Meet Kristoffer Bergvall, Head of Poker at Unibet
Last week, The Festival Series was proud to announce Unibet Poker as our latest online partner. This is big news, as in addition to the Scandinavian market already covered by many of our other partners, Unibet Poker opens up paths for players to qualify to the festival via satellites in many other markets that were previously unavailable including the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Unibet Poker is hosting satellites for The Festival Series Tallinn €550 Main Event at Olympic Park Casino on Monday and for a €1,150 The Festival Series package, which also includes a seat to the Main event along with four nights in the Hilton Park Hotel for two (you can bring a friend) including breakfast and spa entry, on Wednesdays leading up to the event. Of course, they will also be on board for The Festival Series Bratislava later in the year.
The Festival Series sat down with Head of Poker at Unibet Poker Kristoffer Bergvall to learn more about him and the partnership.
Cash Game Festival History Facilitates Agreement
Before founding The Festival Series, Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk founded the popular Cash Game Festival. Head of Poker at Acroud Mauritz Altikardes was brought into the mix at the Cash Game Festival and is also one of the key figures along with Franke for The Festival Series as well. Past relationships from the Cash Game Festival, in which Unibet Poker was also an online partner, have yielded new partnerships for The Festival Series as Kristoffer explains.
“We used to work with the cash game festival back in the day, but then that cooperation went on hiatus for quite a while due to all live poker on hold during the pandemic,” explained Kristoffer. “Then I had been talking to Mauritz and also had some other people approach me about it and talking about The Festival and they do some really nice videos and good promotion. There is always a lot of visibility around it. So, then I ran into Franke here in Malta during the Malta Poker Festival and we had a chat about it as well. From there, the partnership was agreed upon very quickly.”
Kristoffer’s Path to Unibet Began with Poker
Poker was different when Kristoffer began playing poker nearly two decades ago. This was especially the case online due to the “Moneymaker Effect” where the games were much softer. Kristoffer shared how he got into the game and how that evolved into working with Unibet.
“It was during the mid-2000’s when a colleague of mine began talking about poker and basically, I never thought that he would be able to win online or win under any circumstance,” Kristoffer said with a smile. “So, I thought like if guys like this really play you know poker for real money, it has to be sort of easy. I then saw a commercial on TV and deposited some money. I started playing a little, then started reading some books, and then all of a sudden, I was making more money from poker than then from work! I played poker for a few years. I mainly played online and I couldn't see myself doing it until retirement. Then I decided to get a job in the industry but I still love poker and still love gambling. So, I decided to move from Sweden moved down to Malta got a job better at Unibet, and ended up here.”
The story is similar to that of many in the industry, this author included, where our passion for poker has led us to pursue a career in the game we love. For Kristoffer, it has led to a nine-year career and counting at Unibet where he began as a customer service agent before moving up to his current position as Head of Poker.
Kristoffer still plays poker but on a much less frequent basis than he did back in the day. He describes himself now as a “fun player” who likes to check up on the competition.
Next Unibet Open in Malta
In addition to Unibet’s new partnership with The Festival Series, the online poker giant also announced the return of the Unibet Open after nearly a three-year break.
The festival will be at Casino Malta and the adjoining world-class Intercontinental Hotel from September 29 to October 2, and, of course, will feature its legendary €1,100 Main Event.
Head to Unibet Poker to win your seat of full package via satellite and feeder tournaments.
Qualify for The Festival Series at Unibet Poker
There are just a few more satellites to be played at Unibet Poker for a seat or a full package before The Festival Series Tallinn kicks off on June 27 to July 3. The satellites cost just €25 and could lead to much more if you parlay that into a deep run at The Festival Series Tallinn Main Event. Who knows, maybe you will etch your name into The Festival Series history books by winning the Main Event.
Thank you, Kristoffer for sharing a bit of your journey, and best to everyone who attempts to qualify for The Festival Series Tallinn at Unibet Poker on Mondays and Wednesdays.
