Who Will Win the 2018 Unibet Open Malta Main Event?
It's time for the final table of the 2018 Unibet Open Malta €1,100 Main Event! A field of 273 players has been whittled down to the last 9 hopefuls and the InterContinental Hotel in St. Julians sets the stage for a final day of intense poker action. All nine survivors have at least €5,750 locked uo for their efforts, but the lion's share of the €273,000 prize pool is still to be divided, including the €60,090 first-place prize that awaits the champion.
Starting from pole position is Dutchman [Removed:155] (2,043,000), who resides on this very island. Brand has $66,983 in lifetime winnings and a win here would more than double that amount in one fell swoop. Second in chips Julien Stropoli (1,648,000) has already scored a career-high cash by reaching this very final table. For each of the nine players, a win here would be the best poker accomplishment of their respective careers.
The other remaining finalists battling for the coveted moniker of Unibet Open champion are Henri Piironen (1,070,000), Kristof Segers (993,000), Jan Eckert (638,000), Daniel Jacobsen (586,000), Roberto Morra (557,000), Ilkka Heikkila (335,000) and Nicolas Ludwicki (304,000).
2018 Unibet Open Malta Main Event Final Table Seating & Chip Counts
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Removed:155] | Netherlands | 2,043,000 | 102 |
| 2 | Roberto Morra | Italy | 557,000 | 28 |
| 3 | Julien Stropoli | France | 1,648,000 | 82 |
| 4 | Daniel Jacobsen | Denmark | 586,000 | 29 |
| 5 | Jan Eckert | Germany | 638,000 | 32 |
| 6 | Nicolas Ludwicki | France | 304,000 | 15 |
| 7 | Henri Piironen | Finland | 1,070,000 | 54 |
| 8 | Kristof Segers | Belgium | 993,000 | 50 |
| 9 | Ilkka Heikkila | Finland | 335,000 | 17 |
There's 29:17 left to play in level 20 with blinds at 10,000/20,000 and a running ante of 3,000. Levels last 60 minutes each up until the final six, on which they will be shortened to 45 minutes. In heads-up play, the level duration will be shortened to 30 minutes to create more action in the final stage of the day.
Cards are back in the air at approximately 12 p.m. noon local time. PokerNews will be on the floor from start to finish and publish all live updates in accordance with the Unibet Poker Twitch stream, which will be with hole cards displayed on a security delay of 30 minutes. Stay tuned and don't miss any of the excitement as we crown our champion today!
, Roberto Morra called behind him with 
and Kristof Segers defended 
.
gave Morra top set and Brand continued with 85,000. Morra raised to 220,000, Segers folded, Brand shoved all in and Morra snap-called.
turn nor 
river helped Brand and Morra scored a big double right at the start of the final table.![[Removed:155]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
flop. The Frenchman needed a runner-runner miracle and opened up those outs with the 
on the turn. A king or eight would give him a straight but the 
in the cutoff and raised to 55,000. Morra got 
dealt on the button and called.
flop provided some chop outs for the Dane, but the 
on the turn was even better for him to make Brand the one drawing slim.
and the start-of-the-day chipleader got dealt another big blow.
flop didn't provide any help for Heikkila and the 
flop kept Segers in the lead, and the 
on the turn was safe for him as well. Standing up, Segers awaited his faith as the river was dealt.
and Segers covered his face, turned away from the table and took a few steps. He then walked back to the table and shook his tablemates' hands as he exited in 6th place.
