The first of the esports gamers has been eliminated on Day 1b and that happened to be Kelvin “Snutz” Nguyen - Kelvin Nguyen, who walked out of the tournament area.
"It was against Ian (Simpson)," Nguyen said on his way out and a look at his former table indeed confirmed a bigger stack for the Unibet Poker ambassador, who provided the necessary details.
Apostol Beg had raised first to act to 900 and Simpson three-bet to 2,800 from one seat over, which only Nguyen flat-called on the button. The flop brought and Simpson bet 4,000, Nguyen raised to 9,000 with few chips behind and the esports gamer called all in with .
Simpson tabled the and faded the flush draw and back door full house, as a king and a blank came on turn and river.
The PokerNews team sat down with Unibet Poker ambassador Fredrik Bergmann in one of the tournament breaks to catch up with the former esports professional, who now studies, breaths and plays poker for a living. Right away, the Norwegian joked “I take this as my final step in the transformation to a poker player.”
For almost a decade, the Norwegian was involved in online gaming and has spent the past two years to focus on poker, be it on the live circuit or on the virtual felt. But how and when exactly did it all start? Let's scroll back and take a closer look. Back in 2006, Bergmann started playing video games and things really kicked off a few years later.
“Three years later I was approached by one of the biggest streaming organizations called Dignitas, a UK based one, and ever since then I traveled around the world and played professionally on the circuit. I actually won the World Championship, which I am really proud of.”
The trophy shelf of the Norwegian, who turned 28 years old today, boasts one World Championship title in TrackMania, an E-games bronze medal and six national championship titles. However, while esports still plays a role in the life of Bergmann, it is poker that has taken over the top spot some two years ago.
“That's when I discovered poker and instantly fell in love with it,” Bergmann said with a big smile on the face before continuing as follows.
“So I was watching Twitch one day and they had this tournament called the esports SNG, which was basically an SNG between nine esport gamers and I was pretty intrigued by it and wanted to find out if I have a chance to play.”
Bergmann contacted Unibet and also met with the former head of poker at his first-ever live event in the Unibet UK tour in Nottingham, but it took another year before the Norwegian was in fact invited to experience the Unibet Open Copenhagen. From there on out, Bergmann received an invite for said esports SNG at the 2017 Unibet Open Bucharest festival and won it for €5,000 to record his second-ever cash on the live poker circuit.
The esports Battle Royale has taken place for the 11th time in Dublin and Bergmann watched the action from nearby. Having participated in and played against his fellow online gamers, the Norwegian has crossed paths at the poker tables with Scott “Sco” McMillan and Sophia “Djarii” White.
“Their skill level in poker is not the highest yet, but that's cool and also challenging at the same time. I would think for someone that has never played poker before and the first time is the esports SNG, it is a very good icebreaker and makes it much easier for them to play the Main Event after. For me, it was actually the first time on the feature table, so in that sense it made it easier for me to play on the feature table after. The best thing was the atmosphere, for sure.”
The popular online games have become a stronghold in the streaming services with big championships now drawing millions of viewers and mindboggling prizes up for grabs for the very best. All that sounds very familiar to poker and both have a lot in common in terms of the very competitive nature, and the willingness to consistently work on the own skills and experience.
“Yes, for sure, I see a lot of similarities and that has also made it easier for me to switch over to poker. Specifically the decision making and handling of the pressure, you have to be able to keep your nerves under control when you are bluffing, for example. It is the same in esports, when you make a big decision there, you cannot be affected by the environment and such.”
Most of the other esports streamers that take part in the Unibet Open aren't as interested in poker, but can certainly see the thrilling aspects of it according to Bergmann. Scott “Sco” McMillan has been very consistent in the SNG format, however, the Brit is such a big name in the esports scene that it may take a while for him to consider poker as a top priority.
“Him and Alan, and the others, I can see that they have the potential. If they want to play more, hit me up and I can teach you a few things!”
Bergmann himself has received his fair share of lessons from the other Unibet Poker ambassadors such as David Lappin, Ian Simpson, Dara O'Kearney and Daiva Byrne, and admitted that he has a very good relationship with them.
“They have been very friendly and welcoming to me since I joined, since I was kind of a hybrid and a little bit out of place. They have been very helpful, whenever I had a tricky spot I could talk to them, which I really appreciate.”
So far, Bergmann has recorded a dozen cashes at the live poker tables for $40,000 and that's definitely a sign of things to come with hopes of a deep run during the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and other big events all over the world in sight and mind. Other former esports gamers such as Lex Veldhuis and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier have shown what is possible, and it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see the Norwegian follow into their footsteps.
“I want to try it for as long as possible, as I enjoy it. I travel a lot, which I enjoy a lot. Maybe at one point I will become tired of traveling, but for now I just want to live life to the fullest and see places I have never been to. My goal is always to become the best version of myself in whatever I do.”
Make sure to check out the PokerNews live updates here in Dublin to follow Unibet Poker ambassador Fredrik Bergmann in his pursuit of the ultimate poker dream.
There hasn't been any crazy action in the first two levels just yet, but the second all in showdown just took place over on table three. Joris Hermans had reraised to 1,500 and Daniel Pettersen then clicked it up to 3,500. Hermans moved all in and Pettersen snap-called.
Daniel Pettersen:
Joris Hermans:
Petterssen had little to fear as he immediately spiked top set on the flop, and he locked up the double with the turn to make the river a formality. Petterssen doubled for 19,575 and Hermans' stack was cut down to one third of what he started with.
It all started back in 2007 in Warsaw when a field of 120 entries in the inaugural Unibet Open Main Event was topped by Norway's Stale Lokse, and since then the Unibet Open has become a very popular tournament series all over Europe and beyond. For almost every stop, there are plenty of qualifiers from Scandinavia who all dream of following into the footsteps of the Norwegian.
At the end of the 11th season, there have been only two players to win multiple Main Events in Mateusz Moolhuizen and Dan Murariu, the only two-time champions thus far. Moolhuizen came very close to a third title and fell agonizingly short in his bid when finishing runner-up at the 2013 Unibet Open Tróia.
The Unibet Open vita of Murariu is as impressive, as the Romanian has another three Main Event final table appearances to his name as well. Often considered as "Mister Unibet Open," Murariu has since become an ambassador for Unibet Poker and will participate on Day 1b of the 2018 Unibet Open Dublin Main Event. Moolhuizen has been eliminated on Day 1a and can re-enter in the turbo heat 1c as of 9 p.m. local time.
Year
Event
Buy-In
Entries
Prize Pool
Winner
Country
Prize
Prize in US$
2007
Warsaw
€1,650
120
$176,244
Stale Lokse
Norway
zł159,900
$65,090
2008
Madrid
€1,650
297
€442,800
Joao Barbosa
Portugal
€115,800
$179,240
Milan
€1,650
320
Domenico Tinnirello
Italy
€121,000
$173,953
Warsaw
zł5,500
270
$486,758
Simon Johansson
Sweden
zł464,805
$152,355
2009
Budapest
€1,650
360
€539,550
Alvaro Aspas
Spain
€135,000
$170,104
Algarve
€1,650
409
€596,406
Andre Dias
Portugal
€151,000
$207,104
London
£2,750
266
£665,000
Thanh Doan
Finland
£187,000
$305,326
Prague
€1,650
451
€660,000
Fuat Can
Sweden
€167,500
$245,983
Warsaw
zł7,000
401
zł2,566,400
Jimmy Jonsson
Sweden
zł654,430
$239,778
2010
Budapest
€1,650
460
€690,009
Anthon-Pieter Wink
Netherlands
€172,500
$235,665
Golden Sands
€1,650
394
€591,001
Dan Murariu
Romania
€150,705
$184,182
Prague
€1,650
424
€629,640
Henri Ojala
Finland
€157,000
$207,037
Valencia
€1,650
361
€541,500
Thomas Thang
Denmark
€138,080
$191,626
London
£1,650
273
£409,500
Paul Valkenburg
Netherlands
£109,550
$171,408
2011
Malta
€1,650
293
€417,525
Mateusz Moolhuizen
Netherlands
€117,000
$163,075
Barcelona
€1,650
387
€551,500
Rubén Sánchez Cebollada
Spain
€145,000
$212,246
Dublin
€1,650
260
€390,000
Paul Vas Nunes
United Kingdom
€105,300
$151,742
Riga
Ls1,650
308
Ls307,238
Peter Harkes
Netherlands
Ls62,829
$119,878
2012
Prague
€1,650
254
€377,190
Filip Verboven
Belgium
€100,000
$131,574
Paris
€1,650
439
€653,671
Jaroslaw Barglik
Poland
€140,539
$185,310
London
£1,320
315
£378,000
Pratik Ghatge
United Kingdom
£85,050
$136,305
Saint Martin
€1,650
238
€346,290
Dan Murariu
Romania
€110,000
$142,590
2013
Copenhagen
€1,650
336
Dkr3,604,608
Kassem Yassine
Sweden
€107,367
$126,744
Tróia
€1,650
242
€362,995
Dmitry Varlamov
Russia
€80,187
$104,811
Cannes
€1,650
313
€450,750
Quentin Lecomte
France
€100,000
$132,918
Riga
Ls2,271
208
Ls218,400
Rens Feenstra
Netherlands
Ls52,800
$101,652
2014
Copenhagen
DKr8,250
406
Dkr2,923,299
Frederik Jensen
Denmark
DKr625,000
$116,168
Tallinn
€1,100
262
€248,900
Mauri Dorbek
Estonia
€55,500
$75,574
Cannes
€1,100
457
€438,720
Daniel Smith
United Kingdom
€88,000
$114,059
London
£1,100
399
£319,200
Iaron Lightbourne
United Kingdom
£70,000
$110,163
2015
Copenhagen
DKr8,250
404
€389,948
Theis Vad Hennebjerre
Denmark
DKr620,000
$94,288
Glasgow
£880
221
£176,800
Daniel Chutrov
Bulgaria
£43,000
$66,030
Cannes
€1,100
411
€394,560
Julien Sitbon
France
€80,000
$90,194
Antwerp
€1,100
321
€321,000
Mateusz Moolhuizen
Netherlands
€71,000
$75,487
2016
London
£825
418
£313,500
Dave Shallow
United Kingdom
£62,000
$86,747
Malta
€1,100
292
€292,000
Martin Soukup
Czech Republic
€65,000
$72,461
Copenhagen
DKr8,100
376
€363,602
Joni Liimatta
Finland
DKr525,000
$79,571
Bucharest
€1,100
603
€584,910
Traian Bostan
Romania
€100,000
$106,273
2017
London
£990
419
£377,100
[Removed:158]
Belgium
£71,950
$89,722
Copenhagen
DKr8,250
404
Dkr2,908,800
Kaarel Lepik
Estonia
Dkr562,300
$84,527
Las Vegas
$1,100
673
$665,866
Joe Serock
United States
$113,059
$113,059
Bucharest
€1,100
502
€486,940
Marius Pertea
Romania
€90,925
$107,754
2018
London
£990
349
£314,100
Andreas Wiborg
Norway
£56,807
$79,283
Malta
€1,100
273
€273,000
Daniel Jacobsen
Denmark
€60,090
$70,979
Bucharest
€1,100
592
$592,000
Anton Vinokurov
Russian Federation
€103,060
$120,346
Dublin
€1,100
tba
€tba
tba
tba
€tba
$tba
A record field of 673 entries emerged in the special edition as part of the Wynn Fall Classic, the European Open in Las Vegas, and it was American poker pro Joe Serock that won the biggest Unibet Open Main Event so far after emerging on top of a 673-entry strong field. All three recent trips to Bucharest and Murariu's home country of Romania resulted in impressive fields thanks to 603 entries in 2016, 502 in 2017 and 592 a few months ago. Traian Bostan and Marius Pertea claimed back-to-back titles for Romania on home soil, Russia's Anton Vinokurov was the last player to lift the Main Event trophy to date.
Who will become the latest addition to the Unibet Open Main Event champion's club? Find out right here on PokerNews, your one-stop-shop for all the action in Dublin.
The board was already completed and showed , and Ian Simpson checked out of the small blind. His table neighbor Jason Westbury made it 1,100 to go and Simpson opted to check-raise to 5,075. Westbury called rather swiftly and was shown the for a flopped full house.
On the same table is also 2017 Unibet Open London champion [Removed:158], and two-time champion and Unibet Poker ambassador Dan Murariu has been spotted in the field already as well.
A big field is expected for Day 1b of the 2018 Unibet Open €1,100 Main Event, as the vast majority of online qualifiers, esports gamers, Unibet Poker ambassadors, Irish legends of poker and familiar faces of the popular tournament series will join the action for the second starting day at the Bonnington Hotel in Dublin. Yesterday's first flight drew a total of 97 entries, of which 24 players already punched their tickets for day 2.
All participants will receive 30,000 in chips and play a total of 10 levels, the registration remains open for the first six levels and the following break. A single re-entry is available to all players that bust throughout Day 1a and Day 1b, however, the second entry has to be taken in the turbo heat 1c as of 9 p.m. local time. For the final starting day, the level duration will be shortened to 20 minutes each and represents the last chance to secure a seat for Day 2 in the second-ever Unibet Open Main Event in Dublin.
2018 Unibet Open Dublin Main Event Schedule
Main Event Day
Date
Time
Entries
Survivors
Further Information
1a
Thursday, November 22nd, 2018
12:00
97
24
Play 10 levels of 60 minutes, late reg start of level 7 approx. 19:30
1b
Friday, November 23rd, 2018
12:00
tba
tba
Play 10 levels of 60 minutes, late reg start of level 7 approx. 19:30, split dinner break
1c
Friday, November 23rd, 2018
21:00
tba
tba
Play 10 levels of 20 minutes, late reg start of level 7 approx. 23:15
2
Saturday, November 24th, 2018
12:00
tba
tba
Play max. 11 levels of 60 minutes or down to final table
3
Sunday, November 25th, 2018
12:00
tba
tba
Play down to a champion
The man to beat thus far is Finland's online qualifier Elias Varraniemi, who topped Day 1a with an impressive stack of 379,200, almost 13 times the starting stack. Other notables already through to Day 2 include Henri Koivisto (330,500), Markus Heikkila (104,300), 2018 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event champion Jack Sinclair (64,700), Kevin "Kevmath" Mathers (55,000) and Charlotte Van Brabander (47,600).
Day 1 Level Structure
Level
Small blind
Big blind
Ante
1
50
100
0
2
100
200
25
3
150
300
25
4
200
400
50
5
300
600
75
6
400
800
100
7
500
1,000
100
8
600
1,200
200
9
800
1,600
200
10
1,000
2,000
300
On top of all the live updates right here on PokerNews, you can also watch the livestream action on the Unibet Open Twitch channel on a security delay of 30 minutes until a champion is crowned on Sunday, November 25th, 2018.