€1,100 Main Event Day 1 | 2018 OlyBet Kings of Tallinn

02-14-2018 19:48 UTC+3

2015 Kings of Tallinn Main Event Champ Ranno Sootla Bluffing His Way Through Day 1

Jaxon

Level 6 : 200/400, 50 ante

Ranno Sootla is not only one of Estonia's most successful tournament players with more than $300,000 in live tournament cashes as tracked by The Hendon Mob but also holds the honor of becoming the first Kings of Tallinn Main Event champ in 2015. His victory was worth a healthy €37,730, representing the second biggest cash of his poker career.

Sootla is back at it again hoping to find lightning in a bottle this year to win it again. So far, so good for the Estonian who was full of smiles thanks to doubling his opening stack to 60,000.

He hasn't been involved in any big all-in situations. However, he has padded his stack after showing bluffs in big spots throughout the first six blind levels.

Tags: Ranno Sootla

02-14-2018 19:35 UTC+3

Helppi Helping Himself

Jaxon

Level 6 : 200/400, 50 ante

Juha Helppi is likely the most successful live poker tournament player in the field with $7.1 million in live tournament cashes. He now finds himself in a familiar spot among the chip leaders with around 120,000 in chips.

We haven't witnessed any big hands he has been involved in and the Finn shared that this was indeed the case even when we didn't have eyes on his table. Helppi explained that he has just been consistently winning and hasn't been in any flip situations. He added that players were calling him when he had the goods and folding to him when he was bluffing.

Player	Chips	Progress
Juha Helppi	115,000	85,000

Tags: Juha Helppi

02-14-2018 19:19 UTC+3

Nines No Good for Henri Vaisenen

Jaxon

Level 6 : 200/400, 50 ante

Henri Vaisenen was the first player noticed to surpass the six-figure mark in chips but is now slightly below that amount.

Andreas William Corneliusson was all-in for 31,400 with pocket queens and Valsenen called with pocket nines. The board was all blanks for both players and Corneliusson doubled up and Valsenen's stack took a dent.

Valsenen didn't seem happy about losing the hand but one of the other players pointed out he still had a healthy stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
Henri Vaisenen	90,000
Andreas William Corneliusson	62,000

Level: 6

Blinds: 200/400

Ante: 50

02-14-2018 18:37 UTC+3

Raimondas Zilendas Beats Santa Claus to Lift Trophy

Jaxon

Level 5 : 150/300, 25 ante

Last night, the Kings of Tallinn hosted the €110 Celebrity Event which featured a different celebrity at each table. Even Santa Claus got into the action and was deep in the tournament.

Unfortunately for Santa, he was unable to play cards as well as he can make children happy as he was unable to cash in the event. However, this didn't make him that much different than the other celebrities as none of them were able to manage a run into the money.

Lithuania's Raimondas Zilendas faired much better than the celebrities and everyone else in the tournament after he outlasted a field of 330 entrants to win the top prize of €8,150 along with the trophy.

Tags: Raimondas Zilenas

02-14-2018 18:26 UTC+3

Team OlyBet Pro Dmitrijs Meless Nails a Set

Jaxon

Level 5 : 150/300, 25 ante

Rauno Tahvonen and Janar Kokk, who we earlier reported were facing off at the same table, are both still at it. Tahvonen has stayed at about the same stack level the entire tournament while Kokk has siphoned some chips away from his stack and is down to about 17,000 in chips.

Now at the same table are two Team OlyBet pros in Estonia's Carmen-Elina Vist and Latvia's Dmitrijs Meless. Vist has managed a decent start early getting her stack up to 43,000.

Meless is doing even better and after a big hand has 80,000 in chips.

We caught up with the on the board on the turn and about 5,000 in chips in the pot. Meless's opponent bet 3,200 before the Latvian raised to 10,000.

Meless' opponent, with about 18,000 behind, went into the tank for four minutes before the clock was called. Tournament Director Sanaz "Sunny" Fattahi came by and began a 30-second countdown.

He eventually jammed it in with for an overpair and got a snap-call from Meless with for a full house. The inconsequential completed the board on the river and Meless began piling his chips.

After the hand, Fattahi reminded players that requesting the clock does not guarantee it will be counted down. With the structure so deep, the tournament director said that on big decisions they will edge on giving players more time rather than less.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dmitrijs Meless	80,000	80,000
Carmen-Elina Vist	43,000	43,000
Janar Kokk	17,000	-14,000
Rauno Tahvonen	13,000	-17,000

Tags: Carmen-Elina Vist Dmitrijs Meless Janar Kokk Rauno Tahvonen

02-14-2018 17:56 UTC+3

200 Entrants in the Field

Jaxon

Level 5 : 150/300, 25 ante

Players are now back from break and the Hilton convention room is booming. The big board was updated during the break to show the field growing to 200 entrants and counting.

Last year, the OlyBet Kings of Tallinn Main Event attracted 246 players. This figure will easily be shattered with many players still planning to enter and unlimited re-entry permitted until the start of Day 2.

Level: 5

Blinds: 150/300

Ante: 25

02-14-2018 17:50 UTC+3

Live Action of a Flip for the €330 Sviten Special Side Event

Jaxon

Level 4 : 100/200, 25 ante

02-14-2018 17:43 UTC+3

Break Time

Jaxon

Level 4 : 100/200, 25 ante

Players are now on their second 15-minute break of the day. After the break, there will be three more levels of play on Day 1. The final 15-minute break will take place between Level 6 and 7.