For the 35th time, the Poker European Championship will take place. From July 14 to 26, Casino Velden will host the Poker EM, where for the first time this year ten championship titles will be contested.
In the 1990s, this traditional event gained recognition even in America. The Stud title was one of the most prestigious in the world, and even Phil Hellmuth was proud to win the title in 2000. Since then, the Poker EM has not only changed locations (from Casino Baden to Casino Velden), but the number of championship titles has also significantly increased. Last year there were still eight title events, but this year there are ten European Championship titles at stake. New to the program are the €500 + 50 Senior European Championship and the €5,000 + 400 PLO High Roller Championship.
The ten title events in 2026
July 15 – 16 – €500 + 50 NLH Senior European Championship
July 16 – 17 – €300 + 30 Ladies Championship
July 16 – 20 – €500 + 50 NLH Showdown at Wörthersee
July 19 – 20 – €2,000 + 200 Omaha Championship
July 20 – 21 – €800 + 80 NLH 6-handed European Championship
July 20 – 21 – €5,000 + 400 PL Omaha High Roller European Championship
July 20 – 21 – €400 + 40 Seven Card Stud
July 21 – 22 – €5,000 + 400 High Roller Championship
July 20 – 26 – €2,500 + 250 Poker EM Main Event Championship
July 24 – 25 – €1,000 + 100 Mystery Bounty (€500) Championship2025 was a record year for the Poker EM, as there were 311 entries in the NLH Main Event. For the first time, there was a double title winner, as Jan Zupec won both the 6-handed event and the Main Event.Expectations for the 35th Poker EM are high, as is the number of announced players. Many may have already spent weeks in Las Vegas, but they gather in Velden to chill, party, and play poker. The side events are also essential – on July 16, the Boccia tournament returns to the Kurpark for the second time. The traditional Kärntner Brettljausn will be served on July 19, and the pig roast is scheduled for July 22. The shuttle service will ensure safe transport for players between Klagenfurt and Villach. As always, a motorboat with a driver will also be available daily.If anyone is still looking for suitable accommodation, they can find some recommendations on the
Poker EM page, and a complete overview of the Wörthersee tourism offerings can be found on
woerthersee.com.Tickets are already available at each of the twelve Casinos Austria locations; additionally, tickets can also be purchased by phone (+43 1 53440 50) or via email (
service@casinos.at) or in the
online shop.For inquiries, feel free to contact Thomas Lamatsch (
thomas.lamatsch@casinos.at / +43 664 78284910) or the Poker Manager of Casino Velden, Jasmin Michael (
jasmin.michael@casinos.at / +43 664 8104305). Find all information about the Poker EM best on
pokerem.at.
Schedule
All European Champions since 1990
Seven Card Stud
| Year | Buy-In | Entries | Winner | Nation | Prize Money |
| 1990 | | | Peter Praxmair | AT | |
| 1991 | | | Hans Siderits | AT | |
| 1992 | | | Franz Vollstuber | AT | |
| 1993 | | | Eric de Bouet du Portal | FR | |
| 1994 | | | Lothar Landauer | DE | €36,576 |
| 1995 | | | Kurt Pittel | AT | |
| 1996 | | | Tibor Tolnai | HU | |
| 1997 | | | Henry Nowakowski | AT | €152,616 |
| 1998 | | 441 | Xu Hong Sheng | MY | €128,700 |
| 1999 | | 435 | Paul Alterman | UK | €209,661 |
| 2000 | | 438 | Phil Hellmuth | US | €128,695 |
| 2001 | €290 | 396 | Manfred Willi | AT | €126,593 |
| 2002 | €290 | 356 | Heinz Piroth | DE | €121,496 |
| 2003 | €290 | 342 | Raymond Brown | UK | €112,239 |
| 2004 | €300 | 290 | Theo Jorgensen | DK | €101,688 |
| 2005 | €300 | 305 | Jan Bitsch Pedersen | DK | €107,787 |
| 2006 | €300 | 270 | Vlado Sevo | AT | €82,243 |
| 2007 | €2,500 | 156 | Camilla Dennig | DK | €103,740 |
| 2008 | €2,500 | 100 | Fabrizio Leonardi | IT | €68,860 |
| 2009 | €2,500 | 86 | Richard Ashby | UK | €59,140 |
| 2015 | €300 | 82 | Qushqar Morad | AF | €15,550 |
| 2016 | €330 | 65 | Daniel Studer | CH | €11,665 |
| 2017 | €440 | 64 | Antonio Turrisi | IT | €10,020 |
| 2018 | €440 | 47 | Christian Schober | AT | €11,640 |
| 2019 | €330 | 54 | Antonio Turrisi | IT | €12,000 |
| 2022 | €330 | 61 | Harry Casagrande | AT | €11,430 |
| 2023 | €440 | 65 | Nikolaus Grubmayr | AT | €12,800 |
| 2024 | €440 | 64 | Roland Weidinger | AT | €7,160 |
| 2025 | €440 | 67 | Philipp Hofbauer | AT | €15,200 |
No Limit Hold’em
| Year | Buy-In | Entries | Winner | Nation | Prize Money |
| 2008 | €4,000 | 164 | Sandra Naujoks | DE | €174,500 |
| 2009 | €4,000 | 189 | Martin Kabrhel | CZ | €190,320 |
| 2010 | €4,000 | 155 | Mihai Manole | RO | €160,800 |
| 2011 | €4,000 | 145 | Zoltán Szabó | HU | €150,425 |
| 2012 | €4,000 | 132 | Andrei One | RO | €140,450 |
| 2013 | €3,000 | 117 | Lasell King | DE | €92,035 |
| 2014 | €3,000 | 147 | Artur Koren | DE | €70,430 |
| 2015 | €4,350 | 169 | Simon Boss | CH | €182,600 |
| 2016 | €2,700 | 237 | Matthias Habernig | AT | €109,000 |
| 2017 | €2,700 | 236 | Simon Boss | CH | €120,000 |
| 2018 | €2,700 | 250 | Philipp Hartmann | DE | €150,000 |
| 2019 | €2,700 | 240 | Christian Rudolph | DE | €144,000 |
| 2022 | €2,750 | 246 | Christian Leichtfried | AT | €114,135 |
| 2023 | €2,750 | 309 | Nicola Angelini | IT | €154,500 |
| 2024 | €2,750 | 253 | Harald Heigl | AT | €135,200 |
| 2025 | €2,750 | 311 | Jan Zupec | SI | €151,000 |
Pot Limit Omaha
| Year | Buy-In | Entries | Winner | Nation | Prize Money |
| 2010 | €3,000 | 85 | Maurizio Guerra | IT | €72,675 |
| 2011 | €3,000 | 58 | Kimmo Kurko | FI | €52,900 |
| 2012 | €3,000 | 57 | Aubin Cazals | FR | €57,670 |
| 2014 | €2,000 | 55 | Kurt Yusuf | AT | €35,420 |
| 2015 | €2,000 | 122 | Josef Friedl | DE | €64,100 |
| 2016 | €1,620 | 103 | Jules Ayoub | DE | €34,420 |
| 2017 | €2,160 | 135 | Tomasz Sumek | PL | €75,600 |
| 2018 | €2,160 | 124 | Ivan Mairhofer | IT | €56,000 |
| 2019 | €2,160 | 119 | Zsolt Péntek | HU | €67,900 |
| 2022 | €2,200 | 149 | Victor Vorobjov | LT | €67,885 |
| 2023 | €2,200 | 131 | Jonas Kronwitter | DE | €52,350 |
| 2024 | €2,200 | 109 | Stanislav Koleno | SK | €54,585 |
| 2025 | €2,200 | 132 | Nebojsa Ankucic | AT | €42,580 |
Ladies
| Year | Buy-In | Entries | Winner | Nation | Prize Money |
| 2017 | €275 | 51 | Jessica Teusl | AT | €3,340 |
| 2018 | €330 | 42 | Jessica Teusl | AT | €4,540 |
| 2019 | €330 | 41 | Jessica Teusl | AT | €4,430 |
| 2022 | €330 | 42 | Sarah Strak | AT | €4,410 |
| 2023 | €330 | 57 | Anca Eggenberger | CH | €5,240 |
| 2024 | €330 | 70 | Yvonne Savary Taveras | CH | €5,820 |
| 2025 | €330 | 75 | Maria Perraymond | IT | €6,270 |
High Roller
| Year | Buy-In | Entries | Winner | Nation | Prize Money |
| 2022 | €5,400 | 30 | Oliver Wulf | DE | €61,500 |
| 2023 | €5,400 | 61 | Daniel Lange | DE | €108,350 |
| 2024 | €5,400 | 81 | Hannes Pflanzl | AT | €112,600 |
| 2025 | €5,400 | 86 | Thomas Mühlöcker | AT | €112,400 |
Mystery Bounty| Year | Buy-In | Entries | Winner | Nation | Prize Money |
| 2022 | €1,100 | 183 | Boris Progner | SK | €20,105 |
| 2023 | €1,100 | 167 | Rene Kükenbrink | DE | €24,600 |
| 2024 | €1,100 | 172 | David Gradic | SI | €18,300 |
| 2025 | €1,100 | 170 | Mantas Liachauskas | LT | €18,830 |
6-handed| Year | Buy-In | Entries | Winner | Nation | Prize Money |
| 2023 | €880 | 232 | Arkadiusz Liszewski | PL | €39,235 |
| 2024 | €880 | 186 | Moritz Dietrich | DE | €33,000 |
| 2025 | €880 | 213 | Jan Zupec | SI | €36,500 |
Showdown at Wörthersee| Year | Buy-In | Entries | Winner | Nation | Prize Money |
| 2025 | €550 | 772 | Martin Lechner | AT | €45,810 |
In the 1990s, this traditional event gained recognition even in America. The Stud title was one of the most prestigious in the world, and even Phil Hellmuth was proud to win the title in 2000. Since then, the Poker EM has not only changed locations (from Casino Baden to Casino Velden), but the number of championship titles has also significantly increased. Last year there were still eight title events, but this year there are ten European Championship titles at stake. New to the program are the €500 + 50 Senior European Championship and the €5,000 + 400 PLO High Roller Championship.The ten title events in 2026
July 15 – 16 – €500 + 50 NLH Senior European Championship
July 16 – 17 – €300 + 30 Ladies Championship
July 16 – 20 – €500 + 50 NLH Showdown at Wörthersee
July 19 – 20 – €2,000 + 200 Omaha Championship
July 20 – 21 – €800 + 80 NLH 6-handed European Championship
July 20 – 21 – €5,000 + 400 PL Omaha High Roller European Championship
July 20 – 21 – €400 + 40 Seven Card Stud
July 21 – 22 – €5,000 + 400 High Roller Championship
July 20 – 26 – €2,500 + 250 Poker EM Main Event Championship
July 24 – 25 – €1,000 + 100 Mystery Bounty (€500) Championship2025 was a record year for the Poker EM, as there were 311 entries in the NLH Main Event. For the first time, there was a double title winner, as Jan Zupec won both the 6-handed event and the Main Event.Expectations for the 35th Poker EM are high, as is the number of announced players. Many may have already spent weeks in Las Vegas, but they gather in Velden to chill, party, and play poker. The side events are also essential – on July 16, the Boccia tournament returns to the Kurpark for the second time. The traditional Kärntner Brettljausn will be served on July 19, and the pig roast is scheduled for July 22. The shuttle service will ensure safe transport for players between Klagenfurt and Villach. As always, a motorboat with a driver will also be available daily.If anyone is still looking for suitable accommodation, they can find some recommendations on the Poker EM page, and a complete overview of the Wörthersee tourism offerings can be found on woerthersee.com.Tickets are already available at each of the twelve Casinos Austria locations; additionally, tickets can also be purchased by phone (+43 1 53440 50) or via email (service@casinos.at) or in the online shop.For inquiries, feel free to contact Thomas Lamatsch (thomas.lamatsch@casinos.at / +43 664 78284910) or the Poker Manager of Casino Velden, Jasmin Michael (jasmin.michael@casinos.at / +43 664 8104305). Find all information about the Poker EM best on pokerem.at.Schedule