Christer Larsson is a busy man. As Group Poker Director of OlyBet, the Swedish Poker Corridor of Famer and his staff know what it takes to placed on a few of the greatest poker occasions on the planet. This week’s WSOP Circuit Tallinn, now in its third 12 months, is not any exception.
In the event you’re a poker participant from Northern Europe, or more and more from even additional afield, chances are high you’ve performed an OlyBet occasion. From this ten-day WSOPC cease, the one one within the area, to the fast-growing Kings & Queens collection, it is unattainable to not really feel that poker within the Baltics is constructing severe momentum.
Regardless of a packed schedule in Tallinn, Larsson made time to talk with PokerNews about what gamers can anticipate from OlyBet occasions within the months forward, why the Queens of Tallinn is such a standout on the calendar, and the way a robust sense of group is the key method behind creating an excellent poker pageant.
The Baltic Poker Increase
With this 12 months’s WSOP Circuit cease in Tallinn as soon as once more drawing large numbers — together with the biggest ever €555 occasion held in Estonia — it’s clear the urge for food for poker within the Baltics is stronger than ever.
“We see ourselves as a premium supplier of poker festivals,” says Larsson, reflecting on the massive turnout inside Olympic Park On line casino this week.
“We welcome everybody, and we’re at all times able to host huge tournaments within the area. Gamers are exhibiting up, and gamers are behaving properly right here. So it is a good place to come back to play poker for positive.”
We welcome everybody, and we’re at all times able to host huge tournaments within the area.
A packed calendar now rotates between Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius, with every cease attracting a wholesome mixture of locals and worldwide regulars. A big Scandinavian presence is very noticeable, helped by the closure of Sweden’s final remaining poker site and authorized restrictions round internet hosting tournaments in Norway.
“We’re operating numerous completely different poker festivals within the Baltics,” Larsson explains. “It is nice to see gamers coming into Vilnius and Riga from the Nordics and the remainder of Europe as properly.”
Queens of Tallinn Returns
Wanting forward, Larsson is especially excited in regards to the return of Queens of Tallinn, which runs from August 21 to 24 within the coronary heart of the Estonian capital.
Now in its third 12 months, the occasion was the primary all-female poker pageant in Europe and continues to be a showpiece occasion for the plenty of proficient feminine gamers within the area.
“We’re taking a look at lots of and lots of of women coming to the occasion. For OlyBet, it is a flagship occasion and we’re anticipating it to be actually pleasurable and enjoyable,” says Larsson.
The group factor stays central to all the pieces OlyBet does, he explains. “We’re community-focused. There are quite a lot of leisure gamers coming in from throughout, and we now have the capability to cater to all of them.”
“It is a pleasure for us to see gamers coming in from completely different nations. They’re hanging out collectively three, 4, 5 occasions a 12 months and having a superb time. It is not solely about playing.”
This week’s WSOP Circuit pageant has already featured all the pieces from a feminine gamers meet and greet to an enormous inflatable Eric Cartman roaming the halls (sure, actually), and, in fact, this Sunday’s Gamers’ Occasion on the OlyBet Bar & Grill in Tallinn’s lovely Outdated City.
Larsson smiles when requested in regards to the welcoming environment the pageant is thought for, saying, “It’s additionally about hanging out collectively having a snack… or a lemonade,” laughing as we focus on the drink choices lined up for Sunday’s get together.
OlyBet Occasions Schedule – The rest of 2025
Photographs courtesy of Lena Olofsson & Elena Kask
Eliot Thomas
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