Latest Day 1A Post

Although we're not actually in Scandinavia, and Finland (a short ferry ride away) isn't officially Scandinavia either, no one could be blamed for thinking that's precisely where we are. There's a lot of "fashionable" angular hair-cuts (much of it blonde), there's a lot of beautiful people dressed impeccably, and there's...more

Shaun Deeb has been seen more of this tournament room than most, having had his table broken three times already in the first five levels of the first day. Everywhere he has gone, though, he's been picking up chips -- and he's an equal opportunities vacuum cleaner. Most recently, he's...more

Chad Brown and Vanessa Rousso. Christer and Birgitta Johansson. Thomas and Marina Kremser. Max and Maria Stern. Katja Thater and Jan Von Halle. The roll-call of poker-playing (or poker associated) married couples is not too lengthy to keep tabs on, but there are more than you might think. In Estonia...more

Over the past eight years, the fashions of the poker community might have changed dramatically, but one particular style has remained at the vanguard. The garb of the serious internet player has always featured a familiar red spade and the word "PokerStars" in its design; the font has been modified...more

After plates/glasses full of mid-afternoon sustenance, players have returned to the fray. Registrations are now closed, so we have our final total for day 1a: 130. With at least another 150 pre-registered for tomorrow, there seems to be a good chance we'll hit the magic 300. That's a remarkable number...more

Poker has never much respected reputations, not even those as towering as that of Martin Müürsepp, the giant NBA star who is the only Estonian ever to play in the game's most prestigious league. He joined the poker party here in Tallinn but it has already been pooped: he got...more

We have just entered level three of this tournament, and proceedings are already getting messy. It doesn't matter how prestigious the event nor how deep the stacks, players will always get their chips in early -- and that means some will always be heading for an early bath. The tournament...more

There's no such thing as a distant venue in poker these days. Just as the Latin American Poker Tour packed in the players even from far and distant lands, Tallinn this week has drawn some of the stars of the game from all across the world, even though it is...more

One of the first things a visitor sees when he or she arrives at Tallinn international airport is an advert for a local department store, whose tagline reads: "Tallinn is quite nice!" As cynics from the other side of the world, we know not to believe what we see in...more