Summary
- The 2022 Unibet Open Malta attracted a record turnout of 359 entries
- Juncker defeated Mats Karlsson heads-up to secure the title and €75,000
- The tournament is now in its 15th year and has been held in Malta for the fifth time
The 2022 Unibet Open Malta €1,100 Main Event is now in the books and the last player standing was Henrik Juncker who won the tournament and picked up €75,000.
It’s the fifth time that the event was held in Malta, with the latest edition taking place at the InterContinental Hotel in St Julian’s from September 28 to October 2.
Record-Breaking Tournament
The 2022 Unibet Open Malta created a new record after attracting a total of 359 entries to generate €359,000 in total prize pool, which was a great way to mark the tournament’s 15th year and Unibet Poker’s 25th anniversary. Unibet Open Malta was last held in 2019 and also drew a record field of 327 entries.
So far this year, two Unibet Poker events have attracted record attendance. The other one was the Unibet Poker Belgian Championship which ran from August 31-September 4 at Casino Blankenberge.
Final Table Results
The final action became an international affair as the nine players who reached the final table had different nationalities. Among them was Irish player Raymond Wheatley, who was the first to exit, finishing 9th for €7,200. He was followed by Italy’s Samuele Lo Presti who finished in 8th place for €9,000.
The next player to head to the payout desk was French player Tal Sardal who collected €11,250 for his 7th-place finish. American poker pro Daniel Illingworth, one of the few prominent players in the pack, settled for 6th place with €14,070 in winnings. That score adds to the $1.3 million in live tournament cashes he has amassed throughout his career.
Sweden’s Serdar Demircan, who also final-tabled the 2019 Unibet Open Malta, bowed out of the game in 4th place for €23,770, while Dutch poker pro Rene Kuhlman set up the heads-up action after busting in 3rd place for €32,090.
Juncker was third in chips when the final table kicked off but managed to quickly grab the lead using an aggressive style of play, which new players should be wary of and he was able to sustain that till the end.
Juncker faced 2016 EPT Malta second-placer Mats Karlsson heads-up and rightfully took home the lion’s share of the prize when everything was said and done. That was a nice win for Juncker whose Hendon Mob profile shows that he has $135,262 in live cashes so far. Karlsson earned €46,460 for his runner-up finish.
