Omar Lakhdari has won Unibet Open Paris, the final event of this year’s action-packed tour. Lakhdari triumphed after a rollercoaster final, beating Quoc Dung Le heads-up to snag the €89,070 top prize and coveted Unibet Open Trophy.
Lakhdari, who is French-Algerian, is already ranked top of the Algerian all-time money list with nearly $1.6 million in live tournament winnings. Prior to tonight’s win in Paris, the 42-year-old’s best result on the Unibet Open tour came in 2015 when he took down the High Roller in Cannes for €24,000. He also made the final table of the Unibet Deepstack Open Main Event in Divonne two years ago for €11,550. Tonight’s win was by far his biggest cash in his home city of Paris.
Final table results:
- Omar Lakhdari, France, € 89,070
- Quoc Dung Le, France, € 55,270
- Vladimir Nex, France, € 38,110
- Malik Corbin, France, € 28,230
- Alexandru Danes, France, € 21,720
- Michel Leibgorin, France, € 16,700
- Giuseppe Zarbo, Italy, € 13,360
- Alexey Dmitriev, Russia, € 10,690
- Hakim Chniyat, France, € 8,550
The #ShuffleUpAndBrie Unibet Open Paris started last Wednesday at Club Circus Paris. With 480 entries and a €460,800 prize pool, it was the biggest stop of this year’s season. Close to 200 players qualified for the €1,000 + €100 Main Event online after winning their seats or full prize packages online on Unibet Poker.
The Paris stop marks the end of a hugely successful year on the Unibet Open tour which has featured stops in Sinaia, London and Malta. Nearly 30 countries were represented here in Paris, with 60% of the Main Event field hailing from France – including seven of the nine finalists. It was the second time the tour has been held in Paris, the first time was in 2012 with 439 entries.
A total of 63 players got a share of the €460,800 prize pool with a min cash worth €2,030. Among those who cashed in the Main Event were Unibet Ambassador David Lappin, who finished 26th for €3,570, and Tabish Zaman, who came 29th for €3,190 after winning his package at a Unibet UK Poker Tour event in Newcastle. Others included Florence Allera, one of France’s top female players, Nicolas Cardyn, David Jaoui, Eric Qu and Lithanian player Mantas Urbonas.
Lakhdari, who entered the Main Event via the special Paris Edition Day 1 on Wednesday, had a substantial chip lead going in to today’s final. However, by the time it reached three-handed play against Vladimir Nex and Quoc Dung Le, it was anyone’s game.
Le took the lead after eliminating Nex in third place, and increased the lead still further before Lakhdari secured a much-needed double-up. After the pair took a short break, Lakhdari then went on to win five hands in a row before snagging victory with A7 v 98.
Others on the final table included fan favourite Alexandru Danes, who finished fifth for €21,720 and French veteran Michel Leibgorin, who bust in sixth place for €16,700. Leibgorin is a well-known player in the French poker community with live tourney results going back nearly 35 years and more than $1.2 million in winnings to his name.
Side event results
NL Turbo
Unibet Ambassador David Lappin took down the last tournament at Unibet Open Paris – the #150 NL Turbo. Lappin, who also cashed in the Main Event, won €3,170 after beating Alana Nancy Pariente heads-up. There were 75 entries in all, creating a €10,800 prize pool.
Fabien “kioShiMa” Fiey wins Battle Royale
The invitational Battle Royale ended in spectacular fashion last night with three all-ins ending an evening of fantastic poker. Fabien “kioShiMa” Fiey, a Professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player, snagged the top prize of €4,700 after hitting a full house on the river to take out both Melania Mylioti (2nd, €2,800) and Avori Henderson (3rd, €1,900.) Nine influencers and esports stars took part in the 15th edition of the Battle Royale, vying for a share of a €10,000 prize pool. The players agreed a deal to pay fourth place, which meant Alexandre “FunKa” Verrier did not leave empty-handed and won €600.
Simpson & RotterdaM snag Tag Team trophy
Nine teams took part in the invitational Tag Team Championship with Unibet Ambassador Ian Simpson and Kevin “RotterdaM” van der Kooi taking top honours. The pair beat off competition from teams comprising: David Lappin & Fabien ‘kiocsgo’ Fiey, Dehlia de Jong & Melania Mylioti, Unibet Belgian Ambassador Charlotte Van Brabander & Vitalii “v1lat” Volochai; David Vanderheyden & Alexandre “FunKa” Verrier, Dan Murariu & Yoan Merlo, Alex Reard and NOI, Mateusz Moolhuizen and Ana “Monkeyism” Bila plus Monica Vaka & Avori Henderson. Prizes included the Tag Team champions’ trophy, a #ShuffleUpAndBrie Paris goody bag and €100 to spend on Unibet poker.
Asmo Votkin wins Progressive Superknockout
There were 106 entries for the €120 Progressive Knockout tournament creating a €9,755 prize pool. The top three players were all from Finland – winner Asmo Votkin, runner-up Pekka Ikonen and third-placed Toni Ojala. Among those who made the money were Unibet Belgian Ambassador Charlotte Van Brabander who came sixth for €590 and media influencer Dehlia de Jong, 12th for €200. A total of 13 players were paid.
Live stream
A live stream was held throughout the Paris event covering the Tag Team Championship, Battle Royale and Main Event – with commentary from David Vanderheyden and Henry Kilbane, plus numerous guests. It was broadcast on the Unibet Open website, Twitch, youtube and facebook. Images from the event are all available on Flickr.
Off the felt
There was plenty of entertainment for players away from the poker tables including a special tour of the Parc des Princes PSG football stadium, the official Player Party held at the glamorous Palais Maillot nightclub and a Welcome Drinks for full package qualifiers, also held at Parc des Princes.
Unibet Open 2019 season
Unibet Open Sinaia, February 2019: Czech player Martin Soukup became a two-time Unibet Open champion when he won the tour’s debut event in the Romanian ski resort of Sinaia for €71,000 in February.
Unibet Open London, May 2019: Unibet Open smashed its London track record in May with the biggest field, biggest first prize and biggest prize pool. British player Daniel James beat fellow countryman Ben Winsor heads-up to take the £80,200 first prize. There were 456 entries for the Main Event, creating a total prize pool of £410,400.
Unibet Open Malta, September 2019: Unibet Open broke records once again in September with a giant #ShuffleUpAndSea event in Malta. There were a total of 327 entries for the €1,100 Main Event, creating a €327,000 prize pool – the biggest in Unibet Open Malta history. British player Alan Carr took it down for €53,400; he won his seat online after investing just €5 in a Unibet Poker satellite.
About the Unibet Open
The Unibet Open is the hottest live poker tournament circuit in Europe, with ever-growing numbers of players from amateurs to professionals battling for six-figure prize pools in some of the continent’s most glamorous locations. Since 2007, the Unibet Open has been synonymous with a great poker experience – not only running the best tournaments with the Main Event regularly selling out above cap, but also taking advantage of amazing locations and making sure that every Unibet Open player has the time of their life.
