PokerNews' Yori Epskamp Captures an MCOP Title; Eero Abbey Wins Main Event
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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 PokerNews veteran evidently still has what it takes to navigate his way to a victory.
Finland's Eero Abbey Takes Down the €3,000 MCOP Main Event
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.
2024 MCOP Main Event Final Table Results
| 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 |
Full 2024 MCOP Results
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.
*includes bounties
**prize does not include bounties
