After Many Close Calls, Andrejevic Wins First Title at WPT Amsterdam; €200,000

  Season XIV was filled with close calls for Andjelko Andrejevic. The Serbian-American professional poker player reached two final tables, finishing third in WPT Maryland and fourth in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star, and also bubbled the final table of the WPT Borgata Poker Open. His 2,200 points in the Hublot WPT Player of…

Matt Clark
May 14, 2016

WPT Amsterdam Winner
 

Season XIV was filled with close calls for Andjelko Andrejevic. The Serbian-American professional poker player reached two final tables, finishing third in WPT Maryland and fourth in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star, and also bubbled the final table of the WPT Borgata Poker Open. His 2,200 points in the Hublot WPT Player of the Year race were more than Season XIII winner Anthony Zinno racked up, but alas, Mike Shariati won the WPT Legends of Poker, finished runner-up in the WPT L.A. Poker Classic, and was awarded the Hublot WPT POY crown with 2,450 points.

Andrejevic jumped back on the horse in Season XV, crossing the Atlantic to the picturesque nation of Holland to compete in WPT Amsterdam, and five days later he put the close calls behind him. Andrejevic topped a field of 318 entries and a tough final table that featured the aforementioned three-time WPT Champion Zinno to finally secure his nameplate on the venerable WPT Champions Cup. He also earned €200,000 and a seat in the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions.

 

Zinno nearly captured his fourth WPT title, receiving a fortuitous double up during four-handed play with ace-five suited against the pocket kings of Andrejevic. Zinno even flirted with the chip lead during three-handed play, but he ran a small ace into ace-jack and was eliminated.

WPT Amsterdam Final Table

1. Andjelko Andrejevic, €200,000
2. Tomas Fara, €143,300
3. Anthony Zinno, €90,460
4. Emrah Cakmak, €67,300
5. Senh Ung, €50,518
6. Hans Bosman, €40,396

With six players returning to action at the Holland Casino, all eyes were on three-time WPT Champions Club member Anthony Zinno as he looked to win what would have been a record fourth Main Event title. But while Zinno was dreaming of history, everyone else was looking to book their maiden WPT title, and all six players looked desperate for the win.

One observer in the Holland Casino had a special reason to be on the rail – he was here to see who would take his crown from last year. Farid Yachou not only won the WPT Amsterdam Main Event last season, but the recent WPT Tournament of Champions in what was only his fourth ever live tournament. The friendliest WPT Champions Club member in any cardroom was on hand to tell us his thoughts on the action.

With the average stack at the start of the final table around 30 big blinds, it wasn’t long before we lost our first player. Hans Bosman was the longest-lasting Dutch player in his home country tournament, but when he moved all-in with AhKh in hand #7, he was called by Zinno, whose TsTh held through the board of 9d8h4s2d5s. Bosman cashed for an impressive €40,396.

Just nine hands later, Senh Ung followed him out of the door with €50,518 softening the blow, after the British-based player was all-in with TsTd and was outdrawn by Andjelko Andrejevic, whose Jd hit a jack on the board of Jc8c7sQdQc to bring about four-handed play.

With play slowing down, overnight chip-leader Andjelko Andrejevic was stretching away from the others, with Zinno and Fara clear of Emrah Cakmak. After seeing a hand he was massive favorite in on the flop turn into a hop after the river, Cakmak decided the time was right to get his chips into the middle on hand #43, moving all-in from the button with Ah6c . Unfortunately for him, Tomas Fara had AcJh and that held through the 4d3sQd8d3s board to bust Cakmak in 4th Place for a cash of €67,300.

With a trio of players now remaining, a power battle emerged between Zinno and Andrejevic, which the latter ended up on top in after some feisty skirmishes. That proved pivotal when Andrejevic raised to 225,000 with 8s6d, prompting a move all-in from Anthony Zinno for his final 1,785,000 with Ac2h. But the three-time champion was caught in a trap by Tomas Fara, who held pocket aces and his re-shove was folded by Andrejevic. Zinno busted on a Qh4h7s2sTd board, and we were heads-up after 78 hands.

Going into heads-up with a slight lead, Andjelko Andrejevic lost it a couple of times, but each time he did drop back to even or slightly behind Fara, Andrejevic pushed harder, and eventually built himself into a 3:1 chip lead that told. After a mammoth yet at times cagey heads-up battle, the duel ended in the 161st hand when Andrejevic shoved with 8h7c and Fara called off for his tournament life with Kc9h.

The flop put the Serbian in control, after it came Jd6d8c as he paired his eight, and through the turn of 5s and river of 8sconfirmed Andjelko Andrejevic as the WPT Amsterdam champion.

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