Unibet Open Could Host its Largest Main Event in Bucharest
Since its first event in 2007, the Unibet Open is a can't-miss poker festival for many recreational and professional players alike. From Nov. 30 through Dec. 4, the series closes out 2016 with what might be the biggest and best Unibet Open in its long history, stopping in Bucharest, Romania for the first time.
The poker festival kicks off with the €220 NLH – Six Max, which features a 20,000 starting stack and blinds increasing every 20 minutes.
All players have their eyes on the four day €1,100 Unibet Open Bucharest Main Event, which features a huge €500,000 guaranteed prize pool. On Dec. 1 and Dec. 2, players will compete in this tournament during two separate opening flights with 30,000 chips and blinds increasing every 60 minutes. Surviving players will then compete on Dec. 3 and 4 until the latest Unibet Open Main Event champion is crowned.
The tournament has a good chance at becoming the biggest Unibet Poker Main Event in history as there's a cap of 800 players and a guaranteed prize pool of €500,000. The record now lies with the 2010 Unibet Open Budapest where Dutchman Anthon-Pieter Wink beat a field of 460 players.
It will likely not surpass the highest prize paid with Finland's Thanh Doan winning a huge prize of $305,326 in 2009 when the tournament buy-in was set at a much higher £2,750.
Here is a look at all of the prior winners of the Unibet Open Main Event:
Unibet Open History
| Year | Event | Buy-In | Entries | Winner | Country | Original Prize | Prize in $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Warsaw | €1,650 | 120 | Stale Lokse | Norway | zł159,900 | $65,090 |
| 2008 | Madrid | €1,650 | 297 | Joao Barbosa | Portugal | €115,800 | $179,240 |
| Milan | €1,650 | 320 | Domenico Tinnirello | Italy | €121,000 | $173,953 | |
| Warsaw | zł5,500 | 270 | Simon Johansson | Sweden | zł464,805 | $152,355 | |
| 2009 | Budapest | €1,650 | 360 | Alvaro Aspas | Spain | €135,000 | $170,104 |
| Algarve | €1,650 | 409 | Andre Dias | Portugal | €151,000 | $207,104 | |
| London | £2,750 | 266 | Thanh Doan | Finland | £187,000 | $305,326 | |
| Prague | €1,650 | 451 | Fuat Can | Sweden | €167,500 | $245,983 | |
| Warsaw | zł7,000 | 401 | Jimmy Jonsson | Sweden | zł654,430 | $239,778 | |
| 2010 | Budapest | 1,650 | 460 | Anthon-Pieter Wink | Netherlands | €172,500 | $235,665 |
| Golden Sands | €1,650 | 394 | Dan Murariu | Romania | €150,705 | $184,182 | |
| Prague | €1,650 | 424 | Henri Ojala | Finland | €157,000 | $207,037 | |
| Valencia | €1,650 | 361 | Thomas Thang | Denmark | €138,080 | $191,626 | |
| London | £1,650 | 273 | Paul Valkenburg | Netherlands | £109,550 | $171,408 | |
| 2011 | Malta | €1,650 | 293 | Mateusz Moolhuizen | Netherlands | €117,000 | $163,075 |
| Barcelona | €1,650 | 387 | Rubén Sánchez Cebollada | Spain | €145,000 | $212,246 | |
| Dublin | €1,650 | 260 | Paul Vas Nunes | United Kingdom | €105,300 | $151,742 | |
| Riga | Ls1,650 | 308 | Peter Harkes | Netherlands | Ls62,829 | $119,878 | |
| 2012 | Prague | €1,650 | 254 | Filip Verboven | Belgium | €100,000 | $131,574 |
| Paris | €1,650 | 439 | Jaroslaw Barglik | Poland | €140,539 | $185,310 | |
| London | £1,320 | 315 | Pratik Ghatge | United Kingdom | £85,050 | $136,305 | |
| Saint Martin | €1,650 | 238 | Dan Murariu | Romania | €110,000 | $142,590 | |
| 2013 | Copenhagen | €1,650 | 336 | Kassem Yassine | Sweden | €107,367 | $126,744 |
| Tróia | €1,650 | 242 | Dmitry Varlamov | Rusland | €80,187 | $104,811 | |
| Cannes | €1,650 | 313 | Quentin Lecomte | France | €100,000 | $132,918 | |
| Riga | Ls2271 | 208 | Rens Feenstra | Netherlands | Ls52,800 | $101,652 | |
| 2014 | Copenhagen | DKr8,250 | 406 | Frederik Jensen | Denmark | DKr625,000 | $116,168 |
| Tallinn | €1,100 | 262 | Mauri Dorbek | Estonia | €55,500 | $75,574 | |
| Cannes | €1,100 | 457 | Daniel Smith | United Kingdom | €88,000 | $114,059 | |
| London | £1,100 | 399 | Iaron Lightbourne | United Kingdom | £70,000 | $110,163 | |
| 2015 | Copenhagen | DKr8,250 | 404 | Theis Vad Hennebjerre | Denmark | DKr620,000 | $94,288 |
| Glasgow | £880 | 221 | Daniel Chutrov | Bulgaria | £43,000 | $66,030 | |
| Cannes | €1,100 | 411 | Alexan Julien | France | €80,00 | $90,194 | |
| Antwerp | €1,100 | 321 | Mateusz Moolhuizen | Netherlands | €71,000 | $75,487 | |
| 2016 | London | £825 | 418 | Dave Shallow | United Kingdom | £62,000 | $86,747 |
| Malta | €1,100 | 292 | Martin Soukup | Czech Republic | €65,000 | $72,461 | |
| Copenhagen | DKr8,100 | 376 | Joni Liimatta | Finland | DKr525,000 | $79,571 |
Currently, Netherland's Mateusz Moolhuizen is one of two players to win more than one Unibet Open Main Event with a victory in Malta in 2011 for $163,075 and another closeout in 2015 in Antwerp, Belgium for $75,487. Dan Murariu is the other, having won events in 2010 and 2012. Will we see a three-time champion in Bucharest? Will we crown another two-time winner?
In addition to the Main Event, there is something for everyone on the schedule for the upcoming Unibet Open Bucharest including the two-day €2,200 NHL High Roller – Single Re-Entry on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4. Lower-stakes players can enjoy a couple of €110 Unibet Open Bucharest Main Event Satellites on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, the €220 NLH Turbo Bounty on Dec. 2 and the €330 NLH Two-day Freezeout on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4.
As usual, the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on hand to report on all the big action during the Unibet Open Bucharest Main Event starting on Dec. 1.
* Photos by Tambet Kask, Unibet Open
