Do you wish you could head to a poker tournament series and play some brilliantly structured events across a range of disciplines and even have some casino game tournament thrown in for good measure? If that sounds like something that is right up your street, you need to head out to The Festival in Tallinn from June 27.
The Festival in Tallinn runs from June 27 through July 3 and it is not to be missed. Between those dates you find 36 numbered events to get your teeth into, but there is a twist: not all those events are traditional poker tournaments. The Festival prides itself on offering something for everyone, so among the busy schedule you find not only a wide variety of poker tournament variants and formats, but there are also cash game tournaments, blackjack tournaments, roulette tournaments, and even sportsbook and slots competitions!
Kicking off The Festival in Tallinn on June 27 is the €250 buy-in Sviten Special. Wait until you play Sviten Special if you think pot-limit Omaha is a crazy game! Hugely popular in the Scandinavian countries, Sviten Special is a cross between five-card draw poker and five-card PLO; it is great fun but not for the faint of heart.
Other poker events to look forward to include bounty events, Win the Button, PLO, H.O.R.S.E., flips, Open Face Chinese, Short Deck, and more!
What makes The Festival stand out from other live poker tours is the fact everyone who enjoys poker and gambling is catered for. There is a Cash Game tournament, complete with televised tables, plus tournaments for the popular casino games blackjack and roulette. You can even compete in a slots tournament and a sportsbook competition. Having all these different variants under one roof adds value to all the tournaments because you have everyone trying games they would not ordinarily play.
The flagship tournament of The Festival in Tallinn is the Main Event, which comes with a €550 buy-in unless you win your way in via one of the many live or online satellites; more on those soon.
The Main Event at The Festival in Bratislava last September drew in a 621-strong crowd who created a €304,245 prize pool. It ended in a three-way chop between three Austrian grinders. Vedral David finished third for €38,270, Adi Rajkovic was the runner-up and won €45,130, with Martin Mauthner receiving €47,600 and the title of champion. With how live poker is booming right now, it would not be surprising to see an even bigger attendance for the Tallinn Main Event.
The Festival In Tallinn Schedule
| Date | Time | Event No. | Tournament | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27-Jun | 16:00 | 1 | Sviten Special Day 1 | € 250 |
| 27-Jun | 18:00 | 2 | Blackjack Championships Day 1A | € 250 |
| 27-Jun | 19:00 | 3 | Supersat to Main Event (5 tickets gtd) | € 35 |
| 27-Jun | 20:00 | 4 | Cash Game Festival Challenge €2/2 Texas | € 250 |
| 27-Jun | 21:00 | 5 | Texas Knockout | € 65 |
| 27-Jun | 21:00 | 6 | Roulette Championships Day 1A | € 250 |
| 27-Jun | 22:30 | 7 | Cash Game Festival Challenge €2/2 PLO4 | € 250 |
| 28-Jun | 12:00 | 8 | MAIN EVENT DAY 1A - 10 Levels | € 550 |
| 28-Jun | 13:00 | 9 | 8-Game | € 115 |
| 28-Jun | 17:00 | 10 | PLO Masters | € 250 |
| 28-Jun | 18:00 | 2 | Blackjack Championships Day 1B | |
| 28-Jun | 19:00 | 1 | Sviten Special Day 2/FT | |
| 28-Jun | 21:00 | 11 | Supersat to Main Event (5 tickets gtd) | € 35 |
| 28-Jun | 22:00 | 12 | Win the Button | |
| 28-Jun | 21:00 | 6 | Roulette Championships Day 1B | € 250 |
| 29-Jun | 12:00 | 8 | MAIN EVENT DAY 1B - 10 Levels | € 550 |
| 29-Jun | 15:00 | 13 | Supersat to Main Event (5 tickets gtd) | € 35 |
| 29-Jun | 17:00 | 14 | Texas Progressive Knockout | € 220 |
| 29-Jun | 17:00 | 15 | PLO High Roller Day 1 | € 1,050 |
| 29-Jun | 18:00 | 2 | Blackjack Championships Day 1C | € 250 |
| 29-Jun | 19:00 | 16 | Acroud Charity Tournaments, Invites only | € 1 |
| 29-Jun | 21:00 | 6 | Roulette Championships 1C | € 250 |
| 29-Jun | 21:00 | 17 | Cash Game Festival Challenge €2/2 Texas | € 250 |
| 29-Jun | 21:00 | 18 | Stand ´n Go, Texas ”Frankes Flips Flops" | |
| 29-Jun | 23:30 | 19 | Cash Game Festival Challenge €2/2 PLO4 | € 250 |
| 30-Jun | 12:00 | 8 | MAIN EVENT DAY 1C - 10 Levels | € 550 |
| 30-Jun | 13:00 | 2 | Blackjack Championships Day 2 | |
| 30-Jun | 13:00 | 20 | H.O.R.S.E. | € 250 |
| 30-Jun | 13:00 | 15 | PLO High Roller Final Day - reserve slot | |
| 30-Jun | 17:00 | 21 | Half ´n Half (Texas & PLO, 1 level each) | € 110 |
| 30-Jun | 19:00 | 6 | Roulette Championships Day 2 | |
| 30-Jun | 20:00 | 8 | MAIN EVENT DAY 1D Turbo - 10 Levels | € 550 |
| 01-Jul | 12:00 | 8 | MAIN EVENT DAY 2 | € 550 |
| 01-Jul | 17:00 | 22 | Pokerlistings Deepstack Day 1 | € 250 |
| 01-Jul | 17:00 | 23 | Open Face Chinese | € 330 |
| 01-Jul | 18:00 | 24 | NLH High Roller Day 1 | € 1,050 |
| 01-Jul | 20:00 | 25 | Cash Game Festival Challenge €2/5 Texas | € 250 |
| 01-Jul | 20:00 | 26 | Matching Visions Slots Tournament | € 250 |
| 01-Jul | 22:30 | 27 | Cash Game Festival Challenge €2/2 PLO4 | € 250 |
| 02-Jul | 12:00 | 8 | MAIN EVENT DAY 3 | |
| 02-Jul | 13:00 | 28 | Gambling Cabin Sportsbook Tournament | € 250 |
| 02-Jul | 13:00 | 22 | Pokerlistings Deepstack Day 2/Final | |
| 02-Jul | 14:00 | 24 | NLH High Roller Final Day | |
| 02-Jul | 16:00 | 29 | Heads Up Texas, CAP 32, Day 1 | € 330 |
| 02-Jul | 14:00 | 30 | Team Poker Challenge, Texas | € 600 |
| 02-Jul | 18:00 | 2 | Blackjack Championships Final | |
| 02-Jul | 20:00 | 31 | Cash Game Festival Challenge €5/5 Texas | € 250 |
| 02-Jul | 20:00 | 32 | PLO Turbo | € 110 |
| 02-Jul | 21:00 | 6 | Roulette Championships Final | |
| 02-Jul | 22:30 | 33 | Cash Game Festival Challenge €5/5 PLO4 | € 250 |
| 03-Jul | 12:00 | 8 | MAIN EVENT FINAL TABLE | |
| 03-Jul | 12:00 | 34 | Texas Lowroller | € 55 |
| 03-Jul | 12:00 | 22 | Pokerlistings Deepstack FT/ | |
| 03-Jul | 12:00 | 35 | OFC HR | € 1,050 |
| 03-Jul | 12:00 | 29 | Heads Up Texas, CAP 32, Final | |
| 03-Jul | 13:00 | 36 | Texas Shortdeck/ 6+ Hold´em | € 110 |
Win Your Way Into The Festival in Tallinn Main Event
The Festival has joined forces with several online poker operators who are running satellites into various Tallinn casino game tournaments, the No-Limit Hold'em Main Event, and other side events.
CasinoFriday, Coolbet, Guts Poker, Juicy Stakes, Kanuuna, NordicBet, OlyBet, Optibet Poker, Paf Poker, Unibet Poker, and WPT Global are all online partners of The Festival.
Unibet Poker, for example, has several The Festival satellites running. One, at 8:00 p.m. CET on June 15 only costs €25 to enter yet it guarantees at least one €1,150 package. Win that package and you receive:
- €550 buy-in to The Festival in Tallinn Main Event
- Four nights' accommodation at the Hilton Hotel with check in from June 28
WPT Global has a $1,920 package up for grabs that you can win for free! All you need to do is download WPT Global, create an account before the end of June 16, and use the code "TALLINN" when signing up. Then tag a friend, who also has a WPT Global account on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Make sure you tag WPT Global Social on Facebook, or WPT Global on Twitter and Instagram to be placed in a random draw.
The WPT Global package awards:
- Accommodation for five nights in a twin room, plus breakfast, for two people
- €550 buy-in for The Festival in Tallinn Main Event
- €250 buy-in for the PokerListings Deepstack tournament
- 2x The Festival Hospitality Packages
Those hospitality packages give you access to a whole host of off the felt activities, which you can confirm with The Festival organizers.
Buy Your Package or Book Your Hotel Direct From The Festival
The Festival has a trio of Tallinn packages available to purchase direct from The Festival. In addition, you can book a hotel room at a discounted rate, but PokerNews has been told these rooms are selling like hot cakes so act fast.
The Festival Package costs €2,535 and comes with the €550 buy-in for the Main Event, two buy-ins for casino events, two hospitality packages, and seven nights at the Hilton Tallinn Park, including breakfast and access to the spa.
€1,325 buys you a Poker Experience Package that comes with five nights at the Hilton Tallinn Park, including breakfast and spa access, plus the buy-in for the €550 Main Event.
Finally, there is the €875 Casino Experience Package that awards you five nights at the Radisson Blue Hotel Olympia, including breakfast, plus the buy-in for one of the casino-based tournaments.
Stay tuned to PokerNews in the run up to and during The Festival in Tallinn as we bring you more news, interviews, and updates from this amazing series.
