12 June 2010 – RedKings Poker Team pro Ramzi Jelassi showed his awesome live poker talent yesterday by winning the 2010 Helsinki Midnight Sun in Finland.

The 2850€ buy-in tournament drew a field of 139 players with Jelassi taking down an impressive 117000€ first prize.

This was Jelassi’s fourth money finish after winning the IPT San Remo in August last year. With two EPT money finishes and two wins in the last 11 months the star of Swedish poker is finally achieving the results so many poker people in the know have been expecting for some time now.

Determined to win the famous Gnome which goes to the Midnight Sun winner huge chip leader Jelassi made a deal in the final stages to be declared the winner of the Tournament. Commented Jelassi, “I have played the Midnight Sun and Helsinki Freezeout quite a few times now and being part Finnish I just wanted to go home with the Gnome this time . It cost me some money but it’s like winning a WSOP bracelet in this part of the world so it was very important to me”
Commented RedKings Poker Director Michael Golembo, “we are delighted for Ramzi for yet another fantastic win. He is such a great guy and as a poker player and ambassador for RedKings he is just outstanding. The whole of RedKings congratulates him and we all look forward to seeing him in action again soon. Live Poker, Ramzi Jelassi and Team RedKings are very important part of our online poker strategy which will become even more apparent when we announce our first major Live Tournament in the next few weeks.”

Team RedKings comprises Poker pros like Swedish Ramzi Jelassi and Finnish champion Toni Ojala, first time live poker tournament players chosen by RedKings and players who qualify through the huge number of Live Poker Events promoted online at RedKings. RedKings has tournament guarantees of over $16,000,000 each month and qualifiers for their online live poker event satellites start from as little as $2.00.

Ramzi Jelassi looking for a 117000€ payday in the Helsinki MNS Main Event final table

After some great runs at the EPT during the spring, Team RedKings Pro Ramzi Jelassi has made his first major final table of the year in the Helsinki Midnight Sun Main Event. The 3000€ buy-in tournament drew a field of 139 players with the winner taking down an impressive 117000€ first prize.

After struggling a bit being shortstacked most of the day one, Ramzi changed gears on the day two and after getting somewhat lucky with his jacks winning his opponent´s aces in a huge pot, Ramzi was one of the most aggressive players in the table taking advantage of his big stack. Picking up pots from left and right before the final table, he finished the day two with a stack of 416000, good for second in chips.

Final Table payouts:

1. 127.956€€
2. 81.211€€
3. 54.669€€
4. 36.842€€
5. 25.750€€
6. 18.619€€
7. 12.677€€
8. 9.508€€
9. 7.527€€

Seating order and chip counts:

Minna Ritakorpi 106,000
Samuli Sipilä 327,000
Ramzi Jelassi 416,000
Mika Haarala 329,000
Ilja Savolainen 124,000
Aki Laitila 381,000
Markus Ristola 573,000
Johan Palokangas 177,000
Pasi Sormunen 349,000

Blog freeroll? Wish Ramzi goodluck!

Ramzi will begin his quest for the first prize at 17.00 CET, but the blog followers will have to wait a bit longer before their cards are dealt. Wish Ramzi good luck in the comments section and when we get 200 people who want to see Ramzi take down the final table, we will issue the password for the $200 Midnight Freeroll for Midnight Finaltable!

Tournament information:
Name: Ramzi FT Freeroll
Time: 00:01
Buy-in: FREE!
Password: will be given later
Where: In the regular RedKings tournament lobby.

The 43 remaining players are going to have a lovely Finnish dinner. Ramzi still has about 90.000 in chips, and is around average in chips.

After the break we will have blinds of 2000/4000 and an ante of 500. 17 players will get paid, and here is the complete pay out list:
1. €159 600
2. €99 750
3. €66 833
4. €44 888
5. €31 421
6. €22 444
7. €15 461
8. €11 471
9. €7 960
10. €5 985
11. € 5 985
12. €4 988
13. €4 988
14. €4 988
15. €3 990
16. €3 990
17. €3 990

You still have the chance to answer the quiz to win $20 without any risk! Just click the quiz to the right!

Ramzi had 80.000 last time I updated you, from that it has been some serious action going on. First Ramzi had AQ on a pre flop raised flop, and the flop showed AK3 and Ramzi took home a big pot, taking him up to top 5 in chips with 150.000.

After this he was all-in against a short stack with KQ vs 107, he was ahead before the flop but couldn’t win this 60.000 chips big pot. Then he again was all-in with the 88 against AQ against a short stack, and this time the snowmens couldn’t hold up.

Now he has about 90.000 in chips and still is a bit over average with 45 players left in the tournament. 17 gets paid…

Stay tuned!

It goes fast in the Midnight sun, we are already down to 50 players and we are now moving over to 5 tables, and on one of them we find our very own Ramzi Jelassi who still is stable on his 80.000 in chips.

The average chip stack is about 70.000, and the blinds are up to 1500/3000 so it is starting to get expensive to play poker..

Now take your chance to answer the quiz and win $! Click Quiz to the right..

Jyrki was the second qualifier for the Midnight Sun in Finland, also he had to leave the tournament on the first day, and here is how it happened:

The starting table was really bad, it had at least one professiona and one known tournament winner. Later on the table got a couple of more professional players so there were no easy chips. I raise from 20k chips to 30k chips pretty fast. On the next level I open from starting position with KK and the small blind calls. Flop KQ4 with 2 hearts, turn 9 of hearts and river is a blank, I bet 3 streets and the sb check calls with AK and I get a good pot.

I play a few hands and my stack rises to 40k, I drop one short stack with AJ vs. KJ and get up to 45k when the average is 30k. In the next hand utg open 1100 with blinds 400/200 and ante 25. One player calls and so do I with Q9s. Flop is JJ2 with a flush draw for me, I check and the utg makes a continuous bet, the caller reraises, both are small blinds so I sacrifice 1/4 of my stack and the pot has a lot of dead money, utg folds and I put the caller on a pair, maybe 66 - TT. He thinks a while and calls with AA. I dont get the flush.

I drop a little when I go into a coin flip 44 vs AK against a short stack to 30k. After a few hands, I call from middle position with 66 to a bet of 1600 when the level is 600/300, also the button calls and the flop is T62 with 2 diamonds. The original raiser checks and I bet 2700 because the button is passive, the button folds and the other calls. Turn is a K and opponent bets little less than the 5500 pot, I think a moment and I dont think he has a strong hand and I believe I will get value by just calling. River is blank and the opponent bets 9500, I think a bit and go all-in and the opponent folds. I take the chiplead.

Next hand I get QQ, utg opens with 1600 and one fold. I decide to call to keep my range as wide as possible. Button calls and then the sb, the second largest stack reraises to 8000. I think for a moment and decide to call, everyone else folds. Flo is T8x rainbow and the sb checks. I bet about half a pot and the sb check raises. I make my biggest mistake bu going all in, sb calls and the KK helds. SB was a really good players, I should have been able to fold or check the flop. I end up with a very small amount of chips and I drop a few hands after that.

Now I will prepare for the WSOP side tournament fairly confident. Helsinki Freezeout is a very good level tournament and I think I managed to play well. Just a little bit better and I will get a better result from Las Vegas.

RedKings had two qualifiers for this tournament and Pasi was one of them, here you can read some more about him, and if you continue to read you will also get his report from the tournament that he had to leave yesterday.

Do not remember exactly but I beliewe I have played poker somewhere around 5 years.
Friends were already playing the game at that time. And after some time looking at their back I created own account and started playmoney tables and later continued to sng’s and MTT’s.
This last several years and then I switched to cash games.

Currently I am not playing that much what it was earlier. But I have switched back to SNG and MTT multitabling. Upcoming midnight sun main event is biggest buy-in what I have ever played and I really wait for it. Goal is of course to win it but field may not be easiest possible..
Live play experience is not that strong as I have only approx 20 “entertainment” cash game visits at few casinos and one live tournament experience. Lets see how it goes and if get far enough then hope some luck on turnpoint hands.

I am working at the telecom engineering and Poker is pure hobby for me.

Tournament report:

First three hours prior dinner break was pretty boring and I played only maybe 5-6 hands.

First little bit bigger pot where I involved was when I had ATo in early middle position, blinds 100/200, hit 600 bet and get called from late position. Flop was A8x, all spades. I cbet that with 2/3 pot and get called. Turn was 8 and I checked, villain checked.
Pot on turn was ~4k of chips. River was spade and now 4 spades on table.
I checked and villain hit small 700 bet. I reraised to 2400 and faced ~7000 rereraise which I folded. This was some sort of brain-fart from me when I changed my hand to bluff when I had very slight but enough showdown value to call that 700 “minibet” into 4000 pot.
That could go into inexperience of live tournaments. In the online games I would had snap called that river to check possibly but unlikely bluff. And not start to reraise when only better hands will call/reraise more. Now I had chips ~15k. Horrible play from me.
Only good thing was that it did not pay too much from my stack

Other little bit bigger hand during that 3 hours was when UTG raised to 550 and blinds were 100/200.
two player in middle called and also SB called. I was in BB with AKo and reraised to 2200.
Others folded and SB called. Pot on flop was ~6000. Board was something like Q57r.
Hit cbet and SB folded. Now I was in 22k of chips.

In addition to these I split one pot with AJ against same hand AJ. Also played maybe 2 pots from blinds with crap which I needed to fold on flop when there were no hits, no draws and overcards on table and cbet normally comes.

Last hand before dinner was basic setup, my KK against AA. I was in early position and reraised to 600.
Late position reraised to 1800, I rereraised 4000 and other guy hit all-in ~13000.
I am not 100% sure if I should had fold this as I propably had pretty tight image as have played only few hands and could there be anything else than AA when he hits all-in.
Well, I think I havent folded KK ever in preflop and didnt do so in this case either.
No help from board and fall down to 8k. Btw, only one king was red…

After dinner same continues that 93o, J5o etc cards which can not be played when I have no hurry to home and all hands were raised before flop and can not naturally raise those from early positions. Expect one pocket 77 which I got. I raised that and get called from middle. Board was AJx, Hit cbet, get called. Turn was blanko, I checked and villain bet 3k, which I decided to fold when I was pretty sure my great 77 was beaten.

Finally get 99 in SB, blinds were 200/400. Button opened to 1200. Easy decision to go to all-in 5,5k, BB called with KQ and also button called. Flop was AK7. BB bet 5k, button folded, no 9 on turn or river and that was it.

Good Game Pasi!

Ramzi has already boosted his stack up to 80.000, he did this by winning a 50/50 situation, when he took out a short stack with 88 vs AQ. Apparently the opponent was a man that stood up to his words, as he said that he promised to call Ramzi next time he re raised him, and so he did..

Other famous players that still is in the Midnight Sun is the two Swedes Johan Storåkers and Peter “Nalle” Hedlund. Both of them with good looking stacks. Then we have the elite squad of finnish players in Juha Helppi and Jens “EPT Copenhagen” Kyllönen.

There is still a chance to answer the quiz, just click quiz to the right!

We are just about to shuffle up and deal in the Grand Casino in Helsinki. Ramzi had a good feeling for today and he is happy with his table, this is how it looks:
1. Ville Puromäki 5K
2. Jukka Parviainen 45K
3 Santeri Välikoski 35K
4. Kimmo Liukku 75K
5. Jussi Heikelä 37K
6. Ilkka Fali 27K
7. Ramzi Jelassi 54K
8. Sami Kinnunen 50K
9. Jani Tekoniemi 36K
10. Teemu Siiskonen 19K

As you can see it is 9 Finns vs the Swede Ramzi Jelassi. We have a total of 76 players left and the blinds are 800/1600 with an ante of 200..

Go Ramzi!

Don’t forget to answer the quiz, win $20!

To celebrate Ramzis success from yesterday we are not going to have a cake, but instead we are giving you a Quiz!

Ramzi has been doing very good results lately, and it is just a matter of time until he wins something, with that information, this is the quiz:

How many chips will Ramzi end day 2 with in the Midnight Sun?

Answer by making a comment to this post together with your RedKings username. 0 is not a valid guess, if he would go out there will be a draw between everybody that has answered to the Quiz!

The TWO lucky winners will get a $20 gift voucher to their RedKings accounts!

Ramzi Jelassi starts playing today at 16:00 CEST with 54.000 in chips. Follow him here in the blog and on his twitter!