The Festival Tallinn Is a Must-Play Live Series; Starts June 27

Matthew Pitt
Senior Editor
5 min read
The Festival Tallinn

The attention of the poker community is on the 2022 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, and rightly so, but there is an epic poker and gaming festival that is on European players' doorstep that simply cannot not be missed: The Festival Tallinn at the Olympic Park Casino.

Martin "Franke" von Zweigbergk is an intelligent man that loves poker and everything gambling related. Franke looked at other poker festivals and saw something was missing from them all. He realized that not only do many poker players enjoy the odd sports wager or a few spins of the roulette wheel, but the opposite is true; casino players and sports bettors like the occasional hand of poker. Franke decided to pull them all together under one roof, and The Festival was born.

After a hugely successful debut in Bratislava, The Festival heads to Tallinn, Estonia, from June 27 through July 3 and brings with it almost 40 events. While players will find several No-Limit Hold'em tournaments, they will also be able to try their luck in Pot-Limit Omaha, Win the Button, 8-Game Mix, Open Face Chinese Poker, H.O.R.S.E. and the crazy game that is Sviten Special. If you have never played Sviten Special it is a cross between five-card PLO and five-card draw; it is a crazy game that generates a lot of action.

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.

As mentioned earlier, Franke created The Festival as a way to bring all forms of gambling and poker under one roof, whch is why anyone heading to Tallinn is spoiled for choice when it comes to events to play.

Cash game players are well-catered for with the Cash Game Festival Challenge, which features televised tables if you fancy some time under the spotlight. Then there are casino game tournaments for blackjack and roulette, which are not only a great way to try and make some money, but the perfect setting for people wanting to try these games for the first time because you can only lose a specific sum of money; although, hopefully, you will win.

There is even a sports betting tournament if you fancy showcasing your wagering skills and sports knowledge.

The Festival In Tallinn Schedule

DateTimeEvent No.TournamentBuy-in
27-Jun16:001Sviten Special Day 1€ 250
27-Jun18:002Blackjack Championships Day 1A€ 250
27-Jun19:003Supersat to Main Event (5 tickets gtd)€ 35
27-Jun20:004Cash Game Festival Challenge €2/2 Texas€ 250
27-Jun21:005Texas Knockout€ 65
27-Jun21:006Roulette Championships Day 1A€ 250
27-Jun22:307Cash Game Festival Challenge €2/2 PLO4€ 250
28-Jun12:008MAIN EVENT DAY 1A - 10 Levels€ 550
28-Jun13:0098-Game€ 115
28-Jun17:0010PLO Masters€ 250
28-Jun18:002Blackjack Championships Day 1B 
28-Jun19:001Sviten Special Day 2/FT 
28-Jun21:0011Supersat to Main Event (5 tickets gtd)€ 35
28-Jun22:0012Win the Button 
28-Jun21:006Roulette Championships Day 1B€ 250
29-Jun12:008MAIN EVENT DAY 1B - 10 Levels€ 550
29-Jun15:0013Supersat to Main Event (5 tickets gtd)€ 35
29-Jun17:0014Texas Progressive Knockout€ 220
29-Jun17:0015PLO High Roller Day 1€ 1,050
29-Jun18:002Blackjack Championships Day 1C€ 250
29-Jun19:0016Acroud Charity Tournaments, Invites only€ 1
29-Jun21:006Roulette Championships 1C€ 250
29-Jun21:0017Cash Game Festival Challenge €2/2 Texas€ 250
29-Jun21:0018Stand ´n Go, Texas ”Frankes Flips Flops" 
29-Jun23:3019Cash Game Festival Challenge €2/2 PLO4€ 250
30-Jun12:008MAIN EVENT DAY 1C - 10 Levels€ 550
30-Jun13:002Blackjack Championships Day 2 
30-Jun13:0020H.O.R.S.E.€ 250
30-Jun13:0015PLO High Roller Final Day - reserve slot 
30-Jun17:0021Half ´n Half (Texas & PLO, 1 level each)€ 110
30-Jun19:006Roulette Championships Day 2 
30-Jun20:008MAIN EVENT DAY 1D Turbo - 10 Levels€ 550
01-Jul12:008MAIN EVENT DAY 2€ 550
01-Jul17:0022Pokerlistings Deepstack Day 1€ 250
01-Jul17:0023Open Face Chinese€ 330
01-Jul18:0024NLH High Roller Day 1€ 1,050
01-Jul20:0025Cash Game Festival Challenge €2/5 Texas€ 250
01-Jul20:0026Matching Visions Slots Tournament€ 250
01-Jul22:3027Cash Game Festival Challenge €2/2 PLO4€ 250
02-Jul12:008MAIN EVENT DAY 3 
02-Jul13:0028Gambling Cabin Sportsbook Tournament€ 250
02-Jul13:0022Pokerlistings Deepstack Day 2/Final 
02-Jul14:0024NLH High Roller Final Day 
02-Jul16:0029Heads Up Texas, CAP 32, Day 1€ 330
02-Jul14:0030Team Poker Challenge, Texas€ 600
02-Jul18:002Blackjack Championships Final 
02-Jul20:0031Cash Game Festival Challenge €5/5 Texas€ 250
02-Jul20:0032PLO Turbo€ 110
02-Jul21:006Roulette Championships Final 
02-Jul22:3033Cash Game Festival Challenge €5/5 PLO4€ 250
03-Jul12:008MAIN EVENT FINAL TABLE 
03-Jul12:0034Texas Lowroller€ 55
03-Jul12:0022Pokerlistings Deepstack FT/ 
03-Jul12:0035OFC HR€ 1,050
03-Jul12:0029Heads Up Texas, CAP 32, Final 
03-Jul13:0036Texas Shortdeck/ 6+ Hold´em€ 110

Stay Up To Date With The Festival App

The brains and boffins behind the scenes at The Festival have created a superb mobile app that everyone heading to The Festival Tallinn is encouraged to download for free. The Festival App is your guiding light throughout the festival, giving you information about each poker and casino tournament, notifications from the organizers, partner information, an interactive image gallery, an activity feed, and much more.

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 during The Festival in Tallinn as we bring you more news, interviews, and updates from this amazing series.

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Matthew Pitt
Senior Editor

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.

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