OlyBet Qualifiers Crush in Day 1A of Kings of Tallinn Main Event
OlyBet Qualifiers Shine on Day 1A of Kings of Tallinn Main Event
The Kings of Tallinn Main Event kicked off with a bang on Tuesday at the Olympic Park Casino, drawing 175 hopefuls vying for the guaranteed undefined1 million prize pool. After nine grueling levels, only 60 players survived to advance to Friday’s Day 2.
Among the survivors were a dozen OlyBet qualifiers who secured their seats through the online platform. Dmitri Damaskin led the way, amassing 127,000 chips (127 big blinds) to secure a top ten chip count. Jimmy Philippe Dewerdt (126,800), Giedrius Karpavicius (124,800), Magnus Pukk (108,700), and Andre Magi (108,000) also ended the day with impressive stacks exceeding 100 big blinds.
Other qualifiers progressing were Adria Comas Roura (87,000), Arto Antero Lehtonen (70,200), Arturs Daugis (68,500), Vladimiras Meckovskis (43,600), Richard Koppel (37,100), Josep Pastor (28,700), and Allan Arjut (20,900).
Local player Rauno Ratt stole the spotlight, bagging a tournament-leading 253,500 chips despite a modest live poker résumé. Notable players like 2024 BetMGM Championship runner-up Benjamin Gros, 2023 Irish Open Champion Tero Laurila, and high-stakes crusher Vladas Tamasauskas also advanced.
Meanwhile, familiar faces such as Michael Dwyer, Harry Lodge, Paul Newey, Georgios Tsouloftas, and Igor Pihela Snr hit the rail but can re-enter in upcoming flights. Interestingly, no former Kings of Tallinn Main Event champion participated on Day 1A.
Day 1A Top 10 Chip Counts:
1. Rauno Ratt (Estonia) – 253,500
2. Henry Gr̦nvik (Sweden) Р198,900
3. Kristian Aksnes (Norway) – 180,800
4. Peter Kvisthammar (Sweden) – 172,600
5. Sauli Haapaniemi (Finland) – 172,100
6. Panagiotis Mavritsakis (Greece) – 152,600
7. Ville Mesiranta (Finland) – 146,600
8. Yaniv Peretz (Israel) – 143,700
9. Benjamin Gros (France) – 130,100
10. Dmitri Damaskin (Russia) – 127,000
Canatan Captures Biggest Prize of Festival in Kings of Tallinn Championship
Benyamin Canatan emerged victorious from a field of 710 entries in the undefined555 Kings of Tallinn Championship, securing the top prize of undefined66,050 and the trophy. The Dane surpassed $100,000 in live earnings after swiftly defeating Michel Karim heads-up.
Tommy Piiroinen finished third for undefined28,000, while Estonian duo Hanna Heinlo (undefined20,150) and 2023 Kings of Tallinn Main Event champion Pritt Parmasto (undefined15,250) placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Jonas Silfver (undefined11,300), Siim Nikopensius (undefined8,750), Yurii Zabrodotskyi (undefined7,200), and Morten Olsen (undefined5,900) rounded out the final table payouts.
Norwegian Poker Champ Kaggerud Wins undefined555 Mystery Bounty
Robert Kaggerud added another title to his impressive resume by capturing the undefined555 Mystery Bounty for undefined16,045, including undefined7,000 in bounties. Despite admitting heads-up play isn’t his strong suit, Kaggerud persevered and ultimately claimed victory.
In a post-tournament interview, Kaggerud shared his journey, revealing he doubled up shortly after the bubble burst and capitalized on favorable spots at the final table. He also had a fortuitous end to the event, pulling a undefined5,000 envelope, plus undefined1,500 and undefined500 bounties from the prize chest.
The final table payouts were:
2. Theodoros Ampelikiotis (Greece) – undefined17,790
3. Bo Sehlstedt (Sweden) – undefined7,820
4. Roberto Olsen (Sweden) – undefined4,050
5. Algirdas Saveikis (Lithuania) – undefined8,020
6. Oleh Pritsak (Ukraine) – undefined10,920
7. Markus Pohjola (Finland) – undefined1,540
8. Athanasios Kostouros (Greece) – undefined1,280
9. Joni Nenonen (Finland) – undefined4,050
The article covers the key details from Day 1A of the Kings of Tallinn Main Event, including the chip leaders and the performances of the OlyBet qualifiers. It also summarizes the results of the Kings of Tallinn Championship and the undefined555 Mystery Bounty events.
