The curtains have fallen on the 2026 WSOP Circuit Bratislava. Over 12 days, from July 31 to August 11, Card Casino Šamorín played host to one of the best festivals Slovakia has ever seen, and it saved its biggest moment for last: a record-breaking Main Event that crowned its champion today.
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Alexandru Popa Caps a Record-Breaking Main Event
Nine players returned for the final table on the tournament’s fourth day, the last step in a field that started at a record 1,160 entries, narrowed to 175 for Day 2, then 24 for Day 3, before the final nine sat down on Tuesday.
The last man standing was Romania’s Alexandru Popa, who claimed the €235,000 top prize, his first-ever WSOP Circuit ring, and a trip to the Bahamas for the WSOP Paradise. Popa started the day seventh in chips but chipped up quickly and kept climbing through the majority of the final table. He barely put a foot wrong all day, making timely plays and finding the right hands at the right moments. It really was just one of those days that every poker player knows so well. Popa personally eliminated most of the field, including runner-up Rostyslav Sabishchenko, an experienced Ukrainian who simply couldn’t get away in the final hand, running two pair into a flopped set.
It’s by far the best result of Popa’s career, topping his previous best from October last year, a win at the Chamada Prime Poker Series High Roller event for $70,000. This win alone doubled his lifetime tournament earnings, which now sit past the half-a-million-dollar mark.
Sabishchenko had to settle for €155,000, still one of the best results of his career. A WSOP gold ring or bracelet continues to elude him, though. Ukrainian now has three runner-up finishes, two thirds, and two additional final tables at WSOP events without ever closing the deal. It’s easy to see why he was the favorite of the day to Bobby James, the livestream commentator alongside poker.pro’s own Jason Glatzer.
Hungary’s Laszlo Janoszki couldn’t complete a wire-to-wire run, falling in seventh place fairly early at the final table. His countryman Bence Paris finished third, and online crusher and home favorite Tomáš “Masuronike” Kubaliak made Slovakia proud with a fourth-place finish.
2026 WSOP Circuit Bratislava €1,500 Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Alexandru Popa | Romania | €235,000 |
| 2 |  Rostyslav Sabishchenko | Ukraine | €155,000 |
| 3 |  Bence Paris | Hungary | €109,000 |
| 4 |  Tomas Kubaliak | Slovakia | €82,300 |
| 5 |  Quentin Destoky | Belgium | €56,000 |
| 6 |  Petr Svoboda | Czechia | €41,100 |
| 7 | Laszlo Janoszki | Hungary | €37,400 |
| 8 |  Sebastian Szychulski | Poland | €23,000 |
| 9 |  Myumyun Izet | Bulgaria | €17,380 |
2026 WSOP Circuit Bratislava €1,500 Main Event Final Table Recap
The final nine returned on Tuesday to settle things once and for all, playing for the €235,000 top prize, a gold WSOP Circuit ring, and a $5,000 WSOP Paradise Bahamas package. Hungary’s Laszlo Janoszki brought the chip lead to the table with 11,325,000, just ahead of countryman Bence Paris at 10,600,000. Ukraine’s Rostyslav Sabishchenko sat third with 8,500,000, while home favorite Tomas Kubaliak was the short stack of the group at 5,650,000.
The action moved quickly right from the start, and it didn’t take long to see the first elimination. Alexandru Popa opened the pot with A♠Q♦, and Myumyun Izet gladly three-bet with A♣10♥, not realizing he was miles behind. The rest of the chips went in, and the 5♥4♦A♥ flop kept Popa well ahead. The Q♥ turn paired Popa but gave Izet a flush draw with nine outs. The river blanked, and the Bulgarian was the first to wave goodbye to the final table, for €17,380.
With everyone sitting on 24 big blinds or more, it took over an hour for the next elimination. Popa woke up with pocket aces on the Button, and Sebastian Szychulski looked down at ace-ten in the Big Blind and shoved. Popa snap-called, and the board ran out Q♥8♣9♣4♦2♣. Szychulski had run poorly for the better part of the hour and said goodbye in eighth place for €23,000.
Next to go was the start-of-the-day chip leader. Laszlo Janoszki lost the majority of his stack when Rostyslav Sabishchenko rivered two pair with ace-four against Janoszki’s ace-queen. It wasn’t a long wait until the Ukrainian finished the job for good. He raised enough with K♥6♣ to put the Hungarian all in, and Janoszki called with Q♥9♥. The flop came out grim on A♣K♠7♦, and the A♠ turn already sealed the deal. Janoszki was out (prematurely) in seventh place for €37,400.
The next player to fall was the final table’s lone Czech. Petr Svoboda shoved all in with ace-jack, and Popa found pocket eights in the Small Blind. The flop opened clean for the Romanian on 9♦6♥5♦, and the K♠ turn left Svoboda with just six outs to survive. The 2♣ river missed, and Svoboda was out in sixth for €41,100.
Quentin Destoky didn’t have much going for him at the final table, aside from a king-queen four-bet hand that he won against Szychulski’s ace-queen earlier on. The Belgian didn’t play many hands, but eventually, he shoved 12 big blinds from the Button with A♥4♥, and Popa once again found a playable hand, calling with A♣9♠. A nine landed right in the window on the K♥7♠9♣ flop, leaving Destoky needing running cards to survive. The 5♣ turn blanked, and the Belgian hit the rail in fifth for €56,000.
The very next hand, with only four players left, produced more fireworks. Bence Paris opened with ace-king, and Tomáš Kubaliak woke up with ace-queen in the Big Blind at the worst possible time. The Slovakian three-bet, Paris moved all in, and Kubaliak called to see the bad news. The dealer spread a flop of 9♠7♣A♥, leaving Kubaliak needing a queen and only a queen. The 3♥ turn and 4♥ river sent the home-country hero home. Kubaliak, a former Supernova Elite and founder of Tiltbook, finished fourth for €82,300.
With three players left, a slow-building setup sent one of them home. Paris completed his Small Blind with 10♣3♣, and Popa checked his option with A♣9♣. The flop already hinted at what was coming, showing two clubs on K♥4♣6♣.
Paris bet one big blind, and Popa called. A third club 5♣ hit the turn, completing both flushes, with Popa ahead thanks to his ace-high. Whatever happened, it still wasn’t over at that point, as Paris held two outs for a straight flush. Paris overbet the turn, and Popa called after thinking it over for a minute. The river brought the A♥ and this time Paris bet three-quarters of the pot, and Popa moved all in. Paris thought about it for a moment before making the call, only to see his ten-high dominated by Popa’s ace-high flush. The Hungarian was out in third place for €109,000.
Just three hours after the final table began, it was already down to heads-up between Alexandru Popa and Rostyslav Sabishchenko, with Popa holding close to a 2.5-to-1 chip lead. The Ukrainian closed the gap slightly, but not by much, before another cooler ended the tournament for good.
Sabishchenko limped with K♦8♣, Popa raised with J♠J♦, and Sabishchenko called. The flop brought 3♠K♠J♣. Top pair for the Ukrainian, a flopped set for the Romanian. Popa bet half the pot, and Sabishchenko called.
The 2♣ turn changed nothing, and this time Popa sized up his bet, with Sabishchenko calling again. The river brought an unlucky 8♠, giving Sabishchenko an inferior two pair. Popa, who had sized his bets perfectly on every previous street, moved all in on the river. Sabishchenko simply couldn’t get away from it and called, even though he knew he might be behind.
It was another close call for the Ukrainian and WSOP gold. It will have to wait for another day.
Sabishchenko banked €155,000 for the runner-up finish, while Alexandru Popa is the new Main Event champion at WSOP Circuit Bratislava, collecting €235,000, his first-ever Circuit ring, and a trip to the Bahamas for the WSOP Paradise.
2026 WSOP Circuit Bratislava Every Ring Winner
Eleven rings were handed out at the 2026 WSOP Circuit Bratislava, across a 12-day festival that ran from July 31 to August 11. All but one of those events crushed their guarantees handily, including the record-breaking Main Event, definitely a step up from the inaugural festival held here last year.
Five sessions were also livestreamed throughout the festival on Card Casino Šamorín’s YouTube Channel, starting with the Mini Main Event final table, continuing with the first-ever livestreamed NLH Ladies Night, then the PLO Championship, and finally Day 3 and the final table of the Main Event itself.
Here are all 11 ring winners from the 2026 WSOP Circuit Bratislava:
| Event | Entires | Winner | Country | Prize | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ring Event #1: €350 Mini Main Event | 1,709 | Peter Tordai | Hungary | €85,000 | Recap |
| Ring Event #2: €550 NLH Mystery Bounty | 658 | Antonino Karman | Hungary | €29,500 | Recap |
| Ring Event #3: €550 PLO Opener | 326 | Miroslav Pantaleev | Bulgaria | €32,400 | Recap |
| Ring Event #4: €800 NLH Bounty Hunter | 174 |  Vincenzo Lapenna | Italy | €18,226 | Recap |
| Ring Event #5: €1,800 PLO Championship | 272 | Ondrej Goetz | Czechia | €106,800 | Recap |
| Ring Event #6: €750 NLH 6-Max | 318 | Alexandru Cinca | Romania | €46,148 | Recap |
| Ring Event #7: €1,500 NLH Championship Main Event | 1,160 | Alexandru Popa | Romania | €235,000 | Recap |
| Ring Event #8: €3,500 NLH High Roller | 59 | Laszlo Molnar | Hungary | €58,465 | Recap |
| Ring Event #9: €350 NLH Ladies Night | 64 |  Jenny Westerlund | Sweden | €5,990 | Recap |
| Ring Event #11: €600 NLH/PLO Mix | 172 |  Tomer Halevy | Israel | €21,934 | Recap |
| Ring Event #12: €1,000 NLH Last Chance | 219 | Dmytro Smyrnov | Ukraine | €43,815 | Recap |
What’s Next at Card Casino Šamorín
That’s a wrap on the 2026 WSOP Circuit Bratislava. Card Casino Šamorín has already announced that the WSOP Circuit will return for a third consecutive year, running February 5-12. Definitely save a date worthy!
Before that, though, the Battle of Malta Slovakian Edition rolls into town from September 7-14, headlined by a €400,000-guaranteed Main Event.
