Coolbet Open Smashes All-Time Record: 753 Entries Create €357,675 Prize Pool

The €550 Coolbet Open Main Event has officially entered unexplored territory. Late registration closed on Friday with 753 entries on the board, breaking the previous record of 686 set during the November 2019 edition in Tallinn. That represents an increase of 67 entries, or almost 10 percent, and confirms the ninth edition as the biggest Coolbet Open Main Event ever played.

The increased attendance also pushed the prize pool to 357.675 €, eclipsing the 332.710 € generated by the previous record-breaking tournament. From the original field, 95 players secured a share of the money and the final 54 will return today to play all the way down to a champion.

Blomberg Builds a Commanding Lead

John Blomberg will begin the final day in a significantly stronger position than any of his remaining opponents. The Finnish player accumulated 1.570.000 chips, equivalent to 105 big blinds when play resumes at 10.000/15.000 with a 15.000 big blind ante.

Blomberg’s decisive breakthrough came during the final minutes of Day 2. After sharing a lively table with Mounir Tajiou for much of the day, the two players eventually committed their top-ten stacks in a preflop coin flip. Blomberg won the confrontation and transformed an already strong position into a substantial overnight lead.

Norway’s Oystein Stai is the only other player above the one-million mark, returning with 1.090.000 chips. Tallinn-based American Xavier Lyu sits third with 765.000, while Finland occupies four of the top eight positions. Local hopes are led by Estonia’s Ranel Kasi, who enters the final day fifth with 725.000.

Top 10 chipcounts

Defending Champion Still Alive

Several intriguing stories remain outside the leading positions. Defending champion Guillermo Gordo is still in contention for back-to-back titles, although the Spaniard will return with only 180.000 chips, worth 12 big blinds. A successful title defence would be remarkable, but Gordo will need to find an early double-up to keep that possibility alive.

Estonian bracelet winner Ranno Sootla also survived with 315.000, while William Corvalan carries the final hopes of a sizable Chilean contingent. Julia Kuusijarvi and Maria Ling are the final two women in the field, and both will resume with above-average playable stacks of 525.000 and 475.000 respectively.

Some of the festival’s biggest names did not make it through. Poker Hall of Famer and 1998 WSOP Main Event champion Scotty Nguyen entered during Day 2 but lost a flip shortly afterwards. Estonian high roller Vladimir Korzinin also fired multiple attempts, at one point continuing his unmistakable tactic of moving all-in without looking at his cards, but failed to reach the money.

Former champion Anders Bjorkheim survived the bubble before finishing 87th for 1.120 €. Daniel Rantanen became the unfortunate bubble boy in 96th place, guaranteeing at least 1.120 € to the final 95 players.

A Historic Title and €65,415 Await

Every player returning for the final day has already secured 1.350 €. The significant money begins at the nine-handed final table, where the minimum payout rises to 6.080 €. Seven players will collect five-figure prizes, the runner-up will receive 43.060 € and the new champion will leave Tallinn with 65.415 €.

The final day begins at 12:00 local time and will continue until a champion has been crowned. Levels remain 40 minutes long, while the cards-up stream will be shown on a 30-minute delay.

With 753 entries, the attendance record has already fallen. The only question remaining is who will convert the biggest field in Coolbet Open history into its most memorable title.

Sources: Poker.pro – Coolbet Open live reporting, Coolbet, Photo Credits: Elena Kask