2017 Cash Game Festival Tallinn Day 2 | 2017 Cash Game Festival Tallinn (Spring)

04-27-2017 21:28 UTC

Pavel Strikes Big on Day 2 of the 2017 Cash Game Festival Tallinn

Jaxon

Lithuania's Pavel was the star of the show on Day 2 of the 2017 Cash Game Festival Tallinn at Olympic Park Casino. He tallied up a profit of almost €2,800 on the late €5/€5 televised feature table. He shared also he played through the night last night and won a bit more than this on other tables before hopping on the feature table.

Pavel came to the Cash Game Festival about hearing about it through the grapevine. He tried to get some of his friends from Klaipeda to join him, but wanted to wait to hear about how the games were before making the trip up north to Estonia.

The action was fast and furious on the feature table with many four-digit pots going back and forth. Finland's Jussi Mattila lost the most on this table with the broadcast ending with his wallet almost €4,600 lighter. However, Mattila was down a bit more and won a couple of big pots near the end of the broadcast.

The game will likely continue throughout the night on a side table with most of the players unwilling to give up their seats.

Estonia's Andres Abakanov showed some hometown pride after he banked a profit of almost €1,200 in the early €1/€2 pot-limit Omaha feature table.

Today also marked the return of Sviten Special, otherwise known as drawmaha. The game has been present at every Cash Game Festival since its inception. Notable players on the table included Cash Game Festival regulars Niklas Blomqvist and Peter La Terra.

The day began for players who purchased the hospitality package or won a package to the poker festival with a trip to a gun range where both experienced and new shooters got to shoot rounds of a variety of weapons including AK-47s, shotguns and handguns.

Later in the day, players were invited to a VIP dinner at Mazza. Players returned to the casino bragging about the meal, the company and how fast the drinks were flowing.

Players won't have to travel too far for tomorrow's off the felt activity with a VIP party scheduled at the casino at 10 p.m.

Stay tuned at PokerNews as the action unfolds through the 2017 Cash Game Festival Tallinn.

Tags: Niklas Blomqvist Peter La Terra Cash Game Festival Tallinn Andres Abakanov

04-27-2017 17:37 UTC

Andres Abakanov Wins Big on the Feature Table

Jaxon

Estonia's Andres Abakanov was the biggest winner on the early €1/€2 pot-limit Omaha feature table. He banked a nice profit of almost €1,200.

The second feature table is currently being set-up with the stakes going up to €5/€5 and the game changing to no-limit hold'em. The live stream will stay live during the intermission with some inside discussion about the festival.

Head to the Cash Game Festival Twitch channel or click on the Live Streaming tab on PokerNews.

Tags: Andres Abakanov

04-27-2017 16:56 UTC

Niklas Blomqvist "Won a Bit of Money and Had Fun"

Jaxon

Sweden's Niklas Blomqvist is no stranger to the Cash Game Festival. His first experience at the Cash Game Festival was in Malta in June 2016.

"I won a package to my first Cash Game Festival last June in Malta," shared Blomqvist. "So I went there for five days and it was a really fun five days. So I eventually came back to London and Tallinn last year as well. Now I am back here in Tallinn for my fourth Cash Game Festival."

Sometimes the best experiences come when you least expect them. Blomqvist would have maybe never attended the Cash Game Festival if not for visiting a poker club outside of his hometown in Stockholm, Sweden and winning a poker tournament.

"I won the Cash Game Festival package at a poker club in Stockholm, Sweden," Blomqvist said. "They had a tournament awarding a Cash Game Festival package which included €700 to play with in Malta, the hotel and activity package all included. Also included were some travel money and the prize money from the tournament. So it was a nice package that I won."

Like many that have attended multiple Cash Game Festivals, what brings them back is a combination of the poker and the fun family environment that brings players back to more.

"The Cash Game Festival is a really fun event, mostly because there are actually a ton of fun people attending the event," said Blomqvist. "So I got to know some of the people that come to the festival and we keep in touch. It is fun to get together on these trips, get together and have some fun. So both the Cash Game Festival in itself is a lot of fun with tons of action and there are also a lot of good people attending it. So it is a good mix."

Blomqvist has appeared on the televised feature table during each of his four visits to the Cash Game Festival, including yesterday on a €1/€2 no-limit hold'em table. However, yesterday's experience was the longest he has had at one time under the lights and camera. Thanks to the longer experience, Blomqvist was able to book a small profit instead of a loss.

"It was a bit longer of a TV table than I was used to," Blomqvist said. "It was five or six hours. It was quite long. In the beginning, I was quite card dead. Luckily for me, we played a bit longer and I won €159. I won a bit of money and had fun."

The day began today for Blomqvist with a visit to the shooting range with many others at the festival. This was another new experience for the him.

"It was a lot of fun," Blomqvist explained. "It was the first time I ever shot a real gun. We first tried a regular gun, a small one. Then we tried a revolver, which had a little more power to it. Later we tried a shotgun and an AK-47. There were good instructors that told us what to do all the time. I wasn't the worst one, but I wasn't the best one either."

Like many others at the festival, Blomqvist has a normal daytime job outside of poker.

"I am a semi-professional poker player and play very often," Blomqvist said. "However, I am also a postman back home in Sweden. So I try to play poker as much as I can. Mostly online, since I don't have a casino back home in my hometown. But it is fun to go on these trips and play live. I actually enjoy playing live much more and I try to mix it up between cash games and tournaments. I play a little bit of both."

He got into poker in a way many people can relate to, though watching it on TV and friends having a similar interest in the game.

"At first, poker was just for fun with friends and watching a little bit of it on TV," said Blomqvist. "Then some friends asked if I wanted to join them and play for a small amount of money. So we started playing and it was fun from the beginning. Then I just played a little bit of fun for a few years. Later I started playing some online and tested the casino for a couple of times. Eventually played more and more and now I am playing all of the time. But, it was just for fun with a bunch of friends in the beginning."

Tags: Cash Game Festival Tallinn Niklas Blomqvist

04-27-2017 12:52 UTC

Welcome to Day 2 of the 2017 Cash Game Festival Tallinn

Jaxon

Day 2 of the 2017 Cash Game Festival Tallinn left off right where Day 1 began. There were tables running through the night and one table still running this afternoon from yesterday.

Many other players decided to get some rest and were up and about early for a planned activity to the shooting range. We will have pictures and quotes about the event later in the coverage. Cash Game Festival regular Niklas Blomqvist immediately ran back to the casino after the activity to get back to competing on the poker felt.

Later in the evening, players with the hospitality package will be treated to a VIP dinner at Masha.

Brandon Allen will host two televised feature tables. The first table kicks off at 5:40 p.m. EEST (3:40 p.m. BST) and will be streamed on a 20-minute delay with stakes at €1/€2 pot-limit Omaha on the Cash Game Festival Twitch channel as well as will be broadcasted across multiple media outlets including PokerNews.

Later in the day, there will also be a higher-stakes no-limit hold'em televised feature table on a 20-minute delay at 8:40 p.m. EEST (6:40 p.m. EEST).

As will be the case each day during the Cash Game Festival Tallinn, the PokerNews Live Reporting is on hand to report on all the excitement during Day 2 of the festival complete with player interviews and recaps.

Tags: Cash Game Festival Tallinn Niklas Blomqvist