Joep Van Den Bijgaart

A pro poker player from the Netherlands, Joep Van Den Bijgaart studied Facilities Management at college before turning to the game that would soon make him his living. He started playing poker with friends and began to realise that he had a natural flair for the game. After reading a few strategy books and making his first deposit online, he was quickly turning a profit and hasn’t looked back since.

He’s a regular name in PokerStars biggest online tournaments, and officially arrived on the scene with an impressive cash of $23,250 when he finished in sixth place in the PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up, October 2008. He then won $69,234 for a runner-up spot in the PokerStars Sunday500 tournament. There have also been significant cashes and deep runs at major live tournaments around the world. Joep finished 34th at the Deauville leg of the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) in January 2009, followed later in the same month by a second place spot at the Dom Classics event on home soil. Later in 2009, Joep went to Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker* and made the final table of a $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout event, good for $18,136.

In his spare time, Joep likes chilling with friends and watching football. He is also a published poker author, contributing strategy and advice on a regular basis to various websites. Joep says he is proud to be on the team of elite players that represent his country at events around the world and online. He plays at PokerStars using the screen name ‘Pappe_ruk’.

Career Highlights