Julien Tiihonen Leads the Kings of Tallinn Main Event
The Kings of Tallinn is on its final few days at Olympic Park Casino and the adjoining Hilton Tallinn Park, with some of the biggest action yet to come. The Main Event has moved to its second of four days after three opening flights have been played out while three new winners were crowned on Thursday, March 2.
Kings of Tallinn Main Event Smashes its €500,000 GTD
The 2023 Kings of Tallinn €1,100 Main Event attracted 604 entries during the three opening flights, with 305 players advancing to Friday’s Day 2. The prize pool blossomed to €567,760 to smash the €500,000 guarantee.
This is not all, as thanks to late registration remaining open with unlimited re-entries during the first two blind levels of Day 2, the field and prize pool will continue to grow. Now all eyes are on whether a new record will be set for this event.
The previous record occurred just before the pandemic in 2020, when 674 entries came out in full force to generate a €640,300 prize pool. Johan Karlsson, who is in this year’s Main Event field, won that event for €126,300 after agreeing to a heads-up deal with Ermo Kosk before defeating him in heads-up play. Will a new record be set? Time will tell.
The plan for today is to play eight blind levels of 60 minutes each, starting with 500/1,000 and a 1,000 big ante. This equates to 30 big blinds for those entering or re-entering at the start of Day 2.
Julius Tiihonen will enter today as the chip leader after parlaying his 30,000 opening stack into 244,000 in chips on Day 1a. No other player bagged more than 200,000 in chips, but several came close, including Day 1b chip leader Dennis Berglin (192,000), GGPoker Ambassador Anatoly Filatov (175,600), Tommi Lankinen (174,800), and Armend Sahiti (173,700).
Follow our dedicated Kings of Tallinn Main Event blog starting when the action kicks off at noon.
Kasper Mellanen Wins Event #30: €350 NLH/PLO 8-Max
Event #30: €350 NLH/PLO 8-Max was one of the more fun events taking place at the Kings of Tallinn, with players enjoying a round of each of no-limit Holdem and pot-limit Omaha. This event was originally scheduled to be a one-day affair, but players agreed to postpone the final two tables until yesterday.
Kasper Mellanen outshined the field after defeating Allan Arjut heads-up, to win the €10,400 top prize, with Michal Rudnik also joining this duo on the podium with a third-place performance.
Event #30: €350 NLH/PLO 8-Max
131 entries, €38,789 prize pool
- Kasper Mellanen (Finland) – €10,400
- Allan Arjut (Estonia) – €7,260
- Michal Rudnik (Poland) – €4,680
Full results HERE.
Hannu Penttinen Wins Event #35: €350 5 Card PLO Hi/Lo
It is rare in Europe to see a PLO Hi/Lo event, and the Kings of Tallinn once again delivered with Event #35: €350 5 Card PLO Hi/Lo.
Hannu Penttinen defeated Kaspars Renga to win the title after the duo agreed to a deal where each player won €5,700, with former Finnish poker journalist Tero Kilkanen finishing just behind this duo.
Event #35: €350 5 Card PLO Hi/Lo
77 entries, €22,800 prize pool
- Hannu Penttinen (Finland) – €5,700
- Kaspars Renga (Latvia) – €5,700
- Tero Kilkanen (Finland) – €3,200
Full results HERE.
Fuad Gotovusa Wins Event #36: €150 NLH Turbo
Last night also boasted a one-day, turbo-charged affair in Event #31: €150 NLH Turbo. The late-night event proved to be popular, with 205 entries creating a €25,051 prize pool.
Sweden’s Fuad Gotovusa was the star of the show after defeating local hero Herli Olop heads-up en route to the title and the €6,500 top prize. This is the second podium finish for Gotovusa, as he previously took second place in the €350 Sviten Special earlier this week.
Event #36: €150 NLH Turbo
205 entries, €25,051 prize pool
- Fuad Gotovusa (Sweden) – €6,500
- Herli Olop (Estonia) – €4,100
- Rain Molderkivi (Estonia) – €2,700
Full results HERE.
