The Queens of Tallinn festival is set to return for its fourth edition from August 27 to 30, and organizers have made it clear this will be the biggest running of the women’s poker series yet. Held once again at Olympic Park Casino and the Hilton Tallinn Park Hotel in Estonia, the 2026 edition raises the Main Event buy-in, expands the side event schedule and keeps the format that has made the festival a fixture on the European women’s poker calendar since it launched in 2023.
Queens of Tallinn 2026 Raises the Main Event Buy-In
The headline change for 2026 is financial. The €555 NLH Queens of Tallinn Main Event replaces last year’s €350 buy-in, a significant jump that organizers are framing as a reflection of growing demand rather than a barrier to entry. The increase comes alongside a wider prize structure, with the event expected to top the €27,677 prize pool generated by the 96 entries who played the 2025 edition, itself the largest turnout since the inaugural 2023 festival drew 65 players.
The Main Event kicks off on August 28 and will play nine levels on Day 1. Day 2, on August 29, plays down to a final nine players. The action wraps on August 30 with a livestreamed final table, giving the eventual champion the kind of broadcast exposure that smaller women’s series rarely offer.
A Packed Schedule Beyond the Main Event
Queens of Tallinn has never been a one-tournament weekend, and 2026 continues that pattern with more than ten side events layered around the Main Event. Buy-ins across the side schedule range from €80 to €250, giving players a mix of entry points regardless of bankroll. Running simultaneously with Day 2 of the Main Event is the €200 PokerNews Queens Crown, a dedicated tournament carrying the branding of one of the sport’s best known outlets and adding an extra title for players who bust the Main Event early or prefer a lower buy-in.
One of the festival’s signature features returns as well: the 3-Player Team Challenge, in which squads of three compete across the women-only schedule for cumulative points, with bonus points awarded for cashes. The format rewards consistency across multiple events rather than a single deep run, and it has become one of the more talked-about side attractions of the series since its introduction.
Cash games run around the clock throughout the four days, giving players who bust early or simply prefer ring games a reason to stay at the venue rather than head home.
How Players Can Qualify Online
Not everyone buying into the €555 Main Event will do so directly, and Olybet Poker has built out a satellite structure to widen access. Daily “Queens Centrolls” run on the platform, feeding into weekly satellite finals that award Main Event seats to qualifiers who might otherwise never consider a five-figure buy-in for a live festival abroad. On top of the regular satellite ladder, free entry satellites are scheduled with guaranteed seats: five on Thursdays and three on Fridays, effectively giving new players a no-cost path into the qualifying pool.
That qualification structure matters as much as the Main Event itself for a series built around growing participation rather than chasing the largest possible individual buy-in. A women-only Main Event at €555 is still a meaningful investment, and the satellite ecosystem is designed to make sure the field isn’t limited to players who can freeroll that cost outright.
Why Queens of Tallinn Keeps Growing
Women’s poker series have had a mixed history when it comes to long-term sustainability, with several high-profile festivals launching to strong turnouts before fading within a few years. Queens of Tallinn’s trajectory has run the other direction: from 65 players at its 2023 debut to 96 in 2025, with the 2026 buy-in increase suggesting organizers are confident the field will grow again rather than shrink under a higher price point.
Part of that growth likely comes from Tallinn’s existing status as a poker destination. The city already hosts WSOP Circuit stops and other festivals that bring international traffic through Estonia’s poker rooms, giving Queens of Tallinn a built-in audience of traveling players who extend their trip or plan around the women’s series specifically. Anyone considering the trip for the first time can review the basics of poker hand rankings before diving into a new buy-in level or an unfamiliar cash game structure.
What to Watch For at the 2026 Edition
With the buy-in increase, the livestreamed final table and an expanded satellite network all pointing toward a bigger field, Queens of Tallinn 2026 looks positioned to set a new attendance record for the series. Whether the Main Event can top last year’s 96 entries under a higher price tag will be the clearest signal of how much momentum the festival has built in just four years.
Poker Pro Academy will follow the results out of Tallinn as the festival plays out from August 27 through 30. As always, poker should be treated as entertainment and played within a bankroll players can comfortably afford, and participation requires meeting the legal age and licensing requirements of the relevant jurisdiction.
