Tobias Peters Crowned WPTDeepStacks Europe Player of the Year

After eight exciting stops spread across six countries Tobias Peters was crowned the inaugural WPTDeepStacks Europe Player of the Year. The Dutch player managed to cash four times and reach three final tables over the course of the season. His fifth place at the penultimate stop in Deauville saw him overtake Omar Lakhdari in the POY race, and he managed to hold onto it during WPTDS Berlin.

His first final table came in the inaugural WPTDeepStacks Europe event in Amsterdam.

“It seems like such a long time ago,” said Peters. “Even though it was the first of the season, to me it was just like any other tournament. I made a really good run.

Peters came into the final table of WPTDS Amsterdam as chip leader

“I started the final table as the chip leader, so I was a little disappointed that I only finished fourth. It was still a really good result.”

By the time Peters managed his next final table, Omar Lakhdari had recorded back-to-back runner-up finishes at both WPTDS Cannes and Portugal to move to the top of the POY standings.

WPTDS Valkenberg was again held in the Netherlands, but Peters said that it was a “really weird” tournament for him.

“I lost a really big four-way all in on the very last hand of Day 1a so I was left with around 8,000 in chips.

“I decided to put another bullet in on Day 1b and I survived with 50,000. I spent all of Day 2 short, but made a big hero call towards the end which gave me a big stack. After that it was just all about grinding to second place. I wasn’t in any danger anymore.”

Peters (left) pictured heads-up at WPTDS Netherlands with Ioannis Konstas

Peters said that it was only in Brussels where he started to focus on the Player of the Year leaderboard and the prizes that were on offer.

“It wasn’t until the tournament after that in Brussels that I found out what exactly was on offer for the Player of the Year!”

Peters at WPTDS Brussels

Despite not final-tabling WPTDS Brussels, Peters still managed to cash but says he wasn’t disappointed.

“I just look at it from tournament to tournament. It doesn’t matter if it’s a WPT or something else; every tournament you want to make the final table and you want to win.”

Sitting in second place behind Lakhdari, Peters knew he only had two chances left to close the gap. Trailing by just 150 points, he knew that a seventh-place finish would see him take over as POY leader.

Peters at WPTDS Deauville

“I knew it would be difficult so I didn’t even think about making it. Of course I was hoping for it, but I was just playing the tournament [WPTDS Deauville] like every other tournament.

“It was only until I got to the last 14 players that I decided to really nit up to secure the seventh place. It was like a special €20,000 pay jump just for me. Luckily I succeeded and managed to come fifth so I was satisfied.”

Peters made his third final table of the season in Brussels

Leading the Player of the Year standings coming into the final event here in Berlin might have been nerve-wracking, knowing that all former champions had won their seats to the WPTDS Main Event, but Peters says he wasn’t worried.

“I know how difficult it was for me to make top seven, and Omar [Lakhdari] had to do the same. I knew Berlin was going to be bigger and therefore much harder.

As the POY race heated up, Peters and Omar Lakhdari developed a friendly rivalry

“Omar is a really friendly player. He has his own playing style; everything he does is really quick. Sometimes it looks really weird, but it works for him and making two second places is a really big accomplishment so congratulations to him for that.

“Having really only one competitor was nice; yes, there were others who could get it if they won or finished second, but I was 99% sure that I would make it.”

After his nearest competitor was eliminated, with Peters on the rail, his Player of the Year title was confirmed.

“I’m very proud,” he said, “Each year I always try to make the Dutch Player of the Year. I’ve made it for the last two years and although there’s no prize it’s all about the prestige.

“It’s nice therefore to win this POY title and to get the extra €20,000 in prizes.”

Peters at the season-ending WPTDS Berlin

And does Peters have any plans on how he is going to utilise the 15,000 in Main Tour buy-ins and the 5,000 WPTDS Europe sponsorship package?

“I try to win it again!” he said, smiling, “Back-to-back!”