I just got back from a weekend visit to Tallinn to check out the Diamond action, and action there was. The Diamond Poker Series PLO Grand Slam has taken over Olympic Park Casino and delivered everything the series promised. Europe’s premier dedicated Pot-Limit Omaha circuit is in its third stop of a 2026 season that has already visited Malta and Tirana, and the Tallinn edition is delivering the fields, names, and prize money that define this circuit.
Four events are settled: Latvia’s Ralfs Blumbergs has won the €5,200 5k Million, and the €10,400 10k Championship final day is underway, with eleven players returning at 14:00 today. Jonas Kronwitter leads the season rankings. Youness Barakat has been at every final table. Richard Gryko leads the 10k Championship into its final day. The week is not over yet.
Read more: Diamond Poker Series Brings Its PLO Grand Slam to Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn (September 15-22)
Ralfs Blumbergs Wins the 5k Million
The €5,200 5k Million is the centerpiece of every Diamond Poker Series stop, and the Tallinn edition delivered. Two starting flights over Thursday and Friday, a Day 2 on Saturday, and a Final Day on Sunday produced 106 total entries for a €498,200 prize pool. Scotty Nguyen was among the Day 1A field, bringing genuine star power to the Olympic Park Casino floor. Fifteen places were paid, with a min-cash of €8,250.
Mikael Haapaniemi led Day 1A with 2,285,000 chips, while Ville-Petteri Wahlbeck topped Day 1B with 1,390,000. Four players remained at the end of Day 2: Vladislavs Petrovs as chipleader with 6,375,000 chips and Youness Barakat close behind at 6,275,000. The Final Day on Sunday became a Latvian story. Petrovs held the lead deep into the session but could not close it. Barakat, the player who has been at every significant final table of this series since its first stop, reached heads-up as the favorite. Latvia’s Ralfs Blumbergs had other ideas. He sent Petrovs out in third for €59,500, then defeated Barakat heads-up to collect €123,100 and the trophy. Barakat took €76,600 for runner-up and has now made four consecutive 5k Million final tables across three Diamond Poker Series stops.
€5,200 buy-in | 106 entries | €498,200 prize pool
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st |  Ralfs Blumbergs | €123,100 |
| 2nd |  Youness Barakat | €76,600 |
| 3rd | Vladislavs Petrovs | €59,500 |
| 4th |  Maksim Shuts | €45,300 |
| 5th |  Mikael Haapaniemi | €36,900 |
| 6th |  Lucas van den Belt | €31,300 |
| 7th |  Richard Gryko | €26,500 |
| 8th | Aki Vihikainen | €21,700 |
| 9th |  Veselin Karakitukov | €16,900 |
| 10th |  Tomasz Krzesinski | €12,100 |
| 11th |  Alexander Livingston | €12,100 |
| 12th | Samuli Sipila | €9,850 |
| 13th |  Dennis Weiss | €9,850 |
| 14th |  S.K. | €8,250 |
| 15th | Carlo Van Ravenswoud | €8,250 |
Jonas Kronwitter Wins the High Roller
The €15,300 High Roller was the first major event of the week, and Jonas Kronwitter, currently the Diamond Poker Series season points leader, made the most of it. The German PLO specialist entered as one of the favorites and delivered, defeating Richard Gryko in heads-up to take €149,000. Gryko collected €97,000 for second. Aku Joentausta of Finland finished third for €72,900, and Dennis Weiss min-cashed in fourth for €48,600 after Youness Barakat bubbled the money.
Gryko’s deep run in the High Roller previewed what was to come. He would go on to lead the 5k Million Day 1A and then top the 10k Championship chip counts, making him arguably the player of the week at Olympic Park Casino even before the biggest event is decided.
€15,300 buy-in | 25 entries | €367,500 prize pool
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jonas Kronwitter | €149,000 |
| 2nd | Richard Gryko | €97,000 |
| 3rd | Aku Joentausta | €72,900 |
| 4th | Dennis Weiss | €48,600 |
Lucas van den Belt Wins the PLO-5 Turbo
The €1,100 PLO-5 Turbo on Thursday evening produced a clean Dutch sweep of the podium. Lucas van den Belt defeated Nino Pansier heads-up for €10,100, with Puk Nabuurs third for €3,300. All three are familiar names on the Diamond Poker Series circuit. Dennis Weiss bubbled the money for the second time in as many days.
€1,100 buy-in | 20 entries | €19,200 prize pool
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Lucas van den Belt | €10,100 |
| 2nd | Nino Pansier | €5,800 |
| 3rd | Puk Nabuurs | €3,300 |
Meyer Dahan Wins the PLO-6 Turbo
Meyer Dahan won the €1,100 PLO-6 Turbo on Friday evening, collecting €10,900 from a 28-entry field for a €26,880 prize pool. Eduards Rakuss of Latvia finished runner-up for €7,100, and Vladislavs Petrovs took third for €5,400 before reaching the 5k Million final four.
€1,100 buy-in | 28 entries | €26,880 prize pool
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st |  Meyer Dahan | €10,900 |
| 2nd | Eduards Rakuss | €7,100 |
| 3rd | Vladislavs Petrovs | €5,400 |
| 4th | Tero Lipponen | €3,480 |
Martinsons Wins the Bomb Pot PLO5 Double Board
The Bomb Pot PLO5 Double Board was a late-night affair on Sunday evening, boasting a 6-max turbo format and the festival’s late-night highlight. Latvia’s Verners Janis Martinsons won the event for €5,760, defeating Finland’s Joona Koivisto heads-up. The Diamond Poker Series website lists only the top two finishers.
€1,100 buy-in | 6 entries | €5,760 prize pool
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Verners Janis Martinsons | €5,760 |
Gryko Leads the 10k Championship Into the Final Day
The €10,400 10k Championship fired its Day 1 on Sunday with 35 entries confirmed, producing a €329,000 prize pool. It is the most prestigious event of the Tallinn stop, and the field reflects that: Gryko, Weiss, Barakat, Robert Cowen, Juha Helppi, Lauri Varonen and Einars Muhajevs all in, along with Jonas Kronwitter, Nino Pansier, Gergo Nagy and Ralfs Blumbergs among those who fired bullets but did not survive to Day 2.
Eleven players return today, Monday, Sept. 21, at 14:00. Richard Gryko leads with 1,214,000 chips, Dennis Weiss sits second at 1,118,000. The final table livestream is expected around 18:00. A €4,200 Bounty Turbo also fires today at 19:00.
€10,400 buy-in | 35 entries | €329,000 prize pool
| Position | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Richard Gryko | 1,214,000 |
| 2nd | Dennis Weiss | 1,118,000 |
| 3rd | Imad Derwiche | 800,000 |
| 4th | Robert Cowen | 798,000 |
| 5th | Einars Muhajevs | 766,000 |
| 6th | Lauri Varonen | 633,000 |
| 7th | Tomasz Krzesinski | 494,000 |
| 8th | Veselin Karakitukov | 455,000 |
| 9th | Juha Helppi | 426,000 |
| 10th | Youness Barakat | 334,000 |
| 11th | Carlo Stefano Van Ravenswoud | 300,000 |
FAQ
- Photos and information courtesy of Diamond Poker Series.
- Article originally produced at poker.pro.
