Banco: 2026 Polish Poker Championship — The Goal Is a Million!

Banco Bratislava hosts numerous festivals that attract many players. And then there’s the Polish Poker Championship, which always pushes the venue to its limits. From November 4 to 16, this year’s €150 Main Event will feature a €500,000 GTD prize pool. But the clear goal is to reach one million.

Since 2019, Legalny Poker has been a regular at Banco, bringing countless Polish players with it. And the events have since become very international, as players know there’s always plenty of action here for a small buy-in. The fields have grown from event to event, and the events performed well even during the travel restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Last year, with 7,740 entries in the €150 PPC Main Event, the total theoretically hit the million mark, but after deducting fees and staff costs, it fell back below that figure. In February 2026, the first €75 + 75 Mystery Bounty event set a European record for the largest Mystery Bounty with 3,839 entries.

An overview of the Polish Poker Events:

Expectations for the 2026 Polish Poker Championship are high. For a €150 buy-in, players will once again compete for at least €500,000 in prize money. As before, the buy-in grants 40,000 chips, and the regular flights last 30 minutes. What’s new is that there’s a double qualification bonus. If you make it to Day 2 twice, you’ll receive a €1,000 bonus; if you make it three times, you’ll receive €3,000.

Another new feature is that there are even more flights. In fact, this was a request from the players—specifically the non-Polish ones. The locals approached the Banco with a request to hold a few “smaller” flights in advance. Not everyone is a fan of tables being packed to the brim and having to wait in line no matter where you go. That’s why the Main Event now kicks off on November 6 with Day 1A. Polish players are expected to arrive in droves starting around November 10 or 11. But when they do, there will be plenty of players. There are 17 flights in total, so reaching one million participants should be a breeze. This makes the tournament all the more attractive, since the buy-in is “only” €150. As always, there will be no opportunity to start this event on Sunday (November 15); it goes straight into Day 2 (35′), and the final will then be played on November 16.

To better accommodate the rush, the Banco is also opening tournament registration daily at 9 a.m. for all tournaments taking place that day.

In addition to the Main Event, there’s also the €400 High Roller (€60,000 GTD/100k/30+40′), which will once again be available to watch via livestream. It’s not just the tournament action that’s crazy during the Polish Poker Championship—the cash game action is too. As always, play starts with blinds of €1/3 NLH and €2/2 PLO. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Marketing Manager Jan Packa (in English); you can find all further details at bancocasino.sk.

Coming up:

Prize pools minus a 10% fee (unless otherwise specified) and a 6% rake