Vamos Poker Tour: Revolutionizing Live Poker Across Europe

The Vamos Poker Tour (VPT) is Europe’s most exciting mid-to-low buy-in poker festival series, designed to welcome everyone from ambitious amateurs to seasoned pros. In 2025 alone, VPT visits seven iconic poker destinations—Milan, Bucharest, Seville, London, Troia, Sofia and Cyprus—offering over €3 million in guaranteed prize pools.

More than just tournaments, VPT elevates your journey with the free VPT Club, granting bubble protection, hotel discounts, exclusive giveaways and entry into year-long leaderboards where top performers win WPT packages and Team Pro seats. 

With vibrant side events, social-media contests and cutting-edge live streaming, VPT delivers an unmatched blend of competition, community and innovation—empowering you to play bigger, travel further and connect with Europe’s poker elite.

I had everything I needed to make it work — the contacts, the player database, and most importantly, the passion and time to go all in on this project. I’ve been part of the poker scene for over 15 years, so I know what players are looking for: well-structured tournaments, a fun and professional vibe, and a community they feel part of.

Once I saw the response to the first events, it was clear there was space for a tour like this across Europe. So I decided to push forward, connect the dots, and bring the VPT experience to as many countries as possible. It wasn’t about growing fast just for the sake of it — it was about doing it right, with the right people and the right energy behind it.

Choosing the right venues is key for us. I’m very careful with who I partner with — every stop is organized with people I trust and respect. For me, that’s the most important part. The venues need to be reliable, have a strong local player base, and be run by people who understand what we’re building with the VPT.

We always bring our core format — a €350 Main Event and €700 High Roller, with a full schedule and great structures — but we also adapt to each local market when needed. 

Some places, like Seville, Tróia, or Lisbon, are logistically easier because we can drive and bring everything ourselves. Others, like London or Cyprus, are more complex, but we make it work.

Whenever we can, we bring our own setup — custom felts, branded chips, full decoration — to make it feel like a true VPT event. It creates a much more professional and memorable experience for the players.

And starting from our next stop in Tróia, we’re launching the VPT Store, with exclusive poker-inspired designs that reflect the Vamos Poker spirit. It’s all part of creating a complete and unique experience at every stop.

Sevilla was a big milestone for us — our first VPT stop in Spain — and it taught me a lot. Spain is a very competitive market; there are already many strong events, and the standard is high compared to other countries. 

On top of that, the regulations make it harder for casinos to offer the same kind of deals we get elsewhere, so the margins are tighter.

But being well-known in Spain gave me the push I needed to make it happen. Vamos Poker Tour was created to connect players across Europe, so hosting an event in my home country felt especially meaningful.

The biggest lesson from Sevilla was how crucial it is to have the right partner. Everything else — logistics, turnout, atmosphere — depends on that relationship. When the team behind the venue is aligned with your vision, things run smoothly. That’s something I’ll definitely carry forward into every new stop.

VPT London at Aspers was probably the toughest event I’ve ever organized. It was completely outside my comfort zone — I had no local contacts, no influence, and little knowledge of the UK market. 

Unlike our usual stops, where we focus on affordable locations with lots of extras for players, London was the opposite: a big, expensive city that we chose for its prestige and tourist appeal.

One of the key strengths of VPT is offering great hotel deals for players, but in London that was impossible. The casino didn’t support us with that, and the nearby hotels weren’t open to partnerships, which added a lot of pressure.

We managed to cover the guarantee and save the stop, but the biggest takeaway was clear: choosing the right partners is everything. That experience reinforced how important it is to work with people who are aligned and committed — it can make or break an event.

The tour is growing very fast, and with that, our plans evolve every year. But the core idea stays the same: work with trusted partners, build strong events, and offer real value to the players.

In the next 2–3 years, we definitely see VPT expanding into new locations. We’ll keep working with our regular partners and bring back the stops that work well, while removing those that don’t meet our needs — whether that’s logistical, financial, or simply about the overall fit.

Some new potential stops already on our radar include Madrid, Rozvadov, Tirana, and Greece. All of them have strong poker scenes or great potential, and with the right partnership, they could be a great addition to the VPT calendar.

Accessibility is a big part of what makes VPT special. Our €350 Main Event is the perfect entry point for recreational players — it’s affordable but still offers a serious structure and a great guarantee. But we don’t stop there. One thing that sets us apart from most tours in this buy-in range is the depth of our schedule.

If you look at many low- to mid-buy-in festivals, the focus is almost entirely on the Main Event, with just a few daily side events. At VPT, we build a full festival experience: a solid €700 High Roller that brings in our regulars and higher-stakes players, plus a strong start with the Warm-Up and a great finish with events like the Chamada Prestige Cup and The Saver KO.

We also keep players engaged with two ranking systems: the MVP Ranking, which rewards the best player of each stop with packages for future events, and our annual “Vamos a Las Vegas” leaderboard. 

That one’s a huge motivator — the winner gets a full $12,500 WPT Championship package plus Team Pro status and Main Event entries valued over €13,500. It gives players a reason to come back stop after stop.

If there’s one area we’re still working on, it’s the online satellites. We know we need more of them, and we’re focused on improving that part of the tour for 2026. But overall, we’re proud to offer a tour that’s accessible for newcomers and still exciting and rewarding for the more experienced grinders.

Our ideal VPT player is someone who loves live poker, whether they’re a recreational player looking for a fun and well-structured €350 Main Event, or a more experienced grinder chasing value in our €700 High Roller and deeper schedule.

Most of our stops bring together a great mix — local players who regularly visit the venue, and our core group of VPT regulars who travel from Spain, Portugal, and Greece. Lately, we’ve also been growing our player base in countries like Romania and Poland, which is great to see.

What really sets us apart is that we bring value to locations where local festivals often don’t offer much beyond a small Main Event. Our full schedule — with quality side events, proper structures, and meaningful rankings — gives online players and higher-stakes players a reason to show up. 

It’s about creating something more complete and attractive than what’s usually available in those markets, and that’s how we bring extra value to both the players and our partner venues.

We’re really proud to have Faded Spade as our official playing cards — they add real value to the VPT brand and elevate the overall player experience.

When we look for partners, it’s simple: they need to be professional, trustworthy, and bring something meaningful to the table for both us and the players. It’s not just about putting a logo on the felt — it’s about working with brands that share our standards and our passion for the game.

Outside of the felt, the project I’m most excited about is the VPT Store. It’s our poker-inspired clothing line — not just branded merch, but stylish designs that anyone can wear, whether they play poker or not. It’s a way to share the spirit of the game beyond the tables and build a lifestyle around the VPT community.

Another key focus for the next season is securing an online partner to run satellites. That’s something we’re missing right now, and it would open the door for a lot more players to join the tour.

We also have smaller but fun projects in the works, like a fantasy draft game for each stop, and even building our own live coverage platform. It’s all part of making the VPT experience more complete — not just a series of tournaments, but a full ecosystem for players and fans to engage with.

Player feedback has been really positive about the VPT Club — they love the extras like bubble protection, social media contests, and hotel discounts. These features create more value for the players and make the whole experience more fun and rewarding.

That said, one thing we’ve realized is that not everyone knows about them yet. So one of our goals for next season is to promote these perks more actively. We want every player to be aware of what the VPT Club offers, because it really adds to the overall experience and helps set us apart from other tours. The feedback shows we’re on the right track — now it’s about making sure more players benefit from it.

Our Annual Ranking “Vamos a Las Vegas” has become one of the core identities of the tour. The players love it — the rivalry throughout the year between the top competitors creates a unique kind of energy. What’s even better is that by the end of the season, many of those players become friends and really enjoy the festivals together. It’s not just a ranking — it builds community.

For VPT 2026, the plan is to keep the same spirit, but take it to the next level. We want to make the leaderboard even bigger, more competitive, and more rewarding. It’s a key part of what keeps players coming back to every stop, and we’re excited to keep growing it as a flagship part of the VPT experience.

Our hotel packages are a key part of the VPT experience. Many of our regulars book directly through us because we offer real discounted prices — not just symbolic deals. We’re not a travel agency, so we don’t aim to make money on hotels. 

Instead, we negotiate with local hotels to get the best possible rates and pass the full discount to the players. In some cases, we even take a small loss just to make sure players have access to good, affordable accommodation.

In most locations, the support from the local venue is essential — they help us connect with nearby hotels and secure deals. Except for London, where we didn’t get much help, we’ve successfully closed hotel partnerships at every stop, and it’s made a big difference for the player experience.

Some travel agencies have approached us, but we’ve chosen not to work with them because adding an intermediary would just raise the price for the players. We prefer to handle it ourselves, offer better rates, and keep that direct connection with the community.

Plus, in locations where we’ve already hosted events, we now have strong relationships with the hotels — so organizing everything for a second edition becomes much easier and smoother.

I’ve been working in poker for over 15 years. Back in 2016, I co-founded the Spanish Poker Festival, which became a very solid brand, especially in Spain and Rozvadov. But during the pandemic, I decided to step away — I sold my 50% shares and quit the project. At that point, I thought I was done with poker events.

But in 2022, something changed. I felt it was time to come back and started Vamos Poker Tour — at first as a small side project, something more casual. But by mid-2024, I realized we had something special. The players’ response, the growth, the energy — it all showed me this had real potential. That’s when I decided to go all in, and since then, VPT has become my full focus.

Creating and growing VPT has been a natural step in my journey — combining my experience, passion, and network to build something for the players, with real identity and long-term vision.

I guess once a poker player, always a poker player — haha! On one hand, I still see myself as a player and I believe I can still compete and make money at the tables. But on the other hand, I’ve realized that one of the best ways to promote Vamos Poker Tour is by playing myself, wearing the patch, and connecting directly with the players.

Even though we have great ambassadors like Ioana Apostol — an amazing cash game player — and Ricardinho — the futsal legend — I think my presence at the tables adds something different. When I play, I get to explain the brand face to face, share our vision, and really listen to what players think.

That said, as the business grows, it’s getting harder to play at the same level. In the last year alone, I’ve launched three more poker brands: CashGameDeals.com, a platform for cash game player deals; European Poker Masters, a mid-to-high buy-in festival; and Gladiator Series, a KO-format festival. 

So after WSOP 2025, I’ll definitely be more selective with the events I play, focusing on where my presence brings the most value.

To be honest, I’m not a big fan of livestreaming. I think it only makes sense when you’re a first-tier brand like WSOP, WPT, or EPT—or if you have a huge audience that’s going to follow the action. 

The truth is, livestreams are very expensive and the return for the organizer is minimal. Instead, I prefer to use that same budget on things that give more value to the players, like a good player’s party, social media promotions, or fun giveaways.

Right now, we’re focused on building our VPT Store and bringing in new ambassadors to help grow the brand and attract new players into the VPT ecosystem. That kind of investment has a much stronger impact for us.

On the tech side, we work with KHoldem, which is probably the best tournament system in the world—and we’re really happy with the results. 

For next year, we’re planning to integrate all our festivals into PokerLenses so players and fans can follow the action live from anywhere. It’s a simple, efficient way to increase visibility without wasting resources.

As we wrap up our conversation with Francisco, it’s clear that Vamos Poker Tour isn’t just reshaping live poker events—it’s building a vibrant community driven by player-centric innovation, diverse gaming experiences, and an unwavering passion for the game. We at PokerWired look forward to partnering up with Kikuxo and his team.VAMOS!