PokerNews' Yori Epskamp Captures an MCOP Title; Eero Abbey Wins Main Event

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Senior Editor
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Yori Epskamp

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.

Conor O'Rourke
Conor O'Rourke

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

RankPlayerCountryPrize
1Eero AbbeyFinland€203,800
2Jeroen KalthofNetherlands€135,675
3Erik van den BergNetherlands€96,894
4Mitar SaricSerbia€74,570
5Derk Van LuijkNetherlands€57,193
6Totti ArosouFinland€43,844
7Conor O'RourkeIreland€33,717
8Wouter BeltzNetherlands€25,892
9AnonymousNetherlands€20,023

Full 2024 MCOP Results

Roope Tarmi,
Roope Tarmi

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.

EventEntrantsPrize PoolChampionPrize
€3,000 NLHE Main Event427€1,150,765Eero Abbey€203,800
€6,300 NLHE High Roller45€264,600Roope Tarmi€102,850
€1,500 NLHE306€445,230Wouter Beltz€91,361
€3,000 PLO High Roller95€256,025Erik van den Berg€72,942
€2,200 NLHE Mystery Bounty192€180,480David Boyaciyan€53,875*
€1,100 PLO Re-Entry148€142,080Sami Kangas€34,426
€565 NLHE372€174,840Elthon Ider€33,202
€1,100 NLHE Turbo Re-Entry126€122,880Luka Sorainen€31,961
€895 NLHE Progressive Bounty278€102,304Tero Laurila€17,514**
€345 NLHE Single-Re-Entry243€68,526Kees Aerts€14,062
€555 NLHE Hyper Turbo118€55,460John Karman€13,976
€330 NLHE Hyper Turbo Re-Entry221€62,322Ugar Naciterhan€13,692
€345 NLHE Single-Re-Entry235€66,270Yori Epskamp€13,638
€440 NLHE Team Event235€43,994Bora Celik€11,442
€330 PLO Hyper Turbo Re-Entry176€49,632Kazim Ata€10,939
€330 NLHE Hyper Turbo Re-Entry172€48,504Andre Alink€10,490

*includes bounties
**prize does not include bounties

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Senior Editor

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.

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