Anton Vinokurov Triumphs at Unibet Open Bucharest Main Event for $120k

Anton Vinokurov has taken down the 2018 Unibet Open Bucharest €1,100 Main Event, having overcome a 592-strong field over four days on his way to claiming a top prize of €103,060 ($120,347). The tournament was held in Romania’s capital city from August 2-5, with the Russian player never relinquishing his chip lead throughout the final day’s play to claim a score which now accounts for all but $39,152 of his live earnings.

“I was playing good,” commented Vinokurov. “Some of the other players were playing good, and some were not playing good. I believed when I started play today as the chip leader that I must make it to the final table and finish in the top three. Then when there were five players left, I knew I would win. I felt no other players could beat me.”

In addition to his live winnings, Vinokurov has amassed a further $1,328,683 from online tournaments under the screen name Toshapiter, of which $731,573 has been won on PokerStars.

€1,100 Unibet Main Event

The €1,100 Unibet Open Bucharest Main Event featured a €592,000 ($691,298) prize pool, and offered 87 money spots with a min-cash worth €1,860 ($2,172). By the time the field had been reduced to just 12 players, Vinokurov held 30% of the chips still in play. After the final table of nine had been set, Vinokurov (Q-Q) subsequently extended his lead further by sending Daniel Chutrov (A-A) to the rail in 9th, who had moved all-in on a Q-6-5-6-2 board.

Vinokurov then did likewise to Amir Shomron in 8th, followed by Vitalijs Zavorotnijs in 7th, Voytech Susta in 6th, Adrian Ionescu in 5th, and Florin Elisei in 4th, while Romania’s Cosmin Cimpeanu (A-J) took care of last woman standing Carmen Zainescu (J-4) in 3rd to usher in heads-up play for the title.

Anton Vinokurov vs Cosmin Cimpeanu

Cosmin Cimpeanu cashed at his first live tournament five years ago, with his previous biggest score to date recorded in 2016 after finishing in 4th place, also at the €1,100 Unibet Open Bucharest Main Event, for €32,800 ($34,858). This time around, however, Cimpeanu managed a runner-up finish worth €64,050 ($74,793), bringing his career winnings to $183,279.

The final hand saw Cimpeanu (Q-3) limp in from the small blind, and receive a call from Vinokurov holding J-8. Vinokurov then checked his trips on the 8-8-4 flop, before calling a speculative bet from Cimpeanu. Both players subsequently checked the K turn, and after a Q fell on the river, Vinokurov checked once more, in the process helping to tease out a bet from his remaining opponent. The Russian player then responded by moving all-in, and after Cimpeanu made the call and saw the bad news, Vinokurov was awarded the title.

Final Table Results (€)

1: Anton Vinokurov (Russia) €103,060
2: Cosmin Cimpeanu (Romania) €64,050
3: Carmen Zainescu (Romania) €44,170
4: Florin Elisei (Romania) €32,720
5: Adrian Ionescu (Romania) €25,170
6: Voytech Susta (Czech) €19,360
7: Vitalijs Zavorotnijs (Latvia) €15,490
8: Amir Shomron (Israel) €12,390
9: Daniel Chutrov (Bulgaria) €9,910

Unibet Open

Unibet is an online gambling operator whose more than a dozen brands include 32Red, Stan James, and Maria Casino. The company launched its first internet site back in 1999, and today its products include sports betting, casino games and online poker, which are available in over 100 countries. Unibet also boasts more than 7 million customers, with the Stockholm stock exchange listed firm currently having a market cap of 25.74 billion Sweden Krona, or around US$2.89 billion.

Meanwhile, the Unibet Open was launched in 2007, and over the years has grown into one of the most exciting poker tournament series in Europe. The Unibet Open tour also boasts 14 ambassadors from various countries, including the UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Norway, Romania, and Estonia. Both Unibet’s female players hale from the UK, namely Daiva Byrne with $126,912 in live winnings, and Sophia ‘Djarii’ White, a prolific twitch streamer.