The Main Event of the Master Classics of Poker Kicks Off at 2 PM
At 2 p.m. local time, the first day of the €4,300 Main Event here at the renowned Master Classics of Poker is set to start with Day 1a at the dazzling Holland Casino Amsterdam. The 2019 edition features two starting flights compared to the three it used to offer in previous years. Day 1a will be the flight that features 60-minute levels while Day 1b will be the turbo starting day with 20-minute levels. Due to the change in the setup, Day 1a is expected to be a busy one for the casino in the Dutch capital.
The defending champion is Alberto Stegeman who turned his €4,300 buy-in into €240,183 after defeating a 293-strong players field. In 2017 it was Claas Segebrecht who was victorious in the Netherlands when he overcame 284 other players. The Master Classics of Poker boasts a rich history, the first-ever Main Event took place in 1992 and featured seven-card stud as the game to play. The first-ever winner was Eng Angh from the Netherlands who won HFL18,600 (Dutch Guilders) which would now equal around €8,370. Belinda Blokker was the first and only woman to have ever won the Main Event in Amsterdam.
Here is an overview of the previous winners:
| Year | Winner | Country | Entries | Buy-in | 1st Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Alberto Stegeman | Netherlands | 293 | €4,300 | €240,183 |
| 2017 | Claas Segebrecht | Germany | 285 | €4,300 | €235,087 |
| 2016 | Abdelhakim Zoufri | Netherlands | 356 | €4,250 | €275,608 |
| 2015 | Jussi Nevanlinna | Finland | 291 | €4,250 | €300,000 |
| 2014 | Ruben Visser | Netherlands | 298 | €4,250 | €225,000* |
| 2013 | Noah Boeken | Netherlands | 298 | €4,250 | €306,821 |
| 2012 | Ole Schemion | Germany | 212 | €5,250 | €286,200 |
| 2011 | David Boyaciyan | Netherlands | 294 | €5,000 | €382,200 |
| 2010 | Marcel Bjerkmann | Norway | 249 | €6,000 | €403,380 |
| 2009 | Kristoffer Thorsson | Sweden | 342 | €6,200 | €636,120 |
| 2008 | Jan Sorensen | Denmark | 335 | €6,200 | €623,100 |
| 2007 | Trond Eidsvig | Norway | 428 | €5,100 | €620,600 |
| 2006 | Ali Jalali | Germany | 345 | €5,000 | €700,000 |
| 2005 | Thomas Middelthon | Norway | 264 | €5,000 | €528,000 |
| 2004 | Robert Mizrachi | United States | 188 | €5,000 | €372,240 |
| 2003 | Johan Storakers | Sweden | 205 | €3,020 | €243,540 |
| 2002 | Angelo Yu | China | 198 | €3,020 | €168,000 |
| 2001 | Graham Hiew | United Kingdom | 170 | ?5,040 | ?336,600 |
| 2000 | Steve Liu | United Kingdom | 159 | ?5,000 | ?314,820 |
| 1999 | Ram Vaswani | United Kingdom | 135 | ?5,000 | ?276,300 |
| 1998 | Asher Derei | United Kingdom | 125 | ?5,000 | ?247,500 |
| 1997 | Bjorn Janson | Germany | 90 | ?5,000 | ?178,200 |
| 1996 | Mike Magee | Ireland | 122 | ?1,000 | ?80,360 |
| 1995 | Belinda Blokker | Netherlands | 96 | ?1,000 | ?84,909 |
| 1994 | G Hawass | Unknown | ?1,075 | ?56,050 | |
| 1993 | Surinder Sunar | United Kingdom | ?2,000 | ?41,800 | |
| 1992 | Eng Angh | Netherlands | ?1,000 | ?18,600 |
*denotes a three-way deal
This year's Master Classics of Poker has been dominated by the Fins up till now. Nine "bordjes" (plates as trophies) have already been awarded and six of them have gone to Finland. Kasper Mellanen, Santeri Piriroinen, Hassan Sey, Simo Raikkonen, Kimmo Kurko, and Mattias Knaapinen will all be looking for their second bordje in the Main Event. The other bordjes were claimed by Nusret Atmaca, Chin Sin Chang, and Vojtech Ruzicka.
Players will get 30,000 in chips when they take their seats at the table and play 60-minute levels. Nine levels are scheduled for Day 1a with a break taking place after every two levels. A 90-minute dinner break should take place after Level 4. The late registration and reentry period will remain open until the start of Day 2. One reentry is allowed per flight so players can do a maximum of 5 entries in the worst-case scenario. Day 1b will take place on Thursday, November 28, at 12:30 p.m. and play 9 levels of 20 minutes each. Day 2 will start on the same day but at 7 p.m. local time.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be roaming the floor to bring you all the action from Holland Casino Amsterdam so make sure to keep following along!
Day 1 Structure
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | BB Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 | 100 | 100 | |
| 2 | 60 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Break | 15 | |||
| 3 | 60 | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 4 | 60 | 100 | 300 | 300 |
| Break | 90 | |||
| 5 | 60 | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 6 | 60 | 200 | 500 | 500 |
| Break | 15 | |||
| 7 | 60 | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 8 | 60 | 400 | 800 | 800 |
| Break | 15 | |||
| 9 | 60 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |