Estonia’s Priit Parmasto is the King of Tallinn after he outlasted a record-breaking field of 716 entrants in the 2023 Kings of Tallinn Main Event. Prior to this event, Parmasto’s live tournament earnings weighed in at a shade under $5,500, with a €2,100 ($2,481) score being the Estonian’s largest. That result came in the 2021 Kings of Tallinn Main Event, when he finished in 27th place. Fastforward to 2023, and Parmasto has helped himself to the title of champion, in addition to €97,400 in prize money.

The 716-strong field created a €673,040, the largest in the history of the Kings of Tallinn. Parmasto’s victory marks the first time since Ranno Sootla captured the title in 2015 that the winner’s trophy remains in Estonia.

It was not only the €1,100 Main Event that was a roaring success but the festival as a whole. Some 1,361 unique players from 35 countries bought in 7,838 times across the 53 numbered events, which had buy-ins from €60 up to €5,300. Here is how Parmasto got his hands on the 2023 Kings of Tallinn Main Event title.

2023 Kings of Tallinn Main Event Final Table Results

*reflects a three-handed deal leaving €15,000 for the champion

The final table kicked off with Lithuania’s Ignas Vaitulionis holding a sizeable chip lead, his 5,655,000 stack (94 big blinds) dwarfing that of the short-stacked Albert Ostrovkij (730,000). Obstrovskij was the first finalist heading to the cashier’s desk. Down to only 70,000 chips at the 50,000/100,000/100,000a level after losing with king-jack versus ace-jack, Obstrovskij was all-in with six-five from the big blind. Parmasto min-raised to 200,000 with pocket kings in the hijack, Sergejs Korobovs three-bet to 600,000 from the cutoff with pocket tens, and then called when Parmasto four-bet shoved for 1,500,000. An ace-high board kept Parmasto’s kings true, doubling his stack, and eliminating Ostrovskij from the tournament.

Less than 30 minutes later, Danius Antanaitis joined his fellow Lithuanian on the rail. Antanaitis opened to 690,000, leaving himself 500,000 chips behind. Antti Vetelainen moved all-in from the big blind, and Antanaitis called off the rest of his chips. It was ace-jack for the all-in player but a pair of red kings in the hole for Vetelainen. The kings held, and Antanaitis was gone.

Koborovs never recovered from the tens versus kings hand at the start of the final table, and he ultimately fell in seventh place. Korborov was down to around eight big blinds when he moved all-in for 1,300,000 with ace-queen from under the gun. Parmasto looked him up from the big blind with pocket eights, and those snowmen refused to melt, reducing the player count to six.

Those six became five with the untimely demise of Aleksi Naski of Finland. With blinds now 100,000/200,000/200,000a, Vaitulionis shoved from the small blind with ace-king, and Naski, who only had 215,000 left after posting the big blind, called with the dominated king-queen. Both players paired their king on the turn, but the river bricked, and Naski’s run ended.

Vaitulionis was the next player finding themselves with fresh air where their stack once stood despite winning Naski’s micro-stack. Vaitulionis found himself in something of a cooler spot against Parmasto. Vaitulionis three-bet all-in for 12 big blinds from the big blind after Parmasto had min-raised to 400,000 in the cutoff. Parmasto called, and revealed pocket kings, which were up against ace-king. The jack-high board failed to come to Vaitulionis’ rescue, and he had to make do with a still welcomed €29,800 fifth-place prize.

The remaining four players went on a scheduled break, but Davidi Muccini would not make it to another. Vetelainen open-shoved from the small blind, and Muccini considered his options before calling off the 1,900,000 chips, 7.5 big blinds, he was armed with. Muccini turned over king-four, but was in a world of pain against king-ten. Vetelainen’s ten-kicker played, and Muccini headed to the cashier’s desk.

The three surviving players paused the tournament clock, and discussed a deal. Those discussions proved fruitful, with the last standing trio securing between €82,400 and €102,500, while leaving an additional €15,000 for the champion.

Heads-up was set after a battle of the blinds between Vetelainen and Parmasto. Parmasto limped in from the small blind with ace-queen, and called a 10 big blind shove from Vetelainen, which he made with the dominated queen-jack. Both players missed the flop and turn, leaving Vetelainen drawing to one of three jacks on the river. The river was paint, but it was one pip too high, the queen of hearts resigning Finn to a third-place finish. Vetelainien’s €1,100 investment swelled into a €90,000 payday courtesy of the deal struck.

Parmasto started the one-on-one battle with Petteri Laiho holding a two-to-one chip lead, and it took only two hands to press home that advantage. On the 147th hand of the final table, and with blinds of 175,000/350,000/350,000a, Laiho min-raised to 700,000, Parmasto three-bet to 2,000,000, only for Laiho to jam for 8,700,000. Parmasto called, and turned over pocket sevens, which had Laiho’s pair of fives crushed. The board ran out sans fives or unlikely straights, busting Laiho in second-place for €102,500, and leaving a delighted Parmasto to receive a €97,400 payout, the winner’s trophy, and a place in the Kings of Tallinn history books.

Full 2023 Kings of Tallinn Results

Expand the table below to check out the full list of results from the 2023 Kings of Tallinn festival. They include victories for Kimmo Fagerholm, who defeated Anatoly Filatov heads-up in the €3,000 High Roller event, a result worth €63,156.

Irish legend Fintan Gavin also found himself in the winner’s enclosure, taking down the €660 No-Limit Hold’em Mystery Bounty tournament.

The 2023 Kings of Tallinn has only just ended but players are already planning their assault on the 2024 edition! Stay tuned to PokerNews to discover exactly when that festival will be.

_{All imagery courtesy of the excellent Elena Kask and Tambet Kask}

The Cheltenham Festival is one of the world’s most famous horse racing meets, one packed with Grade 1 races featuring the best horses and jockeys. Cheltenham takes place from March 14-17, which is also when the bet365 Cheltenham Champions promotion runs, giving you a chance to play for a share of €2,500 for free. So saddle up, take the reins, and race off with a bankroll-boosting prize for free!

The Cheltenham Champions promotion sees bet365 poker players compete in four value-packed freerolls coinciding with the horse racing festival’s most prestigious events. Three freerolls, the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, and Stayers’ Hurdle, feature €500 cash prize pools, with the Gold Cup freeroll boasting €1,000 in cold, hard cash.

All four freerolls have restricted entry, but gaining access is simple. All you need to do is be fast out of the stalls each day and either play five jackpot Twister tournaments with a minimum buy-in of €5 or stake €50 on qualifying Age of the Gods slots via the poker software, and that day’s freeroll opens to you.

Each day’s qualifying period runs from 3:30 p.m. GMT to 3:29 p.m. GMT the following day, giving you plenty of time to meet the entry requirements.

Cheltenham Champions Freeroll Schedule

Cheltenham Champions Significant Terms and Conditions

• Cheltenham Champions runs from 10:00 GMT on 13th March until 15:29 GMT on 17th March 2023.
• Qualifying periods run daily from 15:30 GMT until 15:29 GMT the following day with the exception of the first, which runs from 10:00 GMT on 13th March until 15:29 GMT on 14th March.
• In order to receive one freeroll ticket, you must play in five Twister tournaments with a minimum buy-in of €5 or stake €50 on qualifying Age of the Gods slots within the poker software during a daily qualifying period.
• In order to receive both freeroll tickets, you must complete both missions outlined above. You can complete each mission once to receive a maximum of two freeroll tickets per qualifying period. Both tickets can only be used to enter the Cheltenham freeroll assigned to that qualifying period. More details can be found in the Missions section of the poker software.
• Qualifying slots for the staking mission are: Age Of The Gods, Age of the Gods: Apollo Power, Age of the Gods: Book of Oracle, Age of the Gods: Epic Troy, Age of the Gods: Fate Sisters, Age of the Gods: Furious 4, Age of the Gods: Glorious Griffin, Age of the Gods: God of Storms, Age of the Gods: God of Storms 2, Age of the Gods: Goddess of Wisdom, Age of the Gods: King of Olympus, Age of the Gods: Medusa & Monsters, Age of the Gods: Mighty Midas, Age of the Gods: Roulette, Age of the Gods: Ruler of the Dead, Age of the Gods: Ruler of the Seas, Age of the Gods: Ruler of the Sky, Age of the Gods: Rulers of Olympus, Age of the Gods: Wheels of Olympus, Age of the Gods: Wonder Warriors, Age of the Gods Norse: Book of Dwarves, Age of the Gods Norse: Gods and Giants, Age of the Gods Norse: King of Asgard, Age of the Gods Norse: Norse Legends and Age of the Gods Norse: Ways of Thunder.
• All freeroll tickets received as a result of Cheltenham Champions can only be used to enter freerolls with the corresponding name. If unused, tickets expire once registration for the relevant freeroll closes.
• This offer is only available to new and eligible customers.

What Are Twister Tournaments?

Twister are bet365 poker’s take on jackpot sit & go tournaments, where the prize pool is randomly determined before the first cards are dealt. Most of the time, these three-handed hyper-turbo sit & go games have a prize pool twice or three times the size of each player’s buy-in, but they can payout up to 1,000 times the buy-in, making them potentially lucrative.

Buy-ins of €1, €2, €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, and €200 are available in the bet365 poker software, so there is a Twister tournament for everyone regardless of their bankroll’s size.

Twister Prize Probabilities

Start Your Bet365 Career With a €365 Welcome Bonus

You need a Bet365 Poker account to get involved in the Cheltenham Champions promotion. Those with an account can fire up the Bet365 Poker software, opt in, and start meeting the entry requirements. Anyone reading this without an account can download Bet365 Poker via PokerNews and become eligible for a sizable welcome package.

Regardless of your initial deposit size, new Bet365 Poker customers receive a €365 redeemable bonus that releases into your account as you play real money cash games and tournaments. You receive 10 Status Points for every €1 or £1 you contribute to the cash game rake or pay in tournament fees.

The first two €2.50 bonus payments release into your playable balance once you earn 25 and 50 Status Points, respectively. The following 24 increments land in your account each time you earn 100 Status Points, with the remaining installments redeeming after every 250 Status Points earned.

In addition to the €365 bonus, you also reel in a €1 Twister ticket, a free spin on the Welcome Prize Wheel, and some special welcome missions where you earn one-off prizes

After two weeks of high-stakes poker action, the 2023 Triton Super High Roller Series Vietnam wrapped up with the completion of Event #15: $20,000 NLH Short Deck, which Canada’s Sam Greenwood took down for $207,000 to close out the series.

The Super High Roller Series in Southeast Asia consisted of over a dozen No-Limit Hold’em and Short Deck events. It culminated with the $100,000 buy-in Main Event, which saw England’s Talal Shakerchi topping the field of 135 runners and defeating Malaysia’s Michael Soyza to earn the trophy and a career-best $3,250,000.

The victory brought Shakerchi, a 59-year-old hedge fund manager, his first Triton title after a runner-up finish in $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha at 2022 Triton Cyprus series for $190,000. Soyza, meanwhile, was after a second title after taking down the 2019 Triton Jeju Super High Roller for $1,420,581. He bested that with his runner-up finish as he took home a career-high $2,207,000.

“Poker is my hobby and I want to play the best players,” Shakerchi told Triton after the victory. “That’s how you get satisfaction out of any activity that you do. Challenge yourself and try to do the best you can.”

Other notables who made deep runs in the Triton Vietnam Main Event include Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel (18th – $175,000), the controversial Bryn Kenney (17th – $195,000) and Mike Watson (20th – $175,000), who went on to take down Event #12: $50,000 NLH Short Deck – Ante Only for $695,000.

Read about the early winners in the Triton Vietnam series!

Koon, Tang & Greenwood Grab Triton Vietnam Titles

PokerNews highlighted some of the early winners in the High Roller series including familiar names like Nacho Barbero (Event #2: $15,000 NLH 7-Handed – $600,000), Jans Arends (Event #5: $30,000 NLH 7-Handed – $921,178) and Orpen Kisacikoglu (Event #7: $75,000 NLH 8-Handed – $1,753,000).

The familiar faces kept winning as GGPoker ambassador Jason Koon topped a small field of 24 runners in Event #10: $50,000 NLH Turbo for $574,000. Koon defeated Russia’s Artur Martirosian during heads-up play, while fellow American Chris Brewer finished in third. After that, Daniel Tang took down Event #11: $25,000 NLH Short Deck – Ante Only for $427,000.

Event #10: $50,000 NLH Turbo Final Table Results

Watson, another high-stakes regular, emerged the winner in the $50,000 Short Deck offering for $695,000. The Canadian had an incredible run throughout the series and managed to nab five cashes in addition to the first-place victory, including a six-place finish in Event #11 for $91,200.

Watson’s recent heater didn’t start in Vietnam. In February, he took down Event #20: €25,000 No Limit Hold’em at EPT Paris for $346,773. In his latest victory, Watson defeated heads-up opponent Isaac Haxton, who himself has been on quite a hot streak to start off the new year.

Event #12: $50,000 NLH Short Deck – Ante Only Final Table Results

Watson wasn’t the only Canadian who found a trophy at Triton Vietnam. After China’s Aaron Shu Nu Zang took down the $100,000 NLH Short Deck Main Event for $1,544,000, Greenwood defeated Malaysia’s Lun Loon in the series finale to win $207,000, while others at the final table included Haxton (3rd – $91,000), Seth Davies (4th – $65,800) and Wei Hsiang Yeu (5th – $53,200).

A full list of winners at the Triton Super High Roller Series Vietnam festival is available in the table below.

2023 Triton Super High Roller Series Vietnam Winners

_{Photos courtesy of Triton Poker}