Poker tales from two of the oldest poker tournaments in the world as an award-winning journalist and TV personality wins the Master Classics of Poker in Amsterdam, and the Irish Open release the 2019 schedule with a few surprises.
That’s it then.
There’s no place left for the bluebirds of Amsterdam to take a dump. The local riff-raff in government has decided that the ‘I Amsterdam’ sign that attracted tourists to Museum Square like pubes to a bathtub sinkhole had to go because it was too ‘individualistic.’
Dutch city counsellor, Femke Roosma, told the press: “The message of ‘I Amsterdam’ is that we are all individuals in the city. We want to show something different: diversity, tolerance, solidarity.”
If it’s diversity, tolerance and solidarity you’re after, Femke, then you should have spent a few nights in the Holland Casino during The Master Classics of Poker (MCOP).
The 27th annual Netherlands poker extravaganza is over, and the man with his name lit up like fifteen 60-watt light bulbs is the award-winning journalist and TV host, Alberto Stegeman.
Stegeman topped a field of 294-players in the €4,300 Main Event, becoming the fifth Dutchman to win the title in the past decade. Stegeman beat the multi-talented Kilian Kramer in heads-up action, although Kramer won’t thank me for reminding you after he removed his name from The Hendon Mob database.
It was Stegeman’s first ever win, and only his tenth ever live cash. The $356,988 that’s sitting in his piggy bank, is, of course, the most significant win of his career thus far. His previous best score came at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) €10,300 High Roller earlier this year where he finished 68/534 for €15,700.
Stegeman began his heads-up encounter with Player Unknown holding a 7m v 2m chip lead. The player from The Land of Unknown doubled twice but got unlucky when Stegeman’s pocket nines crushed his pocket aces after the pair went for it on a JT9 flop.
Here are the final table results:
Final Table Results
1. Alberto Stegeman – €240,183
2. Kilian Kramer – €160,432
3. Teun Mulder – €111,418
4. Joey Vittali – €80,216
5. Henri Piironen – €59,842
6. Japser Meijer van Putten – €45,987
7. Danilo Velasevic – €36,324
8. David Algarra – €29,222
9. Pascal Baumgartner – €23,983
Three other stars of the game that went so deep they killed a lung were Jan Eric Schippert (12th), Max Lehmanski (13th) and Steve O’Dwyer (27th).
In other MCOP news, Steve O’Dwyer beat three people (yes, three) to win the €25,000 Super High Roller to triple his buy-in, and Hakim Zoufri conquered 68-entrants to win the €215,761 first prize in the €10,300 High Roller.
Alberto Stegeman.
Steve O’Dwyer.
Hakim Zoufri.
Diversity if you’re ever going to see it.
The Irish Open to Celebrate the Americas
If you think 27-years is a long time to run a poker tournament then how about 38?
The Irish Open is the longest running poker tournament in the world outside of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, and the organisers have released the 2019 schedule.
Here it is.
If like Mahatma Gandhi you would prefer the more passive route and not read it then let me fill you in.
The event once again comes from the City West Hotel in Dublin, and the €1,100 Main Event has a €1m Guarantee. Last year, partypoker filled the role of sponsor, but there is no word of a repeat, not yet.
The Poker League of Nations, who recently sponsored the Ladies Event at 888Live London, do the same with the €250 Ladies Event, and for some unknown reason, there is a hat tip to the Americas with a €550 Americas Cup restricted to Canadians, Americans and South Americans.
Don’t tell Femke.
Other highlights include:
€250 Seniors (Over 50)
€250 Mini Irish Open
€2,000 High Roller 8-Max
€350 NLHE Heads-Up
€350 Liam Flood Memorial 6-Max Turbo
The whole thing kicks off April 15-22.
In March, Ryan Mandara battered a field of 1,340 entrants to win the €250,000 first prize. The organisers beat the guarantee by more than €300k.
