Juho Heiska Leads Record-Breaking Kings of Tallinn Summer Showdown €555 Championship

The action keeps getting hotter and hotter at the 2023 Kings of Tallinn Summer Showdown at Olympic Park Casino and the Hilton Tallinn Park. Tuesday boasted tons of tournament and cash game action with the buzz and vibe felt throughout the venue.

Another Kings of Tallinn record was broken in the €555 Championship with 573 entries creating a €269,310 prize pool to surpass the previous record established just a few months ago when France’s Benjamin Gros navigated through a field of 559 entries to win the €55,500 top prize.

The top prize is even bigger this time with €56,900 on tap for the winner with just 14 hopefuls returning for the final day. Juho Heiska took the chip lead during the second half of yesterday’s penultimate day with 2,390,000 in chips and will start the final day when the action kicks off at 12 p.m. on Wednesday with 48 big blinds. Any chip lead is far from secure on a final day of an event but especially so in this case with Henri Antikainen (2,365,000) and Raivo Pinsel (2,330,000) just a big blind or two behind Heiska.

Will one of the chip leaders win or will someone else pull a rabbit out of a hat on the final day? Follow our live blog to find out or come back for tomorrow’s recap to see who will win one of the biggest events at the 2023 Kings of Tallinn Summer Showdown.

Event #9: Kings of Tallinn Summer Showdown €555 Championship
573 entries, 14 survivors
1. Juho Heiska (Finland) – 2,390,000
2. Henri Antikainen (Finland) – 2,365,000
3. Raivo Pinsel (Estonia) – 2,330,000
Full Results HERE

Event #21: €150 Celebrity Special is another unique tournament you can find only in Tallinn festivals, with a solid crowd taking chances of playing poker with some top Estonian and Finnish celebrities. Tons of excitement was felt around the poker room and all expectations were exceeded when the event saw record-breaking numbers with 352 entries.

Among joining celebrities were Estonian musicians Maarja-Liis Ilus and Jarek Kasar aka Chalice, Finnish streamer and “Big Brother” competitor Anssi Houvinen, and Canadian-born American creator of the popular word guessing game “Pictionary” Robert Angel.

EMI-winning movie producer Markus Selin busted just outside the money in 42nd place, with 39 players sharing the €43K prize pool. Estonian entrepreneur and a “Dancing with the Stars” participant Mairold Miller was the sole celebrity to cash. He busted 37th and collected a min-cash of €300.

With the last Estonian Martin Taska busting out 13th, we were set for the international final table. Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, and Austria were represented among the finalists, but in the end, two Finns met in the final duel. And Miko Miettinen scooped the main prize of €8,700 after defeating Jari Karkkainen.

Event #21: €150 Celebrity Special
352 entries, €43,014
1. Miko Miettinen (Finland) – €8,700
2. Jari Karkkainen (Finland) – €6,500
3. Tarjei Forus (Norway) – €4,350
Full Results HERE

Finland’s Jari Saviaho comes to Tallinn for just about every major festival and he will wake up happy he did so again as he was living the dream last night in the €250 NLH Progressive Bounty by finishing on top of the 247 entries including defeating Juho Harkonen heads-up en route to hoisting the trophy. Saviaho and Harkonen both collected €4,795 from the prize pool. However, Saviaho won the huge bounties at the end in the ever-important heads-up battle.

Event #19: Kings of Tallinn Summer Showdown €250 NLH Progressive Bounty
247 entries, €51,080 prize pool including bounties
1. Jari Saviaho (Finland) – €4,795 + bounties
2. Juho Harkonen (Finland) – €4,795 + bounties
3. Brandon Latte (Estonia) – €2,990 + bounties
Full Results HERE

Meanwhile, Georgi Voomets had a reason to celebrate as he won the most prestigious Omaha event on tap at this festival. Voomets defeated Janne Jarvinen heads-up to finish on top of the 48-entry field to earn the trophy and the €16,250 top prize. Although Jarvinen might feel some disappointment after falling one player shy of Kings of Tallinn Summer Showdown glory, his bankroll might say otherwise as he banked a five-figure €10,050 runner-up prize.

Event #20: Kings of Tallinn Summer Showdown €1,100 Omaha Championship
573 entries, 14 survivors
1. Georgi Voomets (Estonia) – €16,500
2. Janne Jarvinen (Finland) – €10,050
3. Thomas Haverstad (Norway) – €6,360
Full Results HERE

Wednesday will be one of the most exciting days at the 2023 Kings of Tallinn Summer Showdown. Not only will today boast the conclusion of the epic €555 Championship but the first of three opening flights of the 2023 Kings of Tallinn Summer Showdown €1,100 Main Event kicks off at noon alongside many other exciting side events. Check out the full schedule for the day and we wish all our players the best of luck.

To experience the thrill of Kings of Tallinn Summer Showdown 2023 in real-time:

• Tune in to our live-TV stream here (starting from 28.07).
• Check out our captivating photo gallery.
• Stay connected and never miss a moment of the action in our daily recaps.
• Keep track of your favorite players’ journeys with up-to-date poker tournament results.
• Don’t miss a beat and stay updated with our live blog in both Estonian and English!