2017 Unibet Open Copenhagen

Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info

2017 Unibet Open Copenhagen

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
k9
Prize
562,300 DKK
Event Info
Buy-in
1,000 DKK
Entries
404
Level Info
Level
29
Blinds
80,000 / 160,000
Ante
20,000

Kaarel Lepik Wins 2017 Unibet Open Copenhagen Main Event After Stunning Comeback! (DDK 562,300)

Level 29 : 80,000/160,000, 20,000 ante
Kaarel Lepik Wins 2017 Unibet Open Copenhagen
Kaarel Lepik Wins 2017 Unibet Open Copenhagen

Kaarel Lepik has done it! The 38-year old Estonian came into Copenhagen as part as a group of six of the Insomnia Poker Club, who all tried to qualify for the Main Event. Lepik was the only one out of six to actually qualify and eventually went all the way. Lepik overcame Sigurd Carlsson after a fiercely contested heads-up battle in which Lapik was trailing for hours heads-up.

2011 Unibet Open Riga winner Peter Harkes saw his bid at a second title end in third place. Start-of-the-day chipleader Monica Vaka, who had a chance to become the first ever female Unibet Open champion, fell in seventh place.

Final result

positionplayercountryprize in DKKprize in �
1Kaarel LepikEstoniaDKK 562,300�75,996
2Sigurd CarlssonFaroe IslandsDKK 362,100�48,938
3Peter HarkesNetherlandsDKK 249,900�33,774
4Mikael JohanssonSwedenDKK 185,000�25,003
5[Removed:402]LithuaniaDKK 142,200�19,197
6Martin WendtDenmarkDKK 109,400�14,769
7Monica VakaNorwayDKK 87,600�11,826
8Florian LanzSwitzerlandDKK 70,100�9,463
9Soren HansenDenmarkDKK 56,100�7,573

13 players returned to Casino Copenhagen at noon local time to try and capture the coveted Unibet Open title. For Mateusz Krzyzewksi, the day ended after mere minutes when he shoved ace-six in ace-jack. Thomas Ardai was the next to go: he lost the classic ace-king versus the pocket queens of Carlssen. It was a pivotal pot to Carlsson, who grabbed a big chip lead after the hand.

Tomasz Kozub started the day second in chips. After losing a few pots in the early stages, Kozub four-bet shoved pocket jacks into Vaka's pocket queens, didn't improve and finished in 11th place. Jes Bondo became the final table bubble by shoving pocket queens into Lepik's pocket aces. There was no miracle in the cards for Bondo, while Lepik skyrocketed up the leaderboard with the extra chips.

The nine remaining players were seated as follows:

SeatPlayerCountryChip Count
1[Removed:402]Lithuania1,070,000
2Monica VakaNorway2,875,000
3Mikael JohanssonSweden750,000
4Soren HansenDenmark1,020,000
5Martin WendtDenmark480,000
6Peter HarkesNetherlands1,100,000
7Florian LanzSwitzerland525,000
8Kaarel LepikEstonia1,600,000
9SIgurd CarlssonFaroe Islands2,830,000

Soren Hansen quickly busted in 9th place after an ill-timed triple barrel bluff with ten high. Harkes had flopped two pair and called every street to send Hansen to the rail. Florian Lanz shortly exited after Hansen in eight place. Short stacked, he shoved eight-trey into jack-eight and couldn't catch up.

The next one to go was start-of-the-day chipleader Monica Vaka. The Norwegian - seven months pregnant - was the story of the tournament and showed her poker prowess throughout. However, an unfortunate series of events at the final table led to the demise of the last female standing. Vaka lost pocket kings against Harkes' pocket aces and never gained any traction after that. After losing another all-in confrontation, Vaka was down to around ten big blinds, She open-shoved pocket fives from the small blind in order to get some back but Mikael Johansson woke up with pocket kings in the big blind to send Vaka to the rail.

Martin Wendt finished in sixth place after getting pocket nines in against Carlsson's pocket tens. He was shortly followed by [Removed:402], who quickly succumbed to Carlsson as well by losing king-queen to ten-nine. Lepik then eliminated Johansson with pocket fours against jack-eight to take us down to the last three.

2011 Unibet Open Riga winner Harkes was in contention for a second title for a long time. Being short against the two big stacks Carlsson and Lepik, Harkes tried to start his comeback with pocket sixes against Carlsson's ace-trey. An ace on the flop ended Harkes' run in third place, who added a third Unibet Open final table to his already impressive poker resum��.

With a 2:1 chip lead, Carlsson started the heads-up by running over Lepik and distancing himself even more. The Estonian hovered between 15 and 35 big blinds for hours but navigated his way around with the shorter stack. It took more than three hours before the Estonian finally was able to get even in stacks.

Then, in one hand, Lepik dealt the decisive blow. Holding ace-five against Carlsson's nine-seven in a three-bet pot, the flop came down seven-four-trey and both players checked. The turn was a deuce, completing Lepik's straight, and Carlsson check-called a big bet. The seven on the river gave Carlsson trip sevens and he check-called all in with the inferior hand for nearly all his chips.

In the next hand, Lepik finished it off with king-nine against king-trey to become the 40th Unibet Open champion. His good friend and countryman, official Unibet Open photographer Tambet Kask, captured the stunning comeback in a series of photos. Check them out here.

That's all from Casino Copenhagen in the stunning Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel. The Unibet Open will be back in September for a special stop at a still to be announced location. PokerNews will once again be there to provide you all the live updates from the floor as it happens. Until next time!

Tags: Florian LanzJes BondoKaarel LepikMartin WendtMikael JohanssonMonica VakaPeter HarkesSigurd CarlssonSoren HansenSteffan JohanssonThomas ArdaiTomasz Kozub

Sigurd Carlsson Eliminated in 2nd Place (DKK 362,100)

Level 29 : 80,000/160,000, 20,000 ante
Sigurd Carlsson
Sigurd Carlsson

The hand after the big confrontation, Sigurd Carlsson and Kaarel Lepik got their stacks in the middle again.

Sigurd Carlsson: {K-Spades}{3-Spades}
Kaarel Lepik: {K-Diamonds}{9-Hearts}

The loud Estonian rail jumped on their feet and closed in on the table to see their hero trying to win it all. The {9-Clubs}{10-Diamonds}{Q-Clubs} flop was massive for Lepik and left Carlsson basically drawing to a chop. The {2-Diamonds} on the turn and {3-Hearts} on the river sealed it for Lepik, who flexed his muscle before getting swarmed by his Estonian compadres.

Carlsson put up a massive fight and held the chip lead throughout the majority of this long heads-up battle but eventually succumbed in second place. The Faroese received a massive payday of DDK 362,100, easily the biggest cash ever made by someone from the Faroe Islands.

Player Chips Progress
Kaarel Lepik ee
Kaarel Lepik
12,200,000
650,000
650,000
Sigurd Carlsson dk
Sigurd Carlsson
Busted

Tags: Kaarel LepikSigurd Carlsson

Lepik Has Almost Everything!

Level 29 : 80,000/160,000, 20,000 ante
Kaarel Lepik
Kaarel Lepik

Wow! What a comeback by Kaarel Lepik!

The Estonian grinded back up to nearly equal stacks before dealing an almost decisive blow to Sigurd Carlsson. Lepik raised to 320,000 on the button with {A-Spades}{5-Spades}, Carlsson three-bet to 800,000 with {9-Spades}{7-Spades} and Lepik called. On the {7-Diamonds}{4-Clubs}{3-Diamonds} flop, Carlsson checked and Lepik quickly checked behind.

The {2-Clubs} on the turn was gin for Lepik. Carlsson checked, Lepik bet 800,000 and Carlsson called.

To make things worse for the Faroese, the {7-Hearts} appeared on the river to give him trips. He checked, Lepik moved all in for 4,500,000 and Carlsson called!

Carlsson, who held the chip lead throughout the entirety of the heads-up, was suddenly down to just four big blinds after the hand.

Player Chips Progress
Kaarel Lepik ee
Kaarel Lepik
11,550,000
6,350,000
6,350,000
Sigurd Carlsson dk
Sigurd Carlsson
650,000
-6,350,000
-6,350,000

Tags: Kaarel LepikSigurd Carlsson

Peter Harkes Eliminated in 3rd Place (DKK 249,900)

Level 26 : 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Peter Harkes
Peter Harkes

Sigurd Carlsson open-shoved the small blind. With a stack of 1,100,000, Peter Harkes called the all-in from the big blind.

Sigurd Carlsson: {A-Clubs}{3-Clubs}
Peter Harkes: {6-Clubs}{6-Diamonds}

Carlsson took a huge lead on the {10-Spades}{4-Spades}{A-Hearts} flop, which reduced Harkes' chances to two outs. The {K-Diamonds} on the turn and {10-Diamonds} on the river completed the board and Harkes was eliminated.

The 2011 Unibet Open Riga champion just missed out on his second victory but added another big score to his already impressive poker resum��.

Player Chips Progress
Peter Harkes nl
Peter Harkes
Busted

Tags: Peter Harkes

Mikael Johansson Eliminated in 4th Place (DKK 185,000)

Level 26 : 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Mikael Johansson
Mikael Johansson

Mikael Johansson went under the gun all in for 410,000 with {J-Clubs}{8-Diamonds} and Kaarel Lepik called from the small blind with {4-Diamonds}{4-Hearts}. The dealed flipped a {7-Clubs}{A-Spades}{3-Spades}{5-Clubs}{K-Diamonds} board and the short stacked Swede was eliminated in 4th place.

Johansson received DKK 185,000 - around �25,000 - for his fantastic run in this event.

Player Chips Progress
Mikael Johansson se
Mikael Johansson
Busted

Tags: Mikael Johansson

Martin Wendt Eliminated in 6th Place (DKK 109,400)

Level 25 : 30,000/60,000, 10,000 ante
Martin Wendt
Martin Wendt

Martin Wendt raised to 135,000 with {9-Spades}{9-Diamonds} from early position. Sigurd Carlsson picked up {10-Clubs}{10-Spades} on the button and simply shoved to put everyone to the test.

The other players folded to Wendt, who called all in for 910,000 total.

The flop was {7-Hearts}{6-Hearts}{2-Hearts} and changed nothing with neither playing having a heart. The turn was the {A-Clubs} and the river the {8-Hearts} to eliminate Wendt.

The experienced Dane, the biggest name at the final table, had been nurturing the short stack throughout the day until his run ended in 6th place. Wendt headed for the rail and collected DDK 109.400.

Player Chips Progress
Sigurd Carlsson dk
Sigurd Carlsson
5,000,000
1,650,000
1,650,000
Martin Wendt dk
Martin Wendt
Busted

Tags: Martin WendtSigurd Carlsson

Monica Vaka Eliminated in 7th Place (DKK 87,600)

Level 25 : 30,000/60,000, 10,000 ante
Monica Vaka
Monica Vaka

Action folded around to Monica Vaka in the small blind. She shoved all in for 565,000 and Mikael Johansson instantly called all in for slightly more.

Monica Vaka: {5-Hearts}{5-Clubs}
Mikael Johansson: {K-Spades}{K-Clubs}

No help for Vaka on a {Q-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}{A-Diamonds}{6-Diamonds}{Q-Spades} rundown. The Norwegian - seven months pregnant - started the day as the chipleader but a series of unfortunate events spelt her exit in 7th place. She took home DDK 87,600 for her accomplishment and the Unibet Open will have to wait a little longer for their first female champion.

Player Chips Progress
Mikael Johansson se
Mikael Johansson
1,200,000
455,000
455,000
Monica Vaka no
Monica Vaka
Busted

Tags: Mikael JohanssonMonica Vaka

Florian Lanz Eliminated in 8th Place (DKK 70,100)

Level 24 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante
Florian Lanz
Florian Lanz

A very short stacked Florian Lanz open-shoved 250,000 from the small blind and Kaarel Lepik called in the big blind.

Florian Lanz: {8-Clubs}{3-Clubs}
Kaarel Lepik: {J-Diamonds}{8-Diamonds}

It was never exciting on {10-Diamonds}{K-Diamonds}{6-Clubs}{A-Diamonds}{9-Hearts} and Lanz' tournament ended in 8th place. The Swiss headed for the payout desk to collect DDK 70,100 in winnings.

Player Chips Progress
Kaarel Lepik ee
Kaarel Lepik
3,025,000
265,000
265,000
Florian Lanz ch
Florian Lanz
Busted

Tags: Florian LanzKaarel Lepik

Soren Hansen Eliminated in 9th Place (DKK 56,100)

Level 23 : 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
Soren Hansen
Soren Hansen

Soren Hansen raised to 90,000 on the button with {10-Clubs}{9-Spades} and Peter Harkes defended his big blind with {A-Diamonds}{6-Clubs}. The {A-Clubs}{6-Hearts}{3-Diamonds} flop was fantastic for Harkes. The Dutchman checked, Hansen bet 75,000 and Harkes called.

The turn was the {K-Spades} and Hansen was officially drawing dead. Harkes checked, Hansen tried to take it with a second barrel of 225,000 and Harkes called again.

The river brought the {J-Hearts}. Harkes checked a third time and Hansen emptied the clip with a 685,000 shove. Harkes, with 595,000 behind, thought around a minute before making the correct call with his two pair.

Hansen was left with just three big blinds after the hand. In the next hand, he committed those from the cutoff with {J-Diamonds}{8-Hearts}. Harkes wanted to finish the job with {K-Spades}{3-Hearts} from the blinds and did so on a {10-Spades}{5-Clubs}{2-Spades}{6-Clubs}{Q-Spades} board. Hansen received DKK 56,100 for his ninth place finish.

Player Chips Progress
Peter Harkes nl
Peter Harkes
2,230,000
1,130,000
1,130,000
Soren Hansen dk
Soren Hansen
Busted

Tags: Peter HarkesSoren Hansen

Jes Bondo Eliminated in 10th Place (DKK 50,000)

Level 23 : 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
Jes Bondo
Jes Bondo

Peter Harkes raised to 80,000 on the button and Jes Bondo three-bet shoved 536,000 from the small blind.

"Ok, I call." said Kaarel Lepik in the big blind and Harkes folded.

Jes Bondo: {Q-Clubs}{Q-Diamonds}
Kaarel Lepik: {A-Diamonds}{A-Hearts}

It was a cooler for Bondo, who missed out on the final table after the board ran out {4-Hearts}{4-Diamonds}{3-Clubs}{8-Spades}{3-Diamonds}. The Dane collected DDK 50,000 in winnings.

Player Chips Progress
Kaarel Lepik ee
Kaarel Lepik
1,800,000
770,000
770,000
Jes Bondo dk
Jes Bondo
Busted

Tags: Jes BondoKaarel Lepik