Nicolai Aubert Leads Coolbet Open Main Event
The Coolbet Open €550 Main Event at Olympic Park Casino and the Hilton Park Hotel has thus far been a big success. The tournament has attracted 589 entrants, setting a new casino record at Olympic Park Casino for the most entrants in an international poker event. The previous record was established in November 2017 when the MPNPT Main Event attracted 534 entries.
First place is slated to win €64,600 ($74,431) with all of the 27 players advancing to the third and final day guaranteed a payout of €1,820 ($2,096).
Norway's Nicolai Aubert (lead image) is in the driver's seat entering the final day with an impressive stack of 1,611,000 (blinds 6,000/12,000 with a big blind ante of 12,000.) Aubert won a huge pot near the end of the day against Finnish poker legend Aki Pyysing (43rd - €1,400) when his kings held up against his opponent's ace-queen suited.
Coolbet Open Main Event Final Day Top 5
| Position | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicolai Aubert | Norway | 1,611,000 | 134 |
| 2 | Mathias Siljander | Finland | 1,500,000 | 125 |
| 3 | Fredrik Karvall | Sweden | 1,340,000 | 111 |
| 4 | Daniel Sandnes | Norway | 1,242,000 | 103 |
| 5 | Meelis Meliste | Estonia | 1,100,000 | 92 |
The action slowed down a bit when the bubble was approaching with 55 players guaranteed a payout of at least €1,050. However, the bubble just lasted one hand when Finland's Jussi Mattila was eliminated with jack-ten against Afshin Alikhani's pocket kings. There were two tens on the board when all of the chips were in the middle but there was also a king; giving Alikhani a better hand.
Notable players to start the day but not survive were Vegard Dahl, who began the day as the chip leader, Rauno "Estonian Jesus" Tahvonen, and Finnish musician Kim Herold. Also not cashing were Sebastian Wahl, who won the first-ever Coolbet Open Main Event in May for €50,100 and Sander van Wesemael, who finished runner-up to Wahl.
The final day of the Coolbet Open kicks off at 12 p.m. with 27 hopefuls battling it for the €64,600 top prize. Live streaming, commentated by Henry Kilbane and Brandon Allen, will begin after the first break of the day and will be available in the PokerNews Coolbet Open Live Reporting under the Live Stream tab.
*Images courtesy of Natalie Black/Coolbet Open.
