by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Mar 19, 2020 | Updated on Mar 19, 2020
The COVID-19 epicenter of the pandemic has now shifted to Europe while China, where the virus originated is currently on the way to recovery. The virus has shut down a number of industries across the world including live poker tournaments. The cancelation of live poker tournaments has boosted the online poker market as poker players have been forced to turn their attention to playing poker online.
It’s not just poker players who have turned their attention to online poker. A number of live poker tournament operators have decided that it is better to host their tournaments online than to cancel it completely!
The Unibet Open Tallinn is one such live poker tournament that has now shifted online. The new online poker tournament will now be run from May 24-25 on the Unibet Poker client. The Unibet Open features a buy-in of €1050+50, and €100,000 in guarantees, making it the biggest buy-in online tournament to ever take place on Unibet Poker. The online festival also includes a €90+10 buy-in Mini Main Event, which has a similar structure to the Main Event.
With the event now being moved online, organizers are expecting huge participation numbers, as players can now get in on the action from the comfort of their own homes. Unibet’s Head of Events Nataly Sopacuaperu said they made the decision to host an online version of the tournament to make sure poker players and fans will have something to look forward to and enjoy while they are quarantined at home.
Trophies will still be awarded to winners, and some events will also be livestreamed, providing an extra layer of excitement. Top Unibet Ambassadors will also be taking part in the online action. Some of these ambassadors include David Lappin and Dara O’Kearney.
Lappin said the online edition will give more players the chance to take part, even those in countries where strict travel restrictions are currently in place. O’Kearney also expressed his delight with the online poker edition saying players will have a lot of exciting things to look forward to, including the Main Event.
Online Satellites
Players who have already earned their seats to the Unibet Open can choose to play online or revise their qualification to a later event. The €1,100 buy-in will still be paid to those who won a €2,000 package, while the rest of the prize will be split in cash and bonus points, which players can utilize to enter online events.
Players who cannot afford a direct buy-in may join daily satellites at Unibet Poker, for just a few cents. More details will be released soon!
