Maxime Parys Rallies From Five Blinds to Win Unibet Open Marrakech
Parys earned 1.375 million MAD after an 853-entry Main Event and a heads-up deal with Benjamin Hammann.
Maxime Parys won the 12,000 MAD Unibet Open Marrakech Main Event at Casino de Marrakech, outlasting an 853-entry field over four days to collect 1.375 million MAD. The tournament generated an 8.845 million MAD prize pool, and Parys also took home the Main Event trophy and Unibet cummerbund.
The win came after Parys had been reduced to five big blinds at the final table. He described the escape as a “second life,” having previously found himself with one or two blinds in tournaments and knowing how to keep building a stack and climbing the payouts.
PokerNews reported that a pivotal all-in came when Parys moved all in with A♥10♥ against Moneyhunter’s 10♠10♣ and hit the 6♥ on the river to complete a flush. Parys later eliminated Redwan Ferman in third place for 670,000 MAD, with both players making quads on a 9♠9♥9♦5♠9♣ board but Parys winning on his ace kicker.
Parys and Benjamin Hammann then struck a heads-up deal that guaranteed each player 1.125 million MAD, while leaving 250,000 MAD, plus the silverware, for the winner. The match ended in the opening hands when Parys called Hammann’s all-in with J♠3♦ against 3♣2♣; the 10♦ river confirmed his victory. Hammann finished second with 1.125 million MAD.
The 1.375 million MAD prize was Parys’ second-largest recorded live cash, according to The Hendon Mob, despite being his first live tournament win apart from a freeroll he won when younger. His recorded live cashes date back to 2014.
Parys’ rail backed him throughout the 11-hour final day. “We did it,” were his first words after winning, and he credited the group for ensuring he was not at the event alone.
