The fourth annual Belgium Poker Championship took place at Casino de Namur, Belgium from Nov. 15 to 23. The €1,500 + €150 main event attracted 843 players, breaking all records for the largest field in Europe at a €1000 plus event. It bumped the previous record — last year’s EPT Monte Carlo — off the scale by just one player. This resulted in a top prize of €315,875, which was won by Sijbrand Maal from the Netherlands, after he beat Irishman Colm O’Brien heads up.
The final hand of the night came when Maal limped preflop with Q
8 and was faced with a raise from O’Brien to 180,000, which he called. On a flop of 108
7, Maal checked and O’Brien went all in with A-K. Maal insta-called, and the turn fell the 2
. The river then brought the 6c and Maal took the pot with a pair of eights.
The final table payouts were:
1. Maal Sijbrand (Holland) – €315,875
2. Colm O’Brien (Ireland) — €202,980
3. Jolmer Meelis (Holland) — €101,980
4. Michel Fontenoy (Belgium) — €75,980
5. Carlo Giovanni (Belgium) — €55,980
6. Fabrice Vreux (Belgium) — €40,980
7. Gaetano Di Salvo (Belgium) — €30,480
8. Xavier Closset (Belgium) — €20,480
9. Kristof Segers (Belgium) –€15,380
10. Alain Dubreuille (France) –€12,280
