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€550 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2026 Coolbet Open
€550 Main Event
Day: 1a
Players Left 181 / 388
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
1
179,000
2
173,700
3
157,000
4
150,100
6
141,200
8
118,900
10
114,200
Level 9
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
For the first time since 2022, the Coolbet Open went back to where it all began. It had been four years since the Olympic Park Casino in Hilton Tallinn Park hosted the annual festival, and today, Coolbet returned with a bang.
On day 1a of the flagship €550 Main Event, 169 entries were made, an improvement from last year and already gathering €83,125 in the prize pool on the first starting flight. After a nice afternoon of poker, consisting of nine 40-minute levels, that number was reduced to just 67 players, who all bagged their chips for Day 2.
Iceland's Baldvin Borgarsson leads the survivors with 179,000 in chips, worth nearly six starting stacks and nearly 120 big blinds at the start of Day 2. Borgarsson is followed by his fellow countryman Jon Thorvaldsson, who ended with 173,300. Sergi Kapanadze traveled from Georgia to play the Coolbet Open, and his efforts were rewarded with a stack of 157,000 for third place.
End of Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baldvin Borgarsson | Iceland | 179,000 | 119 |
| 2 | Jon Thorvaldsson | Iceland | 173,700 | 116 |
| 3 | Sergi Kapanadze | Georgia | 157,000 | 105 |
| 4 | Andreas Backlund | Finland | 150,100 | 100 |
| 5 | Steven Tool | Estonia | 143,000 | 95 |
| 6 | Skuli Sigfusson | Iceland | 141,200 | 94 |
| 7 | Sigurdur Fridriksson | Iceland | 140,100 | 93 |
| 8 | Markus Volk | Finland | 118,900 | 79 |
| 9 | Benny Hagberg | Sweden | 118,400 | 79 |
| 10 | Lukas Kasparavicius | Lithuania | 114,200 | 76 |
Steven Tool became the highest-placed Estonian player, followed by Igor Pihela (111,400). Other notable players who battled their way through Day 1a include Konstantin Faerber (95,000), Tarmo Tammel (64,000), and old-school Swedish legend Johan Storakers (50,100).
Those who were eliminated throughout the day will have two more chances to build a stack tomorrow, September 3, as Day 1b and Day 1c, the final starting day, will both get underway. Day 1b will start at noon local time, while Day 1c will kick off at 7:30 p.m., when Day 1b will already have finished play. Both days will follow the same structure as Day 1a, playing nine 40-minute levels before bagging up. Meanwhile, late registration will remain open four levels into Day 2, closing after Level 13.
Remaining Coolbet Open Main Event Schedule
| Date | Start Time | Tournament Day |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | 12:00 p.m. | Day 1b |
| Sep 3 | 7:30 p.m. | Day 1c |
| Sep 4 | 12:00 p.m. | Day 2 |
| Sep 5 | 12:00 p.m. | Day 3 |
PokerNews will be back on the floor for Day 1b, so make sure to tune back in for all the latest from the Coolbet Open Main Event.
Level 9
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Level 9
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Out of 169 entries, 68 players have made it through Day 1a, and they are all bagging and tagging their chips.
Stay tuned for the chip counts and a recap of the first day of the 2026 Coolbet Open Main Event
Level 9
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
After gathering about 30,000 in the pot preflop, Joel Holmberg, under the gun, got his last 8,000 in the middle on the 2♣2♦5♣ flop against Erik Polluveer in the big blind.
Joel Holmberg: A♠A♥ 
Erik Polluveer: K♠K♣
Polluveer did not find a king on the 7♥ turn, and the A♦ river only improved Holmberg. Polluveer was sent to the exit, being eliminated from Day 1a with just a couple of hands left to play.
Level 9
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
The floor has announced that each table will play four more hands before Day 1a wraps up.
Level 9
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Bjorn Lindberg open-shoved for 21,800 in the hijack. It folded to Steinar Knutsen in the small blind, who announced "five" and tossed in a chip of the same denomination.
Knutsen was then made aware of the all-in, which he was forced to call.
Bjorn Lindberg: A♠10♣
Steinar Knutsen: K♥7♠
Knutsen did not connect on the Q♣Q♠6♥9♠J♦ runout, sending the pot Lindberg's way.
Level 9
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Alger Pissarev in middle position and Daniel Rantanen in the hijack had amassed a pot of 55,000 when they saw the 8♣8♥Q♥8♦2♣ river. Pissarev checked to Rantanen, who moved all in for roughly 21,000.
Pissarev thought things through for a bit, but decided he could not fold and called with the covering stack, revealing Q♣J♣ for a full house.
Rantanen had a better full house with A♥A♦, however, shipping him the pot to double up in the final level of the day.
Level: 9
Blinds: 600/1,200
Ante: 1,200
Level 8
: Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
Preflop, Lukas Kasparavicius had gotten his 81,500 in from middle position against Ville Keranen, who had his opponent at risk.
Lukas Kasparavicius: Q♦Q♣
Ville Keranen: A♥A♦
Keranen looked to add more chips to his enormous stack when the 3♥9♠6♣5♠ flop and turn kept his aces well in front.
The Q♥ river spoiled his outlook, however, as Kasparavicius spiked a set to be awarded the pot worth triple the average stack.
