Mateusz Moolhuizen Wins 2015 Unibet Open Antwerp for Second Tour Title
The final day of the 2015 Unibet Open Antwerp €1,100 Main Event at "De Shop" saw 15 hopefuls from a 321-entry field return to the tables, and it took more than 12 hours and 10 levels to determine a winner. Local player Alexander Beeckx was leading the field coming into the final day, however, it was Mateusz Moolhuizen who topped an all-Dutch podium to claim his second title of the popular tour and become only the second two-time Unibet Open champion ever.
Moolhuizen's first tour title came when he won the 2011 Unibet Open Malta.
Final Table Results
| Place | Winner | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mateusz Moolhuizen | Netherlands | €71,000 |
| 2 | Paul Vergeer | Netherlands | €51,000 |
| 3 | Hans Sybrandi | Netherlands | €33,400 |
| 4 | Micael Emanuelsson | Sweden | €23,810 |
| 5 | Alexander Beeckx | Belgium | €17,800 |
| 6 | Koen Lauwereys | Belgium | €14,200 |
| 7 | Laurens De Smet | Belgium | €11,700 |
| 8 | Vincent van Oosterhout | Netherlands | €9,400 |
| 9 | Tom Dingenen | Belgium | €7,000 |
Ian Simpson, winner of the 2013 Irish Open, was the first casualty of the final day after getting short and then three-bet shoving with the 3♦3♣. Initial raiser Laurens de Smet called with the 6♦6♠ and the board ran out A♠7♠2♦2♣J♦.
David Janssen was the next to fall on the secondary table after getting the remainder of his stack in with the A♦Q♦. Hans Sybrandi looked him up with the 10♥10♣ and won the flip after a roller coaster board of 8♠Q♥9♣8♦J♦.
Niko Koop's run came to an end in 13th place. The Day 1a chip leader three-bet with the A♥J♠ and was called by Beeckx with the A♠Q♥. The duo checked the 6♠3♦A♣ flop before Beeckx over-shoved the 5♦ turn. Koop called only to spot the bad news and hit the rail after a blank 10♦ on the river.
A series of all-in pots saw the players trade chips on the feature table, and Erik Loschan grew very short. The German called all in after a shove by Gordon Plomp and tabled the Q♥7♣. Plomp was ahead with the A♦4♦ and made a pair of aces on the turn of the 7♥J♦2♦A♥3♣ board to reduce the field to its last 12 contenders.
Plomp himself was the next to join the rail shortly before the end of the second level of play. Beeckx opened and Plomp shoved with the K♥J♥, only to see Paul Vergeer wake up with the Q♣Q♥ behind him and isolate successfully. The board ran out 5♣4♣5♠8♥5♦ and that was the end for Plomp.
Another Dutchman, Marco Herman, followed in 10th place and bubbled the final table after losing a flip with the J♠J♥ against de Smet's A♠K♦ on a board of K♣Q♠Q♥10♦8♦.
The remaining nine players were then redrawn to the official final table with Vincent van Oosterhout in the lead. Although, van Oosterhout started the final table on top, a massive hand turned around his fortune while simultaneously ending the run of Tom Dingenen in ninth place.
Dingenen had raised from the cutoff and was called by both players in the blinds. A continuation bet on the 8♥10♥8♦ flop was called by both van Oosterhout and Koen Lauwereys before the latter check-raised all in after the J♣ turn. Van Oosterhout had called the initial bet of Dingenen with the J♥9♥ and then folded, Lauwereys went into the showdown with the 10♠8♠ for a flopped full house. Dingenen was drawing dead with the Q♠9♣ and was crippled. He lost the last few chips the next hand.
It was van Oosterhout who then fell in eighth place. Three players called his all-in bet, and Moolhuizen bet the 7♣5♦7♦3♦ turn to isolate successfully with the 6♥3♠. Van Oosterhout had turned a flush with J♦9♦, but the cruel 3♣ on the river gave Moolhuizen a full house.
The hot run and sheer domination of Moolhuizen continued, albeit in a lucky way, after he eliminated de Smets in seventh place. The four-bet shove of the Dutchman with the A♠Q♥ was called by de Smet, the Belgian, with the A♥K♣. But, the board ran out Q♣J♦5♦6♠J♣ to give Moolhuizen the win.
Lauwereys had to settle for sixth place when he three-bet shoved with the 4♦4♥ and was called by Micael Emanuelsson with the 9♣9♥. Then, Beeckx bowed out in fifth place, ending all hopes for the title to stay in the home country of the event.
Three Dutchmen and one Swede remained to battle for the title and the winning country was determined after Emanuelsson busted in fourth, leaving just the three men from the Netherlands to battle for the title.
Sybrandi was the shortest stack of the trio and never stood a chance. After paying off Moolhuizen the previous hand, he shoved from the small blind with the K♦9♣ and was called by Moolhuizen with the 10♠6♠. The Q♥3♠5♠ flop gave Moolhuizen a flush draw, and the 7♠ turn completed it. The river was the 7♥ to finish the hand and eliminate Sybrandi in second place.
Moolhuizen started heads-up play with a more than 3-1 lead and never relinquished it. Despite the big lead, it was a grueling duel that lasted more than 90 hands and three hours. After a big hero call on three streets with the A♣8♣ that failed, Vergeer was very short. He then limp-called a raise with the 7♣6♣ and flopped middle pair on the 9♦6♥3♠ flop. Moolhuizen check-raised all in with the 9♥2♦ for top pair, and Vergeer called off his chips. The 2♥ on the turn and the A♦ on the river sealed the deal and Moolhuizen was victorious.
Moolhuizen became just the second player after Dan Murariu to win a Unibet Open main event twice and took home €71,000 for his efforts.
That brings us to the end of PokerNews' Live Reporting from the "Diamond City." We hope to see you again soon for another stop on the tournament circuit, but until then, keep it locked right here to PokerNews.com for all of your poker needs.
Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!
