There is no point in waiting for your ship to arrive unless you have sent one out
There is a Belgian proverb translated into English that says something like this: “There is no point in waiting for your ship to arrive unless you have sent one.” The poker version of this will be “you have to play to win” and that’s exactly what hundreds of players did last weekend in Blankenberge when they stumbled for €550 ($545) to play in the Unibet Belgian Poker Championship.
Blankenberge is an attractive small coastal town located on the northwest coast of Belgium. Before World War I, it was a holiday destination for European royalty and is still very popular among tourists today. The Blankenbergenaars are friendly and welcoming people, and this past weekend they welcomed poker players from the Netherlands, Estonia, Austria, Iran and every corner of Belgium, all vying to become the Belgium Poker Champion 2022.
Break the record for the number of entries
It was the fifth time that this tournament was held, and since it has become a trend of poker events in Europe at the moment, it broke the record for the number of entries. Across three launch trips, the entry fee was paid 650 times, resulting in a prize pool of €325,000 ($322,004). In the end, veteran player Case Aerts triumphed, and the Dutchman defeated Iranian player Peyman Moradi to take home 55,330 euros ($54,820) and the title.
Don’t throw dirt into the well that gives you water
Another Belgian proverb is “Don’t throw dirt into the well that gives you water.” Poker players are very familiar with this, and it has been translated into modern poker as “don’t tap the bowl”. The second day of the Unibet Belgian Poker Championships started with a jam-filled room of 206 players, 95 of whom were winning, and 16 of them reached the third day as they drank deeply from the proverbial well.
Only Dutch poker player Matteusz Moolhuizen, who finished 20th, lost on the final day. The two-time Unibet Open champion is keen to attend all Unibet events, as it is seen as a poker holiday. Talking to VegasSlotsOnline Newsemphasize Unibet’s player-centric approach to live events.
Even when the numbers were record-breaking, they didn’t sacrifice player experience”
“It was a very interesting event. As my friend Delia [de Jong] She explained to me, I finished very early, in 20th place. Unibet credits that even when the numbers were record-breaking, they didn’t sacrifice player experience. Main event was 8 times the entire time. They chose quality over quantity.”
This sentiment was echoed by Unibet’s Head of Live Events Natalie Subaquapirio, who also spoke to VSO . News. She said: “At Unibet, we put the player experience first and it was great to see so many players at the tables after such a long time. It really shows that the poker community in Belgium is very alive. The atmosphere was great and we were so grateful to all the players who chose to play this event.”
Don’t sell the bear’s skin before you catch it
In poker, it’s important not to count the chicken before it hatches, or as the Belgians say: “Don’t sell the bear’s skin before you’ve caught it.” (Yes, I insist on this trick.) Doing a Day 3 is great, but all the big money is on the final table and most of it is concentrated in the top three.
On Sunday, it didn’t take long to reach a final table of nine. In fact, it was all of the pre-flops that accounted for all seven bankruptcies. Tonny Krijn’s pocket scopes, we are not suitable for “Mandrake” pocket handles. The Fokke Beukers followed and had his ace-8 cracked by Moradi’s ten-nine suit. Chris Tice received a bad cadence, pocket money for eight pockets. Then Peter Vermaas turned the ace-queen into the Mandrake ace-king.
Next, it was the Koen Lauwereys who lost his heart, and his King-Jack surrendered to Aerts’ husband of the Sevens. Bart Bormanns are annihilated with the Pocket Queens after the Mandrake Queen brutalizes the King. Then, in the final table bubble, Michael Van Sliming was hit by the rail after the ace-jack failed to beat the ace-king of Bryan de Riddere.
He who does not desire small things does not deserve great things
With the final table set, Tournament Director Kenny Hallart introduced the players and the battle between the nine optimists began.
Tom Lenaerts was the first person to fail, running an ace-ten into the aces of Yves Vloebergs. Moments later, the Vloebergs picked up aces again but lost this time to the larger Aerts group that carried the ace-queen on the KT-6-J-5 board. Nicholas Joseph Robert came out seventh after losing with the Queens of the Pocket to the King of the Mandrake.
Short stack Martin Verhagen was broken into sixth, and his captor slipped to 6-5 from my target. Shortly thereafter, a similar fate befell the mastermind King Kevin Whittak, who was won three times by the morady ace-9. Then came Bryan de Riddere’s short stack, taking his chance with a 9-7, but Aerts made the call with an ace-two, which held up. Suddenly, there were only three players left, but Aertes was turning the nail, putting distance between himself and his two opponents.
In a huge bowl, Aertes made four-kings against Moradi. Then shortly thereafter, Mandrake was introduced to a cooler, running the Ace Queen in the King of Ace Arts to bankruptcy in third place. This means that Aerts had a major lead in the 7:1 chip, which put him in a short fight. Beyman succeeded in hitting a single double, but later it all came to an end as Artes once again held the ace-king in exchange for the ace-six dominated by Murad.
€55,330 is the biggest payday for Aerts’ poker career, with €55,000 (US$54,493) exceeding his score when he won the WPT Valkenburg Main Event in 2014. The Belgians say…
“He who does not desire small things does not deserve great things.”
Belgian Unibet Poker Championship Final Table Results
1. Bag Aires – 55,330 euros
2- Peyman Moradi – 34,380 euros
3. “Mandrake” – 23.710 euros
4- Brian de Reddy – 17,560 euros
5. Kevin Vitak – 13,510 euros
6. Martin Verhagen – €10,390
7. Nicholas Joseph Robert – 8,310 euros
8- Yves Flüberges – 6,650 euros
9. Tom Linerts – 5320 euros
