Seat 7: Noel Gaens, 57, Heers, Belgium - 1,720,000
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This is Noel Gaens’s second EPT, as he also competed in one of the first EPTs in Dortmund. He plays a whole lot of poker, but is by no means a professional, running his own building firm with a staff of 40. He considers poker a hobby but it's lucrative and he’s enjoyed a lot of cashes in his "career."
Gaens has been playing poker since 1995 and used to travel frequently to Germany in the early years because poker wasn’t on offer in Belgian casinos. However poker is now way more popular in Belgium and Gaens is a regular cash game player at the PokerStars-affiliated Casino de Namur.
On Day 2, Gaens tripled up (with trips over trips) and hasn't looked back since, although he admits he got lucky several times. Gaens says he isn't easily intimidated and isn't afraid of anyone at the final table. “I’m just going to play my own game,” he says.
*Bio courtesy of PokerStars