Constant Rijkenberg is the EPT San Remo champion

Constant Rijkenberg is the EPT San Remo champion

Saturday, 25 April 2009

Constant ‘The Butcher’ Rijkenberg is €1,508,000 better off after winning the latest leg on the European Poker Tour in San Remo yesterday. The Dutchman beat a whopping field of 1,178 players in the €5,300 buy in event.

The win marks an amazing turn of fortune for Rijkenberg, a 20-year-old economics and business student. After turning pro less than a year ago he proceeded to rapidly lose all of his bankroll. Luckily for him he found a high stakes cash game where he won back €30,000, enough to start working his way back up the professional ladder.


Heading in to the final table Germany’s Dragan Galic was the big story, having held the chip lead every day until the start of the final table. It wasn’t to be for the 36-year-old though as he was eliminated in fifth place after his pocket nines went up against the Rijkenberg’s AQ. The flop came JK10 giving the eventual winner a Broadway straight and a massive cheap lead.


Rijkenberg isn’t the only person delighted with his victory. He sold a 50% share in himself at the start of the tournament giving his backers a very nice pay day.


The final positions and payouts were as follows:

1 - Constant Rijkenberg, Holland, €1,508,000
2 - Kalle Niemi, Finland, , €862,000
3 - Gustav Sundell, Sweden, €480,000
4 - William Reynolds, United States €377,000
5 - Dragan Galic, Croatia, €314,000
6 - Ovi Balaj, Romania, €229,000
7 - Alex Fitzgerald, USA, €171,000
8 - Danilo D'Ettoris, Italy, €114,000


The EPT now heads to Monte Carlo for the Grand Final next week.



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