Unibet Open Bucharest is Over – Here Are the Biggest Winners
Last week was a good week in terms of live poker. Alongside the Festival Bratislava, the Unibet Open made its long-awaited comeback. Together with PokerFest Romania, Unibet Open created yet another fantastic live poker event, as they have been doing ever since the tournament was founded back in 2007. The Unibet Open was played between November 29th and December 3rd and it was the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel who rolled out the carpet for this legendary event, and all participators were in for some serious poker Marriott action. Thanks to poker reporter legend Juhani Tyrisevä, poker enthusiasts from all over the world could follow the Unibet Open through the PokerListings poker blog and easily stay up to date. Worth mentioning though is that the blog is in finnish.
Sluis, our Main Event Champion
Of course, many eyes were on the €1 100 Main Event. A total 360 entries were made in the tournament that converted to a €338 400 prize pool. The tournament offered three start flights for players to choose from, and there was the opportunity for one re-entry per player.
After the three initial flights and the day 2-stage of the tournament, the remaining nine players would return on the last day of the event, Sunday 3rd, to battle it out on the final table for the first place payout of €65 830. Play had been going on for more than seven hours on the final table, before Dutchman Dwayne Sluis 4-bet shoved with K Q and got called by Bucharest poker player Ivan Alin Constantin’s A K . The board ran out 7 J Q 6 7 which meant that chipleader Sluis had eliminated Constantin in second place, and such, Sluis could lift the trophy!
With the win, Sluis – who earned his seat for the Main Event through a satellite – recorded his biggest career cash. The win felt special to Sluis:
I can’t really describe my feelings. It’s special because poker wasn’t going that well for me during the last two years. So, to win the tournament, it’s absolutely amazing.”
Unibet Open Bucharest 2023 – Main Event Final Table Payouts
| Ranking | Player Name | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Dwayne Sluis | €65 830 |
| 2. |  Ivar Alin Constantin | €41 890 |
| 3. | Robert Burlacu | €31 400 |
| 4. | Dragos Anton | €25 420 |
| 5. | Eduard Norel | €20 030 |
| 6. | Bart Van Dijk | €15 300 |
| 7. | Max Broens | €11 230 |
| 8. |  Björn Samuelsson | €8 260 |
| 9. | Sorin Flutur | €6 770 |
Virlanuta Won the High Roller
The Unibet Open schedule did not disappoint and it included a decent amount of tournament with various Buy-Ins, guaranteeing that there were something for every kind of poker player no matter their respective bankroll. Of course, it’s always thrilling to see some High Roller action, and such, we were treated with a €2 200 Texas NLH tournament. A total 24 players took their shot, and it would be Bucharest native Marian Virlanuta who eventually claimed the title after eliminating Unibet Ambassador Monica Vaka Heads Up. For his win, Virlanuta took home €18 970.
Unibet Open Bucharest 2023 – Side Events Winners
| Event | Player Name | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| €2 200 High Roller | Marian Virlanuta | €18 970 |
| €110 Ladies Event | Cristina Alina Ciuca | €780 |
| €330 Unibet Open-er |  Ivan Ciursin | €6 450 |
| €110 Hyper Turbo |  Charles Sutton | €2 230 |
| €165 Mini Main Event |  Pekka Samuli | €3 435 |
It’s safe to say that the Unibet Open is back in full action. There are no dates revealed for the tournament to come back in 2024 yet, but the feeling is that Unibet Open only will grow bigger and bigger with the years to come!
