International news

    The 2026 Coolbet Open Main Event officially concluded in Tallinn, Estonia. Returning to its original venue in 2018—the Olympic Park Casino within Hilton Tallinn Park—after a three-year hiatus, the event set a new entry record. This year's €550 Main Event attracted 753 entries, creating a total prize pool of €357,675. After three days of competition, Norwegian player Petter Berg emerged victorious, defeating former Georgian Member of Parliament Sergi Kapanadze to claim the €65,415 first-place prize. This was Berg's first time cashing in the Coolbet Open, and he turned his first cash into a championship win. The record-breaking 753 entries and the €357,000 Main Event prize pool demonstrate the strong player response to Coolbet Open's return to Tallinn after three years of hosting at different venues. The key statistics for this Main Event are as follows: Event Data Event 2026 Coolbet Open Main Event Buy-in €550 Entries 753 Total Prize Pool €357,675 Champion Petter Berg First Prize €65,415 Runner-up Sergi Kapanadze Runner-up Prize €43,060 The 753 entries not only broke the Coolbet Open record for this Main Event, but also made for a strong start to the event's return to Tallinn. Berg surged from outside the top ten on Day 3 to the top of the leaderboard. A total of 54 players returned to the field on the final day. Petter Berg did not start in the top ten, but his rise was remarkably rapid. After the first three levels of Day 3, more than half of the players had been eliminated, and Berg had risen to 3rd place on the leaderboard by the first break. When only two tables remained, he took the chip lead for the first time. Berg then engaged in a major showdown with Oystein Stai, ultimately eliminating the latter in 12th place and increasing his chip count to approximately one-fifth of the total. Defending champion Guillermo Gordo finished in 11th, ending his run as the reigning champion. However, he failed to reach the Final Table for the second consecutive year, being eliminated by Sergi Kapanadze in the final two tables, finishing in 11th place with €4,820. Shortly after, Kapanadze eliminated Atte Franssila, finishing in 10th place, also with €4,820, thus forming the 9-player final table. Early in the final table, Kapanadze dominated, and Berg and Kapanadze were already the two main chip leaders. However, in the first half...