Dutch pro Joeri Zandvliet has won the UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT) Dublin after defeating a field of 718 players over five days to lift the trophy, and collect the €83,500 ($119,782) first place prize.
Amazingly, Joeri Zandvliet’s win in Dublin represents his second UKIPT main event title, his first coming in 2010 at UKIPT Manchester, which he won for £63,200 ($102,932). Zandvliet also finished 4th at UKIPT Edinburgh the same year for $21,336 which, considering the UKIPT tour is now only 2 years old with just 6 main events having being played, becomes an even more remarkable achievement.
In total, Joeri Zandvliet has now cashed in at 7 events since August 2009, taking his live career earnings to $260,484.
As the UKIPT Dublin €500 Main Event got underway at the The Ballsbridge Inn Hotel, the two starting days managed to attract a 718 strong field generating a prize pool worth €348,230. By the start of Day 2 just 205 players remained and by the end of Day 3 the final table of eight had been set, with the chip counts as follows:
Jason Tompkins: (Ireland) 2,388,000
Noel O’Brien: (Ireland) 1,991,000
Joeri Zandvliet: (Netherlands) 1,835,000
Robert Csire: (Hungary) 1,145,000
Charles Fabian: (USA) 1,023,000
David Docherty: (UK) 958,000
Rory Curtis: (UK) 725,000
Max Silver: (UK) 699,000
Eventually, Joeri Zandvliet would eliminate his friend the 2010 UKIPT Dublin winner Max Silver in 4th (€22,650) and Robert Csire in 3rd (€30,700) to get heads-up against Chuck Fabian. However, there was no stopping the flying Dutchman, who soon had Fabian’s tournament life on the line holding A-5 to the US players A-9. A 5 on the river then sealed Chuck Fabian’s fate who collected €49,600 for his runner-up finish.
Meanwhile, Joeri Zandvliet completed his UKIPT double and commenting later on his remarkable feat said:
“It’s ridiculous to win a second time. It’s like a four day marathon, and then you win at some point.”
