€10,300 The 10k Championship
Day 3 Completed
2025 PLO Grand Slam Tallinn
€10,300 The 10k Championship
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2025 PLO Grand Slam Tallinn
Buy-in
€10,300
Prize Pool
€1,410,000
Entries
148
Level
25
Blinds
125,000 / 250,000
Ante
250,000
Entries
10
Players Left
1
Level 25
: Blinds 125,000/250,000, 250,000 ante
Amid the riffling of chips, shuffling of cards, and occasional shouts of “all in” and “pot,” one voice stood apart over the usual din of the Chesterfield Poker Club the last three days.
Imad Derwiche likes to have fun at the poker table. He’s not short for table talk, even holding his own against Martin Kabrhel when the two loquacious players shared a table yesterday. When he wants to make a pot-sized bet, he usually gives his opponent a “discount.” When he puts another player to a decision, he cautions them to exercise “discipline.”
That fun-loving, casual approach to the game worked wonders today, and it didn’t help that Derwiche went on the run of a lifetime to emerge victorious in a field of 148 of the best Pot-Limit Omaha players from Europe and across the world in the Diamond Poker Series PLO Grand Slam Tallinn €10,300 Championship.
Diamond Poker Series PLO Grand Slam Tallinn €10,300 Championship Final Table results
| Place | Player | Country | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Imad Derwiche | France | €338,370 |
| 2 | "Gypsy Baron" | n/a | €230,540 |
| 3 | Erik Bystrom | Sweden | €152,280 |
| 4 | Aaron Pahlawani | Austria | €125,490 |
| 5 | Fredrik Lindstrom | Finland | €100,820 |
| 6 | Tom-Aksel Bedell | Norway | €78,960 |
| 7 | Gergo Nagy | Hungary | €59,220 |
| 8 | Lautaro Guerra | Spain | €43,710 |
| 9 | Vivian Saliba | Austria | €33,840 |
“I’m proud of me because I know that the field was exceptional. Many professionals from over Europe. I’m very proud because, you see, poker is a hobby for me. I’m a businessman. I spend my hobby to play poker," Derwiche said after claiming the trophy and €338,370 first prize. "For me to win this tournament, Omaha, with the best players in Europe, for me is exceptional. It’s fantastic. I’m very proud."
The French businessman may describe himself only as a recreational player, but he’s put together a resume of impressive results. He had over $4.3 million in live earnings coming into this event. He finished second in the €25,000 High Roller at EPT Monte Carlo in 2015 for €750,000, his best career score, and was runner-up in the $40,000 Mystery Bounty at the 2023 Triton Series in Monte Carlo. He also finished third in the $25,100 Omaha High Roller at the 2023 WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas.
For someone who describes himself as a “fish” at the poker table, he’s held his own against some of the toughest players on the planet. Even today, when he built a massive chip lead and stormed to victory, he admits he was far from the best player. “When you’re at a table, eight players, seven professionals, one businessman. I say I’m a fish. For them, I am the fish. I like the show, I’m a showman,” he said.
Day 3 Action
Day 3 began with 10 players making the move from the Chesterfield Poker Club over to the exclusive Bombay Club. A familiar face was atop the leaderboard as Tom-Aksel Bedell, the defending champion of this event from the last Diamond Poker Series in Tirana, held 8,110,000. Derwiche began in third place with 5,550,000.
For as hot as Bedell was yesterday, though, he was just as cold today. Bedell doubled up Vivian Saliba, Fredrik Lindstrom, and Aaron Pahlawani in short succession as he quickly tumbled down the leaderboard. It took nearly two hours before Filip Aleksic was eliminated on the final table bubble by Lautaro Guerra, the final nine moving upstairs and taking their spot around the main feature stage.
Derwiche took the chip lead early at the final table when he picked up aces and shoved the flop against Pahlawani. Saliba, the short-stack at the start of the final table, picked up kings to double off Lindstrom but soon after found herself all in with two pair and the nut flush draw against Derwiche’s flopped straight. Derwiche improved to a full house on the turn and Saliba busted in ninth place while Derwiche climbed above 10,000,000.
Derwiche began taking down nearly every pot as he ran away from the field, controlling nearly half the chips in play while still eight-handed. Bedell’s run at a repeat title took a serious hit when Pahlawani spiked an ace on the turn to crack Bedell’s queens and double up, leaving Bedell nursing an extreme short stack.
Bedell doubled up twice, while “Gypsy Baron" also earned two double ups as the bottom seven players battled to see who would be the one to emerge from the pack and challenge Derwiche. Guerra finally got his last 1,300,000 in against Derwiche, but Derwiche hit a straight on the river to bust Guerra in eighth.
The eliminations came fast from then on, and usually involved Derwiche raking in a pot. Just one hand after busting Guerra, Derwiche hit two pair on the turn to crack Gergo Nagy’s aces and send the Hungarian high roller to the rail in seventh. Bedell’s run finally ended when he caught a straight on the turn, but Derwiche spiked a flush on the river to force Bedell to settle for sixth place.
Derwiche climbed above 20,000,000, nearly 10 times more than his closest challenger. “Gypsy Baron” and Lindstrom then exchanged double ups until Lindstrom was all in for 2,400,000 with two pair on the flop, but “Gypsy Baron” hit a straight on the turn. A count of the chips showed he barely had Lindstrom covered, and Lindstrom added a fifth-place finish to his third in the €2,200 Million Opener and eighth in the €5,200 Million earlier this series.
Derwiche then claimed Pahlawani’s stack, again hitting a straight to crack kings as Pahlawani finished in fourth. Erik Bystrom was sent to the rail in third when “Gypsy Baron” made a straight on the turn.
Derwiche led 22,600,000 to 7,700,000 at the start of heads-up, and it took just a few hands until “Gypsy Baron” potted to 1,500,000 and Derwiche called. “Gypsy Baron” bet another 3,300,000 on the flop and Derwiche again called as “Gypsy Baron” got his last 925,000 in on the turn. He showed two aces and was poised for a double up as Derwiche could only show a pair of deuces, but Derwiche caught another deuce on the river to make trips.
The final hand was a microcosm of the rest of the final table: whether ahead or behind, Derwiche usually found a way. “I think it’s the first time I’ve had so good a run. It’s unimaginable. I was so lucky. To win a tournament you have to be lucky, and today I was so lucky,” he said.
He’s not a pro and may indeed be the “fish” at the table, but for one day at least, Derwiche was a fish with a big bite.
That concludes PokerNews' coverage of the €10,300 Diamond Poker Series Tallinn Championship.
Level 25
: Blinds 125,000/250,000, 250,000 ante
Imad Derwiche raised to 500,000 on the button, "Gypsy Baron" reraised to 1,500,000, and Derwiche called.
Derwiche pretended to block of own view of the 7♦4♣2♠ flop as "Gypsy Baron" continued for 3,300,000. Derwiche called and "Gypsy Baron" put in his last 925,000 on the 5♥ turn. Derwiche again called.
"Gypsy Baron" had A♥A♣10♠6♦ and was ahead of Derwiche's J♠10♦8♣2♥ going to the river, but Derwiche spiked the 2♦ on the river to make trips as "Gypsy Baron" flung his arms in the air in frustration while Derwiche raised his own into the air in triumph after securing the title.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,300,000
6,300,000
|
6,300,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 25
: Blinds 125,000/250,000, 250,000 ante
Imad Derwiche raised to 750,000 on the button and "Gypsy Baron" called.
Both players checked the 7♥5♥3♠ flop. Derwiche then bet 300,000 on the 3♥ turn and "Gypsy Baron" called.
The K♠ river was checked down and "Gypsy Baron" showed A♥Q♠8♥7♣ for a flush as Derwiche mucked A♣J♦10♦4♣.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
24,000,000
1,300,000
|
1,300,000 |
|
|
6,100,000
1,100,000
|
1,100,000 |
Level: 25
Blinds: 125,000/250,000
Ante: 250,000
Level 24
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
The players are going on a 15-minute break before resuming their heads-up match.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
25,300,000
1,300,000
|
1,300,000 |
|
|
5,000,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
Level 24
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Imad Derwiche raised to 500,000 on the button and "Gypsy Baron" called.
Both players checked the Q♠J♦7♥ flop. "Gypsy Baron" then bet 600,000 on the 6♣ turn and Derwiche called.
The 4♣ river was checked down and Derwiche showed K♠K♣9♥5♣. "Gypsy Baron" mucked A♥10♦9♠7♦ and Derwiche took the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
24,000,000
1,400,000
|
1,400,000 |
|
|
5,600,000
2,100,000
|
2,100,000 |
Level 24
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
"Gypsy Baron" raised to 600,000 in the small blind, Erik Bystrom moved all in for 2,000,000 in the big blind, and "Gypsy Baron" called.
Erik Bystrom: A♣Q♣9♠9♣ 
"Gypsy Baron": A♦K♣J♦8♣
The flop came 10♠7♠5♠, while the 9♦ turn gave "Gypsy Baron" a straight. The river was the A♥ and Bystrom was sent to the rail in third place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
22,600,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
|
7,700,000
1,300,000
|
1,300,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 24
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Imad Derwiche limped in from under the gun and Aaron Pahlawani raised to 900,000 in the cutoff. Derwiche called and the flop came J♠5♦3♥.
Derwiche then bet and Pahlawani called his last 275,000.
Aaron Pahlawani: K♠K♥8♣4♥
Imad Derwiche: 10♦8♠7♠6♣
Pahlawani was ahead with his kings, but Derwiche spiked a straight on the 4♦ turn. The river was the 4♣ and Pahlawani was eliminated in fourth place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
23,000,000
2,000,000
|
2,000,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 24
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
"Gypsy Baron" raised to 700,000 under the gun and Fredrik Lindstrom called in the big blind.
The flop came A♣5♣3♥ and "Gypsy Baron" bet 1,000,000. Lindstrom then moved all in and "Gypsy Baron" snap-called.
Fredrik Lindstrom: K♦9♣5♦3♣
"Gypsy Baron": A♠K♠K♥4♣
Lindstrom had flopped two pair to take the lead over "Gypsy Baron"'s top pair, but "Gypsy Baron" caught the 2♥ on the turn to make a straight. The river was the 6♥ and "Gypsy Baron" won the pot.
The stacks were counted down and Lindstrom had 2,400,000 remaining. "Gypsy Baron" barely had him covered and Lindstrom was sent to the rail in fifth place with his third final-table appearance this week.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,400,000
3,300,000
|
3,300,000 |
|
Busted |
