2026 The Festival Weekend Tallinn Live Blog

At one point, Franke had whittled Narozhny down to just four points. However, he is nicknamed “The Machine” for a reason, and he managed to complete a miraculous comeback to win his fifth overall Festival title. Below are the payouts.

Kenneth Marthinsen will be joining us in Malta as he won a €1,600 package plus a tasty score of just over €3,600. Below are the payouts.

And that folks, is all for now. What an epic ride it has been over these five days. Join us in Malta, qualify online. Get involved in all the fun on and off the felt.

The tables have turned again, and Siarhei Narzohny has reestablished a dominant advantage over The Boss, Franke. Franke has been bricking some huge draws in an attempt to stack up as many points as possible.

Franke has taken the lead in the OFC. The price of poker is getting expensive, so big swings are inevitable.

Siarhei Narozhny has been running like Jesus in Nike’s throughout the OFC heads-up. However, the tables are starting to turn somewhat, and Franke has scooped multiple hands to redistribute the momentum. Narozhny is still ahead, but his lead has shortened.

Siarhei Narozhny holds the lead over Franke in the OFC. He is the clear chip leader, but anything can happen in this exciting variant of poker.

After striking a deal, Carlo Braccini became the TORSES Supreme champion. Lena Björn finished second and narrowly missed out on her second title of the week. Braccini is a Festival Series regular and Mixed Games specialist, but this is his first Festival Series title.

Morten Antonsen has become the bubble boy in the OFC High Roller. Siarhei Narzohny is in a commanding lead atop the counts, with Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk and Kasperi Kauppinen closely matched in the counts.

Only 9 of the 75 total entrants will be paid in the €200 Sunday Brunch. Up top is a €3,600 score and a package worth €1,600 to the next stop in Malta!

Eight are left in the final High Roller of the week. The Boss Franke is in (of course), as are specialist Fabian Bartushck, Marc Gork, and Siarhei Narozhny.

Lena Björn, Carlo Braccini, Juergen Fittschen and Antti Tiainen are the final four players and the only four to be paid of the 27 total entrants that played the Baby TORSES Supreme. Björn is looking for her second title of the week, having won the Omahajack tournament.

Andreas Hoglund sat down with the newly crowned Main Event champion, Ville Keränen! Don’t forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe to keep up to date with all things The Festival.

In what was the quickest Main Event heads-up in Festival history, Ville Keranen had 6 6 and Jarrod Coughtrie had A K . Coughtrie took the lead on A Q 10 flop, but Keranen spiked the 6 turn to take the lead. Any non-board pairing club was good for Coughtrie, but the 3 sealed the deal for Keranen, who wins his fourth Festival title.

Keranen hit set after set on his way to victory, so it was only fitting that he hit one more to win the Main Event. Coughtrie was “very happy to come second,” before adding, “Ville played well; he was an absolute set magnet!” Below are the payouts inclusive of bounties.

Timo Ruuska jammed 3 3 on the button. Ville Keranen called in the big blind with A 7 . Ruuska’s pair couldn’t hold across the 9 8 5 A 10 runout to take play heads-up.

“We are alive,” said Jarrod Coughtrie as he raked in a full double-up courtesy of Timo Ruuska. Ruuska had eights, and Coughtrie made two pair with king-deuce suited on the turn and river of Q 10 J 2 K . Ruuska, left short, then doubled through Keranen. In a preflop all in, Keranen had Q 8 and Ruuska K 7 . Ruuska asked for a nine on the turn after the dealer fanned 10 Q J flop. He got his wish with the 9 and the 8 river changed nothing. Keranen has a substantial lead three-handed.

Action was picked up on the river of K 10 3 Q Q with 900,000 in the pot. Ville Keranen check-called a bet of 725,000 after some deliberation. Timo Ruuska flipped over A Q and Keranen mucked.

A short-stacked Marijus Dirgela moved all in from the button with Q Q . Ville-Matti Keranen called with A 9 . The A 6 5 7 J secured Keranen another bounty and saw Dirgela depart.

Martin Willborg was all in for 6 big blinds with K 9 from the button. Jarrod Coughtrie called with 10 7 . Coughtrie flopped a ten across the Q 6 10 3 2 runout to secure a mystery bounty and stack Willborg.

Franke is feeling the effects of Mati Pirn’s OFC wizardry. The sharpest-dressed man in the building easily made a flush on the bottom board, two pair in the middle and queens up top to make it to Fantasyland. Franke then proceeded to call Mati a “farmer,” the highest term of endearment that can be bestowed on a human.

Action was picked up on the river in a sb v bb spot. Timo Ruuska led out for around 400,000 (30k/60k bb) from the small into Jarrod Coughtrie. “I hate this but I’m going to be a nit and just call” said Coughtrie on the river of the A 5 3 6 4 . Ruuska said, “Well done,” and tabled the nuts with 8 7 . Coughtrie also had a straight with seven-five.

Check out yesterday’s highlights video. Don’t forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe!

Marijus Dirgela was all in on the turn of J 8 Q 3 with A 10 against Timo Ruuska who had 3 3 . Dirgela had many outs and binked the 9 to make a straight. He gave a few enthusiastic fist pumps and retook his seat, having enabled standup equity.

Hampus Grönström has become the latest departure in the Main Event. Before heading to the payout desk, he had one more bounty to open, which was worth €1,500. Grönström cashes out with €11,410, with most of it being accumulated from bounties.

It always pays to be on time as the field in the Sunday Brunch tournament found out this afternoon. The first level involved some alfresco dining in the park at a beautiful burger van, where BBQ Pork and Vegetarian burgers were served. The weather may not have been great, but the vibes were good, and the players in attendance enjoyed their time together getting a spot of lunch before hitting the felt.

As well as the brunch, which was included in the buy-in, players will be competing for a package to the next Festival Series stop in Malta worth €1,600!

Markus Vesala moved all in from the cutoff with 7 7 . Ville-Matti Keränen called on the button as the covering stack with J J . Timo Ruuska called in the big blind with K K as the shortest of the trio.

No surprises across the A 8 Q 8 10 runout and Vesala departed.

Impeccably dressed OFC wizard Mati Pirn has been eliminated by Hampus Grönström. Pirn made trips with A K against Grönström, but he made a full house with 9 9 across the J A 7 9 A runout.

David Santalla has become the first departure in the Main Event. Below are the remaining bounties, with all the biggest pulls accounted for.

Nine players have taken to the felt in the €200 Baby TORSES Supreme. Raimonds Svans will be looking to make his second final table of the week, having cashed the €555 TORSES Main Event.

Jarrod Coughtrie leads the way, but only just, in the €555 Main Event Mystery Bounty. There was a round of bounty pulls, and it was Ville-Matti Keränen who pulled the €10,000 bounty. It was the first pull of the round. Markus Vesala pulled €2,000, and Hampus Grönström pulled €5,000.

Jan Karlsson bubbled the 7-2 NLH Special here at Olympic Park Casino. Play is three-handed in the Sit-and-Go, with Daniel Cao short, Vladimir Korzinin in second, and Ranno Sootla leading the way up top. Below are the payouts for the 7-2 Special.

For those looking for something to play tomorrow, REGISTER ON TIME FOR THE  €200 NLH Sunday Brunch (Added package to The Festival Malta)! It is INSANE value with an added surprise on top. You won’t want to miss it.

Tomi Rahikainen, Vladimir “Gambledore” Korzinin, Daniel Cao and Ranno Sootla are the four remaining competitors in the €5k Sit-and-Go. The chip counts are quite equal, with only a hair’s breadth separating the final four. Sootla is the only one of the final four to be in for one bullet, with Cao and Rahikainen firing two and Korzinin on #3. Thanks to 10 bullets from Ossi Ketola, the prizes are even heftier than yesterday. Below are the payouts.

Alexander Freund was kind enough to take time out of his schedule to give an interview to The Festival Series. Don’t forget to like, comment, share and subscribe to keep up to date with all things The Festival.

After 10 bullets, Ossi Ketola has become the first departure in the €5k Sit-and-Go. The same field that took to the felt originally remains in contention to fight for “Monarch’s” money.

Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi Oi Oi!!! Check out our interview with Main Event chip leader and all-round nice guy Jarrod Coughrie.

Ossi Ketola is now on bullet #8 in the €5k Sit-And-Go. He was all in and covered against Ranno Sootla with K 2 . Sootla had 4 4 . The 7 10 9 7 Q runout kept Sootla’s pair ahead, and Ketola reloaded.

Ossi “Monarch” Ketola is on bullet #6 in the €5k Sit-and-Go, meaning €30,000 of last night’s €55,000 has entered the prizepool. Tomi Rahikainen, Vladimir “Gambledore” Korzinin, and Daniel Cao are all on bullet #2.

Franke lost his money the fastest to win the Slots Tournament. He was left with four cents to win yet another Festival Series title. “Poker there is no skill,” said Franke. “Slots, there is skill, some technique. I will stick to these games”

The field are in the money in the €350 PL Dealers’ Choice. Toomas Mäkikokko bubbled, and TORSES Main Event Champion and 10-Game Mix runner-up Alexander Freund finished in ninth. Lena Björn, who won the Omahajack yesterday evening, and Mixed Games crusher Siarhei Narozhny remain in contention for the title.

When doing a round of photos, Vladimir “Gambledore” Korzinin recommended the song below to our Festival photographer, Mairo “EstonianWeirdo” Toom. Must’ve been the hair.

After the startling success of yesterday’s €5,000 Friendly Sit-and-Go, it will run yet again, but this time with a twist. For every five hands, one of them will be PLO, and the other four will be Texas Hold’em. Below are the confirmed players, with some of yesterday’s players returning to Olympic Park Casino once again for the high-stakes 8-max event. Below is the lineup.

• Newly crowned €1,100 10-Game Mix champion Sampo Ryynänen
• The Festival Bratislava 2026 PLO High Roller runner-up Teemu Sattanen
• #1 on Estonia’s All-Time Money List, Vladimir “Gambledore”
• #5 on Estonia’s All-Time Money List, Ranno Sootla
• Gambling entrepreneur Ossi Ketola
• Bombay Club €25,000 Main Event Winner 2025 Kasper Kaisel
• Daniel Cao
• Tomi Rahikainen

Sergi Kapandze successfully won with 7-2 offsuit at showdown to claim a whopping 55,200 from the field, with the big blind at 1,600 and 46 players remaining. 55,200 is over two starting stacks and is the current average stack.

Sampo Ryynänen has bested Alexander Freund heads-up to win the €1,100 10-Game Mix. In BigO, the chips went in preflop, and Ryynänen’s A 5 8 10 K cracked the double-suited aces of Freund, who held A A 3 4 K .

The K J 10 flop gave Ryynänen two pair, and he improved to a full house across the 10 turn and 8 river. When asked how he felt to win the tournament, Ryynänen simply replied, “very good.” Below are the payouts.

Having climbed up the counts, Marc Gork couldn’t maintain momentum and had slipped down to become the short stack. He tripled from 3,000 to 12,000 versus the chip-leader Sampo Ryynänen in a hand of Badugi; Gork then moved all in in the first hand of BigO. He had A 3 4 5 6 against Ryynänen’s A 3 6 7 J . Gork couldn’t even make a pair across the K J K 7 9 runout and became the bubble boy.

In the build up to the bubble, Ryynänen was applying maximum pressure to the table, but something had to give at some point, and unfortunately for Gork, he missed out on the €2,390 min cash and a shot at the trophy.

During the time it took to write this post, play is now heads-up between Ryynänen and Alexander Freund!

Sampo Ryynänen is in a commanding position in the €1,100 10-Game Mix. The Finn has the majority of the chips as six-handed play continues to roll on.

Here is what Franke, Vladimir “Gambledore” Korzinin, and Ranno Sootla had to say before the cards were in the air in yesterday’s high-stakes sit-and-go. Don’t forget to like, comment, share and subscribe to keep up to date with all things The Festival.

Registration remains open in the €350 Dealers’ Choice PL, where 24 remain of the 46 total entrants who have taken to the felt so far this afternoon. BigO, PLO4, PLO5, PLO6, 7Stud, and Sviten Special are the games on offer in this great rotation.

In the  €200 NLH 7-2 Estonia Special (incl. INES rule), one player has claimed a big blind from each player, having one with 7-2 offsuit at showdown. Jussi Mattila claimed the pot and an additional 18,500 from the field. With the starting stack at 25,000, this represents a huge chunk of change going the way of the Finn. After the late registration closes, players can make use of a special ‘once in a lifetime’ re-entry. Meaning that if they bust after late reg and before bubble play, they can make use of that once-in-a-lifetime re-entry. The good part? You get 2x the starting stack! Registration remains open for another 15 minutes.

Jarrod Coughtrie will come into tomorrow’s final table atop the counts in the €555 Main Event. Ville-Matti Keränen went on a monumental spin-up, coming into today’s play near the bottom of the counts to claim third place.

Action was picked up with a short-stacked Mantas Burba all in against the covering stack of Hampus Grönström. Burba had 10 8 , and Grönström had 8 6 . The 2 5 A flop gave Grönström a flush draw, and he hit it on the river, across the A and 3 .

Only four of the seven final tablists will be paid in the €1,100 10-Game Mix. Marc Gork came into the FT short but has been accumulating chips. In a hand of PLO4, Gork was all in three-way on a flush-draw flop with an open-ended straight flush draw v top two and middle set. The turn gave him the flush, and the river bricked to propel him up the counts.

The first round of egg hatching has taken place for the players in the Mystery Bounty Main Event. Of the players who took to the stage, it was David Santalla and Martin Wilborg who had the most success. They both pulled €4,000 from the bounty prize pool, consisting of a €3,000 and a €1,000 bounty. Below is the table of the remaining bounties.

Check out the highlights from an electric day of poker here at Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn. A star-studded €5k sit-and-go took place, as well as Mixed Games and much, much more. Don’t forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe to keep up to date with all things The Festival.

David Santalla and Hampus Grönström have knocked out three players each in the €555 Mystery Bounty Main Event. They will each have three eggs to open in the last five minutes of the next scheduled break. The field has thinned to 12, meaning over half of the 26 that returned to the felt have been eliminated. Below are the payouts of those who have departed.

Alexander Freund is looking to win the two biggest Mixed Games events of the week by winning the €1,100 10-Game Mix. Yesterday, he won the €550 TORSES Main Event for just over €9,000 and is one of the biggest stacks remaining in the tournament. Yesterday’s OFC Champion, Ilkka Heikkilä, is also in contention for a second title this week.

Here are the bounties and the payouts that the field will be fighting for in Day 2 of the Main Event Mystery Bounty.

Play is underway at Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn in the Main Event Mystery Bounty. Marijus Dirgela has come into the day as the chipleader, progressing through flight 1B. Jarrod Coughtrie is second and he came through flight 1A. Last night’s flight winner was David Santalla, and he occupies first. Hampus Grönström is the only other player with a stack over 900,000. He was also the first one to secure himself a bounty egg when play resumed today. Bounties will be opened on the stage at 2.15 p.m. local time

The way the Mystery Bounties work in this tournament is that each player will get an egg containing a bounty. When players get knocked out, their opponent gets their egg. If a player makes multiple KO’s before being eliminated themselves, the player who eliminates the other can choose whichever egg they would like from the player, provided it hasn’t been cracked. Below are the top 10 in the field.

On the final hand of heads-up play, a short affair, Ardo Handschmidt was all in and at risk with A 9 . Ketola had A J , seemingly his lucky hand this evening.

The 4 Q 10 2 Q runout secured Ketola the victory and a €55,000 payday. Handschmidt left with €22,400.

Blog now signing off until tomorrow/later on today.

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Franke jammed on the button with A 3 as the shortest stack. Ardo Handschmidt called with A 5 , and Ossi Ketola called with A J . Handschmidt had both covered.

The K 10 K 8 4 runout gave Ketola the pot, and both players are guaranteed to leave with €24,000. The top prize is a tasty €55,000!

Ossi Ketola jammed small blind into Franke’s big blind with 8 5 . Franke called with A 10 . He made two pair with an ace-high kicker across the 6 K K 6 3 to secure a crucial double-up.

The tables have turned in the €5k Sit-N-Go, as Ossi Ketola has doubled up and subsequently stacked Markkos Ladev. Ketola had A 2 and Ladev K 7 off a short-stack. The 5 9 4 8 10 runout offered no relief for the Estonian high-roller, and now it’s Franke’s turn to play short-stack duties.

Ardo Hanschmidt has taken the lead in the €5k Sit-And-Go. Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk has climbed up the counts and Ossi Ketola has been relegated to short-stack.

In the biggest and final Main Event flight of this Festival Weekend, David Santalla topped the counts of the 106 total entrants and the 13 who progressed to Day 2 and ITM status. All but one of Santalla’s career cashes have come in Estonia, with his best score this year in the €1,110 Deepstack PKO at Kings of Tallinn in February, where he finished 3rd for €6,750 excluding bounties. Below are the counts of those who made it.

Aleksander Lattikas and Steven Tool have been stacked by The Festival founder Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk, who has had an up-and-down day in the €5k Sit-and-Go. Vladimir “Gambledore” Korzinin has also since departed, leaving a field of five.

Ossi Ketola and Markkos Ladev are atop the counts.

In a three-way single raise pot preflop between Ossi Ketola, Markkos Ladev, Vladimir Korzinin and Franke, The Festival founder bet 11,000 on the turn of 9 A 9 7 . Korzinin checked from the small blind, before Franke bet 11,000. Ketola and Ladev called, and Korzonin folded. Both Franke and Ketola checked to Ladev, who was on the button, who moved all in for around 45,000. Franke went deep into the tank for around 3 minutes before folding seven-deuce. Ketola folded quickly to give #3 on Estonia’s all time money list the pot.

“Tight fold, tight fold” said Franke as Ladev laddered up the counts.

16 remain and only 13 will progress to Day 2 of the €555 Main Event. The current big stacks are Bulgaria’s Larry Loupolover, Latvia’s Raivo Grislis, and Martin Willborg of Sweden.

Ossi “Monarch” Ketola has established a huge stack in the €5k Sit-N-Go here at Olympic Park Casino. Vladimir “Gambledore” Korzinin hasn’t been able to work his magic. He is on his fifth bullet and still has a short-stack. High-stakes regular Markkos Ladev is also short-stacked.

Ranno Sootla jammed from the big blind for around 17,500 with 7 7 over an open from Franke. The Festival boss took a moment before flicking in the call with A J ; he had Sootla covered but only just. Sootla’s pair became a set on the flop of 8 Q 7 . The 10 turn gave Franke Broadway and flush outs, but he couldn’t bink, as the 3 gave Sootla the double up to leave the boss short.

Ilkka Heikkila has become the latest Open Face Chinese champion, besting his compatriot Mikael Koistinen heads-up. This is his first Festival Series cash, which comes after a productive summer at the WSOP in Vegas, where he racked up seven cashes, all in Mixed games events ranging from $600 to $10,000. Below are the payouts.

Action was picked up with Markkos Ladev calling an all-in re-raise from Ossi Ketola. “Monarch” had A A , and Ladev had 10 10 . The runout of 6 9 2 5 2 gave no shocks or surprises and Ketola secured a double-up to 47,000. The starting stack for this event was 30,000.

Tune in here!

It’s Finland v Finland in the Open Face Chinese at Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn. Ilkka Heikkilä and Mikael Koistinen are battling it out for the trophy. Below are the payouts for the departed.

Alexander Freund has become the latest €555 TORSES Main Event champion, besting a field of 55 over the two-day stint at Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn. He took down the title in a hand of Stud Hi-Lo, making a pair of queens. Timo Lämsä was drawing to a lo and a flush draw, but could only make a pair of nines. Freund is a Mixed Games specialist with $590,941 in live tournament earnings according to our friends at thehendonmob.com. His only Festival Series cash came in the TORSES Main Event in Bratislava 2025, where he finished ninth for €1,500. Below are the payouts.

In the “Friendly” €5k Sit-N-Go, Alexander Lattikas and Ossi Ketola made it to the river on a paired board, with both holding seven-deuce! Cheers and laughter erupted from the players and the media alike, with the table all in good spirits, enjoying the game we all know and love.

Vladimir “Gambledore” Korzinin may have gambled too much, and he is the clear short stack. Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk is happy because he lasted more than 10 minutes in the tournament. Tune in to Instagram to check out the action on the link below.

https://www.instagram.com/thefestivalog/live/18017039279899872

Pasi Olavi Trollhjärta has been eliminated in the TORSES Main Event, leaving Alexander Freund and Timo Lämsä heads-up for the trophy. Freund has a decent advantage over his opponent, but as we know in poker, anything can happen.

The star-studded field is taking to the feature table at Olympic Park Casino here in Tallinn. Check out the link below to follow along with all the action. Below is the lineup, which will feature three of the top 5 players on Estonia’s all time money list.

https://www.instagram.com/thefestivalog/live/18017039279899872

Ranno Sootla
Aleksander Lattikas
Markkos Ladev
Ossi Ketola
Vladimir “Gambledore” Korzinin
Steven Tool
Ardo Hanschmidt
Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk

Only six of the nine will be paid. Coincidentally, six of the remaining players hail from Finland, adding to the strong Finnish presence at the tables so far this Festival Weekend Tallinn. Still in contention are OFC wizards Mati Pirn and Risto Pönniö, as well as Bratislava 2025 Chicago winner Verneri Häkkinen.

Morten Antonsen was short-stacked and all in versus Pasi Olavi Trollhjärta. On the third draw, Trollhjärta pat and showed 2 3 5 7 8 . Antonsen drew one and needed a seven or an eight to win with 2 3 4 6 . However, he peeled the K , tapped the table and hit the payout desk.

Below are the players expected to take to the felt in the improvised €5,000 Sit-N-Go, which will take place within the hour. Some huge names will be in attendance, with three of them being in the top 5 of Estonia’s All-Time Money List. Vladimir Korzinin is #1, Markkos Ladev is #3, and Ranno Sootla is #5. Below is the full lineup of what is set to be an epic showdown.

Ranno Sootla
Aleksander Lattikas
Markkos Ladev
Ossi Ketola
Vladimir “Gambledore” Korzinin
Steven Tool
Ardo Hanschmidt
Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk

Four Mixed Games enthusiasts have ponied up the €1,100 buy-in to play the first High Roller of the week, the 10-Game Mix. Mixed Games Main Event bubble boy Kjetil Flaaten will be trying his luck once again, with English representatives William Mawer and Martin Smith taking on the Scandinavian duo of Flaaten and Olli Muukkonen.

Raimond Svans, Riku Koivurinne and Henri Puija are the first departures of the TORSES Main Event Final Table. Left in contention for the title are Morten Antonsen, Pasi Olavi Trollhjärta, Timo Lämsä and Alexander Freund.

Sometimes the best ideas come on the fly, and The Festival Weekend will now be hosting a star-studded €5k NLH Sit-n-Go at Olympic Park Casino in the heart of Tallinn. Expected to be in attendance are Vladimir “Gambledore” Korzinin, Ossi “Monarch” Ketola, and Ranno Sootla, amongst others. If Bert “Girafganger7” Stevens has somehow stumbled across the blog, come down and play! We know that you know where Olympic Park is ;).

Players looking to play the first high roller of the week, the €1,100 10-Game Mix, will have to hold fire for a bit as the start time has been pushed back to 6 p.m. local time. Want to get involved? Learn more about the great mix of games here.

Action was picked up during a hand of Stud Hi-Lo with Kjetil Flaaten showing A 8 A against Pasi Olavi Trollhjärta’s 8 5 7 . Facing a 30,000 bet from Flaaten, Trollhjärta called. He then got the 7 and Flaaten the 9 . Flaaten fired again and Trollhjärta pulled Flaaten all in for the rest, he called.

Trollhjärta had a flush with Q 6 in the hole, and Flaaten had two pair with 9 4 in the hole. He couldn’t improve and Trollhjärta scooped the high-only pot to take play to the final table, and he heads into the final table in a commanding position atop the counts.

Larry Loupolover appears to be the current chipleader as the Main Event field heads to a scheduled break. Loupolover’s cashes have come exclusively in his native Bulgaria thus far, and he will be looking to add another flag to his collection by securing a stack for tomorrow’s Day 2 where all players will be in the money.

On the final draw of a hand of 2-7 Triple Draw, Raimond Svans was all in and at risk. He need a three or a four on the final draw versus Henrik Puija. Svans scooped the pot, catching a three to make 2 3 5 6 10 to best Puija’s 2 4 5 6 10 .

He then won the following hand, and then scooped with two pair in Stud Hi-Lo against Timo Lämsä.

Here are the highlights of yesterday’s action on and off the felt. Don’t forget to like, comment, share and subscribe to keep up to date with all things The Festival.

Igor Pihela Sr is in the Main Event field here at Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn. Pihela ranks #9 on the Estonian All Time Money List, with $1,104,233 in live tournament earnings according to our friends at thehendonmob.com. Pihela is a regular on the EPT circuit and has frequented the WSOP over the course of his poker career. Last summer, he secured his second biggest career cash at this venue, finishing third for € 90,200 in the €1,500 NLH Main Event at this venue to Jenny Westerlund, another Festival regular.

Nine remain in the TORSES Main Event out of the 25 who took to the felt this morning. Raimonds Svans will be looking to make it back-to-back TORSES Main Event FT’s as he finished fourth last time out in Rozvadov. Only the seven final tablists will receive a payout, which are listed below.

A total of 73 entrants have been made to 1C of the NLH Main Event Mystery Bounty, with 62 of them still in. The Festival has attracted some massive names over the last two days, with Ossi Ketola and Vladimir “Gambledore” Korzinin both making appearances. Word on the grapevine is that legendary online crusher Bert “Girafganger7” Stevens is in Tallinn, so who knows, maybe another mythical poker figure will make an appearance. We sure hope he does. In the field are yesterday’s Roulette tournament winner Attila Erdei and last night’s Freezeout winner Krzysztof Grubka.

In the first Open Face Chinese tournament of the weekend, 26 remain of the 33 that have entered. Of the early eliminations, six of them were Finnish and one was UK poker stalwart, JJ Hazan. As expected, OFC specialist Fabian Bartushck has taken to the felt and will be looking to add yet another OFC title to his Festival Series collection.

Registration has closed in the €200 NLH Freezeout and the €150 PL Badeucy/Badacey mix. 40 remain in the Freezeout, and only 11 of the field will be paid. The Freezeout has a distinctly Finnish flavour, with 20 of the 40 hailing from Finland. Below are the payouts.

In the €150 PL Badeucy/Badacey mix, 22 remain of the 50 total entrants. The Festival founder Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk enjoyed the tournament so much he entered it seven times. Below are the payouts.

That’s all for now, folks. Same again tomorrow.

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#1 on Estonia’s Money List and inventor Vladimir “Gambledore” Korzinin has come to Olympic Park Casino Tallinn to play the €200 Freezeout of all things! The elusive figure is in the city to see family and do some business, deciding to pay a visit to The Festival Series for the first time. Known as “Gambledore” for his magical plays and resemblance to the Harry Potter character Dumbledore, Korzinin shot to fame at the highest level at the Triton Poker Series, competing in the Super High Rollers in Montenegro in 2025 and in Monte Carlo in 2024.

It was in the principality where he had most success, scoring a win in the $150,000 No Limit Hold’em for a whopping $4,350,000. He finished runner-up in the even bigger $200,000 Triton Invitational. banking $3,470,000. Korzinin is known for his fearless and unorthodox style and high-risk tolerance, as expected from an incredibly successful inventor, businessman, and entrepreneur.

If you’re at his table, be careful, the man is magic.

Here are the counts of the seven players progressing to Day 2 and ITM status in the Main Event. Marijus Dirgela has become the second chip-stack millionaire, pushing Australian Jarrod Coughtrie down to second place overall. Kaius Kiidli was the bubble boy, and #5 on Estonia’s All-Time Money List, Ranno Sootla, departed in ninth.

In the PL Badacey/Baduecy, Morten Antonsen opened before Franke called. The dealer misheard and announced pot, as Franke’s play style dictates that he put as many chips into the pot as possible. After a quick clarification, the call stood. His tablemate and OFC crusher, Fabian Bartushck, said, “Now you have managed to bluff the dealer” having bluffed Siarhei Narozhny in the previous hand.

Our online package winners were treated to a spot of dinner at local restaurant Radio, a short walk from Olympic Park Casino. A multitude of small tasty plates were served, followed by a wide range of desserts. Feel like you are missing out? Qualify online to get involved in all the fun off the felt!

Kjetil Flaaten will come into tomorrow’s second and final day as the chip leader. JJ Hazan and Toomas Mäkikokko round out the podium places. Registration remains open until the start of play tomorrow at 11.30 a.m. if players wish to max late reg.

Henrik Puija, who bagged in sixth. praised The Festival, saying: “I just bagged TORSES and should go to sleep as day two is tomorrow, but where else can I play Baducey-Badacey for such a reasonable buy-in. Reasonable buy-ins are the reason I very much like The Festival. Let me think about it for a moment, and maybe I jump in.”

Attila Erdei has won his first live Festival Series title in the €150 Roulette tournament. A Festival Series regular, his biggest career score came in Malta in The Hendon Mob Championships back in 2025 for €11,400. Erdei is no stranger to the casino game tournaments, having finished runner-up at the same stop in the Slots tournament. Sami Korpela narrowly missed out on another Festival Series title.

Attila “The Professional” Erdei has spun his way to the top of the counts in the Roulette tournament. Erdei had pretty much, if not the maximum, on 32 and its splits to win 1,524 points from the house to take the lead in the eight-handed affair. Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk forfeited his short stack and rebought for the final spins.

That atmosphere at the table is fun and friendly and a great tournament to get involved with for casual and experienced players alike at the next Festival Series stop in Malta.

There have been two early eliminations in the sole Freezeout tournament of the weekend in the week, the €200 NLH Freezeout. Unfortunately for the home nation, it is an Estonian 1-2 as the first eliminations, with Hardi Karolin and Silver Simulask being the first of the 57 total entrants to be knocked out of the tournament.

Upon a visual inspection of the chip stacks, it appears JJ Hazan, William Mawer, and last night’s Crazy Pineapple runner-up and SPT Malta Main Event winner Erik Põlluveer appear to be atop the counts. However, this could all change in an instant, and the field is tightly grouped heading into the final two levels of the day.

Juergen Martin Fittschen, Kaspars Renga, Jakub Kordulasinski, and Juozas Kirjanovas appear to be the biggest stacks in 1B of the €555 Main Event Mystery Bounty. The players have been sent for a dinner break, and registration has closed, with a total of 55 entrants being made into this flight. 24 remain.

On the day before The Festival Series proper, we hosted Estonia’s first-ever outdoor poker tournament! Check out the video below and read more about it here.

After Johnny Hofseth’s elimination earlier and with the blinds and limits increasing, eight players have hit the rebuy button, the bar, or tournaments anew in the TORSES Main Event. OFC wizard and the most fashionable man in the building, Mati Pirn, The Festival founder and proud owner of the world’s longest index finger, Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk, are just two of the bustouts. Still in are JJ Hazan, Marc Gork and The Festival Rozvadov TORSES Main Event final tablists Raimond Svans and Siarhei Narozhny are in the field.

After four hours of play, the first player has been eliminated in the TORSES Main Event 1A. Johnny Hofseth of Norway couldn’t bag in back-to-back Day 1s, having bagged in yesterday’s 1A flight of the €555 Main Event. A solid field of 35 players remains in contention to make Day 2, and play will finish after 6 more 30-minute levels. Hofseth bagged 575,000 last night when play came to an end; read about yesterday’s action here.

The only NLH Freezeout will kick off the evening session at Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn from 7 p.m. It will be one bullet and one bullet only for everyone who enters! Registration will close after 12 levels have been played. The second casino game tournament will take place at 7.30 p.m., and that is the Roulette tournament. For information on the rules and regulations, click here.

Last but certainly not least will be the debut of the PL Baducey/Badacey Mix, which is a €150 buy-in. Levels run for 15 minutes and players have unlimited reentry options, but of course, be gamble aware and only play with what you can afford to lose. To learn more about Badugi’s cousins, click here.

29 of the 29 still remain in the TORSES Main Event, and Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk has taken to the felt. Verneri Hakkinen, winner of the Chicago tournament at The Festival Bratislava 2025, has entered, as has JJ Hazan, Marc Gork and yesterday’s Sviten Special third-place finisher, Alexander Freund.

In the Main Event, 32 remain of the 40 that have entered so far. Ville Keranen was first out in 1B, and Atilla Erdei and Fabian Bartushck have also departed.

If you are not here in Tallinn for The Festival Weekend, why aren’t you? Come and get involved in all the fun and games! Don’t forget to like, comment, share and subscribe to keep up to date with all things The Festival.

It’s a double Main Event kickoff today here at Olympic Park Casino in the beautiful city of Tallinn. So far, 24 Mixed Games enthusiasts have taken to the tables in 1A of the €555 TORSES Main Event. There is a strong Finnish presence, with Ville Keranen, Riku Koivurinne, and Fredrik Zitting all in attendance, just to name a few. Players will play 14 30-minute levels today, and registration will remain open until the start of Day 2.

In the €555 Main Event Mystery Bounty, 32 have taken to the tables in search of a stack for Day 2 in 1B of the Mystery Bounty. Festival regular and all-around nice guy Atilla Erdei, last night’s Sviten Special runner-up Terje Sirnes, and fifth on Estonia’s All-Time Money List, Ranno Sootla, are just a trio in contention for a stack this afternoon.

In the €200 Crazy Pineapple, Raul Nieto Garcia topped the field of 32 total entrants to win the top prize of €1,428. He bested recent Sigma Poker Tour Main Event Malta winner Erik Põlluveer heads-up to win a maiden Festival Series trophy.

In the PLO4/5/6, the title went to Olli Kalso after a three-way deal that saw him win the trophy in the small hours of the morning. Outside VIP Sit-N-Go player Fredrik Zitting also found the money, finishing third.

Siarhei Narozhny, longtime Sviten Special chip leader, departed one short of the payout spots and will have to wait for his first cash of the weekend and fourth overall Festival title. Osaari Pal fell short of bagging for Day 2 of The Main Event. Martin Smith has since been eliminated in the first payout spot. Below are the chip counts from Main Event 1A as the blog signs off for the night.

The bubble looms for players in the €555 Main Event 1A and the €350 Sviten Special. Only one player needs to bust for the Sviten Special field to be ITM, and two need to depart in the Main Event for the floor to bring out the plastic bags for the players to store their stacks.

There are also 12 left in the €555 Main Event. Leading the pack with a substantial advantage at the time of writing is Johnny Hofseth of Norway. Open Face Chinese specialist and impeccably dressed gentleman Mati Pirn remains in the field in pursuit of a bag for Day 2, as does the man from down under, Jarrod Coughtrie.

Two tables of six remain in the Sviten Special; Siarhei Narozhny, Ville Hakala, Ville Keranen, and author Martin Smith remain in contention for the first poker tournament title of the week and a top prize of just over €6,500.

At The Festival Series, we host a range of different casino game-based tournaments as well as poker tournaments. Here is a quick rundown of how the Slots Tournament and the Roulette Tournaments will run.

Slots Tournament

The Slots Tournament is a €150 buy-in event. €100 of each buy-in will go to the prize pool, and €30 will be used to spin, with the remainder being the casino fee. Players will then have 1 minute to LOSE as much as possible at a level stake of 50 cents per spin. Whatever you win, you get to keep, so you can still come away as a winner but a trophiless winner.

Roulette Tournament

The buy-in for a roulette tournament is fixed and applies to all players. At the start, each player receives the same number of chips. You’re playing against the other players, not the dealer. The tournament will be run in a series of heats, with the players who make the most amount of chips in each heat progressing to the final spin-off. Within these levels, there are minimum and maximum bet limits set in terms of the number of chips allowed for betting. This ensures that on the first spin, it’s not possible to either lose or win the tournament. Additionally, it ensures gameplay success for those who prefer to play strategically rather than relying solely on blind luck. Here is a run down of the rounds.

ROUND 1

• Each player will receive a chip stack of 250.
• Each Heat consists of 15 spins of the Wheel
• Lowest chip denomination: 1 chip
• outside bets 5 chips, maximum 100 chips (inside + outside together)
• Players are required to place at least the minimum bet required on each spin. Should a player not place the minimum bet, the dealer will instruct the player they are not staking enough and failure to comply will forfeit the minimum bet amount for the player
• Top 2 players from each table advance to round 2. If a table only has 2 players left, the table closes and both participants have advanced to round 2.

ROUND 2

• All players start with a new stack of 250 chips
• Each Heat consists of 12 spins of the Wheel
• Lowest chip denomination: 5 chips
• Top 2 players from each table advance to round 3. If a table only has 2 players left, the table closes and both participants have advanced to the next round.

ROUND 3

• All players start with a new stack of 250 chips
• Betting rounds and set-up as day 2
• The player with the biggest stack wins the tournament

Mixed Games specialist Siarhei Narozhny continues to dominate the field in the €350 Sviten Special and is chipleading the tournament. With registration closed, the payouts have been announced, and only 7 of the 17 that remain will be paid. Below are the payouts.

Andreas “Wiseguy” Hoglund has taken it all in the Blackjack Tournament, winning €618 over the 30-minute session, overcoming his colleague Mairo “EstonianWeirdo” Toom.

The Festival Series very own photographer, Mairo “EstonianWeirdo,” is running hot in the Blackjack tournament. In the first ten hands of the session, Toom hit multiple splits and held against the dealer who busted, to rake in a substantial amount of chips. Andreas “Wiseguy” Hoglund binked back-to-back Blackjacks to stay in contention. Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk has been down on his luck, and Marko Keskel, who won the Blackjack tournament at The Festival Weekend Vilnius, is looking to make it back-to-back wins.

Ville Keranen and Ville Hakala have huge stacks at the break in the Sviten Special. Siarhei Narozhny, Riku Koivurinne, Raymond Forsland, and Max Lohse also have plenty to play with as registration closes.

Online qualifiers are invited to the bar for a complimentary glass of bubbly at the bar at Olympic Park Casino Tallinn for Welcome Drinks! The perfect opportunity to wet the whistle and mingle with your fellow package winners. Here is to making new friends and catching up with old friends.

The field continues to grow in the Sviten Special. 30 remain of the 64 total entrants that have taken to the felt this afternoon in Sweden’s most famous export since IKEA. The current prize pool stands at €18,848, meaning there will be a generous prize for first place. Attila Erdei remains in contention to win the first title of the midweek weekend, as do former Player of the Series Ville Hakala and Festival Series Founder Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk.

Of the 18 remaining players in the €555 Main Event, nine nationalities are represented at the tables. In what seems like a duplicate of the earlier Sviten Special post, an even wider range of nationalities is represented. Jarrod Coughtrie hails from Australia, and the last man from down under to attend The Festival, Ameer Sabri, found success at The Festival, finishing runner-up in the TORSES Main Event in Rozvadov last time out. Coughtrie got off to a tough start in the Main Event satellite streets yesterday, as he limped kings from under the gun before calling a three-bet jam. His cowboys crumbled against five-nine of spades as his opponent went runner-runner to force Coughtrie to hit the rebuy desk.

So far, only Leho Raud and Johnny Hofseth have become the early casualties.

A total of 58 players have entered today’s Sviten Special here at Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn, which has generated a prize pool of €17,081! With registration open for over two hours, that number is set to balloon further. 40 are left, including Festival regular Attila Erdei, Sviten Specialists Riku Koivurinne and Ville Keränen, and Mixed Games crusher Siarhei Narozhny, who are just a finger short of a handful of players in contention for the Weekend in the week’s first title.

38 remain of the 47 that have taken to the felt in today’s opener, the €350 Sviten Special. Phil Gross became the first elimination of this Festival Series Weekend in Tallinn, who was followed to the rail or rebuy desk by VIP Outside Sit-and-Go player Fredrik Zitting, who is on bullet number three, and PLO fanatic JJ Hazan.

The Festival Weekend in Tallinn is now underway, but yesterday saw the first poker tournament to be held outside in Estonia! Check it out, and don’t forget to like, comment, share and subscribe to keep up to date with all things The Festival.

The first flight of the €555 Main Event Mystery Bounty is about to start here at Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn. 10 players have taken to the felt in the two-card streets, four of whom are representing the home nation of Estonia. Argo Garamaga is using a ticket he won to play the first flight. The Festival is represented by our very own photographer, Mairo “EstonianWeirdo” Toom.

A field of 18 players has taken to the tables in the first tournament of The Festival Weekend Tallinn. The tournament has attracted nine different nationalities so far, with Sweden, Norway, Romania, Belarus, Hungary, Germany, Finland, Latvia, and Malta all being represented. Martin Smith, who wrote Pot Limit Sviten Special: A European Version of Drawmaha, Mixed Games specialist Siarhei Narozhny, and one-time Dragon’s Den contestant JJ Hazan have all taken to the felt. Ville Keranen, last year’s Sviten Special Weekend Main Event winner, will be looking to win a third Festival Series title.

Welcome one and all to the live coverage of the second Festival Weekend of the year from Estonia’s glorious capital city of Tallinn. Held at the beautiful Olympic Park Casino, the opening day of this midweek weekend is an eclectic selection of Festival favourites, with something for all players.

The day kicks off with none other than Sweden’s favourite mixed game variant, Sviten Special. The €350 buy-in is sure to attract the best Sviten players in the world to Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn over the day, kicking off at 1:30 pm. Levels run for 30 minutes a pop, and players have unlimited re-entries for the first 10 levels. Last time The Festival Series came to Tallinn, it was a weekend stop, and it was Ville Keranen who took down the trophy in the Sviten Special Main Event for €2,500.

The Main Event will get underway with 1a at 2 p.m. The €555 Hold’em Main Event is the biggest and best tournament in the two-card streets over the five-day affair, and this time it’s a mystery bounty format. The weekends have been the place for experimentation, with The Festival Weekend Vilnius Main Event being a PKO. Levels run for 30 minutes each, and players have unlimited reentry options until the end of level 12. Play will cease when 12.5% of the field remains per flight, and all progressors will be in the money.

The €150 Blackjack tournament will kick off the evening session, starting at 7 pm local. The blackjack tournaments have grown in popularity over the stops, with The Festival Rozvadov edition attracting 81 total entrants. Of course, in the highest test of skill that week, The Festival Founder Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk took down the title and the trophy.

The evening will finish with two more side events, the first of which is a €200 NLH Crazy Pineapple, which starts at 8 p.m. local time. This Hold’em variant involves three cards, with one of the three from each player’s hand being discarded after the round of flop betting. Jaroslav Stulhofer is the most successful Crazy Pineapple player at The Festival Series. He won back-to-back Pineapple titles at The Festival Bratislava in December 2025 and in March 2026.

PLO 4/5/6 will finish off the first day of play from 9 p.m. The last winner of a PLO 4/5/6 at The Festival Series was Deniss Lebedevs, who took down the title in Rozvadov, as well as finishing second to Jens Vörtmann in the 10-Game Mix.

Action and plenty of laughs are inbound; stay tuned to the live blog, social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for all things The Festival.

Despite the action officially kicking off today, The Festival Series broke new ground by hosting the first-ever outdoor poker tournament in Estonia! Click here to find out more.