While the Netherlands is better known for avid cyclists, windmills, wooden footwear, and the party-come-cultural hub that is Amsterdam, the country has produced some fantastic poker players too. This trend should also increase in the coming years thanks to the growth of online poker around the world, while this curated list of online poker sites on TimesUnion shows just how many options are out there. We assess some of the very best to have represented Team Oranje on the poker table.
Jorryt van Hoof
With career winnings that nearly reach $6m, Jorryt van Hoof is arguably the greatest Dutch player ever. Unlike a lot of contemporary poker players, van Hoof still calls his native country home as he still lives in Eindhoven – whereas many of his counterparts have relocated to Monaco or Las Vegas to absorb more gambling culture.
One of van Hoof’s biggest wings to date came in the 2020 Aussie Millions Poker Championship in Melbourne, Australia where he took home a colossal $467,280 in the local dollar currency. Such wins have allowed him to take extended trips traveling the world, something he regularly shares his experiences of on his social media channels.
Jans Arends
After winning the final table at the 29th Event at the 54th World Series of Poker (WSOP 2023), in Las Vegas, Jans Arends became more than relevant in the contemporary poker scene. After all, that saw him earn a crisp $ 2,576,729 from the tournament, catapulting him up the Dutch all-time money list.
The man from Groningen is an incredibly active player as he plays multiple events across various promotions, at one point having an arrangement with GG Poker as one of the brand ambassadors. Arends is incredibly vocal about the state of contemporary online poker as he often uses Twitter, spouting new ideas as to how to stop cheating on the game as well as ways to innovate online poker.
Teun Mulder
Not to be confused with the famous Dutch cyclist by the same name, Teun Mulder, the poker player has been prolific in recent years having won multiple big pots, taking his career earnings over $5m. His biggest haul came in 2022 as part of the Triton Cyprus #2 – $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Eight Max when he won the event and took home $1.9m.
While he’s not won as big in 2023, he is consistently going deep into big tournaments having played well in the Paris series and a Super High Roller event in Barcelona.
Marcel Lüske
Unlike the three other players above Marcel Lüske on this list, Lüske represents a very different generation. Now in his 70s, he couldn’t rely on online poker or massive crypto pots to earn his career $5m+, he had to physically attend games for the most part. This didn’t stop him from dominating European poker in the early 2000s as he was regularly ranked as the continent’s best player during that time.
Lüske gained more popularity through his eccentric dress sense, having seldom been seen outside of a sharp suit and expensive sunglasses. However, he is not a many of singular talent as he enjoyed a successful media career having produced a TV show in the late 2000s where he taught poker skills to Dutch celebrities, as well as later penning several books about poker. He also attained a black belt in karate!
Pieter de Korver
Poker purists and long-time fans will remember Pieter de Korver from 2009 and appreciate his dedication to keep playing poker even with less success than he previously enjoyed. The first event from EPT Grand Final Championship in 2009 saw de Korver take home a delightful $3m.
His subsequent career hasn’t truly followed the same ilk as he’s never broken a million cash again. De Korver has largely continued playing poker and is a regular in both his native Netherlands as well as the poker tables in the Czech Republic.
Rob Hollink
Now aged 61, Rob Hillink is seen by many as the original innovator in Dutch poker. This is because he became the first person from the Netherlands to win a WSOP bracelet when he succeeded in the $10,000 Limit Hold’em World Championship as part of the 2008 event.
Even with his advancing years, Hillink has not consigned himself to the history books just yet as he continues to play on tour events as well as having a strong online presence, especially in WSOP events. While his contemporary results have not been quite as good, he has made it a habit to perform on home soil as he has outclassed competition on WSOP and Master Classic tours when they have visited the Netherlands.
