Hokkanen Leads Final 16 in CBO Main Event
Sunday will be a huge day in Coolbet Open history as not only will one player be crowned the sixth Coolbet Open Main Event champion but become the first such champion on Slovakian soil at Banco Casino Bratislava. Finland’s Jaakko Hokkanen will be in the driver’s seat for the whopping €60,000 top prize with a chip-leading stack of 2,760,000 with just 16 players when the final day commences on Sunday, Sept. 10 at noon.
The €300,000 guaranteed Main Event attracted 620 entries with 110 players returning for battle for Saturday’s Day 2. The bubble broke before the first break with the final 78 players banking at least a €1,005 min-cash for nearly double the €550 buy-in.
The live stream began shortly after the first break. Players hit the rail at a fast and furious pace most of the rest of the way until the Main Events final Icelandic player Kjartan Saevarsson was eliminated in 17th place for €2,605.
Three players already passed 2 million in chips with Austria’s Florian Fuchs (2,350,000) and Malta’s Brandon Mifsud (2,220,000) joining Hokkanen in this exclusive club. Local Slovakian Martin Ilavsky also passed 2 million midway on Saturday but things began to fall apart on the stream before eventually losing the rest of his stack on a side table to bow out in 21st first place €2,240.
Meanwhile, three other players in Israel’s Yehuda Yosef (1,900,000), Austria’s Daniel Shaker (1,720,000), and Austria’s Jasmine Schuster (1,690,000) all advanced to the final day with more than 1 million in chips.
Schuster is one of two women to battle to the final two tables with Norwegian Coolbet streamer Ylva “Jevakim” Thorsrud (605,000) also ready to make waves with her short stack. Thorsrud will be joined by fellow Norwegian Coolbet streamer Jonatan Wedde (615,000) with a similar stack at the televised feature table, which will be hosted at the Coolbet Open website and social media channels with Stig Moen and Jason Glatzer on a 30-minute delay starting at 12:30 p.m. until a winner is crowned.
2023 Coolbet Open Bratislava Final Day Seat Draw
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Jonatan Wedde | Norway | 615,000 | 21 |
| 1 | 2 | Keito Kaljulaid | Estonia | 485,000 | 16 |
| 1 | 3 | Oeystein Stai | Norway | 410,000 | 14 |
| 1 | 4 | Brandon Mifsud | Malta | 2,220,000 | 74 |
| 1 | 5 | Jaakko Hokkanen | Finland | 2,760,000 | 92 |
| 1 | 6 | Maged Aziz | Egypt | 955,000 | 32 |
| 1 | 7 | Ville Hakala | Finland | 675,000 | 23 |
| 1 | 8 | Ylva Thorsrud | Norway | 605,000 | 20 |
| 23 | 1 | Rafael Ben | Israel | 820,000 | 27 |
| 23 | 2 | Florian Fuchs | Austria | 2,350,000 | 78 |
| 23 | 3 | Daniel Shaker | Austria | 1,720,000 | 57 |
| 23 | 4 | Jaroslav Peter | Czech Republic | 260,000 | 9 |
| 23 | 5 | Jasmine Schuster | Austria | 1,690,000 | 56 |
| 23 | 6 | Thomas Sorknes | Norway | 355,000 | 12 |
| 23 | 7 | Yehuda Yosef | Israel | 1,900,000 | 63 |
| 23 | 8 | Oskari Piira | Finland | 655,000 | 22 |
2023 Coolbet Open Final Day Payouts
The final 16 players each locked up a €2,605 payout with much more to come with the 2023 Coolbet Open Main Event champion scheduled to earn a huge €60,000 and, of course, the coveted trophy. Check out all of the payouts of the 2023 Coolbet Open Main Event below.
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | €60,000 |
| 2 | €38,690 |
| 3 | €25,190 |
| 4 | €18,440 |
| 5 | €13,940 |
| 6 | €10,340 |
| 7 | €7,260 |
| 8 | €5,090 |
| 9 | €4,195 |
| 10-12 | €3,590 |
| 13-15 | €3,050 |
| 16 | €2,605 |
Six Trophies Awarded on Saturday
While there was tons of buzz surrounding the Main Event, many players who failed to make it deep enjoyed a variety of side events.
Slovakia’s Milan Niznansky won the first trophy of the day and claimed the lion’s share of the €8,170 prize pool generated by 43 entries in Event #18: €225 PLO Hi/Lo 8-Max after defeating Israel’s David Mekyess to win the €3,345 top prize.
Estonia’s Mati Pirn bubbled that event but made it for it in a huge way by winning a trophy in Event #22: €225 Open Face Chinese Pineapple for €2,375 after defeating Belgium’s Lucas Armici in the final match.
The biggest prizes were awarded in Event #19: €1,100 Coolbet NLH Masterclass 6-Max with the final four players of the 46-entry field agreeing to a deal leaving some money and the trophy to be played for. Austria’s Adem Marjanovic and Israel’s Eden Elbaz both collected €9,000 for finishing in third and fourth place before Czech Republic’s Jiri Noga defeated Lithuania’s Edgaras Truskauskas (second - €10,000) to win €12,950 and the coveted trophy.
Israel’s Merav Tehila faced off against Slovakia’s Martina Svobodova in Event #20: €115 Coolbet Open Ladies Only for €950. Norway’s Bent Kirkeroed won Event #21: €330 Coolbet Open Mystery Bounty for €4,405 and bounties, while fellow Norwegian Christian Arstad won the fun Event #22: €115 Sycksbe’s NLH Hyper Turbo for €2,800.
Final Day Schedule
Sunday features the conclusion of the Main Event starting at 12 p.m. with one-hour blind levels starting at Level 23 with blinds at 15,000/30,000 along with a 30,000 big blind ante.
While you can check out the live stream of the Main Event from beginning to end on the final day, many players will test their poker skills one last time during the 2023 Coolbet Open with two other events in Event #24: €115 Turbo Version of the Coolbet Open Main Event kicking off at 3 p.m. and Event #25: Last Chance NLH Turbo starting at 8 p.m. Sandwiched in between these two side events is a satellite at 6 p.m. to The Festival Series Bratislava on Nov. 27 to Dec. 3 at Banco Casino with two packages valued at €1,600 each guaranteed.
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