The 2024 edition of the long-running Master Classics of Poker (MCOP) in Amsterdam concluded over the weekend, and one of the final champions of the series had a familiar face.
The €345 No-Limit Hold'em Single Re-Entry event drew in 235 entries; PokerNews' Senior Content Manager Yori Epskamp was among them. After a gruelling session that headed into the night, Epskamp found himself in possession of all the chips and an oversized cheque displaying a €13,638 first-place prize.
Epskamp has history with the MCOP. In 2010, he triumphed in the €500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event for €37,960. Less than a week later, Epskamp finished fourth in a €750 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament for another €15,868. Another fourth-place finish, this time in the €1,590 No-Limit Hold'em event at the 2012 MCOP, earned Epskamp €29,181.
Although Epskamp rarely grinds live poker tournaments these days, the PokerNewsveteran evidently still has what it takes to navigate his way to a victory.
The MCOP Main Event is a €3,000 buy-in affair these days. After re-entries, the 2024 MCOP Main Event saw 427 entries create a €1,150,765 prize pool that the top 63 finishers shared.
Several well-known stars were among the in-the-money finishers. They included Tobias Peters, the 2019 WSOP Main Event champion Hossein Ensan, Duco Haven, Juha Helppi, Noah Boeken, and Jussi Nevanlinna; the latter busted in 12th.
An anonymous Dutch player was the first of the nine finalists to head to the cashier's desk of the Casino Holland; they banked €20,023. Wouter Beltz, who won a €1,650 No-Limit Hold'em event for €91,361 a few days before this tournament, fell in eighth for another €28,892.
Third-place finisher in the recent €3,000 Irish Poker Festival Main Event, Conor O'Rourke claimed the €33,717 seventh-place prize, with Totti Arosou busting in sixth for €43,844. Arosou finished fifth in this event in 2022.
Reigning PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo Main Event champion Derk Van Luijk saw his latest deep run end in a fifth-place finish worth €57,193 before Serbia's Mitar Saric crashed out in fourth for €74,570.
Heads-up was reached when Erik van den Berg ran out of steam in third, a finish worth a career-best €96,894. Van den Berg's untimely demise left Jeroen Kalthof in a one-on-one battle against Eero Abbey.
Abbey won a WSOP Circuit ring in July in the €555 No-Limit Hold'em Progressive Bounty at WSOPC Tallinn and added the 2024 MCOP Main Event title to his poker CV by sending his Dutch opponent packing. Abbey reeled in a €203,800 score for his impressive victory, while Kalthof headed into the night with a €135,675 consolation prize.
| Rank | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eero Abbey | Finland | €203,800 |
| 2 | Jeroen Kalthof | Netherlands | €135,675 |
| 3 | Erik van den Berg | Netherlands | €96,894 |
| 4 | Mitar Saric | Serbia | €74,570 |
| 5 | Derk Van Luijk | Netherlands | €57,193 |
| 6 | Totti Arosou | Finland | €43,844 |
| 7 | Conor O'Rourke | Ireland | €33,717 |
| 8 | Wouter Beltz | Netherlands | €25,892 |
| 9 | Anonymous | Netherlands | €20,023 |
Aside from the Main Event champion and its runner-up, Roope Tarmi also captured a six-figure prize. Tarmi, of Finland, won the €6,300 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller, defeating Italy's Diego Montone heads-up, and capturing a €102,850 prize.
David Boyaciyan won the €2,200 No-Limit Hold'em Mystery Bounty for €53,875, with the 2024 Irish Open champion Tero Laurila scooping €17,514 by taking down €895 No-Limit Hold'em Progressive Bounty's top prize.
| Event | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €3,000 NLHE Main Event | 427 | €1,150,765 | Eero Abbey | €203,800 |
| €6,300 NLHE High Roller | 45 | €264,600 | Roope Tarmi | €102,850 |
| €1,500 NLHE | 306 | €445,230 | Wouter Beltz | €91,361 |
| €3,000 PLO High Roller | 95 | €256,025 | Erik van den Berg | €72,942 |
| €2,200 NLHE Mystery Bounty | 192 | €180,480 | David Boyaciyan | €53,875* |
| €1,100 PLO Re-Entry | 148 | €142,080 | Sami Kangas | €34,426 |
| €565 NLHE | 372 | €174,840 | Elthon Ider | €33,202 |
| €1,100 NLHE Turbo Re-Entry | 126 | €122,880 | Luka Sorainen | €31,961 |
| €895 NLHE Progressive Bounty | 278 | €102,304 | Tero Laurila | €17,514** |
| €345 NLHE Single-Re-Entry | 243 | €68,526 | Kees Aerts | €14,062 |
| €555 NLHE Hyper Turbo | 118 | €55,460 | John Karman | €13,976 |
| €330 NLHE Hyper Turbo Re-Entry | 221 | €62,322 | Ugar Naciterhan | €13,692 |
| €345 NLHE Single-Re-Entry | 235 | €66,270 | Yori Epskamp | €13,638 |
| €440 NLHE Team Event | 235 | €43,994 | Bora Celik | €11,442 |
| €330 PLO Hyper Turbo Re-Entry | 176 | €49,632 | Kazim Ata | €10,939 |
| €330 NLHE Hyper Turbo Re-Entry | 172 | €48,504 | Andre Alink | €10,490 |
*includes bounties
**prize does not include bounties