Poker Holiday: A Player's Experience at BPT Minsk 2025

The author's last offline poker series was in 2018, and since then, their life has seen significant changes. In 2019, their son was born, and in 2020, they ended their professional online poker career. The author started working at GipsyTeam in 2021, and although they rarely played poker, they missed the live tournament atmosphere.

For the BPT series in Minsk, the author traveled by train, specifically the 'Lastochka' from Moscow. The journey took 7 hours, and although the train was comfortable, the author noted that it was slower than other options. The author stayed in a two-bedroom apartment 15 minutes from the casino, which cost $100 per day. The author spent $3,765 on buy-ins for various tournaments and won $5,000 in prizes, including a second-place finish in a side event.

The author praised the organization and staff of the BPT series, highlighting their efficiency and friendliness. However, they criticized the rake structure and the currency exchange process, which involved a 4% commission for exchanging money in the casino. The author also mentioned the small size of the casino, which led to queues for seating in some tournaments.