How to Win a Package to the Banco Poker Championship €250K online?

Author

Juan David Vargas Quiceno, aka Vargoso

Published

6/19/2026

Updated

6/19/2026

In August 2026, the Swedish Poker Championships series will take place in Bratislava, featuring a new Banco Poker Championship tournament with a €250,000 guaranteed prize pool. You can qualify for the main event via online satellites at BC Poker and RedStar. We'll explain which packages and tickets are available, as well as how to qualify with minimal investment.

Online Satellite Qualifiers for Banco Poker Championship Main Event

Swedish Poker Championships Main Event

The Swedish Poker Championships will take place at Banco Casino in Bratislava from August 3 to 9, 2026. The festival schedule features more than 30 tournaments, with buy-ins starting at €50.

For the first time, the Banco Poker Championship will be held as part of the festival, featuring a €550 buy-in and a €250,000 guarantee. Players will have seven starting flights for Day 1, which will be held starting on August 6, while the final day is set to begin on August 9 at 5:00 PM local time.

According to the organizers, more than 350 Swedish players are expected to travel to Bratislava for the festival. In addition, BC Poker and RedStar will run online satellites, allowing players to win packages and seats to the Banco Poker Championship online.

Banco Casino is also well known for hosting the Merlin Cash Game Tour, a promotion that offers complimentary hotel packages for players.

BC Poker satellites

From June 19th to July 7th, BCPoker will host $55 satellites, offering Banco Poker Championship packages and tournament tickets as prizes. All tournaments start at 21:00 GMT:

The Road to Banco €550 Final will start on July 19th and 26th, and August 3rd, 10th, and 19th. One guaranteed ticket to the live tournament is included.
The Road to Banco €1,100 Package Final will start on July 22nd and 29th, and August 6th and 13th. One guaranteed package to the live tournament is included.

In addition to the tournament buy-in, the package includes four nights at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Satellite Structure:

Starting stack: 10,000 chips (100 big blinds).
Blinds increase every 8 minutes.
Late registration with unlimited reentry – 8 levels.

Satellites can be accessed through cheaper steps. With a bit of luck, you can enter the €250,000 guaranteed tournament completely free.

Until July 18th, players can access the following events daily:

Road to Banco Freeroll. Starting at 6:30 PM GMT. Prizes include 10 $5 tickets.
Road to Banco Step 1. Buy-in is $5. Prizes include one $55 ticket to any Final Satellite.

Every player who qualifies for the Banco Poker Championship via online satellites at BCPoker will receive €50 in their poker room account after registering for the tournament.

Packages and tickets can be transferred to another player until July 28th by contacting support. Players are responsible for their own visa and travel arrangements to Bratislava.

RedStar Satellites

From June 21st to August 2nd, Day 2 of the Banco Bratislava 2x€990 PKG satellite starts every Sunday at 7:30 PM GMT at RedStar. The tournament prize pool includes at least two €990 packages.

In addition to the Banco Poker Championship buy-in, the package includes €270 spending money and a branded T-shirt.

You can qualify for Day 2 via daily flights with a €66 buy-in. The flight starts at 6:35 PM GMT.

Day 1 Structure:

Starting stack: 10,000 chips (100 big blinds).
Blinds increase every 10 minutes.
Late registration with up to 5 re-entries – 11 levels.
20% of players in each flight advance to the final table.

You can qualify for Day 1 through daily step satellites: €0.1 → €2.5 → €10.

Players are responsible for visa, travel, and accommodation arrangements in Bratislava.

Our opinion on the Banco Poker Championship and online satellites

In our view, the Banco Poker Championship stands out as one of the most attractive live poker events of the late summer season in Europe. For a €550 buy-in, players get the opportunity to compete for a guaranteed prize pool of €250,000.The location is another major advantage.

Bratislava has earned a reputation as one of Central Europe's most poker-friendly destinations. It's easily accessible from most European countries. Banco Casino regularly hosts large international festivals and cash game series, while the city's relatively affordable cost of living makes the trip more budget-friendly than many other popular poker destinations.

After reviewing the satellite schedules at BC Poker and RedStar, we found that accessibility is clearly a priority. Players with virtually any bankroll can take a shot at qualifying through freerolls and micro-stakes step tournaments starting from just one cent. Another significant benefit is that both rooms offer a full travel packages, which help reduce the overall cost of attending the event in Bratislava.

The qualification paths are also supported by multiple satellites with guaranteed tickets and packages. This not only improves players' chances of securing a seat but also provides flexibility, allowing them to choose from several qualifying opportunities throughout the promotion.

Got a question?

Let's chat: