Players will soon be bagging chips as the final three hands were announced. We will post final chip counts of Day 1b within the hour.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 8: 400/800 (600)
Entries: 128/227

Magnus Puuk jammed for 12,400 from middle position and was called by Elias Vaaraniemi from the cutoff.

Magnus Puuk:
Elias Vaaraniemi:

Puuk won the flip after the runout improved his hand to a pair of tens.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 8: 400/800 (600)
Entries: 133/227

Martin Haidberg opened for 1,600 from middle position before Antti Vetelainen three-bet jammed for 10,400 from one seat over. Haidberg went into the tank for about a minute before he called.

Antti Vetelainen:
Martin Haidberg:

Vetelainen was ahead when the chips were committed but the odds evened up after Haidberg hit a flush draw on the flop. Most of the table let out a small chuckle after the turn as this also gave Haidberg more outs with an open-ended straight draw.

It was neither the flush draw nor the straight draw that ultimately led to a bad beat for Vetelainen for his short stack. Instead, it was the river pairing up Haidberg to send Vetelainen to the rail.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 8: 400/800 (600)
Entries: 138/227

Yaniv Peretz three-bet jammed from the small blind for 11,600 and was called by Pavels Spirins, who opened from the button.

Yaniv Peretz:
Pavels Spirins:

Peretz was ahead when the chips went in and doubled his stack after Spirins found no love on the runout.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 8: 400/800 (600)
Entries: 138/227

The final blind level of Day 1a has kicked off with blinds at 400/800 along with an 800 big blind ante. After this level, players will bag their stacks into Friday's Day 2.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 7: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 141/225

Roope Tarmi checked with the on the board after the turn. Sebastian Wahl fired out for 18,200 into a pot north of 30,000. Tarmi went into the tank for more than a minute before he called.

Tarmi checked again after the river completed the board. Wahl stared down his opponent for about 15 seconds. Then the sunglasses came off with Wahl deciding what to do with Tarmi holding only 17,000 behind. Wahl eventually decided to check back.

Tarmi turned over the but his two pair was not good enough to win the hand as Wahl held for a full house to win the pot.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 7: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 150/223

There was about 10,000 in the pot when both Albert Jonsson and Vadim Guk checked the flop before the action picked up on the turn.

Jonsson fired out for 10,000. Guk jammed for 35,000 and Jonsson called.

Vadim Guk:
Albert Jonsson:

Guk was miles ahead with his set of nines and only needed to fade a ten on the river which would have given Jonsson a Broadway straight. The paired the board on the river instead and Guk earned a double-up through Jonsson.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 7: 300/600 (600)
Entries: 150/222

Ivar Simmer three-bet jammed for 32,400 from the big blind and was called by Casper von Schantz, who opened from middle position.

Ivar Simmer:
Casper von Schantz:

Simmer was in jeopardy of losing his stack but that all changed after he improved to a set on the flop.

"Keep it, keep it!" screamed Simmer.

His set held the rest of the way with the turn and river completing the board.

"Thank you," Simmer said either to the dealer or the poker gods.

One player that has yet to make it back to his seat in the Main Event is GGPoker Ambassador Niall "Firaldo" Farrell.

Instead, he decided to play the one-table, one-hand €150 GGPoker Mystery Bounty Flip&Go. Probably from miles around, people heard Firaldo celebrating.

Laura Cornelius gave him her microphone and after he won his flip he was screaming wrestling quotes before beginning to sing. It is likely we will see this in a video in the near future.

Firaldo will be playing on Day 2 thanks to winning the flip for a chance at the €5,000 guaranteed top mystery bounty along with a tasty prize pool. There is still plenty of time for other players to join Firaldo in on the fun. Best of luck to everyone flipping today!

Meanwhile, we went to count Firaldo's chip count in the Main Event as he was heading back to the table. He confirmed it was around 40,000 before saying: "Wow, 40,000! I am good at every form of poker!"

Players are on their final Day 1a break. Two more blind levels will be played on Day 1a including 300/600 (600) and 400/800 (800) before players bag their stacks into Friday's Day 2.

We will update some of the bigger stacks from around the room during or shortly after the break.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 6: 200/500 (500)
Entries: 161/217

Davis Indrikovs limped from the button. Mauri Dorbek, who is on his second bullet of the day, raised to 2,000 from the small blind. Luigi Shehadeh called from the big blind before Indrikovs jacked it up to 6,500. Dorbek jammed, Shehadeh folded, and Indrikovs called off his stack of less than 20,000.

Davis Indrikovs:
Mauri Dorbek:

"Aces?" asked Dorbek before the cards were turned over.

They were indeed pocket rockets but this didn't matter at the end as the  runout improved Dorbek to a flush.

"Get this player out of here," Dorbek said as a joke to the floor to her fellow countrymate. "He always gets so lucky."

Main Event Day 1a
Level 6: 200/500 (500)
Entries: 162/214

Jaanus Kippel bet 2,500 into a pot of a bit more after the flop and was called by Andrey Koks. Koks then called a bet by Kippel for 4,000 on the turn. The river completed the board.

Kippel went into the tank before he checked.

"Do you have a two?" Kippel asked.

"No," Koks laughed.

Koks opted to check the action back a few moments later. Kippel turned over the . This didn't win the hand as Koks subsequently showed the for a full house.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 6: 200/500 (500)
Entries: 163/208

Juri Borozna jammed for 19,300 over the bet of 6,000 by Audrius Laimelis. Laimelis went into the tank for about two minutes before he called.

Borozna turned over for trips. Laimelis attempted to muck his hand but the dealer turned it over as it was an all-in and a call to show he had for an overpair to the board.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 5: 200/400 (400)
Entries: 162/200

Day 1a of the Main Event has reached 200 entries. With tomorrow's Day 1b field expected to be even bigger, it seems like the €500,000 guarantee is simply a placeholder and has a strong chance to be the biggest Kings of Tallinn Main Event in history when taking into account also the turbo Day 1c and late entries and re-entries permitted during the first three blind levels of Friday's Day 2.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 5: 200/400 (400)
Entries: 160/191

Aleksei Smirnov bet 6,000 into a pot of a bit more with the on the board.  Stanislovas Vinicenka tanked for a few moments before he called.

Smirnov turned over for a turned straight and won the hand after Vinicenka mucked his cards.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 5: 200/400 (400)
Entries: 160/188

Casper von Schantz bet 8,000 into a pot of around the same with the on the board after the turn. Victor Fernandez Garcia jammed for about 28,000 and von Schantz snap-called.

Victor Fernandez Garcia:
Casper von Schantz:

Garcia was down to four-outs on the river with his two pair outmatched by his opponent's Broadway straight. Von Schantz scooped up the pot and sent Garcia to the rail after the blank river completed the board.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 5: 200/400 (400)
Entries: 158/180

Viktors Caikins and Algirdas Saveikis both had their stacks in the middle with the on the board just before the break.

The table exploded in shock. Saveikis turned over for a full house. The second nuts wasn't enough as Caikins woke up with for quads.

Saveikis went on break with 5,000 in chips and dusted these off the very first hand after the break.

Players are on their second break. Blinds will increase to 200/400 with a 400 big blind ante when the action resumes.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 4: 100/300 (300)
Entries: 152/171

Anthony Kauzloric fired out for 12,000 into a pot of nearly double that with the on the board on the turn. Mauri Dorbek tanked for several minutes.

"You have ace-jack," said Kauzloric before the clock was called.

The floor came over and shared to Dorbek he had 30 seconds. About halfway through his time he announced his call.

Kauzloric turned over for Broadway and won the hand after Dorbek mucked his cards.

"I should have jammed," stated Dorbek.

"The turn or river?" asked Kauzloric.

"The river," replied Dorbek.

"I would have called anyway," shared Kauzloric. "I was already committed."

Main Event Day 1a
Level 4: 100/300 (300)
Entries: 151/164

Krzysztof Romanow bet 5,200 into a pot of slightly more with the on the board. Dmitrijs Arsuns tanked for a moment before he called.

Romanow turned over and tapped the table after Arsuns called with to win the hand.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 4: 100/300 (300)
Entries: 152/161

It took over 17 hours of play last night for Benjamin Gros to win the Kings of Tallinn €555 Championship for €55,500. The action ended at around 5:30 a.m. with some photos and discussions to follow.

The player from France is quite dedicated to the grind. Many would take a day off after such a long grind and a big win. But not Gros, as he just entered the Main Event looking for an even bigger payout. We enjoyed watching Gros leverage his big stack to his advantage at the final table yesterday and wish him the best of luck in the Main Event.

Meanwhile, Kyle Maguire, who traveled out to Tallinn from Scotland with Niall Farrell is also in the hunt for another big payout for his resume.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 4: 100/300 (300)
Entries: 150/159

Marita Magi checked with the on the board after the turn. Anthony Kauzloric fired out for 2,500 into a pot of over 6,000. Magi tanked for close to a minute before she called.

The river double-paired the board. Both players checked. Kauzloric turned over for a flush and won the hand after Magi mucked.

"What the f&#k," said Jaana Kindsigo, who was also at the same table and shocked that the flush was able to hold on a scary board.

The €250 Sviten Special tournament has just kicked off with a field of 26 entries. Sviten Special author Martin Smith, Aki Pyysing, Dainius Antanaitis, Peder Behr, and Matteo Crapanzano were among the players in action at the start of play.

Sviten Special is one of the more unique games combining both five-card draw and pot-limit Omaha in the same game. Here is how the game works:

• Players start with five cards followed by a round of betting.
• A flop is dealt followed by another round of betting.
• Players can then discard up to all five cards or stand pat. If discarding just a single card, it will be dealt face up for all players to see. The player can then decide if they want to keep that card or get a new one face down.
• A turn is dealt followed by a round of betting.
• The final round of betting takes place after the river.
• The best five-card draw hand wins half the pot with the best five-card Omaha hand winning the other half. 

Best of luck to all of the Sviten Special players. Anyone that has any questions about the game can drop by the media desk and Jason would be happy to explain the rules in more detail along with some basic strategy.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 3: 100/200 (200)
Entries: 141/147

Bengt-Anders Johnsson fired out for 3,600 into an already bloated four-bet pot with the on the board after the flop. Renato Messina called and Johnsson jammed on the turn for more than the 14,500 Messina had behind. Messina quickly called this as well and had Johnsson drawing dead.

Renato Messina:
Bengt-Anders Johnsson:

The inconsequential paired the board on the river to make Messina's double-up official.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 3: 100/200 (200)
Entries: 139/143

Andzej Bilat checked the river with the on the board before Igor Pihela Jr. fired out a pot-sized bet of 7,000.

Bilat tanked for close to a minute before he called. Pihela Jr. instantly turned over for a full house. Bilat actually had the case jack as he flashed the before tossing his hand into the muck.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 3: 100/200 (200)
Entries: 135/139

Raini Lelle has one of the bigger early stacks in the room sitting on around 60,000 in chips. He just won a three-bet pot against Kasperi IIkka. There was a continuation bet and a call to bring the pot north of 10,000 after the came on the flop.

The turn and river brought no action. Lelle turned over and won the pot with his top pair and king kicker after Ilkaa folded his hand.

Meanwhile, GGPoker Ambassador Niall "Firaldo" Farrell is in the house and already has nearly a double starting stack as well. Farrell is a well-established online and live poker pro with more than $6.5 million in live tournament cashes as tracked by The Hendon Mob. He has found some success here in Tallinn as back in 2021 he shipped the Tallinn Summer Showdown €1,000 Main Event for €32,125.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 3: 100/200 (200)
Entries: 130/134

Antti Vetelainen checked with the on the board after the flop before Renato Messina fired out for 800 into a pot of 2,900. Vetelainen called and both players checked the turn.

The river completed the board. Vetelainen fired out for 4,200. Messina tanked for close to two minutes before he found a call. Vetelainen turned over for a turned flush. This got the job done as Messina opted to muck his cards.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 2: 100/100 (100)
Entries: 127/131

Players are on their first break. After the break, we will be on the floor reporting hands until the conclusion of Day 1a at around 8:30 p.m.

Kristaps Kalva, Jari-Pekka Rattya, and Juho Santala all hit the rail during Level 2 and haven't re-entered at least as of yet.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 2: 100/100 (100)
Entries: 120/121

While Level 1 was rather quiet, the action picked up at Table 7 during the second blind level. Mohammed Al-Khazraji was down to 10,000 in chips. He jammed these in over a bet and a call with the on the board with the .

Annika Anni woke up with for trips. No hearts came on the turn or river and Al-Khazraji was the first casualty of the day while Anni had the early chip lead.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 1: 100/100
Entries: 101/101

Day 1a of the Main Event has already grown to more than 100 entries as players continue to file into the tournament arena.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 1: 100/100
Entries: 85/85

The Day 1a field of the Main Event has already grown to 85 entries and counting. Here is a look at some of the early players in the field.

Main Event Day 1a
Level 1: 100/100
Entries: 61/61

The Main Event has kicked off the first of its three opening flights. There were 61 entries to start the day. This figure will grow with many players planning to late-register after a late night last evening.

Best of luck to all the players.

Welcome to the coverage of the 2023 Kings of Tallinn €1,100 Main Event at Olympic Park Casino and the Hilton Tallinn Park.

Today will feature the first of the three starting flights starting at noon EEST. Players will play eight levels of one-hour each.

Players start off with 30,000 in chips and will have plenty of opportunities to accumulate a huge stack with unlimited re-entries permitted throughout the day along with the first two levels on Day 2.

Due to the late end of the €555 Championship last night, the blog will kick off sometime after the first break. 

Thank you for tuning in and best of luck if you are playing in the Main Event today.