Entries | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | The Festival Bratislava |  Norway Vegard Granli | €17,745 | 436 | €93,125 |
| 2024 | The Festival Malta |  Max Frederic | €14,600 | 334 | €71,392 |
| 2024 | The Festival Rozvadov |  Majid Alimoradpour | €35,250 | 825 | €200,000 |
| 2023 | The Festival Bratislava |  Mitja Rudolf | €9,100 | 172 | €36,765 |
| 2023 | The Festival Malta | Norway Jonas Engedal | €6,100 | 102 | €22,032 |
| 2023 | The Festival Nottingham |  Reem Ahmed | £6,715 | 384 | £37,248 |
Portraits of THMC Winners during The Festival Events
Records to be Shattered
The love story between the Festival and The Hendon Mob is a beautiful one, and it’s about to become even more romantic. During the upcoming The Festival Rozvadov, the buy-in is €150 in the THMC event, but the guarantee is – are you sitting down? – €300,000. This will truly be a THMC tournament for the ages.
What makes it even more exciting is the format of the tournament. While there are six Day 1 flights on-site at King’s Resort between June 6-8 (before Day 2 commences at 17:00 on June 8), there are also two additional starting flights that will be played earlier in Prague. That’s right; May 10 and June 6, players can take their shot at King’s Casino/Hilton in Prague, and if they move on from any of the flights, they will be reunited with their stack again on Day 2 in Rozvadov.
We’re not surprised that the founding father of the Festival, Martin “Franke” Von Zweigbergk, has come up with this very creative and exciting setup. Franke reminisces about the successful collaboration with The Hendon Mob:
“I have been an avid user of The Hendon Mob database since its inception, and even got involved a bit back in the days when GPI was created by EPL. Poker industry heroes Hans Kleinsman and Roland Boothby’s inception and child, The Hendon Mob Championship, has become an industry standard of high-value play for hobby players with its wallet-friendly buy-in and great structure. I believe The Festival has done its share to ensure THMC’s place in poker players’ hearts, with the introduction of our unique and very personal trophies.”
In just one month, we’ll see yet another chapter in The Festival/THMC history be written. The question is, who’ll be the author?
