2018 Cash Game Festival Bratislava
Day 1 Started
2018 Cash Game Festival Bratislava
2018 Cash Game Festival Bratislava
Day: 1
First Cash Game Festival in Bratislava is About to Begin
The Cash Game Festival Bratislava is about to begin at the Banco Casino Bratislava, for five days of nonstop cash game poker on April 4-8.
This marks the first time the festival has visited the Slovakian capital conveniently located just an hour away from the Austrian capital of Vienna and the Hungarian capital of Budapest.
The location is just one thing for the Cash Game Festival as for the first time the festival is also collaborating with the MPN Poker Tour which begins on Thursday, April 5.
Another new first is that for the first time Unibet will be one of the partners, with many of the brand's ambassadors planning to join in on the action including Ian Simpson, David Lappin, and Dara O'Kearney.
Cash Game Festival Co-Founder Martin "Franke" von Zweigbergk is thrilled about all of the new aspects the latest Cash Game Festival in Bratislava will bring.
"The upcoming Cash Game Festival is a first in many ways," von Zweigbergk said. "It is our first time in Bratislava, Slovakia, our first time collaborating with an existing recognizable poker tour such as MPNPT, and our first time with our new partner in Unibet. I am very excited about all of this."
Existing partners Betsson, NordicBet, and 32Red will also be very present during the festival with qualifiers and ambassadors joining the action on and away from the felt.
Each day, the Cash Game Festival will host the two televised feature tables twice per day at 6 p.m. CEST and 9 p.m CEST. broadcasted on a 20-minute delay at the Cash Game Festival Twitch channel. You can alternatively follow the action by clicking on the Live Stream tab that will be in our PokerNews coverage once the action is live.
For the first-time, United Kingdom's young gun duo of George Sandford and Henry Kilbane will be hosting the stream with guests appearing throughout the week. Sandford and Kilbane guest hosted during the last Cash Game Festival in London and brought tons of energy and excitement to fans of the stream.
Today's early table features €1/€2 no-limit hold'em featuring Cash Game Festival regular Jeffrey Lanser and David Lappin. The stakes then move up to €2/€5 no-limit hold'em for the later table featuring Cash Game Festival regulars Peter La Terra and Jon Kyte, who holds a feature table record for finishing the most times with a profit.
The action will also be hot away from the table with festival organizers arranging plenty of fun activities for those with the hospitality package. This afternoon, many of the regular players on the tour have messaged in that they have arrived in Bratislava and are enjoying some of the pleasures the Slovakian capital has to offer before hitting the tables later in the day.
The Cash Game Festival Bratislava officially kicks off at 5 p.m. CEST with welcome drinks. Stayed tuned to PokerNews as we cover the festival from start to finish.
Champagne on the House
The welcome drinks ceremony has just begun to officially kick off the start of the 2018 Cash Game Festival Bratislava with many players enjoying glasses of champagne.
Many hugs are being exchanged among old-school Cash Game Festival regulars including Peter La Terra and Jeffrey Lanser, while many new players are being welcomed to the festival in style.
At the same time, the players that will appear at the first televised €1/€2 no-limit hold'em feature table are starting to pop in for their pregame interviews. We will share some information about the lineup of the first stream when in begins in less than 40 minutes.
Unibet Poker Ambassador David Lappin Headlines Early Feature Table
Ireland's David Lappin arrived today and is immediately hopping into the action on the very first feature table of the festival with stakes at €1/€2 no-limit hold'em. In addition to being a Unibet Poker ambassador, he is also the co-host and co-creator of the popular The Chip Race podcast.
Despite focusing most of his play on tournaments and sit-and-go's, Lappin isn't a one-trick pony. Lappin also has played his share of cash games. He previously attended the Cash Game Festival Malta where he lives last June and has also appeared on countless tournament feature tables in the past.
In addition to Lappin in Seat 6, the table is full of entertaining players. You can check out the action by clicking on the Live Stream tab in our coverage or by heading to the Cash Game Festival Twitch channel.
Here is a look at the rest of the lineup:
In Seat 1, is Dutch student and Cash Game Festival regular Jeffrey Lanser. Lanser became interested in the festival after watching the live stream and is now appearing at the feature table at his third separate location on the tour.
Bosnia and Herzegovina's Danijel Kucurski, in Seat 2, has been playing poker for almost a decade. Despite his vast experience, this will be the first time he appears at the feature table. He shared his favorite hand is 6-4 suited since he once was awarded with a straight-flush with this hand.
Austria's Mario Langer, in Seat 3, is a real estate player and an avid poker player. He shared that he has appeared at a feature table before but this is his first time for a cash game. Langer's favorite hand is king-seven since he once cracked aces twice in a single tournament to go on his way to ship it.
Italy's Andrea Iengo, in Seat 4, has been playing poker for three years. He shared that he loves jack-ten suited since it has great post-flop playability.
Poland's Mateusz Kulis, in Seat 5, shared his biggest achievement was shipping online tournament for $24,000. His favorite hand is one most can get behind in pocket aces.
Fellow Polish player Dawid Chmura is in Seat 7 followed by Bulgaria's Ivelin Ganev in Seat 8. Ganev is in Bratislava on the house after he was one of the winners of the high hand promotion that took place during the last Cash Game Festival in London.
32Red Poker €250 Freeroll
Viewers of the Cash Game Festival stream will not only be in for tons of entertainment but also be invited to password-protected freerolls.
Tonight at 8:30 p.m. CEST, 32Red Poker is hosting a €250 freeroll. You can only get the password by watching the feature table action on the stream.
Click on the Live Stream tab in our coverage or head to the Cash Game Festival Twitch channel to find out more information including the password.
Action Picking Up
Until recently, all the action in the Banco Casino poker room were at recreational €1/€2 no-limit hold'em.
That has all changed with a €2/€5 no-limit hold'em game opening up. Peter La Terra is among the players at the table and is getting his feet wet before he appears at the €2/€5 no-limit Omaha feature table in about an hour,
Welcome Drinks Photos
David Lappin Doubles with Aces
Unibet Poker Ambassador David Lappin just had the biggest hand thus far at the first feature table of the 2018 Cash Game Festival Bratislava.
Lappin called an opening bet from an early position raiser for €7 with 
before Austria's Mario Langer three-bet to €27 with 
. Lappin four-bet to €92 and Langer shoved for over €500. The duo agreed to run it twice.
Things went from bad to worse on the first board for Langer after Lappin improved to a set on the 
flop. Only a runner-runner clubs for a flush or a king on both the turn and river for quads could save Langer.
Langer's fate was sealed and was drawing dead after the 
appeared on the turn. The inconsequential 
appeared on the river and the dealer got set to deal out the second board.
The second run of cards wasn't any better for Langer with the 
board running all blanks and Lappin shipped a pot worth around €1,100.
Photos From the First Feature Table
Unibet Poker Ambassador David Lappin Wins Big at the First Feature Table
Unibet Poker's David Lappin was the biggest winner at the first feature table of the festival booking a profit of €651 or 325.5 big blinds in €1/€2 no-limit hold'em. Lappin's big win was catapulted by a big hand he won against Mario Langer when his pocket aces held on two boards after the duo agreed to run it twice versus pocket kings.
Lappin shared in an interview on Facebook that he could be back on stream later in the festival after being invited back for a higher stakes cash game later in the festival.