Unibet Open Heads Back to London on May 20-26
Table Of Contents
The Unibet Open heads to the British capital of London for the eighth time in the tour's history on May 20-26 at the The Poker Room above the iconic Grosvenor Victoria Casino.
PokerNews will once again be on hand to cover the highlight of the festival, the Unibet Open £990 Main Event, which features three opening flights on May 23-24.
The Main Event is a deep-stacked affair with players beginning all three opening flights with 30,000 in chips. The first two flights feature one-hour blind levels while Day 1C is faster paced with 20-minute blinds. The tournament allows for one reentry on Day 1C provided that they were eliminated on Day 1A or Day 1B.
Players bagging chips will compete for two more days on May 25-26 until a winner is crowned.
History of the Unibet Open Main Event
The Unibet Open London Main Event hasn't always had a £990 buy-in as it has boasted a few different price points. In 2009, Thanh Doan won the inaugural Unibet Open London Main Event featuring a £2,750 buy-in after besting a field of 266 entrants for £187,000. This was the largest single prize won at a Unibet Open London Main Event.
The buy-ins were progressively reduced in subsequent years making the event more affordable. It reached a low of £825 buy-in in 2016 when Dave Shallow triumphed in the event for £62,200.
A sweet spot has been reached with the current £990 buy-in being the same in 2017 and last year in 2018 when reigning champion Andreas Wiborg finished on top of a field of 349 entrants to win £56,807.
Unibet Open London Main Event Champions
| Year | Buy-in | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | £2,750 | 266 | £665,000 | Thanh Doan | £187,000 |
| 2010 | £1,650 | 273 | £409,500 | Paul Valkenburg | £109,550 |
| 2012 | £1,320 | 315 | £378,000 | Pratik Ghatge | £85,050 |
| 2014 | €1,100 | 399 | £319,200 | Iaron Lightbourne | £70,000 |
| 2016 | £825 | 418 | £313,500 | Dave Shallow | £62,000 |
| 2017 | £990 | 419 | £377,100 | [Removed:158] | £71,950 |
| 2018 | £990 | 349 | £314,100 | Andreas Wiborg | £56,807 |
| 2019 | £990 |
2019 Unibet Open London schedule
As usual, the Unibet Open London features tons of side events, satellites, and two invitation-only events including the Unibet Tag Team Championship and the Unibet Battle Royale on May 22.
Other highlights on the schedule include the £2,200 High Roller (May 22-23), the £500 Unibet DSO Cup (May 25-26), the £110 #QUEENRULES Ladies Event (May 25), the £220 Turbo Bounty (May 25), and the £110 NLH Turbo (May 26).
| Date | Time (GMT) | Event | Buy-in | Levels | Starting Stack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20 | 8 p.m. | Satellite Main Event | £165 | 20 min. | 10,000 |
| May 21 | 8 p.m. | Satellite High Roller | £330 | 20 min. | 15,000 |
| May 22 | 12 p.m. | Unibet Tag Team Championship | - | 15 min. | 25,000 |
| 7 p.m. | Unibet Battle Royale | - | 20 min. | 25,000 | |
| 7 p.m. | Satellite Main Event | £165 | 20 min. | 10,000 | |
| 8 p.m. | NLH Highroller - Day 1 | £2,200 | 20 min. | 30,000 | |
| May 23 | 11 a.m. | Main Event - Day 1A | £990 | 60 min. | 30,000 |
| 12 p.m. | NLH Highroller - Day 2 | £2,200 | 40 min. | 30,000 | |
| 8 p.m. | Satellite Main Event | £165 | 20 min. | 10,000 | |
| May 24 | 11 a.m. | Main Event - Day 1B | £990 | 60 min. | 30,000 |
| 8 p.m. | Main Event - Day 1C | £990 | 20 min. | 30,000 | |
| May 25 | 12 p.m. | Main Event - Day 2 | - | 60 min. | - |
| 2 p.m. | Unibet DSO Cup - Day 1 | £500 | 30/40 min. | 20,000 | |
| 3 p.m. | #Queenrules (Ladies Event) | £110 | 25 min. | 15,000 | |
| 9 p.m. | Turbo Bounty (£100 Bounty) | £220 | 15 min. | 15,000 | |
| May 25 | 12 p.m. | Main Event - Day 3 - Final Table | - | 60 min. | - |
| 12 p.m. | Unibet DSO Cup - Day 2 | - | 40 min. | - | |
| 1 p.m. | NLH Turbo | £110 | 15 min. | 10,000 |
Follow PokerNews throughout the week as our live reporting team will be on hand to cover the entire 2019 Unibet Open London Main Event from start to finish.
