Parys Wins Unibet Open Marrakech From

A Comeback From the Brink

Maxime Parys arrived at the final table of the Unibet Open Marrakech Main Event with a stack worth roughly five big blinds. He left it with the trophy, a winner's belt, and 1,375,000 MAD.

The French player, known in poker circles as "Dabou," completed one of the more dramatic turnarounds of the festival, surviving multiple all-in confrontations before closing out the title in heads-up play.

Tournament Numbers

The Main Event carried a 12,000 MAD buy-in and drew 853 entries, generating a prizepool of 8,845,000 MAD. After four days of play at Casino de Marrakech, only one player held all the chips.

Marrakech has produced emotional final tables in recent memory. The Unibet Open Main Event followed a UDSO victory in the same city where two longtime friends battled for the title, and this event added another storyline built on survival rather than comfort.

The Exposed Cards Hand

One of the strangest moments of Parys' run came against a Spanish player competing as Hammer. Parys opened from the button with K♥7♥ for 1.7 million, committing roughly half his stack. Hammer, in the big blind, called after mistakenly believing the bet was an all-in, and prematurely turned over K♦J♠.

He quickly hid the cards, but Parys had already seen them. Floor staff were called, and the hand continued. On a flop of 6♣3♦8♠, Hammer moved all-in and Parys folded, surrendering a significant portion of his chips but remaining in the tournament. Hammer received a one-orbit penalty for exposing his cards prematurely.

In the very next hand, Parys picked up the blinds with an all-in holding A♥4♥. The comeback began with small, necessary steps rather than one decisive blow.

Surviving the Moneyhunter All-In

A pivotal moment arrived against the Dutch player competing as Moneyhunter. He moved all-in from the button for 5.05 million, and Parys called from the small blind for his remaining stack.

Parys held A♥T♥ against T♠T♣. A flop of 5♠Q♥2♥ gave him a flush draw, and the river 6♥ completed it. The Frenchman survived another elimination threat and built a stack that made him a genuine contender for the trophy.

Four Nines Send Parys to Heads-Up

Parys secured his place in the final heads-up match after a hand against Redwan Ferman. Ferman defended his big blind after a button open, then shoved his remaining seven million into a pot of 2.75 million on a flop of 9♠9♠9♦.

Parys eventually called with A♥K♠, while Ferman revealed Q♠6♥. The turn 5♠ kept Parys ahead, and the river 9♣ produced a quartet of nines on the board, meaning the kicker decided the pot. Parys' ace earned him the victory and a heads-up berth. Ferman finished third for 670,000 MAD.

The Heads-Up Deal and the Final Hand

Before heads-up play began, Parys and Benjamin Hammann agreed to a deal. Each player locked up 1,125,000 MAD, with an additional 250,000 MAD and the trophy still to be decided on the felt.

The outcome arrived in one of the opening hands of heads-up. Parys opened to 1.2 million and Hammann called. On a flop of Q♠3♠Q♥, Parys bet 750,000 and faced a check-raise to 1.95 million. Parys called, then faced an all-in after the turn 7♥.

He requested a chip count before calling with J♠3♦. Hammann showed 3♣2♣. Both players had two pair, but Parys held the better kicker. The river T♦ changed nothing, and the player who once sat with five blinds began celebrating the title.

A First Live Title

By Parys' own account, this marked his first live tournament victory, aside from a freeroll he won in his youth. He credited a group of supporters who cheered him through an eleven-hour final day.

He took home the trophy, a winner's belt, and 1,375,000 MAD, which the final report described as the second-largest live score of his career.

Final Table Results

• 1. Maxime Parys, France — 1,375,000 MAD (deal)
• 2. Benjamin Hammann, France — 1,125,000 MAD (deal)
• 3. Redwan Ferman, France — 670,000 MAD
• 4. Hammer, Spain — 450,000 MAD
• 5. Moneyhunter, Netherlands — 335,000 MAD
• 6. Abdullah Akbarpoor, Turkey — 265,000 MAD
• 7. Mounim Kaddouri, France — 215,000 MAD
• 8. Tunisianking, Tunisia — 180,000 MAD
• 9. Ryan Abed, France — 150,000 MAD

What the Result Shows

Short-stack comebacks at final tables are usually built on a sequence of correct decisions rather than one lucky card. Parys' run illustrates several standard tournament principles.

First, when a stack falls to a handful of big blinds, the priority shifts to finding any spot with fold equity, even with marginal holdings. Parys' all-in with A♥4♥ in the hand after the exposed-cards incident is a typical example of taking blinds when the opportunity appears.

Second, calling off a stack with a draw requires accurate assessment of pot odds and equity. In the Moneyhunter hand, Parys needed to improve against a pocket pair, and the flush draw gave him the necessary equity to call profitably in that specific configuration.

Third, deal discussions before heads-up play are common in live tournaments. Splitting the remaining prize money reduces variance for both players while leaving the trophy and a smaller amount to be settled on the table. The terms are negotiated between the players and typically require tournament staff approval.

Finally, the exposed-cards incident is a reminder that showing cards prematurely can carry penalties. In most rulesets, a player who exposes cards before the appropriate moment may receive a penalty, and opponents who have seen the cards are entitled to that information.