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Seat 3: Lukas van Eeden, 40, Voorburg, the Netherlands – 5,075,000
“It’s a dream come true,” said Lukas van Eeden of his unexpected seven-day journey in this EPT Main Event.
The 40-year-old from Voorburg is an entrepreneur who plays poker recreationally. “This is my third time in Barcelona in recent years,” he said. It will definitely be the most memorable one; he’s guaranteed a six-figure payout, while he’d never cashed for more than €12,800 before.
He continued: “I’m enjoying every moment of it. I love this game and it’s incredible to experience this.”
While some of his final table opponents boast millions in live earnings, the Dutchman entered the tournament with just over $70,000 in documented winnings. But he’s already made some connections, having shared the main stage with his countryman Joris Ruijs, a renowned pro with tons of results backing up his reputation.
“I only knew of him, but thanks to this deep run, we’ve got to know each other during the breaks and even had dinner together along with other Dutch players,” Van Eeden said.
He also has his partner Sanda on the rail. She arrived a few days ago as they had planned to enjoy the holiday, beach and sunshine. That will have to wait one more day as Van Eeden is still vying for the elusive title and a whopping €1.37 million top prize.
Player bios courtesy of Jan Kores/Florence Mazet/PokerStars
Career statistics
The Hendon Mob Earnings: $72,183
EPT Main Event cashes: 0
Best result: n/a
Tournament progression
Day 1: 128,500 (44/193, 1A)
Day 2: 393,000 (51/205)
Day 3: 1,190,000 (15/67)
Day 4: 1,195,000 (19/28)
Day 5: 1,175,000 (12/13)
Day 6: 5,075,000 (4/6)
Key hands
On Day 5, Van Eeden was all in and at risk with ace-queen against Gerard Carbo's pocket queens. Van Eeden flopped a royal flush draw and hit a flush on the river to survive and double up.
One day later, at the streamed final table, Van Eeden again flopped a royal flush draw. This time, Van Eeden did hit poker's ultimate hand, rivering a royal flush but sadly not getting any value with it.