Daily Editorial Recap | Kings of Tallinn 2024: Autumn Edition

Day 3: Saturday, 20 October

Koistinen, Suviste, and Nilio Hoist Trophies on Day 3

The inaugural Kings of Tallinn 2024 Autumn Edition crowned its fourth, fifth, and sixth champions on a busy Sunday at Olympic Park Casino and the adjoining Hilton Tallinn Park.

Finland’s Mikael Koistinen won the first trophy of the day after winning the two-day Event #6: €350 8-Game for €4,636. The Estonian flag was finally waved for the first time after Siim Suviste won the one-day Event #10: €250 OFC Pineapple. After Estonia became the fourth country represented in the winner’s circle during the festival, with players from Bulgaria, Finland, and Latvia already winning trophies during the first two days, a second player from Estonia in Siim Niido won the one-day Event #11: €150 NLH DeepStack for €4,888.

In other news, the two-day Event #7: €350 Kings of Tallinn Cup played out its second and third opening flights. The field has already reached 245 entries to add €72,544 to the prize pool. Many more are expected to join the action when it resumes on Monday at Noon for the second and final day, with late registration remaining open during the first two blind levels of the day. Finland’s Miika Toyras (214,000) and Poland’s Bartosz Wesolek (207,500) were the only two players to catapult their 30,000 opening stacks into more than 200,000 in chips during the opening flights.

Meanwhile, 31 entries entered the two-day Event #12: €2,000 NLH Progressive Bounty, with the final five players battling it out for their share of the €53,909 prize pool, which includes €24,800 in progressive bounties. The first day of the two-day Event #14: €250 HORSE attracted 51 entries for a €10,546 prize pool, with the final six players returning on Monday to compete for €3,537 top prize with already a €640 min-cash locked up.

Read on to learn more about what transpired on Day 3 of the 2024 Kings of Tallinn Autumn Edition:

Mikael Koistinen Wins €350 8-Game (€4,636)

The €350 8-Game was one of the many tournaments on the schedule to receive a makeover with a 30-minute blind structure and a second day added. A total of 42 entries got into the mix to generate a €12,436 prize pool, with the final five competing on Day 2 already in the money.

The title was guaranteed to be awarded to either a player from Finland or the home country of Estonia. Two Finns in Ville Kontinen (fourth – €1,380) and Juho Suutari (fifth – €790) were the first two players on the rail before Estonia’s Andres Abakanov (third – €2,210) was the first player out on the podium.

This left Estonian poker beast Markku Koplimaa battling it out for the first Estonian title this festival against Finland’s Mikael Koistinen during heads-up play. Koistinen defeated his opponent to win the €4,636 top prize, while Koplimaa added the runner-up prize of €3,420 to his bankroll for his efforts.

Suviste Wins First Trophy for Estonia

The one-day €250 OFC Pineapple proved to be popular once again with 68 entries creating a €14,062 prize pool.

The pressure was on Estonia’s Siim Suviste, the only local player among the 33 remaining players, as the first four trophies were awarded to players from outside Estonia.

Suviste trucked along as he witnessed his opponents hit the rail including German flag hunter Fabian Bartuschk (third – €2,000), Latvia’s Regnars Lindemanis (fourth – €1,420), Norway’s Sondre Stormyr (fifth – €1,080), Norway’s Tobias Napel (sixth – €870), Finland’s Sauli Haapaniemi (seventh – €680), and Finland’s Risto Ponnio (eighth – €540).

Eduards Rakuss was competing for the second title for Latvia but had to settle for the €2,920 runner-up prize instead with Suviste claiming the first trophy for the home country which came with the €4,552 top prize.

Niido Wins Second Trophy for Estonia

The one-day €150 NLH DeepStack lived up to its billing with 172 entries creating a €21,018 prize pool with the top 20 players earning at least a €300 min-cash for double the buy-in.

It seemed likely that a player from Finland would win their third trophy of the festival with three Finns and one Estonian battling it out with just four players remaining after Latvia’s Reinis Zdanovskis exited in fifth place for €1,420.

However, Siim Niido witnessed a trio of Finns, including Teemu Toikkanen (second – €3,260), Ville Vallenius (third – €2,350), and Roope Keminen (fourth – €1,830), hit the rail before becoming the second Estonian to win a trophy. The trophy came with the biggest prize of the day, with Niido banking €4,888 for his hard-earned victory.

Day 4 Schedule (21 October, 2024)

Monday will be an exciting day with five Kings of Tallinn trophies awarded, including three for two-day events.

Players will also have a free chance at winning their way into Tuesday’s two-day €5,000 NLH Progressive Bounty via a free path starting with a Freebuy Satellite at 7:30 into a €150 satellite, which will award at least two tickets into this prestigious event.

The two-day €1,100 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship and the €555 Championship begin their multi-day affairs on Monday, while the live stream will begin on Monday at 6:30 p.m. with a high-octane €25/€50 PLO cash game affair.

Day 2: Saturday, 19 October

Kovalovs and Huusko Wins Trophies on Day 2

The inaugural Kings of Tallinn 2024 Autumn Edition crowned its second and third champions on Saturday, October 19, at Olympic Park Casino and the adjoining Hilton Tallinn Park.

Latvia’s Andrejs Kovalovs earned the biggest prize thus far in the festival after winning the two-day Event #2: €250 NLH DeepStack Opening Event for €12,010. Finland’s Kalle Huusko also won a trophy late in the evening in the one-day Event #8: €150 PLO 4&5&6 Progressive Bounty Hyper Turbo for €1,863 plus bounties.

Three different countries were represented in the winner’s circle thus far with Bulgaria’s Aleksandar Georgiev also winning a trophy on the opening day.

Meanwhile, a pair of two-day events kicked off on Saturday. Event #6: €350 8-Game witnessed 42 entries create a €12,436 prize pool. The action played down to the money, with the final five returning at noon to play down to a winner, with Finland’s Mikael Koistenen starting with the chip lead in hopes of winning the trophy and the €4,636 top prize. Koistenen will have his work cut out for him with others eager to win the trophy, including Estonian poker legend Markku Koplimaa, who is just behind Koistenen in second place.

The two-day Event #7: €350 Kings of Tallinn Cup featured its first of three opening flights on Saturday with the final two opening flights slated for Sunday. Latvia’s Romans Kirilenkovs led the 39 survivors after bagging 158,500 in chips from his 30,000 starting stack.

Read on to learn more about what transpired on Day 2 of the 2024 Kings of Tallinn Autumn Edition:

Andrejs Kovalovs Wins €250 NLH DeepStack Opening Event (€12,010)

The €250 DeepStack Opening Event attracted nearly 80 more entries during the start of Day 2, bringing the field to 284 entries for a €58,731 prize pool, the largest thus far during the festival.

Players battled along, with many hitting the rail until Estonia’s Dmitri Damaskin bubbled after his queens were unable to hold against ace-ten. The final 34 players then locked in at least a €500 min-cash for double their buy-in.

The final table was reached hours later as players continued to battle. Estonian poker veteran Igor Pihela was the first out on the podium in third place for €5,710, leaving Andrejs Kovalovs and Finland’s Jukka Moisio competing for the title. Kovalovs came out on top to win the €12,010 top prize, while Moisio collected a healthy €8,061 for his runner up efforts.

Kalle Huusko Wins €150 PLO 4&5&6 Progressive Bounty Hyper Turbo (€1,863 + Bounties)

The €150 PLO 4&5&6 attracted a banner field of 121 entries to create a €14,786 prize pool including €9,946 awarded in prizes and another €4,840 reserved for progressive bounties.

The final five was a nearly all-Finnish affair and was still the case after two-time WSOP Circuit Tallinn ring winner Roope Tarmi exited in fifth place for €730 plus bounties. The title was guaranteed to head to Finland after Germany’s Steffen Logen was out of gas in fourth place for €940 plus bounties.

Finland’s Phenporn Laatikainen busted in third place for €1,280 plus bounties leaving Joona Koivisto and Kalle Huusko heads-up for the title with both players locking in the €1,863 top prize. Huusko won the big bounty at the end and the first trophy for Finland after defeating Koivisto to win the title.

Day 3 Schedule (20 October, 2024)

Three more trophies will be awarded on Day 3 of the 2024 Kings of Tallinn Autumn Edition at Olympic Park Casino and the Hilton Tallinn Park in the €350 8-Game, the €250 Open-face Chinese Pineapple, and the €150 NLH DeepStack. Three other events boast opening flights, including Day 1b and Day 1c of the €350 Kings of Tallinn Cup, the €2,000 NLH Progressive Bounty, and the €250 HORSE.

Other players will enjoy the two satellites on Sunday’s schedule while cash games will be running all day and all night at Olympic Park Casino, including expected high stakes cash games starting this evening.

Check out the full schedule of Day 3 below:

Day 1: Friday, 18 October

Aleksandar Georgiev Finds Gold on the Opening Day

The inaugural 2024 Kings of Tallinn Autumn Edition officially launched on Friday, marking an exciting new chapter for poker enthusiasts from October 18 to 27 at Olympic Park Casino and the adjoining Hilton Tallinn Park. The first Autumn Edition of the popular Kings of Tallinn brand is set to dazzle with a record 59 events, showcasing a diverse range of tournament formats and structures. The highlight, of course, is the €1,100 Main Event, which comes with an impressive €500,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Bulgaria’s Aleksandar Georgiev was the star of the opening day after winning the only trophy on the opening day in the one-day Event #3: €150 NLH Progressive Bounty Hyper Turbo for €2,170. Georgiev put down his pen and pad that he had been using the last two years in Tallinn for the World Series of Poker Circuit Tallinn when he joined the OlyBet Poker live reporting team, capturing the action to memorialize a piece of poker history.

Meanwhile, the poker room was buzzing with action, with an impressive 205 entries hopping into Day 1 of the two-day Event #2: €250 NLH Deepstack to add €42,394 to the prize pool. More players are expected to hop into this event during the first blind level of Day 2 beginning on Saturday at 1 p.m. with the action playing down to a winner. Finland’s Akseli Valaja bagged the overnight chip lead after parlaying his 30,000 opening stack into a pile of 255,500 in chips.

This is not all, as a pair of satellites took place on Friday, including Event #1: Freebuy Satellite, to any €250 event, which attracted 138 entries and awarded 11 tickets. The evening boasted Event #4: €80 Mega Satellite to the €555 Championship. This event added value to the players that cashed with the 52 entries, coming up slightly short on the 10-seat guarantee.

Aleksandar Georgiev Puts His Stamp on the Kings of Tallinn Autumn Edition

Event #3: €150 NLH Progressive Bounty Hyper Turbo attracted 132 entries to create a €16,130 prize pool. This included €5,280 in progressive bounties and €10,850 on tap for players to earn from the prize pool.

It was an international affair which can be witnessed from the 15 players that cashed, which included players from Estonia, Finland, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Germany, Spain, and Poland.

The podium was an international affair with the local Estonian crowd still alive to win their first trophy until Sergei Oganesjan hit the rail in third place for €1,420 in bounties leaving Finland’s Tomi Arponen and Aleksandar Georgiev competing for the title with both already locking up the €2,170 top prize designated for the top two players.

Georgiev won the big bounty at the end after defeating the formidable Arponen to earn the first trophy of the 2024 Kings of Tallinn Autumn Edition and forever enter his name into the ever-growing list of Kings of Tallinn side event champions.

Day 2 Schedule (19 October, 2024)

Day 2 boasts six different events including two satellites. The day begins with the final day of Event #2: €250 DeepStack Opening Event at noon with the start of the first mixed-game event beginning two hours later with cards in the air for the two-day Event #6: €350 8-Game at 2 p.m.

Players can start building their stacks on Day 1a of Event #7: €350 NLH Kings of Tallinn Cup at 5 p.m. with Event #8: €150 PLO4/PLO5/PLO6 Progressive Bounty awarding a trophy on Saturday with cards in the air at 8 p.m.

Check out the full schedule of Day 2 below: