2025 Kings of Tallinn – Event #25: €1,100 NLH Kings of Tallinn Main Event
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Kaspars Butans 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event Winner
Kaspars Butans started the final day as the chip leader, stayed the course, and got the job done at the final table in style. After an intense battle, he defeated Mounir Tajiou heads-up to claim the crown of the 2025 Kings of Tallinn and a massive €182,000 first-place prize.
The heads-up showdown between Butans and Tajiou felt well deserved, as both players spent most of the final table at or near the top of the leaderboard. However, their paths to the final battle were vastly different. Tajiou thrived on aggression and seeing many flops, while Butans played a patient, calculated game, picking his spots wisely.
Despite starting the heads-up match almost as a 2:1 underdog, Butans landed the first and second big blows, leaving Tajiou unable to recover.
The final hand saw Butans setting a perfect trap, just calling on the button with pocket queens. His plan worked as Tajiou shoved all-in with ace-jack suited, and Butans snap-called. The board completely missed Tajiou, and with that, Kaspars Butans lifted the trophy as the 2025 King of Tallinn, securing a career-defining victory and the €182,000 grand prize!
Kaspars Butans set a trap with Q♦Q♣, just completing from the button instead of raising. But the move might not have been necessary, as Mounir Tajiou looked down at A♠J♠ and shoved all-in regardless. Butans snap-called, and just like that, the 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event was on the verge of its final moment.
Tajiou needed spades, jacks, or aces to connect with a flop and stay alive, but the dealer opened up a dry 10♠5♦8♥ board.
The turn brought 10♥, and Tajiou was down to only three outs.
The river 4♥ sealed his fate, and Mounir Tajiou finished as the runner-up, collecting €115,000 – his biggest career score.
With that, Kaspars Butans was crowned the 2025 King of Tallinn, taking home a record-breaking €182,000 first-place prize and etched his name into Kings of Tallinn history!
Mounir Tajiou completed on the button with 7♣2♣, and Kaspars Butans checked his option with 8♣6♣.
Commentators in the booth wanted action clubs, and that’s exactly what they got on the 7♦J♣3♣ flop. Butans led out with a min-bet of 300,000, only to see Tajiou raise to 1.2 million. Butans called, and a possible cooler was brewing.
The 4♣ on the turn completed both flushes, but Butans had the hand locked with a higher one. He checked, letting Tajiou fire 1.8 million into 3.3 million. Butans smooth-called, presumably setting a trap.
The 4♥ river paired the board, and Butans checked once again. Tajiou bet big again, thinking his flush was good. Butans could have ended it right here with a shove, but instead, decided to just call and rake the biggest pot of the day.
Kaspars Butans opted for the usual min-raise with A♦8♥, and Mounir Tajiou called with 6♣4♥.
Tajiou hit a bottom pair on the flop of 5♣9♣4♦ and both players checked.
On the turn of 4♠ Tajiou already had the pot locked up. The only question was how much he could extract from Butans. The Swede bet 700,000 into a 1,500,000 pot, and with not much hesitation, Butans made the call.
The river was a scary looking K♠, and Tajiou fired an overbet of 3.1 million into 2.9 million pot. Butans went into the tank, but it looked like his plan was to call. Eventually, he did, and his a-high quickly went into the much.
With this big pot, Tajiou closed the gap and leveled the playing field.
Kaspars Butans completed his button with 9♣2♥, and Mounir Tajiou agreed to see the flop with Q♠8♦.
The dealer opened 2♠9♠J♥, giving Butans two pair and Tajiou an open-ended straight draw. Butans led out for 250,000, but Tajiou raised to 750,000, which Latvian quickly covered.
The turn brought a K♥, and Tajiou made a hefty bet of 1,800,000 into 2,100,000 pot. Butans gave it a thought and eventually made a call.
The river was a complete blank of 4♣, and Tajiou stayed true to his aggressive form, this time betting 1.9 million into a 5.8 million pot. Butans insta-called and scooped up a nearly 10 million chip pot, taking a chip lead in this heads-up match.
Kaspars Butans min-raised on the button with 9♣7♣ and Mounir Tajiou, keeping his aggressive image, three-bet with Q♥6♦ to 1,300,000. Butans made the call to see the flop.
A good flop for the Latvian on 9♦J♣8♠ board. Tajiou sized a big bet of 1.5 million into a 2.8 million pot, but Butans has no problem calling.
Board pairing on J♠ turn makes Butans’ hand even stronger, and Tajiou decided to check. Butans bet 1.2 million and this time, Tajiou didn’t stick around to see the river.
After an intense final table battle, Mounir Tajiou and Kaspars Butans are the last two standing in the record-breaking 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event. They are fighting for the €182,000 first-place prize, the prestigious trophy, and the honor of being crowned the King of Tallinn.
Both players have been among the chip leaders for most of the final table, but their paths to the heads-up ave been vastly different. Tajiou has dominated with relentless aggression, accumulating a massive 22,000,000 in chips, while Butans with 13,000,000, has been picking his spots wisely.
Mounir Tajiou opened the action from the button to 500,000 with A♣Q♠, and Pasi Laihinen looked down at Q♥J♦ in the small blind. Knowing how aggressive Tajiou has played so far and him having an overwhelming chip lead, Laihinen had an easy three-bet shove, and for Tajiou, the call was even easier.
It was pretty much game over on the flop already, as the Swede hit trips on a board of A♦A♠4♣.
The 4♥ on the turn sealed the deal, and Laihinen was drawing dead.
Despite the exit, it was a great run for the Finish player, who was on the verge of elimination in eighth place but hit a crucial two outer on the flop to stay alive. This time however, no luck for Laihinen, who will take home €80,000 for his third-place finish in the record-breaking 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event.
Kaspars Butans opened the pot with J♥8♥ to 500,000 and Pasi Laihinen added 250,000 on the big blind with Q♣9♣.
The flop of K♠9♦J♣ paired both. Butans was well ahead with a middle pair, while Laihinen sported the bottom pair. Both players opted for a check.
The 7♥ didn’t change much, but Butans wanted to extract some value with his jack and bet 650,000 into 1.4 million. Laihinen called.
The river 7♦ brought another seven and this time Butans checked back, happy with scooping a 2.7 million pot, while Laihinen entered the danger zone with only 15 big blinds left.
Kaspars Butans – 9,600,000 Pasi Laihinen – 3,900,000
After a quiet stretch, Kaspars Butans came to life after he picked up J♥J♣ on the button. Mounir Tajiou, who has been involved in nearly every big pot, found another strong hand with A♥Q♣ and three-bet to 1.2 million. Butans took his time, tanking for a couple of minutes before opting to just call, creating a 2.8 million pot.
The dealer spread a 3♠J♠7♣ board for Butan’s set of jacks. Tajiou was first to act and checked, while Butans responded with a 550,000 bet, which Tajiou called without hesitation.
The K♥ landed on the turn, and Tajiou snap-called a 1.6 million bet with just an ace-high.
The 5♣ river changed nothing, and Butans went for maximum value, shoving all-in for 5.3 million into a 7 million pot.
This sent Tajiou deep into the tank, searching for an excuse to make a hero call. After several minutes, he ultimately let it go.
Pasi Laihinen min-raised on the button with A♣5♠, and Mounir Tajiou defended his big blind with 10♣6♣.
The 3♠J♣7♦ flop missed both players, and both quickly checked.
The 7♣ turn gave Tajiou a flush draw, but again, both players checked.
Tajiou got there on the river with 4♣, but not much was expected as he fired a 750,000 bet into a 1.1 million pot.
Laihinen saw an opportunity to represent the nut flush with A♣ in his hand and raised to 2 million. A bad timing for the Finn as Tajiou eventually made a call and was shown the good news for a massive chip lead. The Swede now holds more chips than both of his opponents combined.
Mounir Tajiou – 19,000,000 Pasi Laihinen – 8,000,000
With just three players left, the battle for the €182,000 first-place prize is heating up. Mounir Tajiou holds a commanding chip lead over Pasi Laihinen and Kaspars Butans, but with deep stacks all around, it’s still anybody’s game.
Short-stacked but still holding 17 big blinds, Igor Pihela Jr. opened the pot to 400,000 with 7♦7♣. Right behind him, the unstoppable Mounir Tajiou three-bet to 1.1 million with A♣10♦.
Pihela Jr. saw no other option and shoved all-in for 3.4 million, putting his tournament life on the line. Tajiou called rather quickly, and they were off to the races.
The A♠K♥K♠ flop was a disaster for the last remaining Estonian, as Tajiou paired his ace to take a commanding lead. The J♥ turn left Pihela Jr. needing one of the two remaining sevens to survive.
The 4♠ river changed nothing, and Pihela Jr. finished the 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event in fourth place, pocketing €61,000 for his deep run. Interestingly, his father, Igor Pihela Sr., also made a final table today, finishing eight in the €3,000 NLH event for €7,100.
Pasi Laihinen opened the action from the cutoff to 200,000 with A♥Q♦, and Mounir Tajiou defended his big blind with 6♥4♠.
Another flop of 2♣4♣2♦ went Tajiou’s way, who check-raised to 800,000 after a 300,000 continuation bet from Laihinen. Laihinen made the call.
The A♠ turn was a big card for Laihinen, and Tajiou fired 1.2 million into a 2.7 million pot, and Laihinen wasn’t going anywhere, making the call.
The 10♥ river didn’t change much, and Tajiou finally slowed down with a check. Laihinen went with a small bet of 300,000 and Tajiou was curious enough to pay, mucking his lower two pair.
Mounir Tajiou – 14,000,000 Pasi Laihinen – 9,300,000
Mounir Tajiou continued taking advantage of his big stack, this time opening to 200,000 from early position with J♣8♣. Right behind him, Anton Bergström three-bet to 1,200,000 with K♦Q♥, and Tajiou, feeling he couldn’t miss today, made the call.
The 3♠J♠10♣ flop was another action-packed one at the 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event as Tajiou flopped top pair and Bergström had an open-ended straight draw. With a 3.7 million in the pot, Bergström fired 850,000, leaving himself with just 3 million behind.
That didn’t matter much to Tajiou, who check-raised all-in, putting his fellow countryman to the test for his tournament life. After a quick double-check of his cards, Bergström made the call.
The 2♣ turn gave Tajiou a flush draw, reducing Bergström’s outs to just ten cards.
The river 9♣ completed the flush, sealing another knockout for Tajiou, crushing the final table. Anton Bergström exits in fifth place, taking home €47,000 for his deep run, as Tajiou extends his already commanding chip lead.
The five remaining players are now on a 20-minute break. When they return, the blinds will increase to 100,000/200,000 with a 100,000 ante as Level 34 gets underway.
Mounir Tajiou once again found himself at the center of the action, opening Q♦J♦ from the cutoff to 300,000. On the big blind, Eldars Sadih-Zade picked up a monster with K♠K♦ and, after a moment of thought, three-bet to 800,000. Tajiou made the call for 500,000 more.
The dealer felted an A♦2♦8♠ flop and Sadih-Zade didn’t slow down with an overcard and continued for 600,000. Tajiou wasn’t convinced and shoved all-in, putting the Latvian at risk. After a brief tank, Sadih-Zade correctly called and was hoping to hold.
The 2♠ turn was a blank, leaving Tajiou with seven outs. The 5♦ river did hit, crushing Sadih-Zade’s hopes and sending him home in 6th place with €36,500 in his pockets for the deep run in the 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event. With this knockout, Tajiou is flying, running great, and now sports an eight-figure chip stack.
In a clash between the two shortest stacks, Eldars Sadih-Zade opened the action to 300,000 from under the gun with A♠Q♥, holding just 1.3 million behind. In the big blind, Benyamin Canatan defended with K♣5♦, covering his opponent by just a few chips.
It was an action-inducing flop of K♥10♥7♥ with Canatan flopping top pair, but Sadih-Zade held a gutshot, a flush draw, and an overcard, making him the statistical favorite. Sadih-Zade led for 250,000, and Canatan shoved all-in. Snap-call from Sadih-Zade who was now at risk of being eliminated.
However, the 8♥ on the turn completed the flush, leaving Canatan with less than a small blind, all but sealing his fate.
He was forced all-in on the very next hand with 8♣4♠ and faced Mounir Tajiou’s 9♠7♠. Canatan flopped top pair on 8♥7♦5♥, keeping his chip-and-a-chair dream alive for a moment.
But the 7♥ turn crushed those hopes, giving Tajiou trips and locking up the hand. The river was a blank, and Benyamin Canatan finished the 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event in seventh place, while Mounir Tajiou extended his chip lead at the top.
Chip leader Anton Bergström min-raised from under the gun with A♣6♣, and Mounir Tajiou defended his big blind with a dominant A♦J♣.
The A♥10♦7♦ flop gave both Swedes top pair, but Tajiou had the better kicker. Bergström continued for 200,000, and Tajiou made the call.
The A♠ on the turn brought the last ace in the deck, spelling trouble for Bergström, who now bet 575,000 with inferior trips. Tajiou called, but he still had a decision to make as his fellow countryman could easily have a better kicker in the under the gun raising range.
The 3♦ river didn’t change anything, and Tajiou checked for the third time. Bergström fired 1.2 million, thinking he had the best hand, only to see Tajiou snap-call and table the winning trips.
With that pot, Tajiou is now tied for the chip lead alongside Kaspars Butans, as Bergström takes a big hit but he’s still strong with 44 big blinds.
Mounir Tajiou – 6,800,000 Anton Bergström – 5,500,000
Priit Parmasto found K♥K♦ in early position and raised to 250,000, with Igor Pihela Jr. defending his big blind with A♥5♥.
The dealer opened a 9♦2♦4♣ flop, and Pihela check-called a 150,000 continuation bet from Parmasto, hoping to catch an ace or a three for a straight.
The 4♥ on the turn changed little, but Pihela saw an opportunity to represent strength on the paired board with his big blind range and led out for 300,000. Parmasto, now down to just 1,000,000 chips, thought it over but chose to just call rather than shove.
Then came the 3♠ river, a gin card for Pihela, completing his straight. He moved all-in, and Parmasto made the call with his pocket kings, only to be shown the bad news.
With that, Parmasto was eliminated in eighth place, ending his hopes of becoming the first-ever two-time Kings of Tallinn Main Event winner. Igor Pihela Jr. now stands as the last local player left at the table, keeping Estonia’s hopes alive in the Main Event.
Priit Parmasto opened the action from under the gun to 250,000 with A♦10♦, and Eldars Sadih-Zade 8♦7♦ and Mounir Tajiou 9♥7♠ came along from the cutoff and big blind, respectively.
The J♣5♦7♥ flop connected with both Sadih-Zade and Tajiou, prompting Sadih-Zade to fire 450,000 and Tajiou, with a stronger kicker, called.
The turn 10♥ looked like a likely chop if the hand went to showdown and both players checked.
But then came the 8♠ river, giving Tajiou a straight and Sadih-Zade an inferior two pair. Tajiou bet 800,000 into a 1.8 million pot, and Sadih-Zade, unable to get away, made the call and learned the bad news.
With newly collected chips, Pasi Laihinen opened to 250,000 from the middle position with 7♠7♣, and Mounir Tajiou defended his big blind with Q♦2♥.
The flop 10♥5♥7♥ gave Laihinen another set, but with a monotone board this time around. He opted for a small 150,000 bet into a 675,000 pot, and Tajiou, chasing a flush draw with a deuce, made the call.
The 9♠ turn seemed harmless, but Tajiou saw it differently and he led out for 450,000. Laihinen just called in position.
The K♣ river was a blank, and Tajiou fired one last shot, betting 900,000 into a 1.9 million pot, trying to sell his story. Laihinen seized up a bet from Tajiou before ultimately making the correct call. Tajiou mucked his bluff, as Laihinen scooped another big pot and is now third in chips at the final table.
Pasi Laihinen – 4,700,000 Mounir Tajiou – 2,600,000
Anton Bergström opened the action from the cutoff to 200,000 with 7♣6♣ and short-stacked Pasi Laihinen moved all-in for 1,300,000 with 5♠5♦. Right behind him, Benyamin Canatan found a strong A♥Q♣ in the small blind and opted to just call to see what was happening behind him. Big blind got out of the way, and so did Bergström, leaving Laihinen at risk as the red all-in lights flashed at the final table.
The dealer spread a K♦4♠5♥ flop, giving Laihinen a set of fives and leaving Canatan drawing nearly dead. The 6♠ turn officially sealed the double-up, keeping eight players in contention for the 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event title.
Benyamin Canatan – 3,400,000 Pasi Laihinen – 3,000,000
Benyamin Canatan opened the action from an early position to 210,000 with K♦10♣, and Mounir Tajiou over-called on the button with a suited Q♦10♦. Anton Bergström defended his big blind with J♣10♥, setting up a three-way action.
The flop J♦A♠7♣ connected with everyone, but Bergström took the lead with the middle pair. Canatan stayed aggressive and fired 175,000 into a 780,000 pot. Tajiou quickly called, while Bergström got out of the way.
The Q♣ on the turn was a bingo card for Canatan, giving him the straight and sparking some friendly trash talk between the two. Canatan kept up the aggression, betting 450,000, and Tajiou was going nowhere.
The river 7♥ changed nothing, and this time, Canatan shoved all-in for 2.8 million into a 2 million pot, putting Tajiou in the tank. Having seen Canatan bluff multiple times today already, the Swede was seriously contemplating a hero call. After some deliberation, Tajiou talked himself out of it and let it go.
Benyamin Canatan opened the action to 200,000 from the button with A♠5♦, and start-of-the-day chip leader Kaspars Butans defended his big blind with 9♠9♦.
The 10♠Q♠Q♦ flop looked dangerous for Butans, who decided to check-call a 150,000 bet from Canatan.
The turn 8♦ saw both players slow down and check, and river brought a 2♦. Butans correctly sensed that his pocket nines might still be good and placed a 235,000 value bet into an 850,000 pot. The bet was tempting enough for Canatan, who made the call with his inferior ace-high.
Priit Parmasto kicked off the action from early position with 8♠8♥, and Anton Bergström responded with a three-bet to 525,000, holding A♣K♦.
Chris Da Silva, who had been card dead all day and was down to less than eight big blinds, finally found a playable hand with K♠Q♥ on the button and moved all-in. The Action was back to Parmasto who folded, and Bergström quickly called with the dominant hand.
The 4♥J♣A♦ flop was not what Da Silva wanted to see, but still had four outs left with a gutshot. The 3♥ turn changed nothing, and the Q♦ river was too little, too late.
With that, Chris Da Silva became the first elimination of the final table, as Bergström strengthened his lead.
Pasi Laihinen opened the action from under the gun to 200,000 with 8♠8♥, and Priit Parmasto defended his small blind with a pip lower pocket pair, 7♠7♣.
The dealer spread a 6♠2♦5♣ flop, giving both players an overpair, but Laihinen held the slight edge. Despite this, Parmasto took the lead with a 175,000 “donk bet”, and Laihinen made the call.
The 3♣ hit on the turn, completing some straight draws.Parmasto continued his story with a 250,000 bet into a 1.1 million pot and it was enough for Laihinen to fold a better hand.
Priit Parmasto – 2,700,000 Pasi Laihinen – 1,800,000
Anton Bergström opened the pot to 160,000 from the hijack with A♣10♦, and Eldars Sadih-Zade defended his big blind with A♦4♣.
The A♠7♦7♠ flop set up potential trouble for Sadih-Zade, who check-called 80,000 after Bergström’s continuation bet.
The 6♥ on the turn changed little, and once again, Sadih-Zade check-called, this time for 375,000.
The 4♦ river was meaningless for Sadih-Zade with the sevens counterfeiting his fours. Both players checked, and Bergström’s ten kicker secured the pot, further extending his chip lead.
Anton Bergström – 7,000,000 Eldars Sadih-Zade – 2,300,000
Mounir Tajiou looked down at 6♦6♣ in the hijack and opened to 170,000, with Benyamin Canatan defending his big blind with K♠5♣.
The low flop ow 4♠2♥2♦ was a dream for Tajiou’s pocket sixes, and he continued with a 220,000 bet. Canatan, holding just king-high, made the call.
The turn A♣ looked like it might slow things down, but both players had other ideas. Tajiou fired again for 400,000 into a 900,000 pot, only to see Canatan check-raise to 1.1 million, trying to capitalize his wide range from the big blind. Tajiou wasn’t buying it and made the call.
The river 8♣ changed nothing, but Canatan decided he couldn’t continue with his story and checked to Tajiou, who slided in a 2,000,000 bet for his opponent to insta-fold.
Igor Pihela Jr. opened the action from the hijack to 160,000 with A♠8♠, and Pasi Laihinen defended his big blind with K♥Q♣.
The 10♦J♥6♠ flop gave Laihinen an open-ended straight draw with two overcards and checked to Pihela, who made a continuation bet of 125,000, which Laihinen called.
The 2♠ on the turn added a second spade to the board for Pihela’s flush potentials. He decided to up the pressure, betting 450,000 into a 1.1 million pot. Laihinen, still chasing, made the call.
The 7♦ river bricked for both players. After a minute of thought, Pihela checked behind, deciding not to fire a third barrel. To his surprise, his ace-high was good, and he scooped the pot.
Igor Pihela Jr. – 4,900,000 Pasi Laihinen – 1,900,000
The 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event final table is officially underway. Players return to Level 30, with blinds at 40,000/80,000 and an 80,000 ante. There are still 54 minutes left on the clock in this level as the battle for the €182,000 and trophy begins.
The 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event final table kicks off at 12:00 local time at Olympic Casino Tallinn. Due to the live stream, reporting will be on a 30-minute delay to ensure fair play.
Kaspars Butans enters the final table as the chip leader, but with €182,000 up top, the title is still very much up for grabs.
An eventful day at Olympic Park Casino brought the 113 players who returned for Day 3 of the €1,100 Kings of Tallinn Main Event down to the final table of nine. After 12 hours of play, Kaspars Butans bagged the chip lead as the lion’s share of the €1,098,330 prize pool will be divided tomorrow.
Not much is known about Butans, although his rail could be overheard today stating that Butans “plays online 24/7” and “wins everything”. Time will tell if “everything” includes the tenth-anniversary Kings of Tallin Main Event, which would net Butans the top prize of €182,000.
Kaspars Butans
Butans ended Day 3 with 6,400,000 in chips, good for 80 big blinds when the final table commences tomorrow. Ahmet Canatan sits in second place with 5,230,000 and is looking for his second trophy this week after shipping the €555 Championship for a career-best €66,050. If Canatan finishes third or higher in the Main Event, he will once again claim a new high score.
Estonia still has two horses in the race with Igor Pihela Jr. (4,040,000) and Priit Parmasto (2,840,000). Pihela Jr. is known for traveling the European circuit with his father and would need to finish sixth for a new all-time best score. Meanwhile, Parmasto can become the first-ever two-time Kings of Tallinn champion, having shipped the Main Event in 2023 for €97,400.
Priit Parmasto
Meanwhile, English grinder and friend of poker.pro Chris Da Silva will start the final table as the shortest stack as he is looking to add to his seven figures in lifetime earnings, although with 1,500,000 in chips, he will still have plenty of maneuverability.
Final Table Seat Draw and Chip Counts
Seat
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Chris Da Silva
United Kingdom
1,500,000
19
2
Eldars Sadih-Zade
Latvia
3,400,000
43
3
Kaspars Butans
Latvia
6,400,000
80
4
Igor Pihela Jr.
Estonia
4,040,000
51
5
Mounir Tajiou
Sweden
4,890,000
61
6
Priit Parmasto
Estonia
2,840,000
36
7
Isak Bergstrom
Sweden
4,330,000
54
8
Pasi Laihinen
Finland
2,735,000
34
9
Ahmet Canatan
Denmark
5,230,000
65
Day 3 Action
The day started with 113 of the record-breaking 1,181 entries returning with hopes of making the final table. However, only nine spots were available, thus, many big names had to leave throughout the day.
Elias Suhonen (110th – €2,450) was one of the first eliminations of the day. Ryan Mandara squeaked in the top 100 but finished in 93rd for €2,800. Tommi Lankinen received the same amount for his 81st place, while former champions Juha Helppi (66th) and Mathias Siljander (58th) got a pay jump to €3,200.
Kai Lehto would soon make Parmasto the only Main Event champion left standing as he fell in 41st for €3,650. Eventually, Sebastian Wahl (29th – €5,100) and Finnish poker legend Ilari Sahamies (26th – €5,600) fell just a few spots away from making the three-table redraw.
Ilari Sahamies
Oleh Pritsak was Ukraine’s final hope but was eliminated in 24th place for €5,600, while Italy and Poland also lost their last representatives at the final three tables in Mirco De Martini (22nd – €6,500) and Piotr Sztenkiel (18th – €7,500). Start-of-day chipleader Mikael Haapaniemi then finished in 17th for €8,515 to set up the final two tables.
Irishman Michael Dwyer (16th – €8,515) was the first to depart from the final two tables, which is also where Iceland’s Steinn Karlsson (13th – €11,400) and France’s Thomas De Leiris (11th – €13,500) met their end. The clock had just struck midnight when Robertas Smolskis (10th – €13,500) lost his all-in flip against Tajiou, eliminating the final Lithuanian from the tournament and declaring Smolskis the official final table bubble.
Michael Dwyer
The final nine will return at noon local time tomorrow to battle for the title. They have guaranteed themselves a payday of at least €16,800, which is already some players’ best-ever performance. However, alluring six-figure prizes are only reserved for the final two players.
Final Table Payouts
Place
Prize
1
€182,000
2
€115,000
3
€80,000
4
€61,000
5
€47,000
6
€36,500
7
€28,000
8
€21,800
9
€16,800
The final table will start with almost the entirety of Level 20: 40,000/80,000 (80,000) still to play. The levels will be 60 minutes long throughout the final table, with a break scheduled after every two.
Becoming a Kings of Tallinn Main Event champion is what dreams are made of, and one player’s dream will become a reality tomorrow. Tune back in then to not miss the thrilling conclusion of the biggest-ever Kings of Tallinn Main Event.
Robertas Smolskis raised to 200,000 in the cutoff before being put all-in for 900,000 by Mounir Tajiou in the small blind. Smolskis tanked for a minute or so before he sighed and called for his tournament life.
Robertas Smolskis: K♥Q♥ Mounir Tajiou: 6♦6♣
Smolskis did not improve on the A♣3♣10♣9♦8♥ board. He finished in tenth place and became the final table bubble as the remaining nine players bagged up for the final day.
Thomas De Leiris open-shipped for 635,000 on the button and was called by Pasi Laihinen in the small blind.
Thomas De Leiris: A♣6♥ Pasi Laihinen: K♦Q♠
Laihinen paired up on the J♠J♥K♣ flop, gaining a significant lead. De Leiris needed an ace, but none came on the 7♥ turn or 9♣ river.
De Leiris finished in 11th place, leaving the Main Event on the final table bubble. Once the final table has been reached, play will conclude for the night.
Kaspars Butans raised his small blind to 180,000 and was called by Mounir Tajiou in the big blind.
Butans continued for 180,000 on the 3♦4♥5♦ flop, which Tajiou raised to 525,000. Butans put in a call to the 9♥ turn, where Tajiou sized up to 725,000.
Butans check-called before the 2♠ river was checked by both.
Butans tabled 9♠7♥ for a pair of nines, but was barely outkicked by the 9♦8♦ of Tajiou, who was resultingly shipped the pot.
Kaspars Butans raised to 120,000 under the gun. Ludvig Sterner then moved his 1,035,000 chips in the middle on the button. Butans asked for a count and called once he heard the correct number.
Ludvig Sterner: K♦Q♣ Kaspars Butans: 9♥9♣
The A♠5♣10♣ flop brought Sterner some extra outs, but neither his gutshot nor his pairs appeared on the 4♠8♠ runout, sending him home in 12th.
Elvijs Kergalvis opened to 120,000 as first to act. Isak Bergstrom then made it 350,000 to go from the small blind, after which Kergalvis moved in for 1,120,000.
Bergstrom sighed but tossed in a quick call, leading to a showdown.
Elvijs Kergalvis: A♣K♦ Isak Bergstrom: A♥Q♥
Kergalvis was in a great spot to double up, but Bergstrom flopped Broadway on J♠K♥10♠. The 9♦ turn left Kergalvis only with chop outs, which did not arrive on the 4♠ river, eliminating him instead.
Kaspars Butans raised to 100,000 under the gun. Chris Da Silva flat-called in middle position before Marek Zigel went all in for 575,000 from the small blind.
Butans rejammed, forcing Da Silva to fold after some thinking time.
Marek Zigel: A♠9♦ Kaspars Butans: A♣K♦
The 7♠Q♥3♥Q♣ turn provided Zigel with some chop outs, but it was not to be on the 6♥ river, which sent him to the rail instead.
Ludvig Sterner put in a continuation-bet of 75,000 on a flop of 6♠9♦6♦ against Chris Da Silva in the big blind. Da Silva then check-raised all in for 895,000, sending Sterner into the tank.
After a few minutes, Sterner put in a call to put Da Silva at risk.
Chris Da Silva: 7♥7♦ Ludvig Sterner: A♥K♣
Sterner could not pair his hole cards on the 4♠9♠ runout. The pot was sent to Da Silva’s sevens as he doubled up and left Sterner with less than 15 big blinds.
Chris Da Silva – 2,065,000 Ludvig Sterner – 720,000
Steinn Karlsson raised to 100,000 in the cutoff and was three-bet to 260,000 by Eldars Sadih-Zade on the button. Karlsson put in a call to the Q♣J♠9♣ flop, where he check-called Sadih-Zade’s bet of 200,000.
Sadih-Zade then jammed all in for 1,310,000 on the 6♥ turn. Karlsson spent a while in the tank but eventually check-called with the covering stack.
Eldars Sadih-Zade: K♦10♣ Steinn Karlsson: A♠Q♠
Karlsson was already drawing dead against the straight of Sadih-Zade. The 3♠ river did not matter as Sadih-Zade booked a big double-up, leaving his opponent with 13 big blinds.
Big blind Michael Dwyer led all-in for his last 250,000 on a flop of J♦9♦J♣ and was called by Pasi Laihinen in the hijack.
Michael Dwyer: 10♠8♠ Pasi Laihinen: A♦Q♦
The A♠ turn took some of Dwyer’s outs away, while the 8♦ river sealed the deal for the Irishman. He was the first elimination from the final two tables, leaving 15 players in contention.
Ludvig Sterner raised to 100,000 under the gun. Mikael Haapaniemi then three-bet to 240,000 in the hijack before Igor Pihela Jr. bumped it up to 450,000.
Sterner quickly got out of the way, but Haapaniemi jammed his stack of 2,200,000 in the middle. Pihela Jr. snap-called with the covering stack, tabling the cards.
Mikael Haapaniemi: Q♠Q♣ Igor Pihela Jr.: A♦A♣
Haapaniemi’s ladies stood no chance against Pihela Jr.’s aces on the 5♦5♣10♠7♥K♥ runout. The pot of nearly 100 big blinds was shipped to the Estonian, while Haapaniemi had to make do with a 17th-place finish after starting the day as chipleader.
Igor Pihela Jr. – 4,800,000 Ludvig Sterner – 1,500,000 Mikael Haapaniemi – 0
Mairo Tori final blinds flew in on from the big blind on a flop of 5♦7♦K♠, up against Ludvig Sterner in the hijack.
Mairo Tori: J♦10♦ Ludvig Sterner: K♥Q♥
Tori needed to hit a diamond to stay alive, but neither the 3♣ turn nor 2♥ river brought him one. He said his goodbyes and left to collect his 19th-place payout.
A pot of roughly 700,000 had been built between Piotr Sztenkiel in the big blind and Elvijs Kergalvis under the gun. Kergalvis then got his last 540,000 in on a turn of 9♣Q♣6♦2♦ and was quickly looked up by Sztenkiel.
Elvijs Kergalvis: A♥Q♥ Piotr Sztenkiel: Q♠2♠
Sztenkiel was in the lead with his two pair, but the 9♦ river nullified his deuce. Kergalvis won the pot with his ace kicker, doubling up and leaving Sztenkiel with around 25 big blinds.
Elvijs Kergalvis – 1,780,000 Piotr Sztenkiel – 925,000
Ignas Jasinevicius was down to just a few big blinds, which he tossed in under the gun. It folded to Eldars Sadih-Zade in the big blind, who stuck in a call.
Ignas Jasinevicius: A♥8♠ Eldars Sadih-Zade: J♥6♥
Sadih-Zade flopped trips on J♠4♦J♣ to take an enormous lead. The 6♠ turn left Jasinevicius without outs, making the A♦ nothing but some salt in his wound as he exited in 20th place.
Eldars Sadih-Zade: 2,350,000 Ignas Jasinevicius: 0
Yaniv Peretz in the cutoff had gotten his last chips in on either the flop or turn on the 4♠3♣K♣10♣8♣ board. He had been called by Ahmet Canatan in the big blind, who covered his stack.
Peretz tabled A♥K♦ for top pair, but it lost against the K♠3♠ of Canatan, who had flopped two pair and took Peretz for his last penny.
Mirco De Martini in the big blind and Steinn Karlsson under the gun had reached a river of 4♥9♣5♣Q♥K♥. With around 1,200,000 already in the pot, De Martini shoved all in for about 1,100,000.
Karlsson only had a little less than that and called off after some time in the tank. De Martini could only show A♠6♠ for ace-high, while Karlsson tabled K♣J♦ for top pair, scooping the big pot and leaving De Martini with just 55,000
De Martini tossed those chips in from the small blind one hand later and was looked up by Karlsson once more.
Mirco De Martini: 10♠4♦ Steinn Karlsson: Q♦6♦
The board ran out J♠Q♠7♦5♦J♣. Karlsson paired his queen and sent De Martini packing in 22nd place.
Mirco De Martini raised to 60,000 under the gun. Kaspar Butans then made it 170,000 to go on the button, which De Martini clicked back to 400,000.
Butans bumped it up further to 800,000, with De Martini sticking in a call. Butans continued for 450,000 on the 7♣3♥J♣ flop, and De Martini check-called.
Butans then shoved all in on the 8♥ turn, sending De Martini into a tank of several minutes. Eventually, the Italian gave up his hand and surrendered the humongous pot to Butans.
Kaspar Butans – 4,500,000 Mirco De Martini – 1,765,000
Ludvig Sterner opened the action with a raise under the gun. Igor Pihela Jr. then made it 200,000 to go in the cutoff, which Sterner clicked back to 470,000.
Pihela Jr. quickly moved in for 1,325,000 and was snap-called by Sterner.
Igor Pihela Jr.: Q♠Q♦ Ludvig Sterner: A♥K♠
The [invalid notations]5s8d6h3c4s[/pcn board failed to give Sterner a pair, granting Pihela Jr. a massive double-up.
Ludvig Sterner – 1,100,000 Igor Pihela Jr. – 2,725,000
Oleh Pritsak raised to 60,000 in early position. Ahmet Canatan then three-bet to 185,000 from the small blind, after which Pritsak jammed all-in for 1,100,000.
Canatan snap-called, covering the Ukrainian by a bit.
Oleh Pritsak: A♣K♥ Ahmet Canatan: Q♠Q♣
It was a huge flip, and Canatan would be declared the victor when the 6♦3♥10♥9♦2♥ board left Pritsak without a pair, sending him home.
Picking up the action on the 2♠4♥5♠9♣ turn in a blind-on-blind battle between Ludvig Sterner and Benjamin Gros, Sterner over-bet 200,000 into the pot of 175,000 and Gros put in a call.
The 9♦ river then completed the board. Sterner put Gross all-in for 400,000 and received a quick call from the Frenchman. Sterner tabled A♥A♦ for an overpair, besting the [Kd4c[/pcn] of Gros and sending him to the rail.
Aklilu Laitinen made it 30,000 to go on the button, calling when Andres Loiv three-bet to 115,000 in the small blind.
The flop fell 3♦7♣10♣. Loiv continued for 30,000, which Latinen raised to 400,000. Loiv then shoved all in for 600,000, with Laitinen making a quick call.
Andres Loiv: Q♠Q♥ Aklilu Laitinen: K♣5♣
Laitinen had an overcard and a flush draw against the queens of Loiv. The A♥ turn did not help Laitinen, but the 3♣ river did, making him a flush. He eliminated Loiv in a huge pot and soared up the ranks as his stack eclipsed 100 big blinds.
Heppu Simola raised to 30,000 in the hijack and was three-bet to 75,000 by Mikael Haapaniemi in the cutoff. Button Kristian Kostiander then bumped it up to 200,000, folding out Simola.
It was not enough for Haapaniemi, however, who five-bet all in, covering Kostiander’s stack of 725,000. Kostiander spent some time in the tank but eventually found a fold.
Mikael Haapaniemi – 2,390,000 Heppu Simola – 720,000 Kristian Kostiander – 525,000
Mehdi Saidi checked out of the big blind on a turn of A♠7♦K♦9♣. Artem Berliand then bet 77,000 into the pot of 120,000 under the gun, which Saidi called.
The 10♣ fell on the river, prompting Saidi to move his stack of 195,000 in the middle. Berliand found a quick fold and the pot was shipped to Frenchman.
Priit Parmasto raised to 30,000 preflop and called when Mikael Haapaniemi three-bet to 77,000. Parmasto check-called Haapaniemi’s continuation-bet of 40,000 on the Q♦2♥6♣ flop before both players checked the J♦ turn.
This prompted Parmasto to bet 47,000 on the 6♥ river. Haapaniemi assembled a large raise and put Parmasto all-in for 367,000 in total. Parmasto quickly let go of his hand, surrendering the pot to the start-of-day chipleader.
Mikael Haapaniemi – 1,900,000 Priit Parmasto – 320,000
Stein Pedersen moved all in for 139,000 from middle position. Steinn Karlsson looked him up in the next seat over before the rest of the table got out of the way.
Stein Pedersen: K♦J♣ Steinn Karlsson: A♦9♦
Neither player received help from the Q♣5♦7♥5♠4♥ board, resulting in Pedersen’s exit from the Main Event.
With 130,000 in the middle, small blind Robbie Schiffbauer got his 210,000 chips in on a flop of 10♣7♠K♠ against Igor Pihela Jr. under the gun.
Robbie Schiffbauer: K♥Q♠ Igor Pihela Jr.: 9♠8♠
Pihela Jr. had a plethora of outs to hit against the top pair of Schiffbauer. The 2♦ turn was not one of them, but the 3♠ river brought him a flush to win the pot and eliminate the only American left in the field.
Igor Pihela Jr. – 1,085,000 Robbie Schiffbauer – 0
Picking up the action on a completed board of 6♦4♣8♠8♦Q♥, Mathias Siljander made a bet of 350,000 from the small blind into a pot of 310,000.
Mirco De Martini sat in middle position and thought for a bit before flicking in a calling chip.
Siljander showed 10♦9♥ for just ten-high, meaning De Martini’s K♠K♣ won him the pot. De Martini crossed the two-million mark, ending up with nearly four times the average stack.
Mirco De Martini – 2,120,000 Mathias Siljander – 180,000
Kristian Kostiander raised to 25,000 in middle position. 2023 Kings of Tallinn champion Priit Parmasto then shoved all in for 191,000 from the small blind, quickly getting called by Kostiander.
Priit Parmasto: Q♠Q♥ Kristian Kostiander: 9♠9♥
Parmasto’s ladies comfortably held throughout the 4♠4♦A♠K♣5♦ runout to double him up.
Priit Parmasto – 406,000 Kristian Kostiander- 220,000
Veikka Keto-Tokoi open-jammed his remaining 110,000 chips from the cutoff. Juha Helppi reshoved from the small blind, after which Olli Muukkonen called off for 80,000 in the big blind.
Olli Muukkonen: A♥J♦ Veikka Keto-Tokoi: J♠10♥ Juha Helppi: K♠K♥
Keto-Tokoi flopped a pair on 9♠10♠3♥ for some outs, while Muukkonen turned the best hand on A♣. The Q♦ helped no player, declaring Muukkonen the victor and eliminating Keto-Tokoi.
Olli Muukkonen – 252,000 Juha Helppi – 135,000 Veikka Keto-Tokoi – 0
Sebastian Wahl open-raised from the hijack, and Ilari Sahamies three-bet to 65,000 on the button. Wahl put in a call and checked the 4♦2♠7♠ flop to his opponent.
Sahamies bet 45,000, about a quarter of his stack, prompting Wahl to move all in. Sahamies snap-folded his hand, leaving himself with just over 13 big blinds.
Kristian Aksnes opened from the cutoff when Tommi Lankinen pushed in 120,000 from the big blind. Aksnes snap-called, and the cards were tabled.
Tommi Lankinen: A♣3♠ Kristian Aksnes: K♠J♥
Aksnes flopped Lankinen near-dead on 4♠K♣K♦, with the 9♦ turn sealing the deal. The A♠ river gave Lankinen a meaningless pair, but it was not enough to prevent his elimination.
Picking up the action on a turn of 4♦2♥8♥J♥, Albert Ostrovskij made a pot-sized bet of 120,000 from the small blind. Thomas De Leiris called in the big blind, as did Michael Dwyer in the hijack.
Ostrovskij slowed down on the 5♣ turn and checked to De Leiris. De Leiris then fired 300,000, folding out both opponents.
Thomas De Leiris – 1,100,000 Michael Dwyer – 785,000 Albert Ostrovskij – 386,000
Sauli Haapaniemi and Thomas De Leiris had played a hand up until the 7♦K♣2♣10♦10♥ river. With about 150,000 in the pot, Haapanieimi checked from the big blind to De Leiris in middle position, who put his opponent all-in for around 140,000.
Haapanieimi went deep into the tank before calling off for his tournament life. He tabled K♠Q♣ for top pair, but De Leiris had rivered trips with Q♦10♥ to win the pot and eliminate Haapaniemi from the Main Event.
Osku Karttunen raised to 16,000 from middle position. Marko Tiitsaar then jammed his stack of 140,000 in the middle, which Karttunen called after getting a count.
Marko Tiitsaar: 10♥10♦ Osku Karttunen: 7♠7♣
The board ran out an uneventful 8♠2♦3♣Q♣3♠, doubling up Tiitsaar with his superior pair.
Erik Risberg had called all-in after an open from Stefan Galic in early position and a flat from Roman Isaienko on the button.
Galic and Isaienko then checked through the 3♠5♣4♣10♥7♦ board, and the trio showed down.
Galic had king-high with K♥J♥, while Risberg played ace-high with his A♦9♦. Isaeinko had the best hand with A♠Q♠, however, and took down the pot to eliminate Risberg.
Roman Isaeinko – 460,000 Stefan Galic – 220,000 Erik Risberg – 0
Marek Zigel had put in a squeeze to 55,000 from the big blind, which only Veikka Keto-Tokoi called, on the button.
Zigel checked the [invalid notations] turn saw Keto-Tokoi move all of his 165,000 chips in. Zigel gave it some thought but ultimately check-folded. Keto-Tokoi breathed a sigh of relief as he tabled 6♠6♥.
Martin Bjerrum open-jammed for 82,000 under the gun and was called by Pasi Sormunen on the button.
Martin Bjerrum: K♣Q♥ Pasi Sormunen: A♥Q♠
Bjerrum was dominated and drawing dead after the A♦8♠Q♣A♣ turn made Sormunen a full house. The K♥ river was not enough to save Bjerrum, who was one of the first exits on Day 3.
The €1 million guaranteed Kings of Tallinn €1,100 Main Event already broke records for the event with 947 entries battling it out during the five opening days along with 373 survivors.
These figures are placeholders for now, as late registration will remain open for the first four blind levels of Day 2. Around 39 percent of those that entered were able to advance with that bullet with some fluctuation depending on which flight was entered.
Check out the stats below and best of luck to all of the Day 2 players.
Poland’s Piotr Sztenkiel made the most out of the 162 entries and 66 survivors on the final opening flight of the 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event after being the only player from the field to advance with more than 200,000 with 245,000.
Denmark’s Martin Bjerrum (178,300), Finland’s Rasmus Lundstrom (166,700), Estonia’s Meelis Ahman (144,100), and Spains Angel Alonso Rodriguez (144,000) all ended the day in the top five on the Day 1e leaderboard.
Day 1d was the largest of the five opening flights with 352 entries and 149 players advancing to Day 2. Norway’s Rune Brunes led the way with 279,000 in chips placing him in second place just behind Day 1b chip leader Veikka Keto-Tokoi, who advanced with a cool 300,000.
Estonia’s Mauri Dorbek (229,700) and Norway’s Richard Melby (224,600) also will start Day 2 with more than 200,000 from the Day 1d field, while Finland’s Sebastian Wahl (199,300) and United Kingdom’s Peter Rees (185,500) round out the top five stacks for the day.
Day 1c attracted 43 more entries to bring the total field up to 433 and counting with still two more opening flights to go and late registration remaining open on Friday’s Day 2 for the first four blind levels. Estonia’s Dmitri Zatsik led the way with 211,400 chips with 18 players bagging stacks to bring the field up to 158 Day 2 players from the first three opening flights.
Spain’s Inigo Naveiro Martin (197,400), United Kingdom’s Chris Da Silva (115,000), and Finland’s Artturi Hannuala also advanced to Day 2 with six-figure stacks from what will be the small field of any of the five opening flights.
Meanwhile, 2020 Kings of Tallinn Main Event champion Johan Karlsson also advanced with 76,000 as did Kings of Tallinn regular Jari Hurri with a smaller stack of 35,300.
Day 1b eclipsed the 175 entries attracted on Day 1a with another 215 more coming into the field to bring the total up to 390 entries and counting.
Finland’s Veikka Keto-Tokoi found the biggest bag among the 80 survivors and took the overall chip lead with 300,000 in chips. Ukraine’s Konstantyn Holskyi (221,500) and Greece’s Enea Subashi (205,000) both bagged over 200,000. Subashi is aiming for back-to-back deep runs after finishing in third place in the 2024 Kings of Tallinn Autumn Edition €1,100 Main Event for €55,200.
Estonia’s Andrei Mjagkov (183,100) and Switzerland’s Julien Henzi (162,700) round out the top five with the rest of the field’s chip counts listed below.
The €1 million guaranteed Main Event was off to a great start with 175 entries battling it out for nine levels of one hour each.
Estonia’s Rauno Ratt performed the best after parlaying his 30,000 opening stack into 253,500 in chips to end the day with the chip lead. Sweden’s Mikael Grönvik, Norway’s Kristian Aksnes (180,800), Sweden’s Peter Kvisthammar (172,600), and Finland’s Sauli Haapaniemi (172,100) round out the top five on the Day 1a leaderbard.
Wednesday will boast two more opening flights on both Wednesday, Feb. 26 and Thursday, Feb. 27 at 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively with the later starts featuring 40-minute blind levels instead of 60 minutes.
Late registration remains open not only throughout the five opening flights of the 10th anniversary of the Kings of Tallinn €1,100 Main Event, but also until the start of the fifth level of Day 2, giving players plenty of opportunities to get involved in what will be a record setting prize pool for the festival.
Frank Visser will be reporting the action at poker.pro starting on Day 2 as soon as cards are in the air on Friday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. In the meantime, we will update with chip counts and more from the opening flights before posting the seat draw Friday morning.
An ambitious guaranteed prize pool of €1,000,000 was set out for the €1,100 Main Event of the Kings of Tallinn’s tenth anniversary. The series had never reached a seven-figure prize pool, so records had to be broken. And broken they were, as at the end of late registration midway through Day 2, the tally stood at 1,181 entries, surpassing the guarantee and creating a prize pool of €1,098,330.
At the end of the day, only 113 players were left standing, all in the money. Mikael Haapaniemi was the only chip millionaire, ending up with a stack of 1,015,000, good for 126 big blinds when play resumes on Day 3. Haapaniemi finished sixth in the 2023 Kings of Tallinn Summer Showdown Main Event and has made good strides to make his second Main Event final table at Olympic Park Casino.
Mikael Haapaniemi
Haapniemi’s fellow Finn Aklilu Laitinen sits in second on the leaderboard with a stack of 976,000, while Yaniv Peretz from Latvia occupies third place with 967,000 chips. €555 Championship winner Ahmet Canatan is well on his way to another success this week as he bagged 951,000, while Irish mainstay Michael Dwyer rounds out the top five. Jevgeni Voitovits was the best performing Estonian on Day 2, ending up in ninth place with 617,000.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Day 3 Big Blinds
1
Mikael Haapaniemi
Finland
1,015,000
127
2
Aklilu Laitinen
Finland
976,000
122
3
Yaniv Peretz
Latvia
967,000
121
4
Ahmet Canatan
Denmark
951,000
119
5
Michael Dwyer
Ireland
837,000
105
6
Mirco De Martini
Italy
825,000
103
7
Isak Bergstrom
Sweden
677,000
85
8
Piotr Sztenkiel
Poland
650,000
81
9
Jevgeni Voitovits
Estonia
617,000
77
10
Olaf Larssen
Norway
611,000
76
Many other notable players made it through to Day 3, including Igor Pihela Jr. (577,000), past Kings of Tallinn champions Mathias Siljander (511,000), Juha Helppi (427,000) and Kai Lehto (221,000), and lone US representative Robbie Schiffbauer (292,000). Start-of-day chipleader Veikka Keto-Tokoi also found a bag, although the 262,000 he ended the day with was less than what he started with.
Veikka Keto-Tokoi
Day 2 Action
The day started with four more levels of late registration, at the end of which around 300 players remained. About half of them would get in the money as there were 151 paid spots, but the likes of Martin Kabrhel,Harry Lodge, Renan Bruschi, Blaz Zerjav, Robert Kaggerud, and Espen Sandvik would not come close to reaching the bubble phase.
Tarmo Tammel waved off some 30 spots before the money, while Tobias Leknes fell not much later. The first-ever Kings of Tallinn champion Ranno Sootla could not do it again ten years later as he ended up in 170th place.
Roope Tarmi, Panagiotis Mavritsakis, and Ermo Kosk got tantalizingly close to the money, all busting within ten eliminations away from it. Where many a poker tournament slows down near the bubble phase, the steady flow of eliminations continued.
Eventually, three all-in and calls happened simulteanously just before hand-for-hand. Kestutis Jungevicius, Enea Subashi, and Nikolay Ponomarev all busted at different tables with 152 players remaining, meaning that they split two min-cashes and walked away with a consolation prize of €1,400 each.
Enea Subashi
The remaining players had all secured themselves a min-cash of €2,100 as play continued for another hour or so. Kristiana Stauere (141st – €2,250) booked back-to-back in-the-money finishes in the Main Event and was quickly followed by Luka Sorainen (136th – €2,250) and Igor Pihela Sr. (134th – €2,250).
Paul Newey (127th – €2,250) busted a few spots later, while Vivian Saliba (119th – €2,450) and recently-crowned Kings of Tallinn PLO champion Gisle Olsen (117th – €2,450) picked up a pay jump as they were eliminated during the final few hands of the night.
Vivian Saliba
When all was said and done, 113 players bagged up for Day 3, who have all guaranteed themselves a payday of €2,450. However, the massive prize pool has left €182,000 reserved for the winner, which all 113 will be dreaming of tonight.
Remaining Payouts
Place
Prize
Place
Prize
1
€182,000
14-15
€9,800
2
€115,000
16-17
€8,515
3
€80,000
18-20
€7,500
4
€61,000
21-23
€6,500
5
€47,000
24-27
€5,600
6
€36,500
28-31
€4,850
7
€28,000
32-39
€4,200
8
€21,800
40-55
€3,650
9
€16,800
56-71
€3,200
10-11
€13,500
72-95
€2,800
12-13
€11,400
96-113
€2,450
Day 3 will start tomorrow at noon local time. The tournament will continue in Level 20: 4,000/8,000 with an 8,000 big blind ante, with levels remaining 60 minutes long throughout the day.
Tune back in to the live report tomorrow as the Kings of Tallinn Main Event will get into the business end of things.
Lukas Rodionovas opened to 12,000 under the gun and called when Jonatan Fors three-bet to 33,000 in the next seat over. Rodionovas check-called for 20,000 on the A♣Q♥2♥ flop, after which the 7♠ was turned.
Fors sized up to 60,000, about a third of his stack. He was then quickly put all-in by Rodionovas. Fors eventually found a fold, claiming to have an ace.
Upon hearing this, Rodionovas tabled A♦K♦ for an ace with the best kicker as he stacked up his chips.
Felix Seelentag checked the 5♦8♠J♥9♠ turn over to Davor Pavic. Pavic then made a bet of 34,000 into the pot of 75,000.
Seelentag raised all in, and Pavic made the call for his stack of 140,000 after some time thinking.
Davor Pavic: J♦9♦ Felix Seelentag: A♥A♦
Pavic was in great shape against the aces of Seelentag, but the 5♥ river paired the board to give Seelentag a higher two pair, knocking out his neighbor.
Olaf Larssen raised to 13,000 from middle position. Jesper Hansen then shoved all in for 73,000 from the cutoff before Artem Berliand four-bet his stack of around 200,000 in the middle.
Larssen quickly got out of the way as the other two players revealed their cards.
Jesper Hansen: A♥K♦ Artem Berliand: Q♠Q♦
The classic flip would be decided in Berliand’s favor as the J♣4♠5♠8♣8♦ board remained absent of aces and kings, eliminating Hansen.
With 153 players remaining and 151 in the money, three all-in and calls were announced in the room. Play was immediately halted as the floor went table by table to announce the hands.
The first hand, Kestutis Jungevicius had gone all in preflop for his final few blinds and was called in two spots. Marek Zigel and Mikael Haapaniemi then checked down the 5♦4♣8♣3♣K♠ board, and a showdown was ordered.
Jungevicius tabled A♥J♥ for ace-high and was third-best against the 10♦8♥ of Haapaniemi and A♦K♦ of Zigel. The highroller champion was eliminated and needed to wait for the other all-ins before he knew if he would get a return on his investment.
Kestutis Jungevicius
At another table, a huge pot of more than 250,000 chips had played out between Ahmet Canatan and Enea Subashi. They had arrived at a river of 4♦Q♣2♥K♥10♠ when Subashi committed his stack of 255,000.
Canatan looked him up, and the cards were revealed once the floor arrived. Subashi tabled A♦K♠ for top pair, but it was no good against the 4♠4♣ of Kanatan, who was awarded the huge pot with his set. Subashi made the final table at the Autumn Edition a few months ago but bubbled the event this time around.
Enea Subashi
The third all-in player was Nikolay Ponomarev, who at risk for his stack of 63,000 against Isak Bergstrom on a flop of 2♥6♣8♣.
Nikolay Ponomarev: K♥K♦ Isak Bergstrom: A♣K♣
Bergstrom paired his ace on the A♦ turn, leaving Ponomarev with one out. It did not arrive on the 4♣ river, upgrading Bergstrom to a flush instead.
Nikolay Ponomarev
Ponomarev joined Jungevicius and Subashi at the payout desk as the three players split two min-cashes between them, netting them €1,400 each.
Ahmet Canatan – 800,000 Mikael Haapaniemi – 720,000 Isak Bergstrom – 400,000 Marek Zigel – 360,000 Kestutis Jungevicius – 0 Enea Subashi – 0 Nikolay Ponomarev – 0
Aklilu Laitinen raised to 13,000 in middle position. Kyosti Isberg called in the small blind before Jari Nikunlassi three-bet to 60,000 from the big blind.
Lailinen then moved in, covering both opponents. Isberg called off his stack of 160,000 while Nikunlassi opted to fold and preserve his stack of 18 big blinds.
Kyosti Isberg: A♥K♣ Aklilu Laitinen: 10♠10♣
No ace or king appeared on the 8♦2♥4♦6♠4♥ board to bail Isberg out, and he quickly departed the table.
Catching the action on a turn of 5♠6♣8♠9♦, Mathias Siljander checked out of the big blind to Ted Magnusson in the hijack. Magnusson piled in a bet of 70,000, more than half his stack, sending Siljander into the tank.
Eventually, Siljander put Magnusson all-in for 120,000 total and received a snap-call.
Ted Magnusson: 8♣7♣ Mathias Siljander: 10♠9♠
Magnusson’s straight had a solid lead, but Siljander hit his flush draw on the Q♠ river. The disgruntled Magnusson had no option but to head to the rail only a few spots before the money would be reached.
Lars Olofsson got his stack of 138,000 in preflop from under the gun against Jari Nikunlassi in the big blind.
Lars Olofsson: 7♥7♦ Jari Nikunlassi: A♥A♣
With only ten percent of the field left to go before the money, Olofsson was at risk of losing out. However, the 7♣8♦2♣8♣Q♠ board made him a full house to crack Nikunlassi’s aces and stay in contention.
Steinn Karlsson raised to 8,000 in the hijack. Enae Subshi bumped it up to 27,000 in the small blind, which Karlsson called.
Subashi made a hefty bet of 40,000 on the J♦5♥3♦ flop, and Karlsson looked him up. The 6♦ turn checked through to the K♦ river, where Subashi bet another 40,000.
Karlsson immediately flicked in a calling chip. Subashi tabled K♠K♥ for a rivered set, but Karlsson won the pot with 8♠8♦ for a flush.
Toni Ylitervo had raised preflop from the cutoff, and Tobias Napel had defended his big blind. Napel then checked over to Ylitervo on the Q♠Q♥8♦ flop, after which Ylitervo bet 7,000.
Napel raised to 27,000, quickly getting called by Ylitervo. Napel sized up to 45,000 on the K♣ turn, with Ylitervo putting in another call.
The 7♣ river was checked down. Napel showed J♣7♠ for a rivered pair of sevens but was bested by the A♣8♥ of Ylitervo, who had called down with a pair of eights.
With a sizable pot already in the middle, Jan-Mikael Kesanen made a bet of 42,500 on the 6♣5♠10♠5♣ turn from the small blind. He was then put all-in by Riku Maatta in early position.
Kesanen sighed but decided too much money was in the middle and committed his stack of 135,000.
Jan-Mikael Kesanen: A♥10♣ Riku Maatta: Q♠Q♥
Kesanen still had outs, but they did not come in on the 9♠ river, and he was consequently eliminated from the tournament.
In a pot worth 70,000, Chris Da Silva checked from the big blind on a flop of J♥4♠A♦ Marcel Verheul quickly fired 30,000, which Da Silva called.
The 8♠ then fell on the turn. Da Silva checked over again, after which Verheul swiftly moved all in. Da Silva’s stack of 120,000 was covered, and he went into a deep tank.
“Why do you go all in?” Da Silva asked.
“Because I think I have the best hand,” Verheul replied.
“Will you show if I fold?” Da Silva asked after some more time had passed.
Verheul answered affirmatively and received a fold in response. True to his word, Verheul tabled 6♥2♥ for an insane bluff with six-high and no draws.
“You don’t want to get up,” Verheul revealed as he raked in the pot and increased his already big stack by some more.
A completed board of 8♦7♠10♥A♠2♦ was in front of Tran Xuan and Mikael Haapaniemi in the blinds. Xuan checked over to Haapaniemi, who fired 69,000 into the pot of 90,000.
Xuan spent some minutes in the tank before shoving all in for not much more. Haapaniemi snap-called and tabled J♠9♦ for the nut straight. Xuan’s 10♣7♣ was no good, and he swiftly left the tournament area in search of a new tournament to play.
A massive 1,181 entries have been made in the Kings of Tallinn 10-year anniversary Main Event, making it the largest Kings of Tallinn Main Event ever.
A prize pool of €1,098,330 has been generated, surpassing the ambitious €1,000,000 guarantee. 151 players will get paid at least the min-cash of €2,100, while the eventual champion will walk away with the gargantuan sum of €182,000.
Akseli Hosia raised to 5,000 under the gun. Mirco De Martini then made it 12,500 in middle position, which Mykolas Savickas called cold on the button.
Hosia also came along, and a flop of 2♥Q♥Q♣ was fanned by the dealer. De Martini continued for 10,000, being called by Savickas before Hosia got out of the way.
De Martini slowed down on the 2♠ turn and checked to his opponent. Savickas then bet 15,000, receiving a quick call from De Martini. Savickas doubled his bet to 30,000 on the 7♣ river, again being looked up by De Martini.
Savickas tabled A♥Q♦ for trip queens. De Martini shook his head and sighed as he showed A♠A♦ for a no-good pair of aces and paid his dues to Savickas.
“I’m running too hot,” Savickas concluded as he raked in the chips.
Mykolas Savickas – 350,000 Mirco De Martini – 295,000 Akseli Hosia – 36,000
Nikolay Ponomarev checked out of the small blind in a pot with 75,000 chips in the middle. Joni Rantamaki then bet 20,000 on the 8♣J♠J♥ flop, which Ponomarev called.
Ponomarev also check-called Rantamaki’s bet of 22,000 on the K♣ turn before the 3♣ river went check-check.
Ponomarev tabled A♠A♣ for his second pair of aces in a short time. This time, they brought him the win as Rantamaki nodded and tossed his cards into the muck.
Nikolay Ponomarev – 209,000 Joni Rantamaki – 110,000
Mikko Heikkala opened to 5,000 from early position. Martynas Racinskas three-bet to 13,500 in the next seat over before Roberto Sellitto four-bet to 30,500 in the hijack.
Heikkala quickly got out of the way, but Racinskas announced his all-in. Racinskas covered Sellitto’s stack of 230,000, making the five-bet worth almost 100 big blinds.
Sellitto did not need long before finding a fold, saving himself plenty of chips to play with.
Mikko Heikkala – 31,000 Martynas Racinskas – 290,000 Roberto Selitto – 200,000
Nikolay Ponomarev checked from the small blind on a turn of J♠9♠K♠5♦. Cutoff Bo Sehlstedt made a bet of 28,000 into the pot of 75,000, which Ponomarev called.
The pair checked the 10♣ river down, with Ponomarev tabling A♠A♥ for a pair of aces.
Sehlstedt had K♦J♦, however, and his two pair awarded him the large pot.
Bo Sehlstedt – 412,000 Nikolay Ponomarev – 120,000
Michal Cornak and Peter Rees were battling over a pot of 30,000 when they went to a flop of 10♠9♦2♠. Cornak checked to Rees, who fired a bet of 12,000.
Cornak then put in a small check-raise to 26,000, which Rees called after some thinking time.
The J♣ turn saw Cornak revert to checking, prompting Rees to put his opponent all-in for 55,000. Cornak quickly released his cards, surrendering the pot as Rees’ stack crossed 150 big blinds.
Arriving on a flop of A♣4♣3♥, Karri Jaaskivi checked out of the big blind to Jari Nikunlassi in middle position. Nikunlassi fired a bet of 6,000, which Mykhailo Mikhalov called on the button.
Jaaskivi then made it 16,000 to go, stringing only Nikunlassi along to a J♦ turn. Jaaskivi then put his stack of 45,000 at risk, sending his opponent into the tank.
After a while, Nikunlassi put in a call, and the cards were revealed.
Karri Jaaskivi: 4♦2♥ Jari Nikunlassi: A♠Q♣
The J♣ river did not bail out Jaaskivi’s middle pair, and he headed to the exit after complimenting Nikunlassi’s call.
With 20,000 chips in the middle, Duc Nguyen pushed in his stack of 45,500 from the big blind on a turn of Q♣K♣4♥8♥. He was looked up by fellow Dutchman Marcel Verheul, who covered him by a little bit.
Duc Nguyen: K♠4♣ Marcel Verheul: 9♣8♣
Nguyen’s two pair was up against the pair and flush draw of Verheul. The 2♥ river did not improve Verheul’s hand, seeing the pot shipped to Nguyen.
Steinn Karlsson put in a raise to 3,000 and was three-bet by Christian Hoffmann to 9,000. Enea Subashi then made a tiny four-bet to 16,000, which folded out Karlsson.
Hoffmann quickly put in his stack of 35,500, and Subashi snap-called.
Christian Hoffmann: K♥K♣ Enea Subashi: J♠J♦
Hoffmann’s kings were in no trouble on the Q♠A♦10♠Q♣2♦ board, granting him the double-up.
Joni Rantamaki opened the action with a raise to 3,000 under the gun. Vetle Holum called in middle position, as did big stack Rune Brunes (pictured) in the small blind. Saliba then three-bet to 16,500, which only Rantamaki called.
The Q♣10♣4♦ flop slowed down Saliba, who forewent a continuation-bet and checked instead. Rantamaki made a small bet of 10,000, enough to let Saliba muck her hand and be awarded the pot.
Henry Arnhold raised to 3,500 in middle position. Mantas Liachauskas bumped it up to 10,000, with Arnhold putting in a call.
Arnhold then led out for 15,500 on the K♣7♠6♦ flop, seeing Liachauskas call for about half his stack. Liachauskas tossed in the remaining 20,000 on the 3♣ turn after Arnhold had checked to him.
Arnhold debated for a while but eventually decided the price was too good and made the call.
Mantas Liachauskas: A♠A♣ Henry Arnhold: 10♠10♥
The 8♠ river did not upgrade Arnhold’s tens, seeing the aces of Liachauskas hold for a full double-up.
Mantas Liachauskas – 95,000 Henry Arnhold – 75,000
An eventful day at Olympic Park Casino brought the 113 players who returned for Day 3 of the €1,100 Kings of Tallinn Main Event down to the final table of nine. After 12 hours of play, Kaspars Butans bagged the chip lead as the lion’s share of the €1,098,330 prize pool will be divided tomorrow.
Not much is known about Butans, although his rail could be overheard today stating that Butans “plays online 24/7” and “wins everything”. Time will tell if “everything” includes the tenth-anniversary Kings of Tallin Main Event, which would net Butans the top prize of €182,000.
Kaspars Butans
Butans ended Day 3 with 6,400,000 in chips, good for 80 big blinds when the final table commences tomorrow. Ahmet Canatan sits in second place with 5,230,000 and is looking for his second trophy this week after shipping the €555 Championship for a career-best €66,050. If Canatan finishes third or higher in the Main Event, he will once again claim a new high score.
Estonia still has two horses in the race with Igor Pihela Jr. (4,040,000) and Priit Parmasto (2,840,000). Pihela Jr. is known for traveling the European circuit with his father and would need to finish sixth for a new all-time best score. Meanwhile, Parmasto can become the first-ever two-time Kings of Tallinn champion, having shipped the Main Event in 2023 for €97,400.
Priit Parmasto
Meanwhile, English grinder and friend of poker.pro Chris Da Silva will start the final table as the shortest stack as he is looking to add to his seven figures in lifetime earnings, although with 1,500,000 in chips, he will still have plenty of maneuverability.
Final Table Seat Draw and Chip Counts
Seat
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Chris Da Silva
United Kingdom
1,500,000
19
2
Eldars Sadih-Zade
Latvia
3,400,000
43
3
Kaspars Butans
Latvia
6,400,000
80
4
Igor Pihela Jr.
Estonia
4,040,000
51
5
Mounir Tajiou
Sweden
4,890,000
61
6
Priit Parmasto
Estonia
2,840,000
36
7
Isak Bergstrom
Sweden
4,330,000
54
8
Pasi Laihinen
Finland
2,735,000
34
9
Ahmet Canatan
Denmark
5,230,000
65
Day 3 Action
The day started with 113 of the record-breaking 1,181 entries returning with hopes of making the final table. However, only nine spots were available, thus, many big names had to leave throughout the day.
Elias Suhonen (110th – €2,450) was one of the first eliminations of the day. Ryan Mandara squeaked in the top 100 but finished in 93rd for €2,800. Tommi Lankinen received the same amount for his 81st place, while former champions Juha Helppi (66th) and Mathias Siljander (58th) got a pay jump to €3,200.
Kai Lehto would soon make Parmasto the only Main Event champion left standing as he fell in 41st for €3,650. Eventually, Sebastian Wahl (29th – €5,100) and Finnish poker legend Ilari Sahamies (26th – €5,600) fell just a few spots away from making the three-table redraw.
Ilari Sahamies
Oleh Pritsak was Ukraine’s final hope but was eliminated in 24th place for €5,600, while Italy and Poland also lost their last representatives at the final three tables in Mirco De Martini (22nd – €6,500) and Piotr Sztenkiel (18th – €7,500). Start-of-day chipleader Mikael Haapaniemi then finished in 17th for €8,515 to set up the final two tables.
Irishman Michael Dwyer (16th – €8,515) was the first to depart from the final two tables, which is also where Iceland’s Steinn Karlsson (13th – €11,400) and France’s Thomas De Leiris (11th – €13,500) met their end. The clock had just struck midnight when Robertas Smolskis (10th – €13,500) lost his all-in flip against Tajiou, eliminating the final Lithuanian from the tournament and declaring Smolskis the official final table bubble.
Michael Dwyer
The final nine will return at noon local time tomorrow to battle for the title. They have guaranteed themselves a payday of at least €16,800, which is already some players’ best-ever performance. However, alluring six-figure prizes are only reserved for the final two players.
Final Table Payouts
Place
Prize
1
€182,000
2
€115,000
3
€80,000
4
€61,000
5
€47,000
6
€36,500
7
€28,000
8
€21,800
9
€16,800
The final table will start with almost the entirety of Level 20: 40,000/80,000 (80,000) still to play. The levels will be 60 minutes long throughout the final table, with a break scheduled after every two.
Becoming a Kings of Tallinn Main Event champion is what dreams are made of, and one player’s dream will become a reality tomorrow. Tune back in then to not miss the thrilling conclusion of the biggest-ever Kings of Tallinn Main Event.
Robertas Smolskis raised to 200,000 in the cutoff before being put all-in for 900,000 by Mounir Tajiou in the small blind. Smolskis tanked for a minute or so before he sighed and called for his tournament life.
Robertas Smolskis: K♥Q♥ Mounir Tajiou: 6♦6♣
Smolskis did not improve on the A♣3♣10♣9♦8♥ board. He finished in tenth place and became the final table bubble as the remaining nine players bagged up for the final day.
Thomas De Leiris open-shipped for 635,000 on the button and was called by Pasi Laihinen in the small blind.
Thomas De Leiris: A♣6♥ Pasi Laihinen: K♦Q♠
Laihinen paired up on the J♠J♥K♣ flop, gaining a significant lead. De Leiris needed an ace, but none came on the 7♥ turn or 9♣ river.
De Leiris finished in 11th place, leaving the Main Event on the final table bubble. Once the final table has been reached, play will conclude for the night.
Kaspars Butans raised his small blind to 180,000 and was called by Mounir Tajiou in the big blind.
Butans continued for 180,000 on the 3♦4♥5♦ flop, which Tajiou raised to 525,000. Butans put in a call to the 9♥ turn, where Tajiou sized up to 725,000.
Butans check-called before the 2♠ river was checked by both.
Butans tabled 9♠7♥ for a pair of nines, but was barely outkicked by the 9♦8♦ of Tajiou, who was resultingly shipped the pot.
Kaspars Butans raised to 120,000 under the gun. Ludvig Sterner then moved his 1,035,000 chips in the middle on the button. Butans asked for a count and called once he heard the correct number.
Ludvig Sterner: K♦Q♣ Kaspars Butans: 9♥9♣
The A♠5♣10♣ flop brought Sterner some extra outs, but neither his gutshot nor his pairs appeared on the 4♠8♠ runout, sending him home in 12th.
Elvijs Kergalvis opened to 120,000 as first to act. Isak Bergstrom then made it 350,000 to go from the small blind, after which Kergalvis moved in for 1,120,000.
Bergstrom sighed but tossed in a quick call, leading to a showdown.
Elvijs Kergalvis: A♣K♦ Isak Bergstrom: A♥Q♥
Kergalvis was in a great spot to double up, but Bergstrom flopped Broadway on J♠K♥10♠. The 9♦ turn left Kergalvis only with chop outs, which did not arrive on the 4♠ river, eliminating him instead.
Kaspars Butans raised to 100,000 under the gun. Chris Da Silva flat-called in middle position before Marek Zigel went all in for 575,000 from the small blind.
Butans rejammed, forcing Da Silva to fold after some thinking time.
Marek Zigel: A♠9♦ Kaspars Butans: A♣K♦
The 7♠Q♥3♥Q♣ turn provided Zigel with some chop outs, but it was not to be on the 6♥ river, which sent him to the rail instead.
Ludvig Sterner put in a continuation-bet of 75,000 on a flop of 6♠9♦6♦ against Chris Da Silva in the big blind. Da Silva then check-raised all in for 895,000, sending Sterner into the tank.
After a few minutes, Sterner put in a call to put Da Silva at risk.
Chris Da Silva: 7♥7♦ Ludvig Sterner: A♥K♣
Sterner could not pair his hole cards on the 4♠9♠ runout. The pot was sent to Da Silva’s sevens as he doubled up and left Sterner with less than 15 big blinds.
Chris Da Silva – 2,065,000 Ludvig Sterner – 720,000
Steinn Karlsson raised to 100,000 in the cutoff and was three-bet to 260,000 by Eldars Sadih-Zade on the button. Karlsson put in a call to the Q♣J♠9♣ flop, where he check-called Sadih-Zade’s bet of 200,000.
Sadih-Zade then jammed all in for 1,310,000 on the 6♥ turn. Karlsson spent a while in the tank but eventually check-called with the covering stack.
Eldars Sadih-Zade: K♦10♣ Steinn Karlsson: A♠Q♠
Karlsson was already drawing dead against the straight of Sadih-Zade. The 3♠ river did not matter as Sadih-Zade booked a big double-up, leaving his opponent with 13 big blinds.
Big blind Michael Dwyer led all-in for his last 250,000 on a flop of J♦9♦J♣ and was called by Pasi Laihinen in the hijack.
Michael Dwyer: 10♠8♠ Pasi Laihinen: A♦Q♦
The A♠ turn took some of Dwyer’s outs away, while the 8♦ river sealed the deal for the Irishman. He was the first elimination from the final two tables, leaving 15 players in contention.
Ludvig Sterner raised to 100,000 under the gun. Mikael Haapaniemi then three-bet to 240,000 in the hijack before Igor Pihela Jr. bumped it up to 450,000.
Sterner quickly got out of the way, but Haapaniemi jammed his stack of 2,200,000 in the middle. Pihela Jr. snap-called with the covering stack, tabling the cards.
Mikael Haapaniemi: Q♠Q♣ Igor Pihela Jr.: A♦A♣
Haapaniemi’s ladies stood no chance against Pihela Jr.’s aces on the 5♦5♣10♠7♥K♥ runout. The pot of nearly 100 big blinds was shipped to the Estonian, while Haapaniemi had to make do with a 17th-place finish after starting the day as chipleader.
Igor Pihela Jr. – 4,800,000 Ludvig Sterner – 1,500,000 Mikael Haapaniemi – 0
Mairo Tori final blinds flew in on from the big blind on a flop of 5♦7♦K♠, up against Ludvig Sterner in the hijack.
Mairo Tori: J♦10♦ Ludvig Sterner: K♥Q♥
Tori needed to hit a diamond to stay alive, but neither the 3♣ turn nor 2♥ river brought him one. He said his goodbyes and left to collect his 19th-place payout.
A pot of roughly 700,000 had been built between Piotr Sztenkiel in the big blind and Elvijs Kergalvis under the gun. Kergalvis then got his last 540,000 in on a turn of 9♣Q♣6♦2♦ and was quickly looked up by Sztenkiel.
Elvijs Kergalvis: A♥Q♥ Piotr Sztenkiel: Q♠2♠
Sztenkiel was in the lead with his two pair, but the 9♦ river nullified his deuce. Kergalvis won the pot with his ace kicker, doubling up and leaving Sztenkiel with around 25 big blinds.
Elvijs Kergalvis – 1,780,000 Piotr Sztenkiel – 925,000
Ignas Jasinevicius was down to just a few big blinds, which he tossed in under the gun. It folded to Eldars Sadih-Zade in the big blind, who stuck in a call.
Ignas Jasinevicius: A♥8♠ Eldars Sadih-Zade: J♥6♥
Sadih-Zade flopped trips on J♠4♦J♣ to take an enormous lead. The 6♠ turn left Jasinevicius without outs, making the A♦ nothing but some salt in his wound as he exited in 20th place.
Eldars Sadih-Zade: 2,350,000 Ignas Jasinevicius: 0
Yaniv Peretz in the cutoff had gotten his last chips in on either the flop or turn on the 4♠3♣K♣10♣8♣ board. He had been called by Ahmet Canatan in the big blind, who covered his stack.
Peretz tabled A♥K♦ for top pair, but it lost against the K♠3♠ of Canatan, who had flopped two pair and took Peretz for his last penny.
Mirco De Martini in the big blind and Steinn Karlsson under the gun had reached a river of 4♥9♣5♣Q♥K♥. With around 1,200,000 already in the pot, De Martini shoved all in for about 1,100,000.
Karlsson only had a little less than that and called off after some time in the tank. De Martini could only show A♠6♠ for ace-high, while Karlsson tabled K♣J♦ for top pair, scooping the big pot and leaving De Martini with just 55,000
De Martini tossed those chips in from the small blind one hand later and was looked up by Karlsson once more.
Mirco De Martini: 10♠4♦ Steinn Karlsson: Q♦6♦
The board ran out J♠Q♠7♦5♦J♣. Karlsson paired his queen and sent De Martini packing in 22nd place.
Mirco De Martini raised to 60,000 under the gun. Kaspar Butans then made it 170,000 to go on the button, which De Martini clicked back to 400,000.
Butans bumped it up further to 800,000, with De Martini sticking in a call. Butans continued for 450,000 on the 7♣3♥J♣ flop, and De Martini check-called.
Butans then shoved all in on the 8♥ turn, sending De Martini into a tank of several minutes. Eventually, the Italian gave up his hand and surrendered the humongous pot to Butans.
Kaspar Butans – 4,500,000 Mirco De Martini – 1,765,000
Ludvig Sterner opened the action with a raise under the gun. Igor Pihela Jr. then made it 200,000 to go in the cutoff, which Sterner clicked back to 470,000.
Pihela Jr. quickly moved in for 1,325,000 and was snap-called by Sterner.
Igor Pihela Jr.: Q♠Q♦ Ludvig Sterner: A♥K♠
The [invalid notations]5s8d6h3c4s[/pcn board failed to give Sterner a pair, granting Pihela Jr. a massive double-up.
Ludvig Sterner – 1,100,000 Igor Pihela Jr. – 2,725,000
Oleh Pritsak raised to 60,000 in early position. Ahmet Canatan then three-bet to 185,000 from the small blind, after which Pritsak jammed all-in for 1,100,000.
Canatan snap-called, covering the Ukrainian by a bit.
Oleh Pritsak: A♣K♥ Ahmet Canatan: Q♠Q♣
It was a huge flip, and Canatan would be declared the victor when the 6♦3♥10♥9♦2♥ board left Pritsak without a pair, sending him home.
Picking up the action on the 2♠4♥5♠9♣ turn in a blind-on-blind battle between Ludvig Sterner and Benjamin Gros, Sterner over-bet 200,000 into the pot of 175,000 and Gros put in a call.
The 9♦ river then completed the board. Sterner put Gross all-in for 400,000 and received a quick call from the Frenchman. Sterner tabled A♥A♦ for an overpair, besting the [Kd4c[/pcn] of Gros and sending him to the rail.
Aklilu Laitinen made it 30,000 to go on the button, calling when Andres Loiv three-bet to 115,000 in the small blind.
The flop fell 3♦7♣10♣. Loiv continued for 30,000, which Latinen raised to 400,000. Loiv then shoved all in for 600,000, with Laitinen making a quick call.
Andres Loiv: Q♠Q♥ Aklilu Laitinen: K♣5♣
Laitinen had an overcard and a flush draw against the queens of Loiv. The A♥ turn did not help Laitinen, but the 3♣ river did, making him a flush. He eliminated Loiv in a huge pot and soared up the ranks as his stack eclipsed 100 big blinds.
Heppu Simola raised to 30,000 in the hijack and was three-bet to 75,000 by Mikael Haapaniemi in the cutoff. Button Kristian Kostiander then bumped it up to 200,000, folding out Simola.
It was not enough for Haapaniemi, however, who five-bet all in, covering Kostiander’s stack of 725,000. Kostiander spent some time in the tank but eventually found a fold.
Mikael Haapaniemi – 2,390,000 Heppu Simola – 720,000 Kristian Kostiander – 525,000
Mehdi Saidi checked out of the big blind on a turn of A♠7♦K♦9♣. Artem Berliand then bet 77,000 into the pot of 120,000 under the gun, which Saidi called.
The 10♣ fell on the river, prompting Saidi to move his stack of 195,000 in the middle. Berliand found a quick fold and the pot was shipped to Frenchman.
Priit Parmasto raised to 30,000 preflop and called when Mikael Haapaniemi three-bet to 77,000. Parmasto check-called Haapaniemi’s continuation-bet of 40,000 on the Q♦2♥6♣ flop before both players checked the J♦ turn.
This prompted Parmasto to bet 47,000 on the 6♥ river. Haapaniemi assembled a large raise and put Parmasto all-in for 367,000 in total. Parmasto quickly let go of his hand, surrendering the pot to the start-of-day chipleader.
Mikael Haapaniemi – 1,900,000 Priit Parmasto – 320,000
Stein Pedersen moved all in for 139,000 from middle position. Steinn Karlsson looked him up in the next seat over before the rest of the table got out of the way.
Stein Pedersen: K♦J♣ Steinn Karlsson: A♦9♦
Neither player received help from the Q♣5♦7♥5♠4♥ board, resulting in Pedersen’s exit from the Main Event.
With 130,000 in the middle, small blind Robbie Schiffbauer got his 210,000 chips in on a flop of 10♣7♠K♠ against Igor Pihela Jr. under the gun.
Robbie Schiffbauer: K♥Q♠ Igor Pihela Jr.: 9♠8♠
Pihela Jr. had a plethora of outs to hit against the top pair of Schiffbauer. The 2♦ turn was not one of them, but the 3♠ river brought him a flush to win the pot and eliminate the only American left in the field.
Igor Pihela Jr. – 1,085,000 Robbie Schiffbauer – 0
Picking up the action on a completed board of 6♦4♣8♠8♦Q♥, Mathias Siljander made a bet of 350,000 from the small blind into a pot of 310,000.
Mirco De Martini sat in middle position and thought for a bit before flicking in a calling chip.
Siljander showed 10♦9♥ for just ten-high, meaning De Martini’s K♠K♣ won him the pot. De Martini crossed the two-million mark, ending up with nearly four times the average stack.
Mirco De Martini – 2,120,000 Mathias Siljander – 180,000
Kristian Kostiander raised to 25,000 in middle position. 2023 Kings of Tallinn champion Priit Parmasto then shoved all in for 191,000 from the small blind, quickly getting called by Kostiander.
Priit Parmasto: Q♠Q♥ Kristian Kostiander: 9♠9♥
Parmasto’s ladies comfortably held throughout the 4♠4♦A♠K♣5♦ runout to double him up.
Priit Parmasto – 406,000 Kristian Kostiander- 220,000
Veikka Keto-Tokoi open-jammed his remaining 110,000 chips from the cutoff. Juha Helppi reshoved from the small blind, after which Olli Muukkonen called off for 80,000 in the big blind.
Olli Muukkonen: A♥J♦ Veikka Keto-Tokoi: J♠10♥ Juha Helppi: K♠K♥
Keto-Tokoi flopped a pair on 9♠10♠3♥ for some outs, while Muukkonen turned the best hand on A♣. The Q♦ helped no player, declaring Muukkonen the victor and eliminating Keto-Tokoi.
Olli Muukkonen – 252,000 Juha Helppi – 135,000 Veikka Keto-Tokoi – 0
Sebastian Wahl open-raised from the hijack, and Ilari Sahamies three-bet to 65,000 on the button. Wahl put in a call and checked the 4♦2♠7♠ flop to his opponent.
Sahamies bet 45,000, about a quarter of his stack, prompting Wahl to move all in. Sahamies snap-folded his hand, leaving himself with just over 13 big blinds.
Kristian Aksnes opened from the cutoff when Tommi Lankinen pushed in 120,000 from the big blind. Aksnes snap-called, and the cards were tabled.
Tommi Lankinen: A♣3♠ Kristian Aksnes: K♠J♥
Aksnes flopped Lankinen near-dead on 4♠K♣K♦, with the 9♦ turn sealing the deal. The A♠ river gave Lankinen a meaningless pair, but it was not enough to prevent his elimination.
Picking up the action on a turn of 4♦2♥8♥J♥, Albert Ostrovskij made a pot-sized bet of 120,000 from the small blind. Thomas De Leiris called in the big blind, as did Michael Dwyer in the hijack.
Ostrovskij slowed down on the 5♣ turn and checked to De Leiris. De Leiris then fired 300,000, folding out both opponents.
Thomas De Leiris – 1,100,000 Michael Dwyer – 785,000 Albert Ostrovskij – 386,000
Sauli Haapaniemi and Thomas De Leiris had played a hand up until the 7♦K♣2♣10♦10♥ river. With about 150,000 in the pot, Haapanieimi checked from the big blind to De Leiris in middle position, who put his opponent all-in for around 140,000.
Haapanieimi went deep into the tank before calling off for his tournament life. He tabled K♠Q♣ for top pair, but De Leiris had rivered trips with Q♦10♥ to win the pot and eliminate Haapaniemi from the Main Event.
Osku Karttunen raised to 16,000 from middle position. Marko Tiitsaar then jammed his stack of 140,000 in the middle, which Karttunen called after getting a count.
Marko Tiitsaar: 10♥10♦ Osku Karttunen: 7♠7♣
The board ran out an uneventful 8♠2♦3♣Q♣3♠, doubling up Tiitsaar with his superior pair.
Erik Risberg had called all-in after an open from Stefan Galic in early position and a flat from Roman Isaienko on the button.
Galic and Isaienko then checked through the 3♠5♣4♣10♥7♦ board, and the trio showed down.
Galic had king-high with K♥J♥, while Risberg played ace-high with his A♦9♦. Isaeinko had the best hand with A♠Q♠, however, and took down the pot to eliminate Risberg.
Roman Isaeinko – 460,000 Stefan Galic – 220,000 Erik Risberg – 0
Marek Zigel had put in a squeeze to 55,000 from the big blind, which only Veikka Keto-Tokoi called, on the button.
Zigel checked the [invalid notations] turn saw Keto-Tokoi move all of his 165,000 chips in. Zigel gave it some thought but ultimately check-folded. Keto-Tokoi breathed a sigh of relief as he tabled 6♠6♥.
Martin Bjerrum open-jammed for 82,000 under the gun and was called by Pasi Sormunen on the button.
Martin Bjerrum: K♣Q♥ Pasi Sormunen: A♥Q♠
Bjerrum was dominated and drawing dead after the A♦8♠Q♣A♣ turn made Sormunen a full house. The K♥ river was not enough to save Bjerrum, who was one of the first exits on Day 3.
Four days ago, Ahmet Canatan was the final player standing in the second-biggest tournament of Kings of Tallinn, the €555 Championship, to win his first Kings of Tallinn trophy. Today, at noon local time, Canatan will return to Olympic Park Casino for Day 3 of the record-breaking €1,100 Main Event as one of the chipleaders, looking to take down the biggest event as well.
Ahmet Canatan
The Main Event’s seven-figure guarantee drew a bumper crowd to Estonia, with 1,181 entries on the clock at the end of late registration. Only 113 of them have made it to the third day, with Canatan having the fourth-largest stack in his bag. He will sit down with 951,000 chips, equaling 119 big blinds at the start of play. Canatan is only eight big blinds behind chipleader Mikael Haapaniemi, who gathered the only seven-figure stack of 1,015,000 on Day 2. Aklilu Laitinen and Yaniv Peretz sit in between Canatan and Haapaniemi, while Michael Dwyer rounds out the top five, trailing a bit with his stack of 837,000.
Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Day 3 Big Blinds
1
Mikael Haapaniemi
Finland
1,015,000
127
2
Aklilu Laitinen
Finland
976,000
122
3
Yaniv Peretz
Latvia
967,000
121
4
Ahmet Canatan
Denmark
951,000
119
5
Michael Dwyer
Ireland
837,000
105
6
Mirco De Martini
Italy
825,000
103
7
Isak Bergstrom
Sweden
677,000
85
8
Piotr Sztenkiel
Poland
650,000
81
9
Jevgeni Voitovits
Estonia
617,000
77
10
Olaf Larssen
Norway
611,000
76
Plenty of other notables are still in contention for the €182,000 top prize. Mathias Siljander (511,000), Juha Helppi (511,000), and Kai Lehto (221,000) are still in the race to become the first-ever two-time Kings of Tallinn champion. Among the Estonians looking to keep the trophy on home soil are Igor Pihela Jr. (577,000), Priit Parmasto (297,000), Stanislav Smeljov (167,000), and Mauri Dorbek (144,000).
Mauri Dorbek
All of them are guaranteed to walk away with €2,450, but all eyes will be on the five- and six-figure prizes of the final table as the tournament progresses deeper and deeper today.
Remaining Payouts
Place
Prize
Place
Prize
1
€182,000
14-15
€9,800
2
€115,000
16-17
€8,515
3
€80,000
18-20
€7,500
4
€61,000
21-23
€6,500
5
€47,000
24-27
€5,600
6
€36,500
28-31
€4,850
7
€28,000
32-39
€4,200
8
€21,800
40-55
€3,650
9
€16,800
56-71
€3,200
10-11
€13,500
72-95
€2,800
12-13
€11,400
96-113
€2,450
The tournament will resume in Level 20: 4,000/8,000 (8,000). Each level will last for 60 minutes, and a break is scheduled after every two levels. An exact plan for today has not been announced yet, but the expectation is that only one or two tables will remain at the penultimate day’s end.
Stay tuned as the live reporting will continue to provide highlights from the largest-ever Kings of Tallinn Main Event.
Kaspars Butans 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event Winner
Kaspars Butans started the final day as the chip leader, stayed the course, and got the job done at the final table in style. After an intense battle, he defeated Mounir Tajiou heads-up to claim the crown of the 2025 Kings of Tallinn and a massive €182,000 first-place prize.
The heads-up showdown between Butans and Tajiou felt well deserved, as both players spent most of the final table at or near the top of the leaderboard. However, their paths to the final battle were vastly different. Tajiou thrived on aggression and seeing many flops, while Butans played a patient, calculated game, picking his spots wisely.
Despite starting the heads-up match almost as a 2:1 underdog, Butans landed the first and second big blows, leaving Tajiou unable to recover.
The final hand saw Butans setting a perfect trap, just calling on the button with pocket queens. His plan worked as Tajiou shoved all-in with ace-jack suited, and Butans snap-called. The board completely missed Tajiou, and with that, Kaspars Butans lifted the trophy as the 2025 King of Tallinn, securing a career-defining victory and the €182,000 grand prize!
Kaspars Butans set a trap with Q♦Q♣, just completing from the button instead of raising. But the move might not have been necessary, as Mounir Tajiou looked down at A♠J♠ and shoved all-in regardless. Butans snap-called, and just like that, the 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event was on the verge of its final moment.
Tajiou needed spades, jacks, or aces to connect with a flop and stay alive, but the dealer opened up a dry 10♠5♦8♥ board.
The turn brought 10♥, and Tajiou was down to only three outs.
The river 4♥ sealed his fate, and Mounir Tajiou finished as the runner-up, collecting €115,000 – his biggest career score.
With that, Kaspars Butans was crowned the 2025 King of Tallinn, taking home a record-breaking €182,000 first-place prize and etched his name into Kings of Tallinn history!
Mounir Tajiou completed on the button with 7♣2♣, and Kaspars Butans checked his option with 8♣6♣.
Commentators in the booth wanted action clubs, and that’s exactly what they got on the 7♦J♣3♣ flop. Butans led out with a min-bet of 300,000, only to see Tajiou raise to 1.2 million. Butans called, and a possible cooler was brewing.
The 4♣ on the turn completed both flushes, but Butans had the hand locked with a higher one. He checked, letting Tajiou fire 1.8 million into 3.3 million. Butans smooth-called, presumably setting a trap.
The 4♥ river paired the board, and Butans checked once again. Tajiou bet big again, thinking his flush was good. Butans could have ended it right here with a shove, but instead, decided to just call and rake the biggest pot of the day.
Kaspars Butans opted for the usual min-raise with A♦8♥, and Mounir Tajiou called with 6♣4♥.
Tajiou hit a bottom pair on the flop of 5♣9♣4♦ and both players checked.
On the turn of 4♠ Tajiou already had the pot locked up. The only question was how much he could extract from Butans. The Swede bet 700,000 into a 1,500,000 pot, and with not much hesitation, Butans made the call.
The river was a scary looking K♠, and Tajiou fired an overbet of 3.1 million into 2.9 million pot. Butans went into the tank, but it looked like his plan was to call. Eventually, he did, and his a-high quickly went into the much.
With this big pot, Tajiou closed the gap and leveled the playing field.
Kaspars Butans completed his button with 9♣2♥, and Mounir Tajiou agreed to see the flop with Q♠8♦.
The dealer opened 2♠9♠J♥, giving Butans two pair and Tajiou an open-ended straight draw. Butans led out for 250,000, but Tajiou raised to 750,000, which Latvian quickly covered.
The turn brought a K♥, and Tajiou made a hefty bet of 1,800,000 into 2,100,000 pot. Butans gave it a thought and eventually made a call.
The river was a complete blank of 4♣, and Tajiou stayed true to his aggressive form, this time betting 1.9 million into a 5.8 million pot. Butans insta-called and scooped up a nearly 10 million chip pot, taking a chip lead in this heads-up match.
Kaspars Butans min-raised on the button with 9♣7♣ and Mounir Tajiou, keeping his aggressive image, three-bet with Q♥6♦ to 1,300,000. Butans made the call to see the flop.
A good flop for the Latvian on 9♦J♣8♠ board. Tajiou sized a big bet of 1.5 million into a 2.8 million pot, but Butans has no problem calling.
Board pairing on J♠ turn makes Butans’ hand even stronger, and Tajiou decided to check. Butans bet 1.2 million and this time, Tajiou didn’t stick around to see the river.
After an intense final table battle, Mounir Tajiou and Kaspars Butans are the last two standing in the record-breaking 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event. They are fighting for the €182,000 first-place prize, the prestigious trophy, and the honor of being crowned the King of Tallinn.
Both players have been among the chip leaders for most of the final table, but their paths to the heads-up ave been vastly different. Tajiou has dominated with relentless aggression, accumulating a massive 22,000,000 in chips, while Butans with 13,000,000, has been picking his spots wisely.
Mounir Tajiou opened the action from the button to 500,000 with A♣Q♠, and Pasi Laihinen looked down at Q♥J♦ in the small blind. Knowing how aggressive Tajiou has played so far and him having an overwhelming chip lead, Laihinen had an easy three-bet shove, and for Tajiou, the call was even easier.
It was pretty much game over on the flop already, as the Swede hit trips on a board of A♦A♠4♣.
The 4♥ on the turn sealed the deal, and Laihinen was drawing dead.
Despite the exit, it was a great run for the Finish player, who was on the verge of elimination in eighth place but hit a crucial two outer on the flop to stay alive. This time however, no luck for Laihinen, who will take home €80,000 for his third-place finish in the record-breaking 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event.
Kaspars Butans opened the pot with J♥8♥ to 500,000 and Pasi Laihinen added 250,000 on the big blind with Q♣9♣.
The flop of K♠9♦J♣ paired both. Butans was well ahead with a middle pair, while Laihinen sported the bottom pair. Both players opted for a check.
The 7♥ didn’t change much, but Butans wanted to extract some value with his jack and bet 650,000 into 1.4 million. Laihinen called.
The river 7♦ brought another seven and this time Butans checked back, happy with scooping a 2.7 million pot, while Laihinen entered the danger zone with only 15 big blinds left.
Kaspars Butans – 9,600,000 Pasi Laihinen – 3,900,000
After a quiet stretch, Kaspars Butans came to life after he picked up J♥J♣ on the button. Mounir Tajiou, who has been involved in nearly every big pot, found another strong hand with A♥Q♣ and three-bet to 1.2 million. Butans took his time, tanking for a couple of minutes before opting to just call, creating a 2.8 million pot.
The dealer spread a 3♠J♠7♣ board for Butan’s set of jacks. Tajiou was first to act and checked, while Butans responded with a 550,000 bet, which Tajiou called without hesitation.
The K♥ landed on the turn, and Tajiou snap-called a 1.6 million bet with just an ace-high.
The 5♣ river changed nothing, and Butans went for maximum value, shoving all-in for 5.3 million into a 7 million pot.
This sent Tajiou deep into the tank, searching for an excuse to make a hero call. After several minutes, he ultimately let it go.
Pasi Laihinen min-raised on the button with A♣5♠, and Mounir Tajiou defended his big blind with 10♣6♣.
The 3♠J♣7♦ flop missed both players, and both quickly checked.
The 7♣ turn gave Tajiou a flush draw, but again, both players checked.
Tajiou got there on the river with 4♣, but not much was expected as he fired a 750,000 bet into a 1.1 million pot.
Laihinen saw an opportunity to represent the nut flush with A♣ in his hand and raised to 2 million. A bad timing for the Finn as Tajiou eventually made a call and was shown the good news for a massive chip lead. The Swede now holds more chips than both of his opponents combined.
Mounir Tajiou – 19,000,000 Pasi Laihinen – 8,000,000
With just three players left, the battle for the €182,000 first-place prize is heating up. Mounir Tajiou holds a commanding chip lead over Pasi Laihinen and Kaspars Butans, but with deep stacks all around, it’s still anybody’s game.
Short-stacked but still holding 17 big blinds, Igor Pihela Jr. opened the pot to 400,000 with 7♦7♣. Right behind him, the unstoppable Mounir Tajiou three-bet to 1.1 million with A♣10♦.
Pihela Jr. saw no other option and shoved all-in for 3.4 million, putting his tournament life on the line. Tajiou called rather quickly, and they were off to the races.
The A♠K♥K♠ flop was a disaster for the last remaining Estonian, as Tajiou paired his ace to take a commanding lead. The J♥ turn left Pihela Jr. needing one of the two remaining sevens to survive.
The 4♠ river changed nothing, and Pihela Jr. finished the 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event in fourth place, pocketing €61,000 for his deep run. Interestingly, his father, Igor Pihela Sr., also made a final table today, finishing eight in the €3,000 NLH event for €7,100.
Pasi Laihinen opened the action from the cutoff to 200,000 with A♥Q♦, and Mounir Tajiou defended his big blind with 6♥4♠.
Another flop of 2♣4♣2♦ went Tajiou’s way, who check-raised to 800,000 after a 300,000 continuation bet from Laihinen. Laihinen made the call.
The A♠ turn was a big card for Laihinen, and Tajiou fired 1.2 million into a 2.7 million pot, and Laihinen wasn’t going anywhere, making the call.
The 10♥ river didn’t change much, and Tajiou finally slowed down with a check. Laihinen went with a small bet of 300,000 and Tajiou was curious enough to pay, mucking his lower two pair.
Mounir Tajiou – 14,000,000 Pasi Laihinen – 9,300,000
Mounir Tajiou continued taking advantage of his big stack, this time opening to 200,000 from early position with J♣8♣. Right behind him, Anton Bergström three-bet to 1,200,000 with K♦Q♥, and Tajiou, feeling he couldn’t miss today, made the call.
The 3♠J♠10♣ flop was another action-packed one at the 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event as Tajiou flopped top pair and Bergström had an open-ended straight draw. With a 3.7 million in the pot, Bergström fired 850,000, leaving himself with just 3 million behind.
That didn’t matter much to Tajiou, who check-raised all-in, putting his fellow countryman to the test for his tournament life. After a quick double-check of his cards, Bergström made the call.
The 2♣ turn gave Tajiou a flush draw, reducing Bergström’s outs to just ten cards.
The river 9♣ completed the flush, sealing another knockout for Tajiou, crushing the final table. Anton Bergström exits in fifth place, taking home €47,000 for his deep run, as Tajiou extends his already commanding chip lead.
The five remaining players are now on a 20-minute break. When they return, the blinds will increase to 100,000/200,000 with a 100,000 ante as Level 34 gets underway.
Mounir Tajiou once again found himself at the center of the action, opening Q♦J♦ from the cutoff to 300,000. On the big blind, Eldars Sadih-Zade picked up a monster with K♠K♦ and, after a moment of thought, three-bet to 800,000. Tajiou made the call for 500,000 more.
The dealer felted an A♦2♦8♠ flop and Sadih-Zade didn’t slow down with an overcard and continued for 600,000. Tajiou wasn’t convinced and shoved all-in, putting the Latvian at risk. After a brief tank, Sadih-Zade correctly called and was hoping to hold.
The 2♠ turn was a blank, leaving Tajiou with seven outs. The 5♦ river did hit, crushing Sadih-Zade’s hopes and sending him home in 6th place with €36,500 in his pockets for the deep run in the 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event. With this knockout, Tajiou is flying, running great, and now sports an eight-figure chip stack.
In a clash between the two shortest stacks, Eldars Sadih-Zade opened the action to 300,000 from under the gun with A♠Q♥, holding just 1.3 million behind. In the big blind, Benyamin Canatan defended with K♣5♦, covering his opponent by just a few chips.
It was an action-inducing flop of K♥10♥7♥ with Canatan flopping top pair, but Sadih-Zade held a gutshot, a flush draw, and an overcard, making him the statistical favorite. Sadih-Zade led for 250,000, and Canatan shoved all-in. Snap-call from Sadih-Zade who was now at risk of being eliminated.
However, the 8♥ on the turn completed the flush, leaving Canatan with less than a small blind, all but sealing his fate.
He was forced all-in on the very next hand with 8♣4♠ and faced Mounir Tajiou’s 9♠7♠. Canatan flopped top pair on 8♥7♦5♥, keeping his chip-and-a-chair dream alive for a moment.
But the 7♥ turn crushed those hopes, giving Tajiou trips and locking up the hand. The river was a blank, and Benyamin Canatan finished the 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event in seventh place, while Mounir Tajiou extended his chip lead at the top.
Chip leader Anton Bergström min-raised from under the gun with A♣6♣, and Mounir Tajiou defended his big blind with a dominant A♦J♣.
The A♥10♦7♦ flop gave both Swedes top pair, but Tajiou had the better kicker. Bergström continued for 200,000, and Tajiou made the call.
The A♠ on the turn brought the last ace in the deck, spelling trouble for Bergström, who now bet 575,000 with inferior trips. Tajiou called, but he still had a decision to make as his fellow countryman could easily have a better kicker in the under the gun raising range.
The 3♦ river didn’t change anything, and Tajiou checked for the third time. Bergström fired 1.2 million, thinking he had the best hand, only to see Tajiou snap-call and table the winning trips.
With that pot, Tajiou is now tied for the chip lead alongside Kaspars Butans, as Bergström takes a big hit but he’s still strong with 44 big blinds.
Mounir Tajiou – 6,800,000 Anton Bergström – 5,500,000
Priit Parmasto found K♥K♦ in early position and raised to 250,000, with Igor Pihela Jr. defending his big blind with A♥5♥.
The dealer opened a 9♦2♦4♣ flop, and Pihela check-called a 150,000 continuation bet from Parmasto, hoping to catch an ace or a three for a straight.
The 4♥ on the turn changed little, but Pihela saw an opportunity to represent strength on the paired board with his big blind range and led out for 300,000. Parmasto, now down to just 1,000,000 chips, thought it over but chose to just call rather than shove.
Then came the 3♠ river, a gin card for Pihela, completing his straight. He moved all-in, and Parmasto made the call with his pocket kings, only to be shown the bad news.
With that, Parmasto was eliminated in eighth place, ending his hopes of becoming the first-ever two-time Kings of Tallinn Main Event winner. Igor Pihela Jr. now stands as the last local player left at the table, keeping Estonia’s hopes alive in the Main Event.
Priit Parmasto opened the action from under the gun to 250,000 with A♦10♦, and Eldars Sadih-Zade 8♦7♦ and Mounir Tajiou 9♥7♠ came along from the cutoff and big blind, respectively.
The J♣5♦7♥ flop connected with both Sadih-Zade and Tajiou, prompting Sadih-Zade to fire 450,000 and Tajiou, with a stronger kicker, called.
The turn 10♥ looked like a likely chop if the hand went to showdown and both players checked.
But then came the 8♠ river, giving Tajiou a straight and Sadih-Zade an inferior two pair. Tajiou bet 800,000 into a 1.8 million pot, and Sadih-Zade, unable to get away, made the call and learned the bad news.
With newly collected chips, Pasi Laihinen opened to 250,000 from the middle position with 7♠7♣, and Mounir Tajiou defended his big blind with Q♦2♥.
The flop 10♥5♥7♥ gave Laihinen another set, but with a monotone board this time around. He opted for a small 150,000 bet into a 675,000 pot, and Tajiou, chasing a flush draw with a deuce, made the call.
The 9♠ turn seemed harmless, but Tajiou saw it differently and he led out for 450,000. Laihinen just called in position.
The K♣ river was a blank, and Tajiou fired one last shot, betting 900,000 into a 1.9 million pot, trying to sell his story. Laihinen seized up a bet from Tajiou before ultimately making the correct call. Tajiou mucked his bluff, as Laihinen scooped another big pot and is now third in chips at the final table.
Pasi Laihinen – 4,700,000 Mounir Tajiou – 2,600,000
Anton Bergström opened the action from the cutoff to 200,000 with 7♣6♣ and short-stacked Pasi Laihinen moved all-in for 1,300,000 with 5♠5♦. Right behind him, Benyamin Canatan found a strong A♥Q♣ in the small blind and opted to just call to see what was happening behind him. Big blind got out of the way, and so did Bergström, leaving Laihinen at risk as the red all-in lights flashed at the final table.
The dealer spread a K♦4♠5♥ flop, giving Laihinen a set of fives and leaving Canatan drawing nearly dead. The 6♠ turn officially sealed the double-up, keeping eight players in contention for the 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event title.
Benyamin Canatan – 3,400,000 Pasi Laihinen – 3,000,000
Benyamin Canatan opened the action from an early position to 210,000 with K♦10♣, and Mounir Tajiou over-called on the button with a suited Q♦10♦. Anton Bergström defended his big blind with J♣10♥, setting up a three-way action.
The flop J♦A♠7♣ connected with everyone, but Bergström took the lead with the middle pair. Canatan stayed aggressive and fired 175,000 into a 780,000 pot. Tajiou quickly called, while Bergström got out of the way.
The Q♣ on the turn was a bingo card for Canatan, giving him the straight and sparking some friendly trash talk between the two. Canatan kept up the aggression, betting 450,000, and Tajiou was going nowhere.
The river 7♥ changed nothing, and this time, Canatan shoved all-in for 2.8 million into a 2 million pot, putting Tajiou in the tank. Having seen Canatan bluff multiple times today already, the Swede was seriously contemplating a hero call. After some deliberation, Tajiou talked himself out of it and let it go.
Benyamin Canatan opened the action to 200,000 from the button with A♠5♦, and start-of-the-day chip leader Kaspars Butans defended his big blind with 9♠9♦.
The 10♠Q♠Q♦ flop looked dangerous for Butans, who decided to check-call a 150,000 bet from Canatan.
The turn 8♦ saw both players slow down and check, and river brought a 2♦. Butans correctly sensed that his pocket nines might still be good and placed a 235,000 value bet into an 850,000 pot. The bet was tempting enough for Canatan, who made the call with his inferior ace-high.
Priit Parmasto kicked off the action from early position with 8♠8♥, and Anton Bergström responded with a three-bet to 525,000, holding A♣K♦.
Chris Da Silva, who had been card dead all day and was down to less than eight big blinds, finally found a playable hand with K♠Q♥ on the button and moved all-in. The Action was back to Parmasto who folded, and Bergström quickly called with the dominant hand.
The 4♥J♣A♦ flop was not what Da Silva wanted to see, but still had four outs left with a gutshot. The 3♥ turn changed nothing, and the Q♦ river was too little, too late.
With that, Chris Da Silva became the first elimination of the final table, as Bergström strengthened his lead.
Pasi Laihinen opened the action from under the gun to 200,000 with 8♠8♥, and Priit Parmasto defended his small blind with a pip lower pocket pair, 7♠7♣.
The dealer spread a 6♠2♦5♣ flop, giving both players an overpair, but Laihinen held the slight edge. Despite this, Parmasto took the lead with a 175,000 “donk bet”, and Laihinen made the call.
The 3♣ hit on the turn, completing some straight draws.Parmasto continued his story with a 250,000 bet into a 1.1 million pot and it was enough for Laihinen to fold a better hand.
Priit Parmasto – 2,700,000 Pasi Laihinen – 1,800,000
Anton Bergström opened the pot to 160,000 from the hijack with A♣10♦, and Eldars Sadih-Zade defended his big blind with A♦4♣.
The A♠7♦7♠ flop set up potential trouble for Sadih-Zade, who check-called 80,000 after Bergström’s continuation bet.
The 6♥ on the turn changed little, and once again, Sadih-Zade check-called, this time for 375,000.
The 4♦ river was meaningless for Sadih-Zade with the sevens counterfeiting his fours. Both players checked, and Bergström’s ten kicker secured the pot, further extending his chip lead.
Anton Bergström – 7,000,000 Eldars Sadih-Zade – 2,300,000
Mounir Tajiou looked down at 6♦6♣ in the hijack and opened to 170,000, with Benyamin Canatan defending his big blind with K♠5♣.
The low flop ow 4♠2♥2♦ was a dream for Tajiou’s pocket sixes, and he continued with a 220,000 bet. Canatan, holding just king-high, made the call.
The turn A♣ looked like it might slow things down, but both players had other ideas. Tajiou fired again for 400,000 into a 900,000 pot, only to see Canatan check-raise to 1.1 million, trying to capitalize his wide range from the big blind. Tajiou wasn’t buying it and made the call.
The river 8♣ changed nothing, but Canatan decided he couldn’t continue with his story and checked to Tajiou, who slided in a 2,000,000 bet for his opponent to insta-fold.
Igor Pihela Jr. opened the action from the hijack to 160,000 with A♠8♠, and Pasi Laihinen defended his big blind with K♥Q♣.
The 10♦J♥6♠ flop gave Laihinen an open-ended straight draw with two overcards and checked to Pihela, who made a continuation bet of 125,000, which Laihinen called.
The 2♠ on the turn added a second spade to the board for Pihela’s flush potentials. He decided to up the pressure, betting 450,000 into a 1.1 million pot. Laihinen, still chasing, made the call.
The 7♦ river bricked for both players. After a minute of thought, Pihela checked behind, deciding not to fire a third barrel. To his surprise, his ace-high was good, and he scooped the pot.
Igor Pihela Jr. – 4,900,000 Pasi Laihinen – 1,900,000
The 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event final table is officially underway. Players return to Level 30, with blinds at 40,000/80,000 and an 80,000 ante. There are still 54 minutes left on the clock in this level as the battle for the €182,000 and trophy begins.
The 2025 Kings of Tallinn Main Event final table kicks off at 12:00 local time at Olympic Casino Tallinn. Due to the live stream, reporting will be on a 30-minute delay to ensure fair play.
Kaspars Butans enters the final table as the chip leader, but with €182,000 up top, the title is still very much up for grabs.
Mounir Tajiou
Pasi Laihinen
Kaspars Butans
Igor Pihela Jr.
Benyamin Canatan
Chris Da Silva
Rune Brunes
Robertas Smolskis
Iman Ghashayar
Blaz Zerjav
Yurii Zabrodotskyi
Mirco De Martini
Michael Dwyer
Georgios Tsouloftas
Shaul Weinstein
Robert Schiffbauer
Stavros Petychakis
Steinn Thanh Du Karlsson
Claudio Müller
Zdenek Zizka
Fabian Hagen Bartuschk
Yves Gregoire Honore
Szymon Politowski
Martin Tsvetanov
Andrei Zahorats
Mauro Fungo
Tauno Pajula
Riku Koivurinne
Ryhor Karapanau
Vidar Assersen
Egidijus Liutkevicius
Maris Keiriss
Presiyan Tsvetanov
Frederico Alves Dos Santos
Oleksandr Novoselskyi
Alain Saka
Jesper Hansen
Marcus Van Akram
Inigo Naveiro Martin
Enea Subashi
Antonio Manuel Costa Alfaia
Daniel Mccormack
Darius-Valentin Neagoe
Vivian Saliba
