Unibet Open Malta gets underway tomorrow with hundreds of players set to compete in the third stop of the 2019 tour.
This year’s #ShuffleUpAndSea Unibet Open Malta, held in conjunction with Casino Malta, offers five days of thrilling poker action in one of the top poker destinations in Europe. The event runs September 11-15 at the luxurious InterContinental Hotel in St. Julian’s, a hugely popular resort on this gorgeous Mediterranean island.
Unibet Open Malta Main Event
More than 190 players have qualified for the €1,000 + €100 Main Event after winning their seats or full prize packages online on Unibet Poker. There will be three starting flights in total with Day 1a starting tomorrow (Thursday, September 12) at noon. Day 1b kicks off on Friday at the same time, with a 1c Turbo starting at 9pm on Friday. All Day 1 players receive a 30,000 starting stack – with 60-minute levels for the 1a/1b flights and 20 minute levels for Day 1c. One re-entry (for the Day 1c flight) is permitted. The final takes place on Sunday, September 15.
The first event of the festival is the €300 + €30, single re-entry, two-day Unibet Superstack which kicks off tomorrow at 2pm. The invite-only Tag Team Championship also starts tomorrow and will be live streamed on Twitch and facebook. Also featuring on the packed schedule are the invitational Battle Royale, a two-day €500 + €50 Unibet Deepstack Open, the popular €80 + €10 #QueenRules Ladies Event, €165 Turbo and Hyperturbo tournaments, a €220 single re-entry Pot Limit Omaha event and €175 NLH Progressive Superknockout.
Moolhuizen makes Malta a family business!
Unibet Open Malta is turning into a huge family gathering for two-time Unibet Open Champion Mateusz Moolhuizen. He’s attending this year’s event with his girlfriend, media influencer Dehlia de Jong plus both his parents and his “in-laws” – Dehlia’s parents, sister, brother and brother’s girlfriend– nine of them in total! Dehlia, who recently finished 33rd at the Unibet Poker Belgian Championships, is playing the Main Event and Ladies Event while Moolhuizen’s father Albert is competing in tomorrow’s Unibet Superstack along with Dehlia’s brother Dex. Dehlia’s sister Djuna is playing the Ladies Event.
Mateusz, who won the very first Unibet Open Malta in 2011, said: “As always I’m really looking forward to a new Unibet Open, especially when it’s the Unibet Open Malta. My greatest memories come from this stop after winning it in 2011 as it gave a huge boost to my poker career. The experience of winning that event is just indescribable. I’ve been coming to this beautiful island now for many years – I have lost count, but it must be around 12-15 times. The island has been very good to me as I met Dehlia here three years ago at the Unibet Open and this year we’re all here together for the first time! There so much to do here, from go-karts and paintball to boat trips and sightseeing including the Game of Thrones’ ”Kings Landing” location and the beautiful capital Valetta.”
Also competing in Malta will be Unibet Ambassadors David Lappin and Dara O’Kearney, winners of Best Podcast for “The Chip Race” at this year’s inaugural GPI Global Poker Awards alongside fellow Ambassadors Ian Simpson, Espen Jorstad, Alexandre Reard, Monica Vaka and two-time winner Dan Murariu. A number of popular Twitch streamers and influencers are taking part including Suntouch, kiocsgo, CasinoDaddy, VeniCraft, ONSCREEN, ToD, syrinxx1337, Melania and OliPocket.
With its wonderful sunny weather, gorgeous beaches and thriving nightlife, Malta is a perfect destination for poker players. Off the felt, there will be plenty of opportunities for players to have fun at Unibet Open Malta. The Intercontinental Hotel is located in the heart of buzzing St Julian’s, one of the island’s top tourist resorts. Unibet will be hosting a Welcome Drinks party tomorrow evening followed by the Unibet Players Party on Saturday night.
Follow the action from Malta
The Unibet Open is all over social media so you can follow all the action on your favourite platform: YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Flickr | Instagram | Twitch.
The live stream – on Twitch and facebook – will cover the Tag Team Championship, the Unibet Battle Royale and Main Event and be hosted by Unibet Open Ambassador David Vanderheyden and co-commentator Henry Kilbane.
Nataly Sopacuaperu, Unibet Open’s Head of Events and Sponsorship, said: “We can’t wait for the start of this fabulous festival. September is the perfect time of year to visit Malta and glorious weather is in the offing for the full duration of the event. We look forward to seeing hundreds of players take their seats in this fabulous venue – including those who have won their packages or seats on Unibet. We’re going to have a great time here.”
Unibet Open Malta history
2011: Mateusz Moolhuizen, Netherlands, €117,000; 293 entries, total prize pool €417,525
2016: Martin Soukup, Czech Republic, €65,000; 292 entries, total prize pool €292,000
2018: Daniel Jacobsen, Denmark, €60,090; 273 entries, total prize pool €273,000
Unibet Open 2019 season so far
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.
The final stop of 2019 will be Unibet Open Paris from November 28 to December 1.
