Marrakech has been a staple stop for the DeepStack Open since 2010, and this year's festival at Casino de Marrakech once again attracted a large international field. The Main Event of the UDSO, with a buy-in of 6,000 MAD, saw 766 entries. However, when the tournament reached its finale, it was the long-time friends from the Paris poker scene fighting for the biggest rewards. Their shared journey led to a finale they would both remember, although only one could walk away with the winner's belt.
The Chipleader Endured a Kings vs. Aces Clash
Haïche entered the final table as the chipleader, but the start of the final day did not hint at a swift conclusion. The eight finalists held on for over an hour before the first eliminations occurred. Audrey Verlomme had the shortest stack yet managed to survive the initial knockouts. Alexis Nouel was the first to leave the final, followed by Medhi Bennani, and David Paris finished in sixth place. Verlomme's struggle with a short stack ultimately earned her fifth place and 165,000 MAD. The French player living in Marrakech thus marked her highest financial achievement according to the tournament report.
One of the deciding moments was Haïche's kings overcoming the aces of Rabah Ait Abdelmalek. Haïche's win significantly strengthened his position in the title chase. Abdelmalek had to settle for fourth place and a prize of 215,000 MAD. The player known as TunisianKing claimed the bronze and 300,000 MAD. The field narrowed to a pair with a shared history extending far beyond the start of this festival.
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The Dream Heads-Up Was Over Before It Began
Haïche and Grobocopatel have known each other for twenty years, but only in Marrakech did they both reach the final showdown for the tournament title. The long wait for such a moment was replaced by an extremely quick resolution: the heads-up was decided in just one hand.
Everything escalated on the river T h 4 d J s K s 5 h, where Idir shoved an overbet all-in of 18m into a 10m pot holding K d 7 c. Benoît, with Q h T d, thought long and hard before finally calling his opponent's bet, thus bringing the tournament to a close.
The winning belt and 640,000 MAD went to Haïche, while Grobocopatel took home 440,000 MAD for second place. The victory held special significance for the champion. In the past, he finished fourth in the UDSO Main Event in Paris and felt disappointment over the missed opportunity. This time, he carried his journey to the very end, facing his best friend at the crucial moment. In a post-match statement, he described this combination of victory and shared finale as an exceptional experience.
UDSO Marrakech 2026 Final Table Results:
| Position | Player | Country | Prize in MAD | Prize in $ |
| 1. | Idir Haïche | France | 640,000 MAD | $65,862 |
| 2. | Benoît Grobocopatel | France | 440,000 MAD | $45,280 |
| 3. | TunisianKing | Unknown | 300,000 MAD | $30,873 |
| 4. | Rabah Ait Abdelmalek | Unknown | 215,000 MAD | $22,125 |
| 5. | Audrey Verlomme | France | 165,000 MAD | $16,980 |
| 6. | David Paris | Unknown | 105,000 MAD | $10,805 |
| 7. | Medhi Bennani | Unknown | 85,000 MAD | $8,747 |
| 8. | Alexis Nouel | Unknown | 70,000 MAD | $7,204 |
Sources: YouTube, Instagram, deepstackopen, live-poker
