The biggest Lithuanian poker festival, Kings of Vilnius, returns from November 14 to 23. poker.pro will provide full coverage of the €1,100 Main Event (€250,000 GTD) and the €2,000 High Roller.
A total of 327 entries created a €310,650 prize pool, with 41 places to be paid. The winner will take home the substantial sum of €63,290, while a spot at the final table will secure a €6,270 payday. A minimum cash is worth €2,200.
Ignas Jasinevicius was scooping in a full-double up, after his A♠A♦ held against Valerijus Raginis’ 9♠7♦ in a battle of the blinds across the Q♣9♣8♦6♠K♣ runout, Raginis check-calling a jam of 62,500 on the turn.
Ignas Jasinevicius – 155,000 Valerijus Raginis – 132,000
Kaspars Mallons raised from the small blind to 3,500, and defending champion Aurimas Stanevicius defended the big blind.
On the K♣K♥5♣ flop, Mallons check-called versus a bet of 3,500 from Stanevicius.
The 6♠ hit on the turn, and Mallons checked once more. Stanevicius double-barreled with a bet of 6,500, and Mallons responded with a check-raise to 17,500.
Stanevicius took quite a bit of time before calling to see the 3♣ river. Both players took a long time to check their option, and Stanevicius’ K♠7♥ for trip kings was good versus Mallons’ 8♣6♥ for two pair, kings and sixes.
A pot of 11,000 had developed on a flop of A♠Q♠J♠, in a hand between Albert Ostrovskij in middle position and Lukas Peteska in the big blind.
Peteska checked and Ostrovskij slid out a bet of 5,500. Peteska responded with a check-raise to 11,000, and Ostrovskij jammed for around 35,000 after a brief period of thought.
Peteska snap-called with the covering stack.
Albert Ostrovskij: A♥Q♥ Lukas Peteska: 9♠7♠
It was two pair versus the flopped flush, and Ostrovskij could not fill up on the 9♦10♠ runout.
A pot of around 26,000 had developed by the river, on a board of 9♣5♣5♥4♥Q♥, in a hand between Dmitri Dudakov in the hijack and Marius Kudzmanas in the big blind.
Kudzmanas led out with a blocker-sized bet of 2,500, and Dudakov raised to 22,000. Kudzmanas went into the tank, but made the call.
Dudakov tabled 7♥6♥ for the rivered flush, and Kudzmanas mucked.
Dmitri Dudakov – 180,000 Marius Kudzmanas – 30,000
Paulius Jucys opened to 3,000 from early position, and called a three-bet to 11,000 from Edgaras Kausinis from the cutoff.
On the 9♦6♣5♣ flop, Jucys check-raised to 12,500 in the face of a bet of 6,000 from Kausinis.
Kausinis called to see the 7♦ turn, where Jucys fired out a bet of 13,000. Kausinis jammed with the covering stack, and Jucys quickly called off for his 59,000 total stack.
Paulius Jucys: 9♠9♣ Edgaras Kausinis: A♦A♥
Jucys had found a two-outer for a set of nines, and Kausinis could not find a miracle ace on the 2♦ river.
After the conclusion of three starting flights, the €1,100 buy-in Kings of Vilnius Main Event, powered by OlyBet, moves onto Day 2 today, with play commencing at noon local time at Olympic Casino Lietuva.
A total of 99 players have qualified from 293 entrants. Those figures comfortably exceeded the €250,000 guarantee for the event, with the prize pool currently standing at €278,350. Late registration remains open until the start of Level 15 in Day 2, and those figures are only expected to increase further.
Jurgis Beinoras of Lithuania leads the way at the start of play, having amassed an impressive stack of 252,000. He is closely followed by fellow countryman Liutauras Armanavicius (245,500), while High Roller third-place finisher Jae Han Kim of South Korea (244,000) completes the podium places.
The top ten counts heading into Day 2 are as follows:-
Position
Player
Country
Chips
Big Blinds
1
Jurgis Beinoras
Lithuania
252,000
168
2
Liutauras Armanavicius
Lithuania
245,500
163
3
Jae Han Kim
South Korea
244,000
162
4
Edgars Hauks
Latvia
228,000
152
5
Armandas Zrelskis
Lithuania
215,500
143
6
Michael Kim Falcon
Denmark
211,000
140
7
Edgaras Gendvilis
Lithuania
194,000
129
8
Gediminas Uselis
Lithuania
177,000
118
9
Goran Salinovic
Croatia
172,500
115
10
Šarūnas Reklaitis
Lithuania
168,500
112
Players registering at the start of Day 2 will sit down with a 30,000 starting stack at blinds of 1,000/1,500, with a 1,500 big blind ante. The clock will be increased to 60-minute levels for the remainder of the event, and late registration remains open until the start of Level 15.
Payout details will be confirmed after late registration is closed. It is expected ten levels will be played today, before the final combatants return for the final day at noon on 23 November, where play will continue until a champion is crowned.
Stay tuned to Poker.Pro for all your coverage, as we see who can put themselves in prime position to take the coveted Kings of Vilnius Main Event trophy.
The three-day 2025 Kings of Vilnius €1,100 Main Event crushed its €250,000 guarantee on the third and final opening flights. Day 1c, boasted a turbo-charged 25-minute clock instead of the 40-minutes on the first two opening flights witnessed 52 more entries in the mix to bring the total up to 293 entries for a €278,350 prize pool and counting with late registration remaining open during the first two hour-long blind levels on Saturday’s Day 2 when the action resumes at Noon.
A larger percentage, albeit with a shorter average stack, advanced with 25 of the 52 entries for a total of 99 players advancing to Day 2 during one of three opening flights.
Finland’s Anne Bezdek bagged the Day 1c chip lead with 118,500, placing her just ahead of Marek Žigel (117,000), Rokas Barzdžius (116,000), and Norway’s Thomas Jakobsen (116,000). This group is well behind the pack with Bezdek starting off in 24th place and the overall chip leader Jurgis Beinoras with more than double any player from Day 1c after bagging 252,000 on Day 1a.
Check out the final chip counts from Day 1c below and stay tuned for the Day 2 seat draw of the 2025 Kings of Vilnius €1,100 Main Event, powered by OlyBet, at Olympic Casino Lietuva.
After 12 levels of play, 40 players out of 136 entrants in Day 1B of the Kings of Vilnius Main Event managed to bag and tag for Day 2. They join 34 qualifiers from Day 1a, with Day 1c ongoing, and late registration open until the start of Level 15 in Day 2.
Jae Han Kim of South Korea, fresh off a third-place finish in the High Roller, rose to the top of the standings after accumulating a 244,000 stack. He is closely followed by Michael Kim Falcon of Denmark (211,000) and Edgaras Gendvilis of Lithuania (194,000). Defending champion Aurimas Stanevicius (81,500) also qualified.
The full list of Day 1B qualifiers is set out below:-
Day 1B has now concluded, with 40 players bagging and tagging from 136 entrants, joining the 34 qualifiers from Day 1A. Stay tuned for updated chip counts for Day 1B.
Day 1C is ongoing, and late registration for the event closes before the start of Level 15 in Day 2, which kicks off at noon tomorrow.
Chips counts for Day 1C qualifiers will be provided tomorrow.
Grigorijus Vasilavicius opened to 3,000 from middle position, and was faced with a three-bet to 14,000 from Modestas Kryzanauskas in the cutoff.
Action folded back to Vasilavicius, who made the call.
On the J♣6♦4♣ flop, Vasilavicius checked and Kryzanauskas fired out a bet of 10,000. Vasilavicius check-raised to 21,400, and called off for his roughly 60,000 stack versus a jam from Kryzanauskas.
A pot of around 20,000 had developed on a board of A♣J♥K♣9♣6♠, in a battle of the blinds between Sigitas Raila and Algirdas Saveikis.
Raila led out with a bet of 6,000, and was faced with a jam from Saveikis for around 51,000. Raila went into the tank but ultimately made the call with the slightly covering stack.
Saveikis tabled 3♥2♣ for air, and Raila had found a good call with K♥Q♦ for second pair kings.
Rytas Skrebutenas opened to 2,500 from middle position, and was met with a three-bet to 7,700 by Marius Maciukas from the hijack. Action folded back to Skrebutenas, who called.
On the J♥10♦6♠ flop, Skrebutenas check-called in the face of a bet of 5,200 from Maciukas.
The 6♣ flop was checked to the J♦ river, where Skrebutenas led out with a bet of 10,500. After a considerable period of thought, Maciukas raised to 26,200.
Skrebutenas went into the tank, but was ultimately forced to fold.
Marius Maciukas – 89,000 Rytas Skrebutenas – 42,500
Michael Kim Falcon was raking in a double-up, after he turned a flush with Q♥8♥ on a board K♥6♦2♥9♥8♠, usurping Inese Petrova’s 2♠2♣ for a set of deuces.
Michael Kim Falcon – 94,000 Inese Petrova – 115,000
Deividas Kvaselis opened to 2,500 from early position, and received calls from Saara Benlamine on the button, and Linda Lahdenpaeae and Gediminas Uselis in the blinds.
On the Q♠10♥9♦ flop, action was checked to Kvaselis, who fired out a bet of 5,300. Benlamine called, before Lahdenpaeae produced a check-raise to 14,000.
Uselis and Kvaselis quickly folded, but Benlamine back-jammed with the covering stack, and Lahdenpaeae quickly got her roughly 35,000 total stack into the middle.
Linda Lahdenpaeae: Q♥10♦ Saara Benlamine: K♣J♠
Lahdenpaeae had top two pair, but Benlamine had flopped the joint, and Lahdenpaeae could not fill up on the 6♥3♠ runout.
A pot of around 12,000 had developed by the turn on a board of Q♣8♥6♣10♥, in a hand between Tomas Pinkevicius in early position and Goran Salinovic on the button.
Pinkevicius fired out a bet of 10,000, and Salinovic called.
The A♠ hit on the river, and after a period of thought, Pinkevicius jammed for 35,500, receiving a snap-call from Salinvoic.
Pinkevicius confidently tabled 10♠10♦ for a set of tens, but was shocked and dismayed in equal measure to see Salinvoic had went runner-runner for the nut straight with K♥J♠.
Justinas Adomauskas opened to 2,400 from the button, and Vytautas Kacerauskas defended the big blind.
On the J♥7♠5♠ flop, Kacerauskas check-called in the face of a bet of 2,000 from Adomauskas.
The 8♠ turn and Q♥ river were checked through. Kacerauskas confidently tabled K♠5♣ for a pair of fives, but Adomauskas had him pipped with A♦7♦ for a pair of sevens.
Justinas Adomauskas – 25,500 Vytautas Kacerauskas – 20,400
Ignotas Kirsis was getting up out of his chair, and Sarunas Reklaitis was scooping in the pot, after Kirsis’ 5♠5♣ came unstuck against Reklaitis’ K♣Q♥ on the K♦7♣2♥K♥4♠ board, Reklaitis holding trip kings.
Gatis Popovs was sweeping in a full-double up, after he jammed for around 35,000 into a pot of 26,000 on a board of 6♠3♠3♦7♠2♥, and received a call from Dmitri Dudakov.
Popovs tabled A♠A♦ for two pair aces and threes, and Dudakov mucked.
Around 26,500 had accumulated in the middle by the river on a board of Q♣10♠5♥Q♦4♠, in a hand between Algirdas Saveikis and Jae Han Kim, both in middle position.
Saveikis fired out a bet of 15,000, and Kim called after some time for contemplation.
Saveikis tabled Q♠J♥ for trip queens, and Kim tapped the table and mucked.
A pot of around 25,000 had developed by the river, on a board of A♥10♠5♦7♠K♣, in a hand between Gediminas Uselis in the cutoff and Einius Jurgevicius on the button.
Uselis fired out a bet of 14,500, and Jurgevicius called after a reasonable period of time in the tank.
Uselis tabled 5♠5♣ for bottom set, and Jurgevicius was forced to muck.
Gediminas Uselis – 122,000 Einius Jurgevicius – 31,200
Darius Balciunas opened to 1,700 under the gun, and received a call from Kornelijus Smilingis on the button.
On the A♠9♠4♥ flop, Balciunas continued with a bet of 3,000, which failed to shake off Smilingis.
The Q♠ hit on the turn, and Balciunas checked to his opponent. Smilingis fired out a bet of 4,000, and Balciunas check-jammed for 21,000. Smilingis made the quick call with the covering stack.
Darius Balciunas: A♣K♦ Kornelijus Smilingis: J♠10♠
Balciunas had top pair, but he was drawing dead versus Smilingis’ flush, the 5♠ river completing the board.
Kornelijus Smilingis – 98,000 Darius Balciunas – 0
Tadas Trumpulis opened to 1,500 from middle position, and Justinas Adomauskas defended the big blind.
On the K♠7♠2♠ flop, Adomauskas check-called in the face of a bet of 1,200 from Trumpulis.
The same pattern followed on the 10♦ turn, this time in respect of a bet of 4,500 from Trumpulis.
The 2♥ river completed the board, and Adomauskas checked for a third time. Trumpulis fired out a bet of 8,000, but Adomauskas responded with a check-jam to 31,500.
Trumpulis shot up in his chair, took a swig of his drink, and pondered the spot for a while, but eventually elected to fold.
A pot of around 5,000 had developed by the turn on a board of Q♣Q♦6♠5♦, in a hand between Goran Salinovic under the gun, and Aigars Petrovs in the small blind.
Petrovs check-called a bet of 2,500 to see the A♣ river, which was checked through.
Salinovic tabled 9♦9♥ for two pair, queens and nines, and that was sufficient to force Petrovs to muck.
Tomas Kirchovas opened to 1,200 from the cutoff, and received calls from Laurynas Cerniauskas on the button and Jae Han Kim in the big blind, who is fresh off a third–place finish in the High Roller.
On the Q♣9♥4♠ flop, action was checked to Kirchovas, who fired out a bet of 2,500, which failed to shake off either opponent.
The 4♥ hit on the turn, and the same pattern followed, with Kirchova sliding out a bet of 5,500. Cerniauskas folded but Kim stuck around.
The A♥ river completed the board, and Kim check-called a bet of 14,000 from Kirchova.
Kirchova instantly mucked, and Kim turned over the 2♠ as he raked in the pot, much to the amusement of the table.
Jae Han Kim – 130,000 Tomas Kirchovas – 73,000 Laurynas Cerniauskas – 32,200
Tomas Kirchovas opened to 800 hijack, and was met with a three-bet to 2,400 from Laurynas Cerniauskas in the cutoff. Action folded back to Kirchovas, who called.
On the 9♣8♣3♦ flop, Kirchovas check-called in the face of a bet of 3,000 from Cerniauskas.
The A♥ hit on the turn, and Kirchovas checked once more. Cerniauskas double-barreled with a bet of 8,500, but snap-folded in the face of a check-raise to 18,000 from Kirchovas.
Tomas Kirchovas – 85,000 Laurynas Cerniauskas – 50,300
Edgaras Kausinas opened to 700 from the cutoff, and received calls from Saara Ylianttila and Paulius Kisielius in the blinds.
The A♠4♥3♦ flop was checked to the 10♦ turn, where action was checked to Kisielius. He led out with a bet of 1,200, and both of his opponents called.
The Q♠ river completed the board, and action was checked to Kisielius again. He double-barreled with a bet of 3,000, which forced a fold from Kausinas, but Ylianttila responded with a check-raise to 9.600.
Kisielius called, and was shown the bad news when Ylianttila tabled K♠J♦ for the nut straight.
Jonas Lapinskas opened to 700 from middle position, and received calls from Justinas Adomauskas on the button, and Adomas Juozapavicius in the big blind.
The J♦10♦6♣ flop was checked to Adomauskas, who fired out a bet of 800, which failed to shake off either opponent.
The 6♥ turn was checked to the 7♥ river, where Juozapavicius fired out a bet of 1,800, which disposed of both of his foes.
Adomas Juozapavicius – 18,000 Justinas Adomauskas – 38,000 Jonas Lapinskas – 37,000
Kornelijus Smilingis opened to 600 from early position, and received a call, before High Roller final tablist Vidar Assersen produced a three-bet to 2,600 from the big blind.
Smilingis produced a four-bet to 5,200, the caller folded, and Assersen called.
On the 10♥7♦5♦ flop, Assersen checked and Smilingis fired out a bet of 4,000. Assersen responded with a check-raise to 20,000, and Smilingis quickly got his 17,000 total stack into the middle.
Kornelijus Smilingis: A♣A♠ Vidar Assersen: K♣K♦
It was rockets versus cowboys in a brutal cooler, and the 6♣ turn and 7♥ river did not alter matters.
A pot of around 4,000 had developed on a flop of K♠10♣8♠, in a hand between Justas Brazlauskis in early position, and Simonas Aleksius in the big blind.
Aleksius check-called versus a bet of 1,800 from Brazlauskis to see the 7♦ turn, where the same pattern followed, this time in respect of a bet of 3,000 from Brazlauskis.
The 5♣ river was checked through. Brazlauskis tabled A♣K♦ for a pair of kings, and Aleksius mucked.
Justas Brazlauskis – 42,000 Simonas Aleksius – 14,000
A pot of 8,800 had developed by the river, on a board of 8♠6♣2♣4♠8♦, in a hand between Audrius Laimelis in early position, and Valerijus Raginis on the button.
Laimelis checked, and Raginis slid out a bet of 6,600. After a reasonable period of time in the tank, Laimelis elected to fold.
With 1,200 in the middle on a flop of K♠9♦7♠, Paulius Katinas check-called from early position in the face of a bet of 400 from Simonas Alexius on the button.
The same pattern followed on the 6♦ turn, this time in respect of a bet of 600 from Alexius.
On the flush completing 3♠ river, Katinas led out with a bet of 1,600. Alexius gave the spot a brief moment of thought before calling.
Katinas tabled Q♠10♣ for queen-high, and Alexius took the pot with K♥8♥ for a pair of kings.
David Bright opened to 200 under the gun, and received calls from the next seat, Gediminas Guzelis in the hijack, and the players on the button and in the blinds.
On the K♦K♥6♥ flop, action was checked to Guzelis, who slid out a bet of 200, which only Bright called.
The same pattern followed on the 3♠ turn, this time in respect of a bet of 300 from Guzelis.
The 10♠ river completed the board, and Bright check-folded in the face of a bet of 500 from Guzelis.
With 6,600 in the middle on a flop of A♠10♣3♣, Grigorijus Vasilavicius fired out a bet of 800 from the hijack, and received a call from Adomas Juozapavicius in the cutoff, before Edgaris Gendvilis raised to 3,200 from the button.
Vasilavicius wasted little time before shipping his 27,000 stack into the middle, leading to a quick fold from Juozapavicius, and a shrug of the shoulders from Gendvilis, who promptly open-folded A♦Q♦.
Vasilavicius showed A♣K♣, and Juozapavicius retrieved his cards from near the muck to show 9♣7♣, both opponents relieved to avoid a potentially seismic early clash.
A chunky pot of around 14,000 had developed by the river, on a board of A♦A♥5♠3♦4♦, in a hand between Adomas Juozapavicius under the gun and Zeljko Petrovic in the cutoff.
Juozapavicius fired out a bet of 7,000, and Petrovic sent his cards to the muck in short order.
“No ace?”, asked Juozapavicius, and when Petrovic shook his head, Juozapavicius said “I had the flush”.
Adomas Juozapavicius – 37,000 Zeljko Petrovic – 23,000
2024 Kings of Vilnius Champion Aurimas Stanevicius
Level 1:
100/100
Entries:
34/105
Prizes:
TBC – €250,000 Guaranteed
After Tomas Bulksas’ victory in the Kings of Vilnius €2,000 High Roller yesterday, Poker.Pro‘s coverage of the festival now turns to the €1,100 buy-in, €250,000 guaranteed Kings of Vilnius Main Event, powered by OlyBet, here at Olympic Casino Lieutva.
Day 1A took place yesterday, and 34 players out of 105 entrants managed to find a bag for Day 2, with Jurgis Beinoras of Lithuania leading the way on 252,000. The top ten counts from the flight are set out below:-
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
Day 1B kicks off at noon today, and players will sit down to a 30,000 starting stack at blind level 100/100, with a big blind ante coming into play from the second level, and the clock set to 40-minute levels. The final starting flight, Day 1C, takes place today at 8 p.m. local time, and will feature 25-minute levels, but otherwise following the same structure as previous flights, with players having to navigate 12 levels to bag and tag.
Day 2 qualifiers will return to Olympic Casino Lieutva at noon on 22 November, where the clock will be increased to 60-minute levels. Late registration will remain open until the start of Level 15 in Day 2, and the final day is scheduled for noon on 23 November.
Aurimas Stanevicius is the defending champion, the Lithuanian claiming a famous victory on home soil in 2024 after besting the 365-entry field to claim the top prize of €61,455, the lion’s share of the €350,400 prize pool, with the top ten finishers set out below:-
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
Aurimas Stanevicius
Lithuania
€61,455
2
Paulius Kostickis
Lithuania
€53,275
3
Rokas Skridulis
Lithuania
€30,930
4
Sigitas Raila
Lithuania
€22,630
5
Agnius Ismailovas
Lithuania
€16,520
6
Mindaugas Kriauciunas
Lithuania
€12,690
7
Marius Kudzmanas
Lithuania
€10,680
8
Albert Ostrovskij
Lithuania
€9,050
9
Algirdas Saveikis
Lithuania
€7,840
10
Vidar Assersen
Norway
€6,750
Poker.Pro will be on the floor from cards in the air until a champion is crowned, so stay tuned for all your coverage of the €250,000 guaranteed €1,100 buy-in Kings of Vilnius Main Event.
While Tomas Bulksas was busy making headlines on Thursday after shipping the €2,000 NLH High Roller, a total of 105 entries got into the mix on Day 1a in the €1,100 Kings of Vilnius Main Event, with 34 players surviving.
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.
Linas Bulksas and Tomas Bulksas with their Kings of Vilnius trophies
Level 22:
15,000/30,000/30,000
Entries:
1/38
Prizes:
€68,191
After an eight-hour final day, Tomas Bulksas of Lithuania has emerged triumphant in the Kings of Vilnius €2,000 High Roller here at Olympic Casino Lietuva, taking the top prize of €24,281, after defeating two-time WSOP Online bracelet winner Marius Kudzmanas heads-up.
The victory caps a remarkable week for the Bulksas family, after brother Linas took the trophy in the €555 Kings of Vilnius Championship earlier in the series for a €25,915 payday.
The tournament attracted 38 entries, creating a €68,191 prize pool, and five places were paid, as set out below:-
Position
Player
Country
Prize
1
Tomas Bulksas
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
Bulksas started the final day tenth out of 11 Day 1 qualifiers, and came into the final table sitting in the middle of the pack.
After Jae Han Kim claimed the first two knockouts of the final table, Bulksas sent fellow countryman Tomas Bassus to the rail to bring about the bubble.
A lengthy scrap ensued, and the logjam was eventually broken when Kudzmanas disposed of Ricardas Lukauskas, who was forced all-in from the big blind.
After Kim claimed the scalp of Evaldas Narmontas and Kudzmanas knocked out Vidar Assersen, the tournament was down to the final three, and Bulksas started to come to the fore, expertly increasing his aggression levels.
The champion proceeded to flop a set to bust Kim, setting the stage for a heads-up confrontation with Kudzmanas, Bulksas holding a healthy lead.
The pair battled back and forth, and at one stage it appeared Bulksas would finish the contest relatively quickly, after Kudzmanas was left on the ropes and at a 5:1 disadvantage.
Kudzmanas would not give up without a fight however, and he doubled twice to come back to almost even. The key hand then transpired when Kudzmanas attempted to lay a trap with a flopped straight, but Bulksas went runner-runner for a flush.
Kudzmanas was left with crumbs, and Bulksas would finish the job in the next hand, hitting two pair when he already had his opponent dominated preflop.
Bulksas had total recorded career tournament scores of $13,653 prior to this event, and this result represents a new career-high score, sparking what will surely be a lengthy period of celebration for the Bulksas family.
That concludes Poker.Pro‘s coverage of this event, but stay tuned for our coverage of the €1,100 Kings of Vilnius Main Event, featuring a €250,000 guarantee, commencing tomorrow from noon.
Marius Kudzmanas limped from the button, and called a raise to 90,000 from Tomas Bulksas in the big blind.
The 6♥5♠4♦ flop was checked to the K♦ turn, where Bulksas fired out a bet of 85,000.
Kudzmanas called to see the 6♦ river. Bulksas checked, and Kudzmanas fired out a bet of 250,000, leaving himself only 80,000 behind.
Bulksas went into the tank, but made the call. Kudzmanas confidently tabled 8♣7♦ for the flopped eight-high straight, but was shocked to see Bulksas had rivered a flush with 9♦3♦.
Tomas Bulksas – 1,820,000 Marius Kudzmanas – 80,000
After a couple of small pots went to Marius Kudzmanas, Tomas Bulksas opened to 55,000 from the button, and was met with a three-bet to 150,000 from his opponent.
Bulksas took some time for thought before producing a four-bet to 280,000, forcing a quick fold from Kudzmanas. Bulksas showed J♥3♠.
Tomas Bulksas – 1,250,000 Marius Kudzmanas – 650,000
In the next hand, Jae Han Kim jammed from the button for 200,000, and was looked up by Tomas Bulksas in the big blind.
Jae Han Kim: K♥2♣ Tomas Bulksas: 4♦4♠
Kim needed some help, and although the king was in the window on the K♣9♥4♣ flop, it also gave Bulksas bottom set.
Kim picked up outs to the flush on the 5♣ turn, but the 6♠ river was a brick.
We are now heads-up between Bulksas and Marius Kudzmanas, with Bulksas holding a reasonable lead. The players have taken a short break before play begins.
Tomas Bulksas – 1,250,000 Marius Kudzmanas – 650,000 Jae Han Kim – 0
Jae Han Kim opened from the button to 50,000, and, after a lengthy period in the tank, called a three-bet jam to 305,000 from Marius Kudzmanas in the small blind.
Marius Kudzmanas: A♣J♣ Jae Han Kim: J♦10♥
Kudzmanas had Kim crushed, and there were no surprises on the Q♥9♦9♠2♥5♠ runout, although the flop was about as sweaty as it could get for Kudzmanas.
Jae Hin Kim raised to 70,000 from the button, and Marius Kudzmanas called in the small blind.
The A♥K♠10♠ flop and 9♥ turn were checked to the K♥ river, where Kudzmanas check-raised to 225,000, leaving himself 75,000 behind, versus a bet of 50,000 from Kim.
A pot of 5,600 had developed by the river on a board of A♠6♥2♣J♦2♠, in a hand between Sigitas Raila in the small blind and Rokas Asipauskas in middle position.
Raila led out with a bet of 2,000, and that was sufficient to force a fold from Asipauskas.
A pot of 6,000 had developed by the river on a board of A♣8♦5♣8♣Q♦, in a hand between Vaidas Chormanskis in the cutoff, and Mantas Bagocius in the big blind.
Bagocius led out with a bet of 3,900, only to be faced with a raise to 12,600 from Chormanskis. Bagocius promptly responded with a three-bet to 25,000, before Chormanskis quickly four-bet jammed for around 54,000, covering Bagocius.
Bagocius looked pained, and sent his cards to the muck, before suggesting he had king-high.
A pot of 3,000 had developed by the river, on a board of 9♣6♥5♥2♣K♠, in a hand between Michael Kim Falcon in the small blind and Rokas Asipauskas in middle position.
Falcon checked, and Asipauskas fired out an overbet of 8,000. To his surprise, Falcon responded with a check-raise to 22,000, putting Asipauskas in the blender.
“What bluffs can you have here?” queried Asipauskas, to which Falcon asked if his opponent had ace-king. “Something like that”, said Asipauskas, before folding.
Falcon said “I’ll be nice to you, I flopped it”, before tabling 8♠7♦ for the flopped straight.
Michael Kim Falcon – 85,000 Rokas Aspiauskas – 40,500
Michael Kim Falcon opened to 700 from the button, only to be faced with a three-bet to 3,00 from Marius Kudzmanas in the big blind.
Falcon called to see the K♠Q♥4♠ flop, where Kudzmanas fired out a continuation bet of 4,000, which failed to dispose of Falcon.
The K♥ landed on the turn to pair the board, and Kudzmanas continued to fire, sliding out a bet of 10,000. “You have ace-king?” pondered Falcon, who made the call in the face of silence from Kudzmanas.
The 8♠ river completed the board, and after some thought, Kudzmanas slid out a bet of 30,000, leaving himself 1,000 behind.
“If this a bluff it’s the bluff of the day” remarked Falcon while pondering his next move. After around 90 seconds of thought, Falcon open-folded the Q♠, and Kudzmanas raked in a chunky pot.
Marius Kudzmanas – 65,000 Michael Kim Falcon – 51,000
Ignas Jasinevicius opened to 600 from the button, and was faced with a three-bet to 2,700 from Mantas Bagocius in the big blind. After some thought, Jasinevicius made the call.
On the A♣Q♥Q♠ flop, Bagocius continued with a bet of 1,600, leading to a swift fold from Bagocius.
Mantas Bagocius – 56,000 Ignas Jasinevicius – 47,000
Play is underway here in the Kings of Vilnius High Roller, with nine players registered for the start of play, including Edgars Hauks, Jae Kim, Roman Kulijev and Tomas Bulksas.
Stay tuned to Poker.Pro for your coverage of all the action.
The Kings of Vilnius poker festival has staged a triumphant return to the historic Lithuanian capital, with players from all over Europe descending on Olympic Casino Lieutva for the packed schedule of 34 tournaments.
Powered by OlyBet, the action is already well underway, with ten trophies having been awarded thus far. The stand-out performances to date are Linas Bulksas of Lithuania banking €25,915 after outlasting 265 runners in the €555 Kings of Vilnius Championship, and fellow countryman Sergej Babincev emerging as the last player standing in the €555 PLO4/PLO5 Championship, boosting his bankroll by €7,150 in the process.
Kestutis Jungevicius also completed a remarkable hat-trick of Vilnius titles, after taking the trophy and €2,006 in the €200 NLH/PLO4, following on from his two victories in OlyBet Showdown festival events earlier this year.
Attention now moves to the €2,000 NLH High Roller, the highest buy-in of the series. The event kicks off today at 4 p.m local time, and Poker.Pro will be on the floor bringing you all the action, from cards in the air until a victor is crowned.
A 59-entry field created a €105,876 prize pool in 2024, and Robertas Sakinas of Lithuania triumphed to take the top prize of €36,190, with Tobias Napel of the Netherlands (€23,110) and Brit Glen Gaines (€15,400) completing the podium places.
Place
Name
Country
Prize
1
Robertas Sakinis
Lithuania
€ 36,190
2
Tobias Napel
Netherlands
€ 23,110
3
Glen Gaines
England
€ 15,400
4
Michael Uguccioni
Italy
€ 10,960
5
Audrius Stakelis
Lithuania
€ 8,300
6
Mantas Bagocius
Lithuania
€ 6,620
7
Matas Budginas
Lithuania
€ 5,296
The eight-max event is a two-day affair, with players sitting down to a 50,000 starting stack, and blinds commencing at 100/200, with a 200 big blind ante. The clock will be set to 40-minute levels throughout the event, with players having to navigate 12 of those to progress to Day 2, scheduled for 1 p.m. on 19 October, and late registration remaining open until the start of Level 14 in Day 2.
Be sure to stay tuned to poker.pro as we bring you coverage of all the action from the €2,000 NLH High Roller at the Kings of Vilnius, with coverage of the €250,000 guaranteed €1,100 buy-in Main Event to follow later in the week.
Tuesday brought a brief moment of calm at the 2025 Kings of Vilnius, but the action was anything but quiet inside Olympic Casino Lietuva. Two players rose above tough fields to capture new Kings of Vilnius crowns, with Sergej Babincev defeating WSOP bracelet winner Vincas Tamašauskas in the €555 PLO4/PLO5 Championship and Sweden’s Fredrik Karvall winning the €250 NLH Turbo Deep Stack just one day after finishing runner-up in the Bounty event.
With the €2,000 High Roller starting today and the €1,100 Main Event right behind it, the festival is gearing up for its biggest stretch yet.
Day 4 of the 2025 Kings of Vilnius delivered a full sweep for Lithuanian players as all four trophies stayed at home, highlighted by Linas Bulkšas’ impressive victory in the €555 NLH Championship for the festival’s biggest prize so far – €25,915.
Arturas Jacikas, Marek Žigel, and Tomas Pinkevičius also added trophies to Lithuania’s tally in an action-packed Monday.
Kornelijus Smilingis opened to 600 from early position, and received a call, before High Roller final tablist Vidar Assersen produced a three-bet to 2,600 from the big blind.
Smilingis produced a four-bet to 5,200, the caller folded, and Assersen called.
On the 10♥7♦5♦ flop, Assersen checked and Smilingis fired out a bet of 4,000. Assersen responded with a check-raise to 20,000, and Smilingis quickly got his 17,000 total stack into the middle.
Kornelijus Smilingis: A♣A♠ Vidar Assersen: K♣K♦
It was rockets versus cowboys in a brutal cooler, and the 6♣ turn and 7♥ river did not alter matters.
A pot of around 4,000 had developed on a flop of K♠10♣8♠, in a hand between Justas Brazlauskis in early position, and Simonas Aleksius in the big blind.
Aleksius check-called versus a bet of 1,800 from Brazlauskis to see the 7♦ turn, where the same pattern followed, this time in respect of a bet of 3,000 from Brazlauskis.
The 5♣ river was checked through. Brazlauskis tabled A♣K♦ for a pair of kings, and Aleksius mucked.
Justas Brazlauskis – 42,000 Simonas Aleksius – 14,000
A pot of 8,800 had developed by the river, on a board of 8♠6♣2♣4♠8♦, in a hand between Audrius Laimelis in early position, and Valerijus Raginis on the button.
Laimelis checked, and Raginis slid out a bet of 6,600. After a reasonable period of time in the tank, Laimelis elected to fold.
With 1,200 in the middle on a flop of K♠9♦7♠, Paulius Katinas check-called from early position in the face of a bet of 400 from Simonas Alexius on the button.
The same pattern followed on the 6♦ turn, this time in respect of a bet of 600 from Alexius.
On the flush completing 3♠ river, Katinas led out with a bet of 1,600. Alexius gave the spot a brief moment of thought before calling.
Katinas tabled Q♠10♣ for queen-high, and Alexius took the pot with K♥8♥ for a pair of kings.
David Bright opened to 200 under the gun, and received calls from the next seat, Gediminas Guzelis in the hijack, and the players on the button and in the blinds.
On the K♦K♥6♥ flop, action was checked to Guzelis, who slid out a bet of 200, which only Bright called.
The same pattern followed on the 3♠ turn, this time in respect of a bet of 300 from Guzelis.
The 10♠ river completed the board, and Bright check-folded in the face of a bet of 500 from Guzelis.
With 6,600 in the middle on a flop of A♠10♣3♣, Grigorijus Vasilavicius fired out a bet of 800 from the hijack, and received a call from Adomas Juozapavicius in the cutoff, before Edgaris Gendvilis raised to 3,200 from the button.
Vasilavicius wasted little time before shipping his 27,000 stack into the middle, leading to a quick fold from Juozapavicius, and a shrug of the shoulders from Gendvilis, who promptly open-folded A♦Q♦.
Vasilavicius showed A♣K♣, and Juozapavicius retrieved his cards from near the muck to show 9♣7♣, both opponents relieved to avoid a potentially seismic early clash.
A chunky pot of around 14,000 had developed by the river, on a board of A♦A♥5♠3♦4♦, in a hand between Adomas Juozapavicius under the gun and Zeljko Petrovic in the cutoff.
Juozapavicius fired out a bet of 7,000, and Petrovic sent his cards to the muck in short order.
“No ace?”, asked Juozapavicius, and when Petrovic shook his head, Juozapavicius said “I had the flush”.
Adomas Juozapavicius – 37,000 Zeljko Petrovic – 23,000
2024 Kings of Vilnius Champion Aurimas Stanevicius
Level 1:
100/100
Entries:
34/105
Prizes:
TBC – €250,000 Guaranteed
After Tomas Bulksas’ victory in the Kings of Vilnius €2,000 High Roller yesterday, Poker.Pro‘s coverage of the festival now turns to the €1,100 buy-in, €250,000 guaranteed Kings of Vilnius Main Event, powered by OlyBet, here at Olympic Casino Lieutva.
Day 1A took place yesterday, and 34 players out of 105 entrants managed to find a bag for Day 2, with Jurgis Beinoras of Lithuania leading the way on 252,000. The top ten counts from the flight are set out below:-
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
Day 1B kicks off at noon today, and players will sit down to a 30,000 starting stack at blind level 100/100, with a big blind ante coming into play from the second level, and the clock set to 40-minute levels. The final starting flight, Day 1C, takes place today at 8 p.m. local time, and will feature 25-minute levels, but otherwise following the same structure as previous flights, with players having to navigate 12 levels to bag and tag.
Day 2 qualifiers will return to Olympic Casino Lieutva at noon on 22 November, where the clock will be increased to 60-minute levels. Late registration will remain open until the start of Level 15 in Day 2, and the final day is scheduled for noon on 23 November.
Aurimas Stanevicius is the defending champion, the Lithuanian claiming a famous victory on home soil in 2024 after besting the 365-entry field to claim the top prize of €61,455, the lion’s share of the €350,400 prize pool, with the top ten finishers set out below:-
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
Aurimas Stanevicius
Lithuania
€61,455
2
Paulius Kostickis
Lithuania
€53,275
3
Rokas Skridulis
Lithuania
€30,930
4
Sigitas Raila
Lithuania
€22,630
5
Agnius Ismailovas
Lithuania
€16,520
6
Mindaugas Kriauciunas
Lithuania
€12,690
7
Marius Kudzmanas
Lithuania
€10,680
8
Albert Ostrovskij
Lithuania
€9,050
9
Algirdas Saveikis
Lithuania
€7,840
10
Vidar Assersen
Norway
€6,750
Poker.Pro will be on the floor from cards in the air until a champion is crowned, so stay tuned for all your coverage of the €250,000 guaranteed €1,100 buy-in Kings of Vilnius Main Event.
While Tomas Bulksas was busy making headlines on Thursday after shipping the €2,000 NLH High Roller, a total of 105 entries got into the mix on Day 1a in the €1,100 Kings of Vilnius Main Event, with 34 players surviving.
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.
Tuesday brought a brief moment of calm at the 2025 Kings of Vilnius, but the action was anything but quiet inside Olympic Casino Lietuva. Two players rose above tough fields to capture new Kings of Vilnius crowns, with Sergej Babincev defeating WSOP bracelet winner Vincas Tamašauskas in the €555 PLO4/PLO5 Championship and Sweden’s Fredrik Karvall winning the €250 NLH Turbo Deep Stack just one day after finishing runner-up in the Bounty event.
With the €2,000 High Roller starting today and the €1,100 Main Event right behind it, the festival is gearing up for its biggest stretch yet.
Day 4 of the 2025 Kings of Vilnius delivered a full sweep for Lithuanian players as all four trophies stayed at home, highlighted by Linas Bulkšas’ impressive victory in the €555 NLH Championship for the festival’s biggest prize so far – €25,915.
Arturas Jacikas, Marek Žigel, and Tomas Pinkevičius also added trophies to Lithuania’s tally in an action-packed Monday.
Jurgis Beinoras
Jae Han Kim
Edgars Hauks 
Michael Kim Falcon 
Goran Salinovic
Anne Bezdek
Thomas Jakobsen
Baptiste Caim
Bartlomiej Grabowski
Michael Schmitz
Dmitri Dudakov
Fredrik Karvall
Josh Mitchell
Tobias Napel
Glen Gaines
Michael Uguccioni
