Just one Estonian player made it to the final table of the Kings of Tallinn €5,000 High Roller. However, it turned out that one was all they needed, as Markkos Ladev was the final one standing after nearly five hours of play. He put on a dominating performance and came back from a two-to-one chip disadvantage heads up against Federico Cipollini to claim the title and €47,290. Cipollini had to make do with the runner-up prize of €33,100, while Pasi Sormunen, Eelis Parssinen, and Marius Kudzmanas were the other household names to claim a piece of the €132,200 prize pool.

Ladev started appearing in the live circuit just last year but quickly became a staple in high rollers all across Europe. Although he had banked a few six-figure scores in deep runs, a title and trophy eluded him yet. That changed today, as he was awarded the beautiful Kings of Tallinn trophy for his first-ever live poker tournament victory, doing it on the home turf of Olympic Park Casino.

Kings of Tallinn €5,000 High Roller Results

At the start of the second and final day of the tournament, the 29-man field had been whittled down to seven players, who took their seats at the final table. However, with only five spots being paid, two more had to leave empty-handed. After the players played through one level, Mikael Haapaniemi lost a big flip to Ladev and was the first to book an exit, while his fellow Finn Torsti Kettula got his short stack in three-way just a few minutes later and could not secure a triple-up.  Kettula received the title of bubble boy while the other five players played on with the min-cash secured.

About one level later, Ladev rivered the nut flush against Kudzmanas' turned two pair, and the Lithuanian bracelet winner paid his all-in. Kudzmanas was left with less than a small blind, which he would lose not much later against start-of-day chipleader Sormunen. Ladev then stole the chip lead from Sormunen shortly thereafter with a set against top pair. Meanwhile, Cipollini had stayed relatively quiet throughout the final table until he eliminated high-stakes PLO icon Parssinen in a straight-over-straight situation. From that point on, he picked up steam and eventually took over the chip lead, which he extended when he eliminated Sormunen in third place.

The unorthodox Sormunen had picked bad timing to shove his 15 big blinds in the middle with ten-four offsuit and could not win against the king-queen of Cipollini. However, Cipollini would soon make a similar mistake as he five-bet jammed seven-five offsuit in the queens of Ladev a few hands into heads-up play. His two-to-one chip advantage was transferred to the Estonian, which he used to his full advantage. 

Cipollini was granted one comeback when his ace-jack won against Ladev's jack-three in a preflop all-in, but he was soon grinded back down to 15 big blinds again by Ladev. The next preflop all-in, Cipollini had the inferior hand with nine-eight suited against the pocket nines of Ladev, and he could not hit his straight draw to stay alive. 

Thus, Ladev was awarded the €5,000 High Roller title and trophy, concluding the live coverage of the tournament. But do not fret, as the blog of the €1,100 Main Event is still ongoing to quench the thirst for Baltic poker action.

Level 20: 25,000/50,000 (50,000)
Entries: 1/29

Markkos Ladev limped in from the button and Federico Cipollini jammed in his 700,000 chips from the big blind.

Ladev quickly called and the cards went on their backs.

Federico Cipollini:
Markkos Ladev:

Cipollini was heavily dominated but turned some outs on . However, his straight draw did not come in on the river, and he became the runner-up of the Kings of Tallinn €5,000 High Roller.

Level 20: 25,000/50,000 (50,000)
Entries: 2/29

Federico Cipollini raised to 125,000 on the button with and Markkos Ladev made the call in the big blind with .

Ladev then checked on the flop, after which Cipollini made a bet of 130,000. Ladev put n the same amount for a call and the arrived on the turn.

Ladev checked again and this time Cipollini checked back. The river completed the board and Laadev flicked in a bet of 325,000.

Cipollini swiftly mucked his ace-high as Ladev had a two-to-one lead once more.

Level 20: 25,000/50,000 (50,000)
Entries: 2/29

Markkos Ladev limped in on the button with and Federico Cipollini checked his in the big blind. Cipollini then check-called Ladev's bet of 50,000 on the flop and the turn hit the felt.

Ladev fired a big bet of 250,000 chips after another check from his opponent, this time folding a fold from the better hand.

The two players have been sent on a 10-minute break before the heads-up continues.

Level 19: 20,000/40,000 (40,000)
Entries: 2/29

Federico Cipollini limped in from the button and Markkos Ladev went all in from the big blind, covering Cipollini's stack of 680,000 chips.

Cipollini made a quick call and the cards went on their backs.

Federico Cipollini:
Markkos Ladev:

Neither player paired up on the board, meaning that Cipollini's ace-high brought him the double-up to even out the stacks.

Level 19: 20,000/40,000 (40,000)
Entries: 2/29

Markkos Ladev raised to 80,000 on the button with and Federico Cipollini called his in the big blind.

The flop saw Cipollini check-fold to Ladev's 130,000 bet as the hand turned out to be short-lived.

Level 19: 20,000/40,000 (40,000)
Entries: 2/29

Markkos Ladev raised to 80,000 on the button with and Cipollini made the call with in the big blind.

Cipollini checked on the flop before Ladev made a bet of 40,000. Cipollini raised to 135,000 and that took down the pot as Ladev quickly mucked.

Level 18: 15,000/30,000 (30,000)
Entries: 2/29

Markkos Ladev raised to 65,000 on the button with before Federico Cipollini made a three-bet to 205,000 from the big blind.

Ladev spent some time thinking things through and put 355,000 chips in the middle, after which Cipollini shoved all in to put Ladev at risk for stack of just under one million chips.

Ladev snap called and a showdown followed.

Markkus Ladev:
Federico Cipollini:

Cipollini's ambitious move could not bring forth a miracle as Ladev's queens steadily held on the runout, seeing him double up and establishing a firm lead.

Level 18: 15,000/30,000 (30,000)
Entries: 2/29

Markkos Ladev raised his to 65,000 on the button and Federico Cipollini called in the big blind with . Ladev then bet 40,000 chips on the board and Cipollini made the check-call.

The turn was checked through before the river completed the board. Cipollini check-called Ladev's 175,000 bet, but his two pair was no match against Ladev's straight.

Level 18: 15,000/30,000 (30,000)
Entries: 2/29

Federico Cipollini raised his button to 70,000 with and Markkus Ladev made the call with in the big blind.

The flop was checked through before Cipollini made a 75,000 bet on the turn, seeing his opponent check-fold.

Federico Cipollini and Markkos Ladev are taking a small five-minute break before the tournament resumes.

Level 18: 15,000/30,000 (30,000)
Entries: 2/29

Markkos Ladev raised to 60,000 on the button and Federico Cipollini made the call in the small blind. Pasi Sormunen then jammed in his 460,000 chips from the big blind, which caused Ladev to fold.

Cipollini, on the other hand, asked for a count and made the call after thinking it over.

Pasi Sormunen:
Federico Cipollini:

Sormunen's ten-four could not do the trick as he was drawing dead on the runout. The river did not matter anymore and Sormunen's mistimed all-in sent him to the rail in third place.

Level 17: 10,000/25,000 (25,000)
Entries: 3/29

Markkos Ladev limped in from the small blind with and Federico Cipollini checked his in the big blind.

Ladev then bet out 25,000 chips on the flop, which Cipollini raised to 70,000. Ladev called with his middle pair before both players checked on the turn.

The river then completed the board and Ladev loaded up 175,000 chips to put in the middle. Cipollini mulled his decision over for a while before making the call with his rivered trips to take a big lead over his opponents.

Level 17: 10,000/25,000 (25,000)
Entries: 3/29

Federico Cipollini raised to 55,000 on the button with and Markkos Ladev made the call in the big blind with . Ladev then check-called the 60,000 bet Cipollini put out on the flop before the turn went check-check.

Ladev checked again on the river, leading Cipollini to bet out 150,000 with his turned pair. Ladev spent some time in the tank before making the call but had to forfeit the pot when Cipollini flipped over the superior pair.

Level 17: 10,000/25,000 (25,000)
Entries: 3/29

Markkos Ladev raised to 50,000 on the button with and Federico Cipollini made the call in the small blind with . 

Pasi Sormunen then squeezed to 175,000 from the button with and Ladev shoved all in, covering both of his opponents. They folded in quick succession and the pot was sent to Ladev, who extended his lead.

Level 17: 10,000/25,000 (25,000)
Entries: 3/29

Pasi Sormunen limped in from the small blind with and Markkos Ladev checked in the big blind. The subsequent flop was checked twice, as was the turn.

The river saw Sormunen put in 85,000 chips with his pair of sixes and Ladev quickly laid down his pair of deuces.

Level 17: 10,000/25,000 (25,000)
Entries: 3/29

Pasi Sormunen raised to 75,000 in the small blind with and Markkos Ladev made the call in the big blind with .

Sormunen continued for 45,000 on the flop and Ladev called with his queen-high. Sormunen did not relent on the turn and fired another 105,000 chips into the middle.

This time, Ladev relinquished his cards to the dealer and Sormunen raked in the pot.

Level 16: 10,000/20,000 (20,000)
Entries: 3/29

Federico Cipollini limped in from the small blind with and Pasi Sormunen checked in the big blind.

Cipollini bet 25,000 on the flop and 50,000 on the turn, both being called by Sormunen. The river saw Cipollini check to Sormunen, who fired for 85,000 chips. 

Cipollini spent some time thinking it over before mucking his cards and sending the pot to Sormunen.

Level 16: 10,000/20,000 (20,000)
Entries: 3/29

Pasi Sormunen raised his to 45,000 on the button and Federico Cipollini called in the big blind.

The flop went check-check before Sormunen made a bet of 45,000 on the turn. Cipollini check-raised to 150,000 and Sormunen hastily let go of his cards.

Level 16: 10,000/20,000 (20,000)
Entries: 3/29

Federico Cipollini raised to 50,000 on the button with and Markkos Ladev made the call in the big blind with . 

Ladev led out for 35,000 on the flop but Cipollini had none of it and raised to 125,000, forcing Ladev to fold his gutshot.

Level 16: 10,000/20,000 (20,000)
Entries: 3/29

Federico Cipollini raised to 60,000 in the small blind with , which Pasi Sormunen three-bet to 160,000 from the big blind with .

Cipollini quickly announced his all-in for 695,000 and Sormunen instantly mucked his cards.

Level 16: 10,000/20,000 (20,000)
Entries: 3/29

Federico Cipollini raised to 50,000 on the button with and Eelis Parssinen made the call in the big blind with . Parssinen then checked on the flop and Cipollini made a bet of 45,000.

Parssinen tossed in a call and the turn went check-check. On the river, Parsinnen checked again, after which Cipollini put him all in for 109,000. Parssinen tanked for a bit but eventually decided he could not fold his straight and called it off.

Cipollini tabled his flopped Broadway for the nuts and Parssinen quickly headed to the payout desk to gather his fourth-place winnings.

Level 16: 10,000/20,000 (20,000)
Entries: 4/29

Markkos Ladev raised his button to 40,000 and Federico Cipollini shipped it all in from the small blind. 

Ladev called the 173,000 chips the Italian had in his stack and the cards were tabled.

Federico Cipollini:
Markkos Ladev:

Both players made two pair on the runout, but Cipollini had the better one and doubled up.

Level 15: 10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Entries: 4/29

After an eventful first few levels, the four remaining players have been sent on a 20-minute break.

Level 15: 10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Entries: 4/29

Federico Cipollini raised to 35,000 under the gun with and the action folded to Markkos Ladev, who defended in the big blind. Ladev then led out for 25,000 on the flop and the was turned.

Ladev continued with another bet of 90,000 and Cipollini correctly mucked his pair of tens after thinking through the situation for a bit.

Level 15: 10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Entries: 4/29

Markkos Ladev raised to 30,000 on the button with and Pasi Sormunen made it 95,000 to go from the big blind with .

Ladev made the call but quickly mucked his cards once Sormunen fired 75,000 on the board.

Level 15: 10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Entries: 4/29

Markkos Ladev raised to 30,000 on the button with and Pasi Sormunen made it 95,000 to go from the big blind with .

Ladev made the call but quickly mucked his cards once Sormunen fired 75,000 on the board.

Level 15: 10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Entries: 4/29

Pasi Sormunen raised his button to 35,000 with and Markkos Ladev made the call in the big blind with .

Sormunen continued for 30,000 on the flop but folded quickly once Ladev put in a check-raise to 100,000, forfeiting the pot.

Level 15: 10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Entries: 4/29

Pasi Sormunen raised to 30,000 under the gun with and the action folded to Federico Cipollini in the big blind, who pushed all in for 308,000 with .

Sormunen took some time to think over the spot but eventually settled on a fold, granting a pot to the quiet Cipollini.

Level 15: 10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Entries: 4/29

Markkus Ladev raised to 30,000 on the button with before Pasi Sormunen three-bet to 95,000 in the big blind with . Ladev put in the call and a flop of emerged from the deck.

Sormunen fired another 95,000 into the middle and Ladev quickly folded his cards, seeing the gap between the two players lessen.

Level 14: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 4/29

Pasi Sormunen raised to 24,000 on the button with and Markkos Ladev made the call in the big blind with .

Both players checked on the flop before the turn hit the felt. Ladev made a bet of 65,000 with his set of sevens and Sormunen made the call with his turned top pair.

The river improved neither player and saw Ladev fire another bet, of 190,000 chips. Sormunen weighed his options for a bit before making the call, but his cards quickly hit the muck at showdown and the big pot was shipped to Ladev

Level 14: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 4/29

Marius Kudzmanas put in his final 3,000 chips from the cutoff. Pasi Sormunen then completed the small blind and Eelis Parssinen checked in the big blind.

The two players in the side pot checked on the flop and turn. Sormunen then fired 12,000 on the river and Parssinen took one last look at his cards before throwing them away.

Sormunen opened for Broadway, more than enough to beat the of Kudzmanas, who ended up with nine-high and busted in fifth place.

Level 14: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 5/29

Markkos Ladev raised to 25,000 on the button with and Marius Kudzmanas three-bet to 107,000 in the small blind with . Ladev threw in a call and a flop of was dealt.

Kudzmanas made a continuation-bet of 55,000 and Ladev made the call to see the turn. Kudzmanas slowed down with a check, causing Ladev to bet 55,000 chips this time.

Kudzmanas put in a call with his two pair and the river completed the board. Kudzmanas checked once more, and Ladev spent some time in the tank before deciding to put his entire stack of 258,000 in.

Kudzmanas took his time to think things through but eventually stuck in a call. He saw Ladev's rivered flush at showdown and his two pair went into the muck

Level 14: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 5/29

Markkos Ladev limped in with in the small blind and Marius Kudzmanas checked his option with in the big blind. 

The flop was checked by both and Ladev did so again on the turn. Kudzmanas put in 30,000 chips with his gutshot and Ladev swiftly tossed his cards into the muck.

Level 14: 6,000/12,000 (12,000)
Entries: 5/29

Eelis Parssinen sat in the small blind with and limped in. Markkos Ladev checked in the big blind and the flop fanned out. 

Parssinen made the minimum bet of 12,000 and Ladev came along with a call. The turn was flipped over and Parssinen continued for 40,000. 

This time, Ladev found a quick fold and the small pot was awarded to Parssinen.

Level 13: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 5/29

Marius Kudzmanas made it 20,000 to go with on the button and Federico Cipollini called his in the small blind.

Pasi Sormunen looked down at in the big blind, making it 85,000 to go. This forced the other players out of the pot as Sormunen extended his chip lead.

Level 13: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 5/29

Pasi Sormunen raised to 20,000 on the button, after which short stack Torsti Kettula jammed his remaining 52,000 chips in from the small blind. Eelis Parssinen then made it 115,000 to go in the big blind and Sormunen made the call to create a side pot.

Parssinen checked on the subsequent  flop and called the 75,000-chip bet Sormunen put in the middle. Both players checked on the turn and the river fell.

Parssinen checked once more, but Sormunen made another bet of 75,000. Parssinen flicked in a call and Sormunen tabled for a full house. Parssinen lost with his lesser full house with , and Kettula just played the trips on the board with , resulting in his elimination in sixth place

The five remaining players are now all in the money and have secured at least the min-cash of €11,850.

Level 13: 5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries: 6/29

Markkos Ladev sat in middle position and raised it to 20,000. Mikael Haapaniemi then made it 54,000 to go on the button and the action folded back to Ladev.

Ladev shoved all in, covering the 224,000 chips Haapaniemi had in his stack. Haapaniemi made a quick call and the cards were tabled.

Mikael Haapaniemi:
Markkos Ladev:

The board remained clean for Haapaniemi's jacks, but the saw Ladev's Big Slick river the better pair.

Haapaniemi was the first elimination of the final table, meaning that the remaining six payers had arrived on the bubble.

Level 12: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Entries: 7/29

Markkos Ladev raised to 16,000 with in the cutoff and Marius Kudzmanas flat-called on the button with .

Federico Cipollini then made it 79,000 to go from the small blind with , causing the two other players to muck their cards, and he took down a pot uncontested.

Level 12: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Entries: 7/29

Mikael Haapaniemi limped in from under the gun with and Pasi Sormunen followed suit with in the next seat over. Eelis Parssinen came along with in the cutoff and Markkos Ladev called with on the button as well. 

Marius Kudzmanas then completed in the small blind before Federico Cipollini checked his in the big blind.

All six players checked on the flop before Haapaniemi was the first one to bet on the turn, for an amount of 15,000. Parssinen called with his top pair, as did Ladev with his nut flush. The other players got out of the way and the arrived on the river.

Haapaniemi and Parssinen checked to Ladev, who opted for a sizing of 80,000. Both of his opponents swiftly mucked their top pair, shipping the six-way pot to Ladev.

Level 12: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Entries: 7/29

Marius Kudzmanas raised to 16,000 under the gun with and Pasi Sormunen made the call in the cutoff with . Both players then checked on the before the was turned.

Kudzmanas checked once more but Sormunen fired a bet of 17,000. Kudzmanas made the call with his pair and the river completed the board.

Kudzmanas checked his rivered set to the chip leader, who put 28,000 more chips into the middle. Kudzmanas just called and won when Sormunen could only table his bluff.

Level 12: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Entries: 7/29

Pasi Sormunen looked down at on the button and raised it to 20,000. Eelis Parssinen called in the big blind with and a flop of was dealt.

Sormunen continued for another 20,000 but a quick check-fold followed from his opponent.

Level 12: 4,000/8,000 (8,000)
Entries: 7/29

All seven players have taken their seats, the button has been drawn on seat 5, and the cards are in the air.

The final table of the €5,000 High Roller is officially underway.

The €5,000 High Roller is the biggest buy-in on the 2024 Kings of Tallinn schedule, seeing an increase from the €3,000 price point it knew in previous years. It was thus no surprise that the best of the best Nordic and Baltic poker players showed up at Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn to create a field of 29 entries and a prize pool of €132,240.

On Day 1, they played down to a final table of seven players, seeing as the tournament was played six-max, before bagging and tagging. Pasi Sormunen accumulated the most chips during that process, securing a bag with 756,000 chips, more than seven and a half starting stacks and nearly 100 big blinds at the start of Day 2. Sormunen is best known for his third place at EPT Barcelona 2013, where he donned an iconic shiny hat together with fellow Finn Kimmo Kurko, who ended up as runner-up. However, Sormunen is also a Kings of Tallinn champion, winning a €550 Turbo Six-Max back in 2021 and is in a prime position to win another six-max trophy in the High Roller today.

In close pursuit is high-stakes PLO crusher and Finnish bracelet winner Eelis Parssinen, who won the Kings of Tallinn High Roller in 2018 and starts Day 2 with 692,000 chips in pursuit of his second title. Lithuanian regular Marius Kudzmanas, meanwhile, completes the podium with a stack of 466,000. Estonian hope Markkos Ladev is also in contention with a below-average stack of 316,000, as is Frederico Cipollini (306,000) from Italy. The Finnish pair of Mikael Haapaniemi (267,000) and Torsti Ketulla (92,000) find themselves at the bottom of the leaderboard, the latter being the absolute short stack with less than a starting stack.

€5,000 High Roller Final Table Seat Draw

Two more players will need to leave empty-handed as only the top five spots will receive a payout. The five-figure min-cash of €11,850 awaits the fifth-place finisher, while the eventual winner walks away with €47,290, the trophy, and the everlasting glory of becoming a Kings of Tallinn High Roller champion.

When play resumes at 12:15 local time, 20 minutes of Level 12: 4,000/8,000 will be played before the rest of the tournament is played out with 30-minute levels. A small break will be had after every four of them, and the day will finish when a winner has been crowned.

Live reporting will commence at 12:45 p.m. to stay in sync with the cards-up live stream on OlyBet.tv, which operates on a 30-minute delay. Check back in at that time to not miss any of the high-stakes action straight from the Estonian capital.