POKER GUIDE TO: Poker in Tallinn, Estonia

Estonia, a country with a population of just 1.3m and it's capital, Tallinn surprised us with it's complexity. A vibrant city with a charming old town and historic architecture, on the coast of the beautiful Baltic sea and without the price tags of some of the pricier European destinations. Only 4 hours by bus from Riga, and 2 hours by ferry from Helsinki, it is easy to get to and definitely worth a visit.

Our visit coincidentally was on the same week of the Olybet Series held at the Olympic Park Casino (next to the Hilton Hotel) I decided to play one of the mid-afternoon events, the €350 progressive bounty event. When I got there I was quite disappointed because even at level 3 entry, there were only 16 runners. When I later busted out on level 8 or so, there were less than 30 runners. Overall the casino was quite nice, on the smaller side and I would estimate the series had a maximum capacity of 10-15 tables. However it seems they have a WSOP Circuit series on the cards for September with a €1 million guarantee for the main. 

They had cash games going as well but I didn't partake as most players were on the tourneys and the cash game table when I was there looked short and close to breaking. But on normal days you can visit their website https://www.olympic-poker.com/ for information about the games available, even register yourself on the waitlist. I am not sure about the rake but from my experience with Olympic Casino setups, it is usually 5% capped at 3bb or slightly higher for lower stakes. The casino didn't have a dress code that I was aware of but usually on the safer side I always wear long pants instead of shorts just in case. First timers are offered a free welcome drink and membership is free, just remember to bring along your passport. 

My favourite picture in Tallinn

11:30pm in Tallinn in May

When you're not playing poker Tallinn is a very nice place to visit, however it can get pretty cold and gloomy in winter months. Late spring to early autumn is probably the best time, roughly from April to September. Because of it's close proximity to Finland, the prices are much higher than their Baltic neighbours, but still reasonably affordable. It is also not as crowded and over touristy as most of your main European cities. You can stroll around the town and still feel the local vibe than see a sea of foreigners like you would in Rome or Milan. 

My favourite spot in Tallinn

Some of the friendlier Estonian residents

There was one negative incident that I had with an Estonian guy in Helsinki though. Right from when I seated down on the cash game table he was already eyeing me unpleasantly. After I beat him in a hand he started going on about Chinese people and how they are brainless and stupid gamblers. Interestingly before all this happened he 4bet all in preflop for 100bb+ with KTs vs what is clearly proper premium hands and hit a flush. He had a VPIP of 75% or more and showed down 94o, K6 etc type hands. I kept my cool but couldn't help myself when he opened a few hands in a row to ask him "so which part of China are you from?". The rest of the table chuckled including the dealer. He continued to berate me and all Chinese people so I asked him have you been to China? No. What has China done to you? Nothing. I actually enjoyed the back and forth needling and the whole time trying to be the bigger man. 

I honestly felt bad for the guy. I wished I had said this to him but I am saying this now to whoever is reading this. Why are you angry at 1.4 billion people that you don't know and don't know you? Why such hatred? How many Chinese people do you know? I know quite a few and yes, some of them are real bad but to hate a whole race because of a few rotten eggs? I know two Estonians out of 1.3m, one decent and funny guy, the other, Mr. Racist Asshole. Am I going to condemn 50% of Estonians based on this data? Why do you feel superior when you are the one acting like a fool? Even I feel ashamed about people of my own race and nationality. From just observing the way they park, drive, queue, treat strangers, eat at buffets... you can see they are selfish, inconsiderate and some even evil in their ways that if I had the power would bring fire and destruction to their asses, bolts of lighting straight to their hair and ... sorry I got carried away. My point is, instead of complaining, being judgmental, why not be the bigger person, be the good example, inspire them to be better versions of their race. I could have just turn and face the guy and said "STFU you f'in racist idiot" but instead I chose humour to get my point across. I told him you should love us Chinese because we are given you action rather than these tight Finns. Anyway, I am not going to let one Estonian ruin my view of Estonia and you should give it a chance too. 

I'm depressed I think

I’ve always been a pretty positive person. Usually I am always smiling, making jokes on and off the table, friendly with anyone and everyone. Yes I’ve been through some pretty depressing times, but I survived them. But recently I feel as if I am going through what I can only describe as a period of minor poker depression. 

Grinding full time is not new to me. In 2020 I probably played poker for 330 days. Sometimes 2-3 days without sleeping. So fatigue is probably not the issue. Pleasing others is not new to me. I used to have to deal with a very unreasonable and selfish China boss, a Cambodian business partner who was bullying and using me, customers and their wives treating us like they are kings and queens, partners and players who owed me a combined USD200k at the peak, and gave me shit when I asked for it, all when I have to put up a smile, laugh at their offensive jokes, attend to their sometimes unreasonable demands… my point is I still maintained my positivity, stayed happy and motivated. 

To be honest, I enjoy being with most of the players I played with recently. Some are really genuine and nice people. Rich yet humble and respectful. I’ve learned a lot from observing them as they must be successful for a reason. Although I’m not the host but I feel like I’m part of the team and I try to put myself in the shoes of the host. Try to keep the game going, VIPs happy, even bringing friends to the game. But recently I found myself losing my tilt control, once losing 10 buy ins for no reason at all, another time tilting away a 600bb profit in my last orbit. 

I feel it’s so easy to get desensitised to the money. In some games some players are opening more than my monthly rental every single hand. We can swing 1000bb+ each way a session and feel okay but feel pain when spending 150bb on a month-long vacation. The problem is if you care, then you get emotionally high and low every time you play. If you don’t care about it then you become a robot. I think being around players that are much richer than me doesn’t help also. They are even more desensitised to the money than most people. They can lose a lot and won’t feel a thing, but when I lose  I feel awful and they can’t relate. 

I feel I’ve lost the joy in playing too. When I get a message about a game going on, I actually feel dread as if it’s a dentist appointment. Once I’m there playing I feel better but most days I actually feel relieved if there’s no game that night. 

I’m sharing this with you guys because it’s not always fun and games, “your life my dream” kind of thing. I want to be honest to share with you my struggles and weaknesses. I don’t know what my problem is, and I feel it’s a combination of many things but yesterday was the first time I truly enjoyed the game in the past couple of months. If any of you have advice for me, or have similar experiences please share them with me. I want to thank my family and friends for putting up with me in my craziness. I am very happy with other aspects of my life but poker has somehow become something that causes me anxiety sometimes. I am so very thankful for everything in my life and I hope I can keep it going for many years to come. 

Saw this today and it made me feel better