Lucky Rivers Guide Kastriot Delija to Scandinavian Open Win

The first major poker event of the year in Slovakia’s capital, the 2024 Scandinavian Open Poker Championship (SOPC), concluded with Kastriot Delija claiming the title and a prize of €40,955. The €185 Main Event started slowly but quickly gained momentum, eventually drawing an impressive 1,653 entries, surpassing the €250,000 guarantee with a final prize pool of €259,930.

A total of 206 players cashed in the event, with the final day commencing with 14 hopefuls. Austria’s Delija led the pack, followed closely by local player Michal Zimani and Finland’s Matte Bjarni Karjalainen. PokerPro was also represented by Norway’s Bremseth Mortensen, who managed to secure a spot at the final table despite being the shortest stack at the start of the day.

At this point, Zimani seized the chip lead with a formidable 23 million chips. Karjalainen and Kastriot were not far behind, each holding around 17 million. A pivotal moment occurred when Karjalainen, holding AQ, clashed with Delija’s A9. A lucky river, which completed a straight for Kastriot, saved his tournament life.

The first player eliminated was Vladimir Dumic in 9^th. Bremseth, who had climbed several pay ladders, eventually finished in 8^th. Following these eliminations, the final table dynamics shifted quickly, leading to a heads-up battle between Delija and Zimani, with the latter initially holding a 2:1 chip lead.

The heads-up duel was a marathon, stretching nearly three hours. Delija gradually eroded Zimani’s lead, eventually bringing their stacks level, and after that, the lead swung back and forth many times.

The turning point came in a dramatic hand where Michal, holding pocket Kings, faced Kastriot’s all-in with pocket Queens. Another lucky river delivered a Queen, giving Delija a miraculous win.

Reeling from this setback and reduced to a 1:11 chip deficit, Zimani couldn’t recover, ultimately conceding the championship to Delija in the very next hand. Michal Zimani’s commendable performance earned him €25,155 as the runner-up, and Kastriot Delija took home €40,955, trophy and a nice bottle of rum!

2024 Scandinavian Open Poker Championship Final Table Results