Diamond Poker Series Tallinn

Livingston Takes the Championship in Tallinn

The Diamond Poker Series brought PLO specialists to the Olympic Park Casino in Tallinn for a schedule built around high-stakes Omaha variants. The headline result came in the €10,400 buy-in Championship, where Alexander Livingston emerged as the winner.

The Championship drew 58 entries and generated a €545,400 prizepool, with nine places paid. Livingston, who had earlier finished 11th in the 5k Million for €12,100, went all the way this time. At the final table, Richard Gryko finished fourth for €55,200 and Juha Helppi took third for €74,500.

Livingston entered heads-up play against Ralfs Blumbergs holding the chip lead and closed out the win for €161,500. Blumbergs, of Latvia, collected €97,800 for second. For Livingston, a Canadian player and two-time WSOP bracelet winner, it was the largest title of the Tallinn stop.

Championship Final Table Results

• 1. Alexander Livingston, Canada — €161,500
• 2. Ralfs Blumbergs, Latvia — €97,800
• 3. Juha Helppi, Finland — €74,500
• 4. Richard Gryko, United Kingdom — €55,200
• 5. Robert Cowen, United Kingdom — €43,700
• 6. Carlo van Ravenswoud, Netherlands — €35,900
• 7. Youness Barakat, Italy — €29,900
• 8. Einars Muhajevs, Latvia — €25,300
• 9. Nino Pansier, Netherlands — €21,600

Blumbergs Anchors the Festival Leaderboards

Blumbergs began his standout run in the 5k Million, an event that drew 106 entries across four days and produced a €498,200 prizepool with 15 paid places. He defeated Youness Barakat heads-up to take home €123,100.

Only a day later, Blumbergs was one opponent away from another trophy, finishing second in the Championship. That combination of a victory and a runner-up finish made him one of the festival's most consistent performers.

His recorded results grew further in the final Quatro Bounty High Roller. The official results page lists Blumbergs with an additional €53,450, bringing his recorded winnings from the Tallinn stop to €274,350.

Kronwitter Lands the High Roller

One of the largest scores of the series came before the decisive weekend. Jonas Kronwitter won the €15,300 High Roller, where 25 entries created a €367,500 prizepool. He earned €149,000 for first place, while Richard Gryko finished second for €97,000 and Aku Joentausta was third for €72,900.

Gryko's deep runs in both the High Roller and the Championship underlined a strong series for the British player, who converted two high-buy-in appearances into five-figure cashes.

Titles Across the Omaha Formats

The festival also awarded trophies in several other Omaha formats, reflecting the schedule's focus on PLO and its variants.

• Lucas van den Belt won the 5-card Omaha Turbo for €10,100
• Meyer Dahan took down the 6-card Turbo for €10,900
• Sampo Ryynänen triumphed in the Bounty Turbo for €14,720
• Verners Martinsons won the Bomb Pot PLO5 Double Board trophy for €5,760

Why the Series Mattered

Events like the Diamond Poker Series cater to a specific segment of the tournament market: players who specialize in pot-limit Omaha and its less common formats. The buy-in levels, ranging from turbo side events to a five-figure Championship, allow specialists to play multiple formats across a single stop.

For players such as Blumbergs, the value of a festival can come from volume as much as from a single title. A win in the 5k Million, a runner-up finish in the Championship, and a cash in the Quatro Bounty High Roller combined into one of the largest recorded totals of the stop.

For Livingston, the result represents a significant title at a high buy-in, adding to a resume that already includes WSOP bracelet wins. The heads-up battle between Livingston and Blumbergs also served as a rematch of sorts, with the two meeting again after Blumbergs had already secured his own victory earlier in the series.

Format Notes for Omaha Specialists

Pot-limit Omaha tournaments differ from no-limit hold'em in ways that shape final-table dynamics. With four hole cards, equities run closer together, and players often find themselves in situations where multiple hands are near coin flips. This tends to produce more multiway pots and larger swings, particularly in bomb pot formats where every player sees the flop.

Variants such as 5-card Omaha and 6-card Omaha expand the number of possible combinations, which generally increases the frequency of strong draws and reduces the relative value of made hands on earlier streets. Turbo structures compress decision time and increase variance, while bounty formats add a separate incentive structure that can shift calling ranges.

Understanding these differences is essential for players transitioning from hold'em. The Tallinn stop's schedule, with its mix of turbos, bounties, and high-roller events, reflects how modern Omaha festivals are structured to test a range of skills across formats.