Kings of Tallinn Crowns Champions & Prepares For Main Event

The tables have barely had a chance to cool in Estonia’s Olympic Park Casino but Kings of Tallinn 2026 is already shaping up as another standout edition of Northern Europe’s and OlyBet‘s biggest poker festival.

With 23 events in the books, the series has racked up 4,318 entries, generated almost €1.265 million in prize money, and sent nearly €300,000 directly to champions.

Now, attention turns to the €1,100 Kings of Tallinn Main Event, which carries a €1,000,000 guarantee and kicks off today. Day 1a is already underway, with Day 1b set for the evening, while Day 1c and Day 1d take place on February 12 before late registration remains open into the early stages of Day 2 on February 13.

Before the festival’s showpiece takes centre stage, here’s a look at some of the standout winners from the opening half of the series.

_{Photos courtesy of Elena Kask / OlyBet Poker}

Martin Zobel Claims Championship Title

One of the biggest victories of the festival to date belongs to Martin Zobel, who topped a massive 608-entry field in the €555 NLH Kings of Tallinn Championship.

The event built a €282,720 prize pool, and Zobel walked away with €53,520, the largest outright first-place prize awarded so far this series.

Zobel’s résumé was small coming into the week. According to The Hendon Mob, he had just two recorded live cashes prior to this victory — a 105th-place finish in the 2025 WSOP Circuit Tallinn Main Event for €2,850 and a 55th-place result in last year’s Kings of Tallinn Championship for €1,400.

Zobel entered the final table sitting in the middle of the chip counts and kept a relatively low profile early on. In fact, he didn’t record his first elimination at the final table until play was down to three-handed, when he knocked out Max Jafaripour in third place. That pot gave him a slight chip advantage heading into heads-up play.

Holding pocket sevens, Zobel got it in against Onni Huttunen’s ace-deuce and watched his pair hold up to secure the title.

Zotovs, Antikainen & Boiko Among Early Standouts

The series kicked off with a bang in the €200 Kings of Tallinn Mini Main Event, which drew a massive 903 entries. It was Jevgenijs Zotovs who emerged from the crowd, banking €25,570 from a €142,764 prize pool.

In Omaha action, Henri Antikainen came out on top in the €1,100 PLO4/PLO5 DeepStack Mystery Bounty. The 45-entry field built a €41,850 prize pool, with Antikainen earning €22,100 for the win, which included €15,500 in bounty pulls!

The biggest buy-in completed so far, the €2,000 PLO4, produced one of the most impressive outright scores of the series. The 68-entry field made a €119,510 prize pool, and it was Iaroslav Boiko who claimed the €38,700 top prize.

And then there’s Konstantin Mikhailyuk, the only player to capture two titles so far. He took down the €200 PL 2-7 Triple Draw for €3,410 before adding the €200 PL Razz Progressive Bounty to his tally.

All Eyes Turn to the €1 Million Guaranteed Main Event

With side events continuing to draw strong fields, attention now shifts to the centrepiece of the festival.

The €1,100 Kings of Tallinn Main Event (€1,000,000 GTD) kicks off today, with cards already in the air for Day 1a. Day 1b plays out this evening, while Day 1c and Day 1d both take place on February 12.

Day 2, where late registration remains open for the opening levels, gets underway on February 13, followed by Day 3 on February 14, and the final table set for February 15.

The first half of the festival has delivered on every front. Now, the biggest prize of the series is up for grabs.

Kings of Tallinn 2026 Winners So Far

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game.

Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).