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The Festival Series Bratislava at Banco Casino Bratislava was the first-ever stop on The Festival Series and thus far has been a massive success with players having a good time both inside and outside the casino.

The €300,000 guarantee for The Festival Series Bratislava €550 Main Event was met with 621 entries getting into the action by the time late registration closed after the second blind level of Day 2. Day 2 alone, witnessed 74 entries getting into the field.

After ten blind levels on Day 2, the action was down to just 31 players led by Fotios Ntamaris with a massive stack of 1,665,000 in chips. Michael Uguccioni, Skommar Hansson, and Igor Panak also bagged more than 1 million in chips with Adi Rajkovic rounding out the top five players.

Top Ten Chip Counts After Day 2 of The Festival Series Bratislava

Day 2 witnessed players getting into the money with at least 71 players being awarded at least a €1,000 min-cash for their efforts. Markus Ganglbauer was the last player to walk away empty-handed in the Main Event after he lost a flip with big slick for his final four big blinds against the tens held by Vladimir Bednar.

Remaining Payouts

The 31 returning players are each guaranteed at least a €1,800 payout with the eventual winner going home with a massive €59,000 payday for their €550 buy-in.

Plan for Day 3

Day 3 will kick off with blinds starting at 10,000/20,000 with a big blind ante of 20,000 and increase every 45 minutes. Tournament Director Gerrard Serra shared with PokerNews that tomorrow's ending time will depend on how soon the final table is reached. If it is reached early enough in the day, the plan is to play down to a winner. If not, then the final nine players will come back for one more day of play on Sunday.

Stay tuned at PokerNews to see who will win the €300,000 guaranteed The Festival Series Bratislava Main Event.

Day 2 is in the books. PokerNews will be updating chip counts as soon as it is available.

In the meantime, The Festival Series Founder Martin "Franke" von Zweigbergk is deep in the Open-Face Chinese event.

A player from under the gun raised to 40,000 and two players called. Peter Bergman three-bet jammed for about 6 big blinds. The player from under the gun jammed for much more and it was a heads-up showdown after the other two players folded.

Bergman held and was up against . Bergman whiffed the entire board which included a king on the flop to go out in 38th place.

Meanwhile, Didier Pirard and Daniel Koloszar went out around the same time to leave just 36 players remaining.

Banco Casino is hopping with cash games tonight but you shouldn't have to wait long if at all to take a seat with plenty of games running. The biggest running right now is €50/€50 PLO where the player on the button can choose between four or five cards.

If that game proves to be too big for your tastes as it will for many, rest assured there are plenty of smaller stakes games with many tables running €1/€2 NLHE and PLO.

In addition, the bad beat jackpot for cash games is at nearly €29,000 and growing.

The final blind level of Day 2 kicked off with 39 players remaining.

Pokercode Head of Play Daniele Grassi just busted the Main Event and shared with PokerNews how it all went down.

Grassi got it in first with against an opponent's and didn't get there in a 600,000 chip pot.

He was left with just six big blinds after the hand and got these in good with against an opponent's . A hit the flop and Grassi was eliminated after getting no love from either the turn or river.

Grassi lives nearby in Vienna and shared he will be heading home instead of playing cash games this evening after a long day.

Meanwhile, Pavel Chalupka also was eliminated leaving just 39 players remaining in the field.

Here is a look at some of the recent eliminations with 41 players remaining.

PokerNews caught up with the pot with Erik Seffer at risk for his 20+ big blind stack.

Erik Seffer:
Patrik Ciklamini:

The board gave Seffer a flush to crack Ciklamini's rockets.

Martin Ilavsky four-bet jammed for about 450,000 and was called by Adi Rajkovic.

Martin Ilavsky:
Adi Rajkovic:

Ilavsky was behind and never got ahead of big slick with the running out on the board.

The final 48 players are on their final break of the day.

Robin Hegele three-bet jammed for 164,000 from the hijack over an opener from early position. Pavol Melichar came in from 165,000 form the big blind with a four-bet. The initial opener folded and players turned over their cards.

Robin Hegele:
Pavol Melichar:

Both players nailed a set on the flop. Hegele was drawing to one out and didn't get any help from either the turn or the river to hit the rail just before the break.

Sami Pulliainen jammed for about six big blinds and was called by Devid Berlin.

Sami Pulliainen:
Devid Berlin:

Pulliainen couldn't double his short stack and instead was out the door after he bricked the . Pulliainen was the last hope for a player from Finland to win the Main Event as there are no more players left from the Scandanivian country.

Kaidar Viikman jammed for about 16 big blinds and was up against Martin Ilavsky in a coinflip situation for his tournament life.

Kaidar Viikman:
Martin Ilavsky:

It was looking good for Viikman to double after the flop and the turn. However, the came raining down on the river to pair up Ivalsky's ace to eliminate Ivalsky.

Since the money bubble broke, there were a bunch of eliminations at once leaving just 62 players remaining in the field

Markus Ganglbauer jammed for 50,000 from the hijack and was called by Vladimir Bednar from the big blind.

Markus Ganglbauer:
Vladimir Bednar:

A crowd gathered as the ran out on the board. Ganglbauer hit top pair. This wasn't enough to beat Bednar's set of tens and Ganglbauer was officially eliminated on the bubble in 72nd place.

David Mikluszka jammed for four big blinds from the cutoff and was called by Luka Bojavic in the big blind.

David Mikluszka:
Luka Bojavic:

Bojavic improved to a straight on the board and the Main Event progressed to the pure money bubble after the hand with 72 players remaining.

The clock has stopped at 39:49 and two minutes will be run off for each hand on the bubble.

PokerNews has been informed that the Main Event might be played out to the winner tomorrow depending on how many players are remaining at the end of the day instead of playing down to a final table.

The tournament staff will make that decision at the end of Day 2.

Andras Halasi jammed from middle position for 70,000 and was looked up by Oleksandr Lizanets called the all-in.

Andras Halasi:
Oleksandr Lizanets:

Halasi was behind but poker gods had something else in mind other than for him to hit the rail after he improved to a set on the runout.

The action is going slow on most tables with the action six away from the money bubble.

PokerNews caught up with the hand with around 100,000 in the pot when Aare Haapsal had his remaining stack of 157,000 committed against Thomas DeRooij after the came on the flop.

Aare Haapsal:
Thomas DeRooij:

DeRooij had Broadway and was still ahead after the blank turn. However, the river paired the board to improve Haapsal to a full house to double his stack instead of hitting the rail near the money bubble.

Sami Pulliainen jammed for about 170,000 into a pot of a little bit less with the on the board on the turn. Adi Rajkovic called off for 140,000.

Adi Rajkovic:
Sami Pulliainen:

Pulliainen was drawing to two outs and he doubled up Rajkovic after the river completed the board.

Players are on a short 15-minute break. The money bubble is getting closer and closer with just 87 players remaining in the field and 71 players getting paid at least a min-cash of €1,000.

Ninni Malmi had double the stack and PokerNews learned that she got her short stack in with against an opponent's . An appeared on the board to give her a set to double her stack.

Meanwhile, Amanda Sidark was seen leaving the poker room leaving just two ladies remaining in the field.

Two women remain in the Main Event with about 100 players remaining, and both are from Sweden in Amanda Sidark and Ninni Malmi.

Neither of them is sitting on huge stacks, but they can certainly still spin them up as we've witness many players do today.

Meanwhile, Carina Wald is in much better shape as she is on about 250,000 in chips.

The tournament director has just announced that the action will be eight-max the rest of the tournament. The only exception will be the final table, which will begin with nine players.

Today is confirmed to feature 10 levels regardless of how many players are remaining. Tomorrow's Day 3 will play down to a final table, which will be played out to a winner on Sunday.

The payouts have been announced with the top 71 players getting paid at least a min-cash of €1,000 with all players having their eyes on the €59,000 top prize.

Here is a look at all of the payouts:

The tournament is back up and running. Payouts are being finalized but the tournament director informed PokerNews that 71 players will get paid.

The internet is down at the casino and hotel. The tournament director just announced players are on an unscheduled 15 minute break due to technical issues.

Leo Worthington-Leese opened for 6,000 from early position before he was called by the player from the button and Bobby James from the big blind.

The action checked to the player on the button who bet 10,000 on the flop. James folded and Worthington-Leese called.

Worthington-Leese check-called for 25,000 on the turn before check-jammed from 25,000 to around 150,000 the river.

Worthington Leese turned over a flush with to take his stack north of 300,000.

Shortly after, James was low on chips as follows after he got it in with top pair with on the flop and didn't improve further to get ahead of his opponent's .

Greger Larsson jammed what appeared to be near an opening stack of 30,000 from the button and was called by Tomche Spaseski from the big blind.

Greger Larsson:
Tomche Spaseski:

Larsson lost the flip and his stack after Spaseski paired his ace on the board.

JJ Hazan dropped by the media desk saying he is off to the spa.

Poker asked what happened to his once healthy stack and he shared that he got all his chips in with and didn't get there against . Another player was also in the pot with .

Hazan said he is down but not out. After he makes reservations for the spa, he plans to play in the open-face Chinese poker side event later today.

Nicolas Steils opened for 10,000 from the cutof before Juho Heiska jammed for 32,000 from the button. Steils went into the tank for about two minutes before he made the call.

Juho Heiska:
Nicolas Steils:

"That's offensive!" said Heiska to Steils after he tanked to a short-stacked jam with his tens.

Heiska got up from the table after his opponent nailed a set on the .

The Main Event has attracted 621 entries. The Festival Series founder Martin "Franke" von Zweigbergk is making some announcements to the players before Level 13 kicks off.

Late registration is closed and after figures and payouts will be published as soon as they are confirmed by the tournament staff.

Players are on their first break of Day 2. Late registration will close after the break.

Bobby James shared during the break that he chipped up with against to eliminate an opponent, while Argo Garamaga shared also during the break that he was card dead for three orbits before hitting the rail.

Pokercode Head of Play Daniele Grassi was sitting on a big stack of 260,000 just before the break and shared with PokerNews what went down.

A player opened for 5,000 from under the gun and was called by a player from two seats over. Grassi three-bet to 20,000 from the small blind and was called by the player from under the gun. The other player in the hand jammed for 75,000. Grassi rejammed for a bit more and the player from under the gun, who had both his opponents covered, made the call.

Grassi held and was up against the held by the player from under the gun and from the third player in the hand.

The board was good enough for cowboys to hold and Grassi headed to break with one of the biggest stacks in play.

The Festival Series organizer Mauritz Altikardis has just informed the media that there will be a special live-streamed sit & go for the team at PokerListings at 3:30 p.m.

You can check out the action at TheFestivalOG Twitch channel.

JJ Hazan had a healthy stack to start the day but things didn't go well early on and he was down to just 25,000. According to Hazan, he jammed and was up against and was up against Oleksandr Lizanets and Carlos Pezzia.

Lizanets still had chips behind and moved all-in on a flop for 35,000 more. Pezzia had both players covered and made the call.

JJ Hazan:
Oleksandr Lizanets:
Carlos Pezzia:

Lizanets had both his opponents drawing dead after improving to a full house on the turn. Pezzia also improved to a full house on the river but this didn't help him win the hand.

Hazan re-entered for another bullet after the hand.

With already 44 entries getting into Day 2 during the first blind level, the €300,000 guarantee was met with 601 entries. This figure will continue to grow for another 45 minutes at which point late registration will close.

There were three big stacks at Table 59 to start the day in Jon Kyte, Dushko Bogoevski, and Timothy Harold. Now there are only two after two of the big stacks collided.

Bogoevski recapped the hand for PokerNews.

Jon Kyte opened from early position and Bogoevski defended his big blind. Bogoevski check-called both on the flop and the blank turn before checking again on the river. Kyte jams and Bogoevski called.

Bogoevski turned over for the rivered flush to oust Kyte who held top two pair with .

Kyte re-entered after the hand.

The Festival Series might have to find a new commentator for the Main Event if things go well for George Sandford the next two days. He lost his short stack early on Day 2 but is off to a good start with his re-entry.

Sandford opened to 3,500 from early position and was called by Jiri Horacek from the button.

Both players checked the flop. Sandford led out for 5,400 after the paired the board on the turn and got a call. The river completed the board and Sandford jammed for 21,100. Horacek went into the clock for several minutes before he made the call.

Sandford turned over to double up after Horacek tossed his hand into the muck.

Robin Hegele jammed for 32,800 from the small blind and was called by Mihaly Jancso from the big blind.

Robin Hegele:
Mihaly Jancso:

There was a bit of confusion after the board as the dealer nearly awarded Jancso the pot.

"Flush," Hegele pointed out.

The dealer quickly confirmed that this was correct and Hegele doubled through Jancso.

Simon Persson opened for 3,300 from middle position before he called a jam for around 10,000 by Hristina Nikolic from the button.

Hristina Nikolic:
Simon Persson:

Nikolic was behind but things went from bad to worse after Persson paired his eight on the flop. Nikolic was drawing dead after the turn paired the board and got up from her seat after the river completed the board.

It was Supper time right into the action over on Table 57.

Martin Vrabacky jammed for about seven big blinds from the hijack before Sebastian Supper rejammed for over 100,000 from the button.

Martin Vrabacky:
Sebastian Supper:

Vrabacky bricked the and was eliminated by Supper with big slick.

Tournament Director Gerard Serra has made initial announcements before asking the dealers to shuffle up and deal.

Players are unbagging their stacks for the start of Day 2.

So far, 14 new players have entered before the start of the day with many more to come.