Jussi Nevanlinna Wins 2015 Master Classics of Poker Main Event for €300,000
The fourth and final day of the €4,250 Main Event of the 2015 Master Classics of Poker saw nine hopefuls out of a 291-entry field return to action at Holland Casino in Amsterdam, chasing the exclusive winner's plate, Skullcandy headphones, and a first-place payout of €300,000.
Ultimately, it was Finland's Jussi Nevanlinna who emerged victorious after defeating Georgios Zisimopoulos in heads-up play.
Final Table Results
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jussi Nevanlinna | Finland | €300,000 |
| 2 | Georgios Zisimopoulos | Greece | €178,616 |
| 3 | Donald Rae | United Kingdom | €102,560 |
| 4 | Kees van Brugge | Netherlands | €81,818 |
| 5 | Clyde Tjauw Foe | Netherlands | €70,294 |
| 6 | Makarios Avramidis | Greece | €57,618 |
| 7 | Joep van den Bijgaart | Netherlands | €46,095 |
| 8 | Johnny Hansen | Denmark | €34,571 |
| 9 | [Removed:172] | Germany | €23,047 |
Nevanlinna had already reached the final table of this event in 2011, where he finished runner-up to winner David Boyaciyan. Additionally, last year Nevanlinna finished in fifth place in this event.
The final table started with a bang when [Removed:172] exited in ninth place. The German, who had deep runs in both the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas and the WSOP Europe Main Event in Berlin this year, three-bet shoved out of the big blind with ace-queen suited and ran straight into the pocket kings of Nevanlinna, the initial raiser.
Johnny Hansen, recent third-place finisher in the WSOP Circuit Rozvadov Main Event, experienced the same fate after three-bet shoving ace-eight and getting called by Nevanlinna with ace-jack.
Joep van den Bijgaart's elimination in the second level of the day came in a massive three-way all-in clash, and once again it was Nevanlinna who had the best of it. The Dutchman three-bet shoved with pocket sixes and Nevanlinna just flat-called with pocket aces before start-of-the-day chip leader Donald Rae reshoved with pocket kings. The aces held, Rae was left very short, and van den Bijgaart was eliminated.
Clyde Tjauw Foe, who also made back-to-back final tables in this event the same as Nevanlinna, then won a big pot with bottom set against the two pair of the Finn before it was 2015 WSOP Europe gold bracelet winner Makarios Avramidis hitting the rail in sixth place. Down to only three big blinds, he shoved with ace-deuce and Nevanlinna called out of the big blind with ace-six before he found a six on the flop.
Tjauw Foe then fell after a four-bet pot on a king-high flop resulted in his demise. He called the shove of Nevanlinna with king-jack for top pair when Nevanlinna had made a move with the 10♦9♦ for a flush draw. Another diamond immediately appeared on the turn to hand over the chips to Nevanlinna.
Kees van Brugge had been down to four big blinds at one point, but he made the pay jump before shoving with jack-seven in a battle of the blinds. Zisimopoulos called with ace-four and an ace on the turn all but locked up the hand. It was the only elimination of the final table that didn't see Nevanlinna raking in the chips after.
Rae made it all the way to third place after a massive pot early on against Nevanlinna. Nevanlinna four-bet shoved with ace-six, and the Brit called with kings only to see an ace appear right in the window.
The heads-up duel was brief, with half a dozen hands being played. In the end, it was the A♠J♦ of Zisimopoulos and the A♥Q♣ of Nevanlinna that decided the outcome of the Main Event. The Q♦2♥3♠ flop was quite decisive, and it was all over after the 9♦ hit the turn, making the 3♦ river nothing more than a formality.
With that, PokerNews' live reporting from the 2015 Master Classics of Poker has come to an end. Next up for our team on the circuit will be Unibet Open Antwerp from Nov. 26-29 in Belgium.
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