€1,100 Main Event
Day 2 Completed
2018 Unibet Open Dublin
€1,100 Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2018 Unibet Open Dublin
Buy-in
€1,100
Prize Pool
€359,000
Entries
359
Level
29
Blinds
75,000 / 150,000
Ante
25,000
11 Players Remain in the 2018 Unibet Open Dublin Main Event
Level 21
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
A long day of poker has come to an end in the Bollington Hotel in Dublin and Day 2 of the 2018 Unibet Open Dublin €1,100 Main Event is in the books. After 11 levels of one hour each, not only the bubble burst but the field of 359 entries has been whittled down all the way to the final 11 hopefuls. A new champion will be crowned at the end of the 11th season and the eventual winner can look forward to a payday of €74,900.
Best-positioned to claim the trophy is Michael Brock from the UK, who jumped into the top spot in the final level of the night and claimed 1,480,000 to his name. Fellow countryman Joseph Ellis sits in second place with 1,230,000 and four Irishmen remain to try and keep the trophy on home soil, including Robbie McCormack (1,145,000), Keith Brennan (1,125,000), Irish legend Mick McCloskey (955,000) and 2014 Irish Open champion Patrick Clarke (575,000).
The other finalists include the two Frenchmen David Schable (1,110,000) and Julien Kron (810,000), €2,200 High Roller third-place finisher Paul Jux Holderness (1,080,000), Pot-Limit Omaha specialist Henri Koivisto (1,050,000), and Jakub Groblewski (315,000). Andy Black narrowly missed out on the final day and bowed out in 14th place, three-time WSOP bracelet winner Benny Glaser busted just prior to the three table redraw.
Seat Assignments for the Final Day
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Keith Brennan | Ireland | 1,125,000 | 38 |
| 1 | 4 | Robbie McCormack | Ireland | 1,145,000 | 38 |
| 1 | 5 | Michael Brock | United Kingdom | 1,480,000 | 49 |
| 1 | 6 | Paul Jux Holderness | United Kingdom | 1,080,000 | 36 |
| 1 | 7 | Henri Koivisto | Finland | 1,050,000 | 35 |
| 2 | 1 | Mick McCloskey | Ireland | 955,000 | 32 |
| 2 | 2 | David Schable | France | 1,110,000 | 37 |
| 2 | 3 | Patrick Clarke | Ireland | 575,000 | 19 |
| 2 | 4 | Joseph Ellis | United Kingdom | 1,230,000 | 41 |
| 2 | 6 | Jakub Groblewski | Poland | 315,000 | 11 |
| 2 | 7 | Julien Kron | France | 810,000 | 27 |
Action of the Day
Out of a field of 359 entries, only 123 players had bagged up chips and returned to the action. Within the first two levels, the field was already cut down considerably as nearly 40 hopes had been crushed and many more were to follow. Lisa "STPeach" Vannatta, Dan Murariu, Rauno Tahvonen, Martin Soukup and Andrey "renyad" Yanyuk were just a few of those that vanished in the early rush.
Unibet Poker ambassador Ian Simpson started the day fourth in chips, but the 2013 Irish Open champion bowed out before the money after a rather disappointing day at the poker tables. Jack Sinclair, fresh off winning the 2018 WSOP Europe Main Event, also failed to add another Irish flag to his poker resume and Alan "hotted89" Widmann busted a few spots off the money when his flushdraw could not beat pocket aces.
The money bubble itself was a very short affair, as three players departed within two minutes and no hand-for-hand play went into effect. Kasper Mellanen, Barry McMahon and Raiko Vannas had to leave without anything to show for. Unibet Poker ambassador Dara O'Kearney was the first player to bust in the money, ending up second-best with ace-ten versus ace-queen suited and Quentin Lecomte failed with a bluff attempt against Mick McCloskey.
Well-known local players such as John Keown, Richard O'Neill and Chris Dowling also bowed out well before the final three tables were set and the last Unibet ambassador, David Lappin, had to settle for 27th place on home soil. Benny Glaser made it two spots further and his roller coaster ride ended in 25th place.
The pace of all in showdowns didn't slow down just yet and soon after the final two tables were set. Andy Black destroyed his stack in a big pot on the feature table when his move with pocket fives on an ace-high turn backfired and Joseph Ellis skyrocketed into the lead when calling the jam with ace-king. Black doubled and knocked out Peter Cahill after before running with ace-queen into the pocket aces of none other than Ellis.
In the final level of the night, the final table could not be reached anymore and the remaining 11 players bagged up for the night. They will return on Sunday, November 25th, 2018, as of 12 p.m. local time to play down to a champion. The blinds will recommence at 15,000/30,000 with an ante of 5,000 and the action on the live stream table will be available on a 30-minute delay on the Unibet Open Twitch stream channel.
Remaining Main Event Payouts
| Place | Prize (in EUR) | Prize (in USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | €74,900 | $84,976 |
| 2 | €46,550 | $52,812 |
| 3 | €32,100 | $36,418 |
| 4 | €23,750 | $26,945 |
| 5 | €18,300 | $20,762 |
| 6 | €14,050 | $15,940 |
| 7 | €11,250 | $12,763 |
| 8 | €9,000 | $10,211 |
| 9 | €7,200 | $8,169 |
| 10-11 | €6,250 | $7,091 |
Swedish Victory in the Queen Rules Event
The popular Queen Rules Ladies Event, hosted by Unibet Poker ambassador Daiva Byrne, was once again a full success. Featuring a buy-in of €80+10, levels of 30 minutes each and a starting stack of 15,000, the event expected even Byrne's expectations and drew 46 entries to create a prize pool of €3,680. Only the top seven spots were paid and Sophia “Djarii” White was unfortunate enough to become the bubble girl.
Seven different countries were represented on the nine-handed final table and among those to cash were Monica Vaka, Aurelie Reard, Louis Mulholland and Dehlia de Jong. What followed was a very fierce battle for the trophy and bragging rights between Magali Staal and Emelie Svenningsson that lasted nearly three hours. Eventually, it was Svenningsson that claimed the trophy and first-place prize of €1,250 at almost 2 a.m. local time.
Svenningsson started playing poker one year ago and became part of the Unibet online community at that time. She played her third Unibet Open and qualified online and won her package through the step satellite system after investing just €4.
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize (in EUR) | Prize (in USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emelie Svenningsson | Sweden | €1,250 | $1,417 |
| 2 | Magali Staal | France | €780 | $884 |
| 3 | Dehlia de Jong | Netherlands | €530 | $601 |
| 4 | Louis Mulholland | Ireland | €400 | $453 |
| 5 | Aurelie Reard | France | €300 | $340 |
| 6 | Fabienne Freymadl | Germany | €230 | $261 |
| 7 | Monica Vaka | Norway | €190 | $215 |
End-Of-Day Chip Counts (full)
Level 21
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,480,000 | -20,000 |
|
1,230,000 | 30,000 |
|
1,145,000 | -117,000 |
|
1,125,000 | |
|
1,110,000 | -130,000 |
|
1,080,000 | |
|
1,050,000 | -136,000 |
|
955,000 | 5,000 |
|
810,000 | 10,000 |
|
575,000 | -25,000 |
|
315,000 | -15,000 |
Per Helge Gassand Eliminated in 12th Place (€5,450)
Level 21
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
Paul Jux Holderness raised to 50,000 with the 
and Per Helge Gassand called all in from the small blind with the 
, Keith Brennan stuck around in the big blind with 
. Brennan flopped a pair on 
to check-call a continuation bet, but he then check-folded the 
turn to a second bet by Jux Holderness.
Gassand had picked up more outs to survive another day in the last hand of the night, but the 
river was of no help to send the Norwegian to the rail in 12th place for €5,450. All remaining players will now bag up for the night and return at noon local time to play down to a champion.
The full chip counts and a recap of today's action are to follow.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,125,000 | 25,000 |
|
|
1,080,000 | 262,000 |
|
Busted |
Kron Stops the Downfall
Level 21
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
On the outer table, Julien Kron stopped the downfall by jamming into two opponents. Kron raised to 50,000 and Patrick Clarke called on the button. Joseph Ellis in the small blind three-bet to 180,000 and Kron quickly shoved, forcing folds from both.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,200,000 | -240,000 |
|
|
800,000 | 400,000 |
|
|
600,000 | -60,000 |
Jux Holderness Doubles Through Gassand
Level 21
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
Per Helge Gassand raised with the 
first to act and Paul Jux Holderness called on the button with 
. The flop came 
and Gassand continued for 100,000, Jux Holderness shoved for 314,000 and the Norwegian was priced into a call with his two overcards to find out he was in fact ahead.
Jux Holderness improved to a pair on the 
turn, and the 
river was a brick to leave Gassand with very few big blinds.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
818,000 | 479,000 |
|
|
84,000 | -535,000 |
Brock Cements Lead
Level 21
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
Michael Brock raised to 52,000 with the 
and was called by Paul Jux Holderness with the 
in the hijack. Both players checked the 
flop and the 
followed on the turn. Brock bet 55,000 with top pair and Jux Holderness came along to see the 
on the river.
There was no further betting action and Brock claimed the pot, sending Jux Holderness to a short stack.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,500,000 | 507,000 |
|
|
339,000 | -439,000 |
Koivisto Jams Into Gassand
Level 21
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
Per Helge Gassand raised to 81,000 with the and Henri Koivisto in the big blind looked down at the , which prompted an all in. Gassand checked his cards again and folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,186,000 | 379,000 |
|
|
619,000 | 21,000 |
Kron Under Pressure on Outer Table
Level 21
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
Outer Table
With the flop showing 
, Patrick Clarke check-raised from 57,000 to 165,000 and Julien Kron moved all in to force an instant fold from Clarke.
However, the tides turned soon after for Kron. David Schable check-shoved the 
turn and Kron forfeited his bet of 190,000. Both Frenchman exchanged some words in their own language, which Mick McCloskey inquired about.
It was then McCloskey that took on Kron in a battle button versus cutoff. Kron check-called 75,000 on 
and check-folded the turn when facing a second bet of 120,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,440,000 | -150,000 |
|
|
1,240,000 | 240,000 |
|
|
950,000 | 200,000 |
|
|
660,000 | -120,000 |
|
|
400,000 | -200,000 |
|
|
330,000 | -120,000 |
Flush for McCloskey
Level 21
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
Mick McCloskey raised to 50,000 first to act and was called by David Schable one seat over and Julien Kron in the big blind. The flop came 
and action checked to Schable, who ber 66,000. Kron called and McCloskey folded. The 
turn was check-folded by Kron, who had faced a bet of 126,000 by his fellow countryman.
The next hand was a battle of the blinds between Kron and McCloskey, which ended up expensive for Kron. On the 
river, Kron check-called a bet of 150,000 and mucked when he was shown the 
for a flopped flush.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,000,000 | 75,000 |
|
|
750,000 | 150,000 |
|
|
600,000 | -150,000 |