Unibet Poker is delighted to announce that dates have now been set for the next Unibet Poker Belgian Championship (UPBC) which kicks off at the end of August in the vibrant seaside resort of Blankenberge.
The fifth Unibet Poker Belgian Championship will run from August 31 to September 4 at Unibet Casino Blankenberge right on the resort seafront. This year’s event will be extra special as, in addition to the usual packed poker schedule, Unibet Casino Blankenberge will be hosting blackjack and roulette tournaments at the same time.
Hundreds of players are expected to attend the award-winning Unibet Poker Belgian Championship which will be the first in three years after the 2020 and 2021 events had to be cancelled because of Covid. The festival is a highlight of the Belgian poker calendar and won Event of the Year at the 2018 Belgian Poker Awards.
Players will have dozens of chances to qualify online for the €550 buy-in Main Event with more than three months of qualifiers and feeder satellites running on Unibet Poker in the lead-up to the tournament. The Unibet Live seat-only finals will be held every Sunday from 8pm CET; they will cost €50 to enter with two €550 seats guaranteed each week.
The qualifier finals started on May 8 and run right through to the end of August, just a few days before the live event begins in Blankenberge. Two €5 SuperQualifiers will also run every Thursday starting at 6pm and 7pm CET on May 5 and guaranteeing six seats into the weekly finals.
Players can also try to qualify for the Championship via the regular Unibet Live steps which take place at least once a day. These will include freerolls and one cent rolls as well.
Numerous big names are likely to compete in this year’s Main Event which regularly attracts the very best poker players in Belgium along with well-known competitors from the rest of Europe and beyond. Two-time Unibet Open champion Mateusz Moolhuizen and his girlfriend Dehlia de Jong – who cashed at the last UPBC in 2019 – are both hoping to attend the event along with Belgian poker stars Christophe and Matthias De Meulder. Christophe won the event in 2018 for €38,290.
Among those who cashed at the last UPBC in 2019 were former November Niner Pierre Neuville and Ann-Roos Callens who won back-to-back #QueensRules Ladies Events at the Malta Unibet Open in 2018 and 2019.
Previous entrants for the Unibet Poker Belgian Championship Main Event have included poker presenter Gaelle Garcia Diaz, Unibet Open commentator David Vanderheyden, Unibet Ambassador David Lappin, Fantastic Ladies in Poker founder Daiva Byrne, and two-time Belgian Poker Challenge winner Arne Coulier.
The last UPBC in 2019 was won by German-born school teacher Glenn Laureys for €34,614. There were 419 entries in total with 55 players getting a share of the €209,500 prize pool.
Once again, Unibet Open tournament director and 2016 WSOP November Niner Kenny Hallaert will run the event.
Day 1a of the Championship Main Event takes place at 1pm on August 31 with Day 1b starting the following day at the same time. The turbo Day 1c flight gets underway later on at 8pm. Players who don’t make it through Day 1a or 1b will be allowed to re-enter again on Day 1c.
The tournament boasts a fantastic structure with 50,000 starting stack and 45-minute levels for the first two start flights, as well as on Day 2.
In addition to the €550 buy-in Main Event, one of the highlights of this year’s schedule will be the #QueenRules Ladies Event. The schedule will also include a No Limit Deepstack tournament, No Limit Turbo and single re-entry Progressive Super Knockout.
Nataly Sopacuaperu, Unibet Open’s Head of Events, said: “We’re really excited to be heading back to Blankenberge again after a two-year hiatus. This event always has a really special atmosphere, not least because it brings together the very best players in Belgium as well as around Europe. This year promises to be a great reunion and we’re really looking forward to it.”
The inaugural Unibet Poker Belgian Championship took place in 2016 when Belgium’s Fabrice Lestrade beat a 407-entry field to win the top prize of €40,107.
