WPT Amsterdam Draws To a Close With Rens Feenstra Main Event Victory
April 23, 2018 12:21 pmThe World Poker Tour Amsterdam took place at the Holland Casino from April 13-21, and featured 13 events with buy-ins ranging from between €220 and €6,000 throughout its run.
This was the fourth consecutive season that the tour has returned to the Netherlands, with the 2018 WPT Amsterdam Main Event taking place immediately after the WPTDeepStacks Amsterdam Main Event, which this year was won by Christos Economides for €74,760.
WPT Amsterdam Main Event
The €3,300 WPT Amsterdam Main Event kicked-off on April 16th, with 207 players entering to create a prize pool worth €602,370 ($742,585). Amongst the notable pros finishing in one of its 26 money spots was Igor Yaroshevskyy in 22nd (€5,410), Juan Carlos Alvarado in 18th (€8,855), Justin Bonomo in 16th (€8,855), and Olvedo Heinze in 8th (€17,290).
Final Table
The final table was reached on the sixth day, and included a number of experienced pros such as Paul Berende, Louis Salter, Ema Zajmovic, Florens Feenstra, with other players in contention including Gary Miller and Firoz Mangroe.
Nevertheless, Firoz Mangroe (A-K) sent Paul Berende (6-6) to the rail in 6th, while Zajmovic (A-Q) eliminated Salter (A-J) in 5th place. At this stage, initial table leader Rens Feenstra had seen his stack diminish to just 8bbs before scoring a much needed double up holding K-J to Miller’s K-7. Soon after, Zajmovic the took care of Miller in 4th, leaving her the chip leader on a 109bb stack, followed by Mangroe (35bbs), and Feenstra (12bbs).
It was Mangroe who exited next, though, after his pocket sixes faltered against Zajmovic’s K-9, leaving her to battle it out against Rens Feenstra for the title.
Heads-Up
In 2017, Zajmovic made history by becoming the first female player ever to win an open WPT event after taking down the WPT Playground for US$183,788. She also appeared in excellent shape to capture a second career title in the Netherlands, too, with her starting heads-up play holding a 78 to 46bb lead over her opponent.
The chip lead subsequently changed hands several times over their heads-up battle, though, until a straight over straight situation saw her reduced to a short stack. The deciding hand was then played after Feenstra (K-9) shoved preflop and Zajmovic (K-4) made the call, after which she had to settle for a runner-up finish worth €100,260 ( $123,598), while Feenstra claimed the WPT title, and now boasts $1,138,104 in life time earnings.
Final Table Results
1: Rens Feenstra (Neth) €156,370
2: Ema Zajmovic (Can) €100,260
3: Firoz Mangroe (Neth) €60,140
4: Gary Miller (UK) €36,795
5: Louis Salter (UK) €28,415
6: Paul Berende (Neth) €23,550
Other Event Winners
As mentioned, Cypriot player Christos Economides won the €1,500 WPTDeepstacks Amsterdam after defeating a field of 250 players, including Germany’s Paul Theobald heads-up, to record his first tournament cash worth €75,760 ($93,494).
Meanwhile, Canada’s Sam Greenwood entered the €10,300 High Roller along with other tough competitors such as Rainer Kempe, Thomas Thomas Mühlöcker, and Ryan Riess. In the end, however, Greenwood faced off against Dutch player Clyde Tjauw Foe for the title, with the final hand played after both players checked all the way on a 7-7-3-J board before moving all-in when an 8 fell on the turn. While Clyde Tjauw Foe (9-7) was holding trips, Greenwood (7-3) had made a full house, and as Foe later said commenting upon the final hand:
“Sam Greenwood had a flush if I had a straight, and he had a full house when I had trips. I have not seen him make a bluff today “.
Other players also winning titles at this year’s World Poker Tour Amsterdam included Reinout Goor (€330 WPT Warm-Up), Michael Aflalo (€550 Hyper Turbo 500), Martijn Gerrits (€440 Turbo Freezeout), Miroslav Alilovic (€550 Hyper Turbo 500), Abraham Aviagay (€220 Pot Limit Omaha), Tak Cho (€440 NLHE/PLO Mix), David Hu (€460 Progressive Bounty), Paul Gresel (€550 Turbo), Roelof van der Linde (€275 NLH 250 Hyper Turbo), and Robert Sanstra (€330 NLH 300 Team Event).