2016 Unibet Open Bucharest

Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info

2016 Unibet Open Bucharest

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aq
Prize
€100,000
Event Info
Buy-in
€1,000
Prize Pool
€584,910
Entries
603
Level Info
Level
32
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
50,000

Main Event

Day 3 Completed

Traian Bostan Wins the Record-Breaking 2016 Unibet Open Bucharest (€100,000)

Level 32 : 150,000/300,000, 50,000 ante
Traian Bostan wins the 2016 Unibet Open in Bucharest
Traian Bostan wins the 2016 Unibet Open in Bucharest

The biggest ever Unibet Open Main Event has determined a winner and it was local player Traian Bostan who completed a Cinderella story to come back from less than four big blinds and emerge victorious. A total of 603 players ponied up the buy-in of €1,100 to participate in the popular live tournament series in the capital of Bucharest, and it was Bostan who lifted the trophy in the Grand Ballroom of the stunning JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel.

The final day saw 15 hopefuls return to the tables and Eli Heath was in the lead. The Brit made it all the way to heads up and eventually finished runner up after a fierce duel for the title and payday of €100,000. The home country made up the majority of participants, however, it was still impressive to see seven Romanians reach the final table. Dan Murariu's attempt of making further history was halted in sixth place, it was the seventh final table of the two-time Unibet Open champion.

The first casualty of the final day was Nikita Malinovskiy, who returned as one of the top five stacks. After losing some smaller pots, Murariu cracked his pocket queens with king-queen after making a runner runner straight. The next hand, short stack William Hens shoved with ace-ten suited and Malinovskiy called for less in the small blind with king-nine suited – neither player hit anything on the rail and ace-high scooped the pot for Hens.

Cristian Dan joined the short stacks early on as well and three-bet shoved with ace-jack in the second level of the day but failed to improve against the pocket eights of Heath. Soon after he was joined on the rail by Martin Wendt, who called all in with pocket deuces after a shove by Calusaru with ace-queen. An ace appeared on the flop and the Dane was eliminated in 13th place.

Popular Unibet community member Hens then finished in 12th place. He three-bet shoved with ace-queen and Murariu reshoved with ace-king from one seat over on the button. Hens flopped a queen, but Murariu turned a king to then dodge an additional flush draw by the Dutchman on a blank river.

Hens' countryman Gordon Plomp, who lives in Belgium, was the next to join the rail. After falling short again, he shoved the button with jack-nine off suit and Murariu called with ace-jack in the small blind. Both players flopped a pair with the jack, but the kicker played to eliminate Plomp. Soon after, final table of the last nine was set with the elimination of Roei Motola. The last remaining player from Israel got it in good with ace-ten against the ace-nine of Heath. Both hit their kicker on the flop, but Heath turned trips nines to bust Motola.

Down to the last nine, Bostan was the far shortest stack but it was Juho Launonen who ran out of chips in the very first hand. The three-bet shove of the Finn with ace-king suited was snap-called by Adrian Stefan Calusaru. Bostan then scored a vital triple up with six-four suited against the isolation shove of Murariu with ace-king thanks to a runner runner flush. From there on, it was all about Bostan who kept winning pot after pot.

Ionut-Alin Tambura fell in eighth place when his pocket nines failed to improve against the pocket queens of Cosmin Cimpeanu. Fellow Romanian Eugen Chiva sent his chips over to Cimpeanu as well when shoving the button with king-three, Cimpeanu had eights in the small blind and held up.

Murariu lost a big flip with ace-king against the pocket queens of Bostan for two third of his stack and would eventually boy out with ten-nine against Calurasu's ace-four suited. Day 1b chip leader Gabriel Gavrila followed in fifth place, his ten-eight suited blanked as Heath claimed the pot with king-jack.

Cimpeanu also fell victim to the run of Heath, three-betting with ace-ten suited and then calling the shove of the Brit to see Heath's pocket jacks stay ahead on flop, turn and river. The heads up duel for the title was set when Calusaru with pocket tens and Bostan with ace-queen clashed with even stacks. A queen on the flop and an ace on the turn improved Bostan to two pair and that was it for Calusaru.

Bostan already had the Pokerfest.ro last longer locked up as a result and won a package for the next Unibet Open stop 2017 in London. What followed was a hard-fought battle by both Heath and Bostan, with the latter eventually grinding down his opponent. Heath then shoved 14 big blinds with queen-seven off suit and Bostan snap-called with ace-queen suited to see the board run out jack-high.

When all was said and done, the record-breaking festival in Bucharest came to a close. The €2,200 High Roller ended with a three-way deal and Keith Cummins was officially crowned as the champion after striking a deal with Tristan Guiodo and Slaven Popov.

Final Result Main Event

PlaceWinnerCountryPrize (EUR)
1Traian BostanRomania100,000
2Eli HeathUK64,200
3Adrian Stefan CalusaruRomania44,200
4Cosmin CimpeanuRomania32,800
5Gabriel GavrilaRomania25,200
6Dan MurariuRomania19,400
7Eugen ChivaRomania15,500
8Ionut-Alin TamburaRomania12,400
9Juho LaunonenFinland9,910

That was it from the PokerNews live reporting team here in Bucharest, but make sure to tune back in next week already for the coverage of the last ever European Poker Tour festival in Prague.

Tags: Adrian Stefan CalusaruCosmin CimpeanuCristian DanDan MurariuEli HeathEugen ChivaGabriel GavrilaGordon PlompIonut-Alin TamburaJuho LaunonenKeith CumminsMartin WendtNikita MalinovskiyRoei MotolaSlaven PopovTraian BostanTristan GuiodoWilliam Hens

Eli Heath Eliminated in 2nd Place (€64,200)

Level 32 : 150,000/300,000, 50,000 ante
Eli Heath
Eli Heath

After losing another pot by giving up the river of an ace-high board, Eli Heath was down to just 14 big blinds and open-shoved, Traian Bostan snap-called.

Eli Heath: {Q-Clubs}{7-Spades}
Traian Bostan: {A-Hearts}{Q-Hearts}

The board ran out {J-Spades}{J-Hearts}{10-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds}{8-Diamonds} and the Romanian rail erupted in celebration. Heath defeated six Romanians, but the seventh was one too many. The Brit has to settle for 2nd plade and a payday of €64,200, while Bostan receives €100,000 and ensures that the trophy stays in the host country.

A recap of today's action will be available shortly.

Player Chips Progress
Traian Bostan ro
Traian Bostan
17,930,000 5,050,000
Eli Heath gb
Eli Heath
Busted

Tags: Eli HeathTraian Bostan

Heath Loses a Bigger One

Level 32 : 150,000/300,000, 50,000 ante

Eli Heath limped in with the {Q-Spades}{J-Hearts} and Traian Bostan checked his option with the {10-Hearts}{2-Hearts}.

On the {K-Hearts}{J-Spades}{6-Clubs} flop, Bostan bet 300,000 and Heath called before the {Q-Hearts} on the turn saw Bostan bet another 500,000. Heath raised to 1,500,000 with his two pair and was called. The {9-Clubs} on the river completed a straight for Bostan and he checked.

Heath checked behind and then mucked when he was shown the bad news.

Player Chips Progress
Traian Bostan ro
Traian Bostan
12,880,000 1,000,000
Eli Heath gb
Eli Heath
5,050,000 -1,000,000

Tags: Eli HeathTraian Bostan

Bostan Folds to Shove

Level 32 : 150,000/300,000, 50,000 ante

Traian Bostan min-raised to 600,000 with the {7-Clubs}{7-Spades} and Eli Heath three-bet shoved for around 21 big blinds with {A-Hearts}{4-Spades}.

In a limped pot, Heath had the {2-Spades}{2-Diamonds} and Bostan the {8-Hearts}{3-Hearts}. The duo checked the {Q-Diamonds}{J-Hearts}{7-Spades} flop before Bostan's bet on the {4-Hearts} turn won the pot.

Heath took some back with {Q-Hearts}{9-Clubs} by betting the {K-Clubs}{J-Spades}{7-Spades}{8-Spades} turn. Bostan had {Q-Diamonds}{10-Clubs} for an open-ended straight draw, but folded to a bet.

Tags: Eli HeathTraian Bostan

Level: 32

Blinds: 150,000/300,000

Ante: 50,000

Bostan's Lead Grows Again

Level 31 : 125,000/250,000, 25,000 ante

In a limped pot , Eli Heath checked the flop of {10-Clubs}{9-Diamonds}{8-Spades} with {9-Hearts}{2-Spades} for middle pair. Traian Bostan checked behind with {Q-Hearts}{5-Clubs} and then bet the {Q-Clubs} turn with his top pair to rake in the pot.

Heath limped with the {Q-Clubs}{3-Diamonds} and Bostan checked with {3-Spades}{2-Clubs}. On the {9-Clubs}{3-Clubs}{5-Diamonds} flop, Heath bet 250,000 and Bostan check-called to improve to two pair on the {2-Diamonds} turn. After the {10-Clubs} river, Bostan bet 500,000 and Heath folded.

Bostan also bet the {A-Clubs}{K-Spades}{2-Diamonds} flop for 300,000 with {K-Diamonds}{4-Clubs} and Heath called with {Q-Diamonds}{2-Clubs}. The {7-Spades} turn went check, check, and Bostan's bet of 500,000 on the {10-Spades} river went through uncalled.

Player Chips Progress
Traian Bostan ro
Traian Bostan
11,880,000 2,205,000
Eli Heath gb
Eli Heath
6,050,000 -2,205,000

Tags: Eli HeathTraian Bostan

Standing Still

Level 31 : 125,000/250,000, 25,000 ante

Traian Bostan definitely has some run good in this heads up duel and takes most of the pots as of lately. In a limped pot with {J-Spades}{4-Spades}, he flopped two pair against the {10-Diamonds}{4-Clubs} of Eli Heath on {J-Clubs}{6-Hearts}{4-Hearts}.

Heath check-called a bet of 250,000 and then check-folded the {A-Clubs} turn.

Then, Bostan tried to bluff by betting the {Q-Hearts}{J-Spades}{8-Spades}{A-Spades} turn with the {6-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds} and Heath check-called his bet of 300,000 with {A-Diamonds}{9-Spades}. On the {Q-Diamonds} river, Bostan checked behind and then smiled when he spotted the hand of his opponent.

Player Chips Progress
Traian Bostan ro
Traian Bostan
9,675,000 -680,000
Eli Heath gb
Eli Heath
8,255,000 680,000

Tags: Eli HeathTraian Bostan