Bulgaria is one of Europe’s most overlooked poker destinations, but it’s one that should be firmly on the shortlist of any devoted poker tourist. The country is one of the most affordable to travel to in Europe and has several locations with active poker rooms, hosting festivals and cash game series.

Sofia, the country’s capital, has two casinos that operate all-year-round poker rooms, which between them, will host at least half a dozen festivals in 2026. In the summer months, the Black Sea resorts of Varna’s Golden Sands and Sunny Beach (near Burgas) come to life. Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to take in the seaside atmosphere, including those looking to play a bit of cards.

Bulgaria’s Poker Heritage

Gambling was prohibited in Bulgaria, but was legalised in 1993, three years after the fall of communism, when the first casinos began to open. But it was not until the 2000s that live poker began to develop. At first it was very small scale, with only local events and cash games taking place.

Although Bulgaria didn’t emerge as a live poker destination until the late 2000s, the game had already become very popular online. Even before the country introduced its regulated online market (in 2014), Bulgarians had already been playing online for well over a decade, developing a reputation for being one of the most skilled nations of players in the poker world. This is more than just hearsay, as there are several high stakes Bulgarian pros who are amongst the top players in the world, such as Alex Kulev, Ognyan Dimov and Stoyan Madanzhiev, who won $3.9m when taking down the 2020 WSOP Online Main Event.

By 2008, the Black Sea resorts of Golden Sands and Sunny Beach had begun to host poker festivals, with the European Masters of Poker being one of the first tours. By the early 2010s international operators such as Unibet and PokerStars had arrived and Bulgaria had firmly established itself as a must-visit location for many live poker tours.

Post Covid Boom

After Covid the number of poker events began to increase and new tours began to emerge, such as the Smart Poker Tour, which is a domestic series run by two of the country’s best known live grinders, Simeon Todorov and Simeon Tsonev.

There is renewed interest from overseas operators, with several hosting events in recent years, such as the Irish Poker Tour, the PLO Masters and the Vamos Poker Tour. The Israeli Poker Championship is another tour that regularly holds events in Bulgaria. While the major summer events tend to take place on the Black Sea, at other times of year, most live poker events in Bulgaria take place in the capital Sofia.

 

What to Expect from a Poker Holiday in Bulgaria

Bulgaria has one of the lowest costs of living of countries in the EU. Compared with Ireland especially, holiday money goes a long way. Hotels, restaurants and shops are reasonably priced and you’re likely to get a round of drinks for not much more than it costs to buy a single pint of Guinness in a city centre pub in Dublin. For those looking for a poker holiday, it means expenses can be kept to a minimum.

One thing you won’t find however is mixed games, as Bulgarian law only permits Hold’em and Omaha to be played in live casinos. You also won’t find huge venues with a large number of tables, as the tax regime in Bulgaria charges per table, forcing casinos to maintain an optimal number, based on expected custom levels.

While Bulgaria has its own currency (Leva), most poker events are priced in Euros, to make it simpler for traveling players, who usually have no idea what the exchange rate is.

Poker in Sofia

While most poker players are likely to be drawn to the summer events on the Black Sea, Sofia hosts events all-year-round. There are two casinos in Sofia with poker rooms, both of which host poker festivals: Monte Casino and the Palms Royale Casino. Both are relatively new, opening soon after Covid lockdown.

Situated within the Intercontinental Hotel, Monte Casino is a 12-table room and is where the Smart Poker Tour holds its Sofia festivals, one of which is currently underway. The most recent event held here was JJ Hazan’s PLO Masters in April. There are likely to be further events scheduled here later in the year, once the Black Sea summer season draws to a close.

The Palms Royale Casino at the Grand Hotel Millenium also has 12 poker tables and also hosts a variety of festivals throughout the year. Like Monte Casino, the Palms Royale also has a festival going on in early May, the bounty focused Gladiator Poker Series. Later in the year they will host the Vamos Poker tour.

Both casinos are centrally located and well placed for exploring the city, including historic sites such as the Alexander Nevsky cathedral. The city has a wide range of international cuisines and traditional Bulgarian fare available.

Varna & Golden Sands

Situated on the Black Sea, Varna is the second largest city in Bulgaria. Golden Sands is a resort, not far from the city centre, which comes to life in the summer months. The International Hotel and Casino is where the very first live poker festival in Bulgaria was held, in May 2008. It’s where all the big events of the early 2010s were held, including the Unibet Open and the Eureka Poker Tour and it remains the premier poker venue in the country.

It’s the perfect summer location to combine lazy days by the pool or on the beach, which is just across the road from the main entrance. There are ample beach bars and restaurants nearby, which resulted in some rather epic player parties at poker festivals held in Golden Sands.

From complete takeovers of beach bars, with cocktails flowing freely and a bucking bronco that defeated everyone, to a foam party at the hotel’s terrace pool, the Eureka Poker Tour parties from 2011-2013 were among the most memorable I’ve attended in over two decades on the poker circuit.

With summer approaching, the casino is gearing up for its poker season and two events are already confirmed for the months ahead. The first of these is the Israeli Poker Championship (IPC), which gets underway on May 5th. The Main Event of this is restricted to Israeli players only, so those wishing to travel are advised to hold fire until the first week of June, when the United Festival takes place. It’s a collaboration between the IPC and the Smart Poker Tour, with a €250 buy-in Main Event.

Further events may be planned for later in the year, but are as yet unannounced. When it’s not hosting a festival, the International has a regular program of tournaments and cash games running throughout the week.

The International is the only poker venue in Golden Sands, but there is another casino in the centre of Varna, which also has a poker room. The Sesame Casino, situated at the Cherno More Hotel recently re-opened its poker room and has already hosted several small-scale events in the first half of 2026. Three €200 buy-in multi-day events called the Sesame Challenge have been held so far in 2026 and more are likely to be scheduled throughout the rest of the year.

Sunny Beach

Situated 90km south of Varna, is Sunny Beach, the largest of Bulgaria’s coastal resorts. It’s famous for its 8km long beach of fine white sand. It’s so large that in summer its population swells to over 250,000 at any one time, while having a permanent population of only 6,500. It’s extremely popular with holiday makers from Scandinavia and northern Europe, with hundreds of bars and restaurants flanking the extremely long shore-front boardwalk.

Sunny Beach also has a significant poker venue, the Platinum Hotel and Casino, which hosts Israeli Poker Championship festivals most years, sometimes with multiple stops each summer. The Smart Poker Tour also regularly holds stops here and will do so again in 2026, with its 24th edition set to run from August 31st – September 6th.

It was during the Smart Poker Tour’s 19th edition, in September 2025, that the Irish Poker Tour made a pit-stop in Sunny Beach, hosting a €300 PLO side event. The trophy made its way back to Ireland with the very same person who took it there, none other than IPT founder Fintan Gavin.

Confirmed Bulgarian Events in 2026

Dates	Event	Main Event Buy-In	Guarantee	Venue	Location
17-24 May, 2026	Masters Poker Series	€220	€75k	Palms Royale Casino	Sofia
5-11 May, 2026	Israeli Poker Championship	€400	N/A	International Casino	Varna (Golden Sands)
1-7 June, 2026	United Poker Festival	€250	N/A	International Casino	Varna (Golden Sands)
31 Aug – 6 Sep, 2026	Smart Poker Tour 23	€350	€200k	Platinum Casino	Sunny Beach
2-8 November, 2026	Vamos Poker Tour	€350	TBC	Palms Royale Casino	Sofia

Travelling to Bulgaria

Getting to Sofia is straightforward. As the capital city, it’s well served all-year-round from most European countries and has direct flights from Dublin and several UK cities.

Varna has good connections in summer months, with direct flights from many European capitals. However there are no direct flights to Dublin, so anyone from Ireland looking to make their way to one of the summer poker events at the International will need to connect, with the best option likely to be going via London Luton or Frankfurt.

Sunny Beach is close to Burgas, which is a bigger airport than Varna and it is very well connected, with direct flights from Dublin and several UK airports.

For those looking for a summer poker trip to a beach destination, Bulgaria is a great choice. While most poker holidays don’t work so well if combined with a family getaway, Bulgaria is one of the true expectations, a rare destination where your other half and kids will enjoy the trip just as much as you do.