3-Bet: Tallinn Treble! Imad Derwiche, Youness Barakat & Puk Nabuurs Capture Major Diamond Poker Series PLO Grand Slam Titles

The Diamond Poker Series just wrapped up its PLO Grand Slam stop in Tallinn at the Chesterfield Poker Club. Over ten days (April 4–13), chips flew, big pots brewed, and some genuinely memorable poker stories played out across the major events.

While many chased trophies and payouts, three players stood out, capturing the biggest titles of the series, each in their unforgettable fashion. This 3-Bet report dives into how they got it done.

First, there was the remarkable run of Imad Derwiche (cover image – left) in the €10,300 Championship. The charismatic French businessman, who happily calls himself a “fish” playing for fun, went on an incredible heater. Full of table talk and seemingly blessed by the deck, he outlasted a field loaded with top European pros to grab the €338,370 top prize, capping it off with a dramatic river card in the final hand.

Then came the sheer test of endurance in the €5,200 PLO Grand Slam. Youness Barakat (cover image – right top), a dedicated PLO player, ground his way through a marathon 16-hour final day. His run involved intense strategic battles, a surprisingly lighthearted final table atmosphere that stretched into the early morning, and a tough heads-up contest against former world champ Hossein Ensan, landing him a career-best €157,940 after a three-way deal.

And kicking things off with a bang was the €2,200 Million Opener. Puk Nabuurs (cover image – right bottom), another PLO devotee, lived through the game’s wild swings in this one. Down to just one card from elimination during heads-up play, he caught a miracle river to survive and then powered back to take down the title and the €200,000 first-place prize in an electrifying finish.

Tallinn Surprise: Imad Derwiche Flips the Script, Wins €10K Championship!

Tallinn was buzzing with poker action as the Diamond Poker Series PLO Grand Slam rolled into town, featuring the high-profile €10,300 Championship event. With a hefty €1.50 Million guarantee on the line (although falling short with €1.41 Million collected), the tournament drew 148 players, including many of Europe’s finest Pot-Limit Omaha specialists, to the tables at the Chesterfield Poker Club. The atmosphere was electric – a mix of intense focus, riffling chips, and, thanks to one player in particular, plenty of laughter.

That player was Imad Derwiche. The French businessman, who cheerfully calls himself a “fish” and plays poker purely as a hobby, brought his unique energy to the felt. Known for his table talk (even holding his own against Martin Kabrhel earlier in the event), offering opponents “discounts” on pot-sized bets, and playfully advising them to exercise “discipline,” Derwiche’s casual, fun-loving approach seemed almost out of place among the seasoned pros. Yet, somehow, it worked wonders.

After three days of play, Derwiche navigated this shark tank, emerging as the unlikely champion, hoisting the trophy, and pocketing a massive €338,370 top prize.

“I’m proud of myself because I know that the field was exceptional. Many professionals from all over Europe,” Derwiche beamed after his win. “I’m very proud because, you see, poker is a hobby for me. I’m a businessman… For me to win this tournament, Omaha, with the best players in Europe, for me is exceptional. It’s fantastic.”

Don’t let the “recreational player” tag fool you, though. Derwiche has a surprisingly strong poker resume. This win pushes his career lifetime earnings past $4.70 Million. His notable scores include:

• 2nd in the €25K High Roller at EPT Monte Carlo 2015 (€750,000 – his best score)
• Runner-up in the $40K Mystery Bounty at the 2023 Triton Series Monte Carlo
• 3rd in the $25K Omaha High Roller at the 2023 WSOP Paradise
• 3rd in the 2024 Super High Roller Series $25K PLO

He might see himself as the “fish” when surrounded by pros (“When you’re at a table, eight players, seven professionals, one businessman. I say I’m a fish… I like the show, I’m a showman“), but his results tell a different story.

Day 3 saw the final 10 players move to the exclusive Bombay Club. All eyes were initially on Tom-Aksel Bedell, the defending champion from the previous Diamond Poker Series stop, who started the day with a commanding chip lead (8,110,000). Derwiche began third in chips (5,550,000).

However, Bedell’s hot run turned ice-cold on the final day. He bled chips rapidly, doubling up Vivian Saliba, Fredrik Lindstrom, and Aaron Pahlawani early on, sending him tumbling down the counts. After nearly two hours of play, Filip Aleksic bubbled the official final table (eliminated by Lautaro Guerra), and the final nine took their seats on the main feature stage.

Derwiche quickly made his presence felt, snatching the chip lead by getting aces all-in against Pahlawani on the flop. Vivian Saliba, the initial short stack, found kings to double through Lindstrom but couldn’t survive long. She got her chips in with two pair and a nut flush draw against Derwiche’s flopped straight. Derwiche improved to a full house on the turn, busting Saliba in ninth and surging over the 10 Million chip mark himself.

From there, it felt like the Derwiche show. He started scooping seemingly every pot, building a massive stack that controlled nearly half the chips in play while still eight-handed. Bedell’s hopes of a repeat victory dwindled further when Pahlawani hit an ace on the turn to crack his pocket queens, leaving the defending champ severely short-stacked.

While Bedell managed a couple of double-ups, and “Gypsy Baron” also found two crucial doubles, the eliminations soon came thick and fast, often with Derwiche playing the executioner. Lautaro Guerra fell in eighth when his all-in move was picked off by Derwiche, who rivered a straight.

Just a hand later, Derwiche cracked Gergo Nagy’s pocket aces by making two pair on the turn, sending the Hungarian pro out in seventh. Tom-Aksel Bedell’s resilient run finally ended in sixth when his straight turn was run down by Derwiche’s rivered flush.

Derwiche’s stack ballooned past 20 Million, dwarfing his remaining opponents. Fredrik Lindstrom, who had already enjoyed a strong series (3rd in the €2.2K Opener, 8th in the €5.2K), battled hard but eventually fell in fifth. He got his chips in with two pair against “Gypsy Baron,” only for his opponent to hit a straight on the turn. Lindstrom was barely covered.

Derwiche continued his demolition job, busting Aaron Pahlawani in fourth by hitting another straight, this time against pocket kings. Then, Erik Bystrom exited in third when “Gypsy Baron” made another straight on the turn.

This left Derwiche (22.60 Million) holding a commanding lead over “Gypsy Baron” (7.70 Million) heads-up. The match lasted only a few hands. “Gypsy Baron” raised the pot to 1.50 Million, Derwiche called. On the flop, “Gypsy Baron” bet 3.30 Million, Derwiche called. The turn saw “Gypsy Baron” commit his last 925,000. He tabled two aces, looking good for a double-up against Derwiche’s pair of deuces. But the river delivered a stunning two! Derwiche spiked trips on the final card to clinch the title.

It was a fitting end to a final table where Derwiche seemed to find a way, whether ahead or behind. “I think it’s the first time I’ve had so good a run. It’s unimaginable. I was so lucky,” he admitted. “To win a tournament, you have to be lucky, and today I was so lucky.”

He might call himself a fish, but on this day in Tallinn, Imad Derwiche played like a shark with a bite nobody could escape.

Final Table Results (EURO)

1. Imad Derwiche – €338,370
2. Gypsy Baron – €230,540
3. Erik Bystrom – €152,280
4. Aaron Pahlawani – €125,490
5. Fredrik Lindstrom – €100,820
6. Tom-Aksel Bedell – €78,960
7. Gergo Nagy – €59,220
8. Lautaro Guerra – €43,710
9. Vivian Saliba – €33,840

From Marathon Grind to Party Time: Youness Barakat Takes Down Tallinn’s €5,200 PLO Showdown

Sometimes, a high-stakes poker tournament delivers more than just a winner – it delivers a story. That’s exactly what happened at the Diamond Poker Series PLO Grand Slam Tallinn €5,200 Million. Sure, it was the marathon grind everyone expected, stretching nearly 16 hours on the final day. But it also turned into one of the most surprisingly fun, lighthearted final tables you could imagine, ending with a champion crowned well after sunrise!

With a €5,200 buy-in, the tournament pulled in 202 players, creating a prize pool worth €949,400. The top 27 players were guaranteed at least €9,490 for their efforts.

Youness Barakat was the last man standing. Originally from Italy but living in the UK, Barakat worked through the tough field and eventually faced down Hossein Ensan heads-up. He closed it out, grabbing the trophy and the €157,940 top prize. It was the biggest cash of his career, pushing his lifetime live earnings comfortably past the $1 Million point.

For Barakat, who focuses heavily on Pot-Limit Omaha, this win felt like the payoff for years of work. He certainly has a good history with the Diamond Poker Series. He’d reached the final table of this same event in Tirana before, finishing third last November and fourth in January. He even won a €5,200 single-day event in the first series. This time, he went all the way.

Getting there wasn’t simple. Day 2 saw 51 more players jump in alongside the 44 survivors from Day 1. With more competition, the action got intense, and plenty of big names crashed out before the money. Jonas Kronwitter unfortunately ended up as the bubble finisher when his hand couldn’t beat Artur Teshaev’s trip aces.

Once the bubble burst, the payouts started. Still, reaching the final table was a battle. Theo Jorgensen (24th for €9,490), Aku Joentausta (20th for €11,390), Andriy Lyubovetskiy (19th for €11,390), and Stefan Lehner (17th for €12,820); all cashed but bowed out early.

A big story for Barakat during the long day was his running battle with Alexander Petersen. Even after winning, that challenge stuck with him, making him think, “there’s so much I need to improve.” Petersen’s tournament finally ended in 13th place when his kings lost to a better pair held by Hossein Ensan. After Gergo Nagy (12th), Amir Mozaffarian (11th), and Artur Teshaev (10th) were knocked out, just nine players were left for the final table.

Final Table Recap

As the final table got underway, the vibe changed. Forget a stuffy, high-pressure final; this felt more like a relaxed home game, even with huge money on the line. Barakat was teasing Leonid Yanovski about how he was sitting. Later on, during heads-up, he and Ensan were both standing up, firing off decisions quickly, trading jokes, laughing, and even sharing drinks brought over by Daniel Rezaei from the rail. Everyone wanted to win, but they were clearly having a good time doing it.

Barakat started second in chips (6.70 Million) behind Fredrik Lindstrom (7.30 Million), who was making his second final table appearance after taking third in the Opener. Things got going fast. Filip Lovric shoved his 2 Million stack early but ran smack into Aki Vihikainen’s pocket kings and was out in ninth.

A huge hand was developed between Barakat and Fredrik Lindstrom that shifted the balance. Barakat re-raised to 1.30 Million on the button, Lindstrom called. They checked the flop. On the turn, Lindstrom bet 1.80 Million, Barakat called. When the river landed, Barakat pushed all in. Lindstrom went deep into thought before calling off his last 3.50 Million with a queen-high flush. It wasn’t good enough – Barakat showed a king-high flush, took down the massive pot, and sent Lindstrom to the rail in eighth.

Tom-Aksel Bedell, who won the €10,300 Championship at the last DPS stop, looked dangerous for a bit. He doubled through Ensan early, cracking pocket aces with a turned straight to jump into second place. But his run cooled off. Barakat got paid off when he bet his nut flush, leading Bedell to sigh, “I hate this game.” Bedell then doubled up Tomasz Krzesinski before getting his last chips in with nines, only to see Yanovski holding aces. Bedell was out in the seventh.

Barakat kept chipping up, knocking out Vitalijs Korhs in sixth when his straight beat Korhs’ jacks. Ensan dropped some chips, losing pots to both Yanovski and Barakat. But then the chips started flying the other way, as both Vihikainen and Ensan scored double-ups through Barakat, bringing the big stack back towards the pack. Next, Yanovski hit two pair on the river to bust a short-stacked Tomasz Krzesinski in fifth.

Ensan then took care of Aki Vihikainen in fourth with two pair, a pot that shot him into the chip lead with 15.50 Million. By now, it was nearly 5 AM, and the final three decided to talk numbers. They struck a deal: Hossein Ensan and Leonid Yanovski each locked up €146,000, while Youness Barakat secured €142,940. They left €15,000 and the trophy to play for.

After the deal, Ensan started to pull away, but Barakat got a huge double-up holding two kings to jump back into the lead. Leonid Yanovski was down to fumes (1.30 Million). In a sign of the table’s mood, he and Barakat just turned over one card each before the flop. Yanovski ended up with kings after the river, but Barakat found two pair in the end to take the pot and eliminate Yanovski in third.

Heads-up started with Youness Barakat and Hossein Ensan almost dead even. Barakat won a massive pot early, doubling with aces to leave Ensan short. But Ensan, the 2019 WSOP Main Event champ, fought back, doubling once, then doubling again when he flopped two pair, grabbing the lead right back. The wild swings continued. Barakat got all his chips in with just ace-high against Ensan’s pair of nines. The turn didn’t help him, but an ace spiked on the river! Barakat doubled again, leaving Ensan with only 200,000. It was over the next hand when Barakat, again showing just one card, rivered a flush to lock up the win.

Even after the intense back-and-forth, Barakat had nothing but good things to say about his last two opponents. He even made sure Ensan and Yanovski (plus Rezaei) joined him in the winner photo, each holding one of his winning cards – a perfect snapshot of the final table’s spirit.

As the sun rose over Tallinn, Barakat finally held his hard-earned trophy, the reward for surviving a 16-hour final day that was equal parts grind and good times.

Final Table Results (EURO)

1. Youness Barakat – €157,940*
2. Hossein Ensan – €146,000*
3. Leonid Yanovski – €146,000*
4. Aki Vihikainen – €79,650
5. Tomasz Krzesinski – €63,510
6. Vitalijs Korhs – €48,800
7. Tom-Aksel Bedell – €35,510
8. Fredrik Lindstrom – €25,730
9. Filip Lovric – €21,270

*denotes a three-way deal

Puk Nabuurs Weathers the Storm to Capture Diamond Poker Series €2,200 Opener Title

The Diamond Poker Series PLO Grand Slam kicked off with one of its big opening events, The Million Opener. Even with a €2,200 buy-in, the promise of a €1 Million guarantee drew a strong crowd of 416 entries (althrough falling €40K short) and setting the scene for a serious contest of four-card poker skills. After plenty of intense action, 52 players earned a payout, with the minimum cash being €4,700.

When the dust settled, Dutchman Puk Nabuurs stood tall. He fought through the large field and a particularly wild heads-up match to claim the victory. At the final table, Nabuurs was responsible for four knockouts, sending Taago Tamm, Robin Palm, Tobias Andersen, and finally Danyil Zaremba to the rail.

For his efforts, Nabuurs collected a hefty €200,000 top prize and a rather impressive glass trophy. This win completely overshadows his previous live poker results; his best cash before this was $21,000 from a Las Vegas event over 15 years ago. This single score pushes his total live earnings up to $367,397.

Understandably, Nabuurs was ecstatic about the result. “It’s pretty unreal. I never made such a big run, or deep run, or a big cash. I’m very happy with it,” he beamed afterwards. A self-described PLO specialist, Nabuurs mentioned that the chance to play a whole series focused on his favorite game was what brought him to Tallinn.

Final Table Recap

Nine players returned at 2 PM for the final day, with Nabuurs leading the pack, carrying a stack of 14.25 Million into the final table battle.

He didn’t wait long to add to that stack, taking out local player Taago Tamm early on. Nabuurs flopped two pair against Tamm’s pocket kings, making the Day 1 chip leader the first casualty of the final table in ninth place.

Next, Mihkel Vitsur‘s queens got cracked when Lauri Varonen hit the nut flush on the turn, sending Vitsur out in eighth. Dario Alioto, a WSOP bracelet winner and perhaps the most recognized name remaining, saw his run end in seventh. He got his last million chips in with a straight draw but failed to connect against Danyil Zaremba’s two pair.

Nabuurs scored another knockout when his aces and kings held up against Robin Palm, who finished in sixth place. Then, Zaremba started making his move. He took over the chip lead when Lauri Varonen committed his 2.45M stack on the flop holding trips, only for Zaremba to reveal a flopped full house. Varonen needed a miracle one-outer that never came, ending his run in fifth.

Zaremba’s stack grew close to 30 Million after he made quad fours and got a chunky 2.20 Million river bet paid off by Fredrik Lindstrom. Shortly after, Tobias Andersen got his short stack of 1.15 Million all-in against both Nabuurs and Zaremba. They checked down the board, and Nabuurs’ kings and sevens were good enough to beat Andersen’s queens, eliminating him in fourth.

Nabuurs wrestled the chip lead back after making a huge 7.50 Million bet on the river, forcing Zaremba into a long think before folding. The next key pot involved Zaremba and Fredrik Lindstrom checking down a queen-high board to the river. Zaremba moved all-in, effectively putting Lindstrom (who had bet 2 Million) to the test for his remaining 5.5 Million. Lindstrom eventually made the call but saw the bad news: Zaremba showed nines full of fives, beating Lindstrom’s straight and sending the Swede out in third place.

Heads-up play began with Nabuurs holding a slight edge over Danyil Zaremba, 34.70 Million to 30.10 Million. The stacks were close, setting up a final confrontation that turned into a real see-saw affair with dramatic swings and several lead changes.

First, Zaremba doubled up, making trip fives and climbing over 40 Million. Nabuurs fought back, retaking the lead when he made two pair and got value with a big 7.60 Million river bet. Zaremba doubled again, this time making a full house. Things looked grim for Nabuurs shortly after when he got his 14.10 Million chips all-in with a straight draw against Zaremba’s set. Nabuurs bricked the turn, and Zaremba was just one river card away from the title. But poker can be crazy – Nabuurs spiked a king on the river to hit his straight and stay alive. “It was needed. Much needed,” Nabuurs said later about that very fortunate river card.

That escape seemed to turn the tide. Nabuurs soon took a commanding chip lead after making the nut straight and getting a pot-sized river bet of 13.60 Million paid off by Zaremba. Down to just 12 Million, Zaremba got his last chips in the middle a few hands later holding two queens. Nabuurs called with a gutshot straight draw and hit it on the turn, clinching the title and the €200,000 top prize.

Final Table Results (EURO)

1. Puk Nabuurs – €200,000
2. Danyil Zaremba – €119,080
3. Fredrik Lindstrom – €89,340
4. Tobias Andersen – €67,020
5. Lauri Varonen – €54,000
6. Robin Palm – €40,160
7. Dario Alioto – €31,300
8. Mihkel Vitsur – €22,660
9. Taago Tamm – €18,340

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