Dutch News

Controversial Close to the Master Classics of Poker
When the main event of the Master Classics of Poker, held in Amsterdam last November, finally reached the heads-up stage, things were looking good for the organising staff of Holland Casino. A week of great poker was about to conclude, and players and staff were happy with the smooth way in which things had gone. But as the battle between Trond Eidsvig and Michael Martin for the title and the €100,000 that they left in the middle went on, it started to look like this tournament wasn't going to be able to finish in time.

In time? Yes, Holland Casino has to close its doors at 3 a.m., or someone we don't know sitting behind a desk somewhere is not going to like it when he hears about it the following day. I came across this unfortunate aspect of tournament poker in Holland in 2006, when I was heads up with Micha Neuteboom in one of the side events on the final day of the Master Classics of Poker. In order to finish in time, the 30-minute levels were reduced to 10 minutes, but I wasn't to complain, as they did add a second dealer to the table to compensate. Of course, they weren't ashamed to keep reminding us repeatedly of the fact that we really had to finish up before closing time, making it nearly impossible for us to focus on the game. That they completely ignored the fact that besides the money, the title and the trophy might actually mean something to us, and was definitely worth playing for, was disgraceful, to say the least.

Now, back then, we were playing for only a couple of thousand euros. Imagine sitting there and playing heads up for €100,000, and the same thing happens to you. What would you do? It was allowed for the players to come back the next day and finish the tournament, but that wasn't exactly the climactic finish to the tournament festival that the television crew and the tournament directors had envisioned, so for them, that wasn't really an option. After all, the conclusion of the tournament had to be broadcasted on national television the very next day, so from where they stood, delays were not possible. There was a deadline to be made.

The tournament went on a short break, during which the two players were secretly urged to get it over with, already. Even though you might tell them to mind their own business if this would happen to you, it will still affect your game. It surely affected Michael Martin, who was visibly and understandably outraged when they returned to the table. Soon after that short break, he made a couple of suboptimal decisions, and the tournament was quickly over, with Trond Eidsvig emerging victorious and Holland Casino and the production crew breathing a sigh of relief.

In the aftermath, word got out as to what happened, and logically, people weren't pleased, to say the least. Presence of the media should never influence the outcome of a tournament, especially if the players don't get anything for it in return. Do you think an American and a Norwegian care about being on Dutch TV so much that they're willing to turn the most important heads-up match of their careers into a "flipament?" I highly doubt it.

Belgian Poker Championship Title Returns Home
The Belgian Poker Championship was held again in November, and this time the city of Namur played host to the nine-day battle for the title of Belgian Champion. Last year, the title went to Holland when Marc Naalden won the event, and this year, our neighbors weren't planning on letting that happen again.

A total of 800 players were to be bested this year, a huge increase in the number of players who participated in 2006. And with the buy-in raised to €1,650, the prize pool exceeded €1.2 million, which enticed more than two dozen Dutch players to sign up, after hearing Naalden's success story from last year.

Unfortunately for the orange-loving crowd, almost all of them failed to adjust to the Belgian playing style and the unique betting structure, the combination of which required a lot of improvisational skill.

Only two Dutch players managed to reach the final day, but failed to clinch the title. Lex "RaSZi" Veldhuis had to settle for a disappointing 18th place, after holding the chip lead from the start of day one, and Thijs Wessels saw his short stack finally disappear when they were sixhanded. After that, it was an all-Belgian final, from which Jamel Maistriaux emerged as the new Belgian Champion, after eliminating Kevin Spiessens in second place. I can't help but think that the €300,000 meant more to him than the title.

They continued playing until hours after closing time, by the way.

Dutch Poker Stars Easy Prey for Rob Hollink
As Dutch TV is currently being flooded by poker shows, it has become quite difficult to come up with new concepts that the poker-loving couch potato might like. It's always a good idea to look at the broadcasts from the U.S. for inspiration, and soon enough, one was found after watching the Tournament of Champions show from 2004.

The idea to invite the best Dutch poker players to sit down and play a single-table tournament might not be very original to us, but it might still work for the viewing public, so it was quickly brought to life. It took more than four months to find a solution for the problems with the restricting Dutch laws on playing outside of Holland Casino, and to determine who the chosen nine would be, so the question of how to actually have some good poker was moved to a secondary list of objectives.

While the studio looked great, with the large crew, the expensive equipment, and, more importantly, an excess of food, the tournament structure was something even Holland Casino would be embarrassed about. It was clear that we would have a maximum of 30 minutes of "real" poker, which would allow for maybe eight hands, after which it would rapidly become your average turbo-all-in crapshoot. The real "Dutch star" of poker would be the one who could most effectively shove his chips into the middle and subsequently win a series of inevitable all-in showdowns.

So, viewers who were looking for extremely interesting high-level hands between Marcel Lüske, Rob Hollink, Noah Boeken, Thierry van den Berg, Jorryt van Hoof, Steven van Zadelhoff, Lex Veldhuis, Eric van der Burg, and myself were greatly disappointed. But don't worry, an all-in fest can also be very entertaining, which is what television is all about to begin with.

Needless to say, push-or-fold specialist Rob Hollink won this one with his eyes closed.

Peter Dalhuijsen is a professional poker player who writes for PokerCollege.nl.