Main Event
Day 1 Started
2019 OlyBet Kings of Tallinn
Main Event
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2019 OlyBet Kings of Tallinn
Buy-in
€1,100
Entries
375
Level
29
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
50,000
Welcome to Day 1 of the 2018 Kings of Tallinn Main Event
The Kings of Tallinn at the Hilton Tallinn Park and Olympic Park Casino is the biggest live poker tournament festival in the Baltics and Nordics of the year. Attendance has grown each year since its inception in 2015 with this year's fifth edition featuring 40 action-packed events from Feb. 18-24.
The highlight of the festival, the Kings of Tallinn €1,100 Main Event, kicks off the first of its four days of action today at 12 p.m EET.
The Main Event boasts an amazing structure with players kicking off the action with 30,000 in chips and blinds increasing every 60 minutes and utilizes the latest trend of the single big blind ante.
Players are scheduled to play eight blind levels today and can re-enter an unlimited amount of times up until the late-registration period closes at the conclusion of the first blind level of tomorrow's Day 2.
Last year, Finnish poker legend Juha Helppi outlasted a field of 268 players to win the 2018 OlyBet Kings of Tallinn €1,100 Main Event for €62,000. Helppi will is back in Tallinn and will attempt to become the first-ever King's of Tallinn Main Event champion.
Helppi isn't the only poker legend in the house as he has joined forces with the team challenge with other Finnish poker superstars including Joel Lehtinen, Veli-Pekka Alakorva, and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies. The star-studded team is the early favorite to win the challenge with almost $10 million in combined winnings.
For the second straight year, Patrik Antonius is in attendance and expected to play cash games on the casino floor.
Kings of Tallinn Main Event Day 1 Blind Structure
| Level | Small blind | Big blind | Ante |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 50 | |
| 2 | 50 | 100 | |
| 3 | 75 | 150 | |
| 4 | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 5 | 150 | 300 | 300 |
| 6 | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 7 | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 8 | 400 | 800 | 800 |
Many side events are also taking place today including the €165 Archie at 3 p.m. EET, the €110 No Limit Hold'em at 5 p.m. EEST, the €330 5 Card Pot Limit Omaha at 9 p.m. EET, and the €110 Hyper Turbo Bounty at 11 p.m. EET. The second and final day of the Kings Of Tallinn €550 Championship resumes at 9 p.m. and will also play down to a winner.
Stay tuned as The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor to provide all the action until a champion is crowned.
Action Begins Soon
Players are beginning to take their seats. The big board is reading 86 players already registered, a figure that is certain to at least triple by the time late-registration is closed at the conclusion of the first blind level of Day 2.
The tournament director estimates that the tournament will begin at approximately 12:15 p.m.
Update Your Own Chip Count Using the PokerNews My Stack App!
PokerNews has activated the My Stack App for this event, allowing you to directly adjust your chip counts in our live reporting blog using your iPhone or Android phone.
You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.
Click here to download the My Stack app for iPhone, or click here to download the My Stack app for Android.
Level: 1
Blinds: 25/50
Ante: 0
Shuffle Up and Deal
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
Dealers have been instructed to shuffle up and deal if they have at least three players at the table. Stacks are super deep to start the tournament with players kicking off the action with 30,000 in chips and blinds at 25/50.
Helppi and Alakorva Seated
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
Last year's King's of Tallinn Main Event winner Juha Helppi came back to the Estonian capital to defend his title. He is among the players that are in their seats from the opening hand along with his teammate in the Team Challenge Veli-Pekka Alakorva.
Olybet Team Pros Carmen-Elina Vist and Dmitrijs Meless also started the day early as have Janar Kokk and Arunas Garunkstis.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
||
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
||
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
Abakanov Wins an Early Pot From Urbonas
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
A few months ago, Lithuania's Mantas Urbonas notched his biggest live tournament score with a fourth-place finish in the Battle of Malta Main Event for €121,500.
Urbonas is among the early entries in the field and is off to a slow start. In a recent hand, Andres Abakanov bet 1,650 into a pot of around 3,000 with the board reading 
and quickly got a call from Urbonas.
Abakanov turned over 
for two-pair and Urbonas looked like he was going to toss his hand face down into the muck. Instead, he showed the table he wasn't light after turning over 
for a lower two-pair.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
35,000
35,000
|
35,000 |
|
24,000
24,000
|
24,000 |
Jonnson First Player Eliminated
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
Lars Anders Ove Jonsson was just the first player eliminated from the Kings of Tallinn Main Event. He can reenter an unlimited amount of times until the late-registration period closes at the end of first blind level of Day 2.
We learned about the early big hand as the chips were being stacked by his opponent Andrius Kaziukonis. Jonnson opened up from early position and Kaziukonis flatted from the button.
Jonnson fired out a continuation bet on a 
flop and got a call from his opponent.
The action picked up in a big way after the 
appeared on the turn. Jonnson three-bet jammed his stack and got a quick call from Kaziukonis.
Jonnson turned over 
for an overpair and was behind the two pair held by his opponent with Kaziukonis turning over . A blank hit the river to send Jonnson out of the tournament unless he decides to reenter and give Kaziukonis an early chip lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
60,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
|
Busted |
Heikkinen Off to a Good Start with Big Slick
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
Marko Juhani Heikkinen tossed out a single 5,000 yellow chip with about 7,000 already in the pot with the 
on the board. Edvinas Urnikis paused for a minute before he made the call.
Heikkinen turned over and his top pair with the top kicker was good enough as Urnikis tossed his hand into the muck.
Meanwhile, at the same time on another table we heard a seat open and learned that Vasilij Barna hit the rail after his trips were no good against the straight held by Sergey Sukhov.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
60,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
|
|
40,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
|
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
|
Busted |