Athlete Rob Hollink Focuses on Professional Poker
What Rob Hollink really wanted in life was to become an athlete. He was very much serious in playing basketball, football, and tennis during his younger years but he would always suffer an injury, preventing him to pursue a career in any of such sports. Perhaps, suffering injuries from such sports was somehow a blessing in disguise. It allowed Rob Hollink to learn some gambling activities at a young age. As a matter of fact, this poker professional was only fourteen years old when he experienced winning the jackpot prize from playing the slot machines. From that day on, Rob Hollink knew that he would want to become a professional gambler.
Born in Enschede in the Netherlands on March 27, 1962, Rob Hollink's determination to become a professional gambler led him to become skillful in playing almost all casino games, including roulette and blackjack. Although he knew how to play poker, it was one particular casino game that he did not frequently play. He would only be engaged in a poker tournament in Amsterdam only once a year and then would play other gambling activities as often as he could.
But one poker event in Amsterdam in 2001 changed everything as far as Rob Hollink's view of poker is concerned. He played the HFI 400 Pot Limit Omaha game of the Master Classics of Poker 2001 tournament and won first place. He did not only take home US$37,187 but he also left his opponents and all poker fans watching the game in awe as he defeated poker professional Dave Ulliott.
Rob Hollink has been playing poker professionally ever since his victory in 2001. It was the start of his career in poker and since then, he has really been playing such gambling game well. As a matter of fact, he has started to become a threat to poker professionals every time he positions himself at poker tables.
In 2002, Rob Hollink joined a €500 Pot Limit Omaha event of the Austrian Masters tournament that was held in Vienna, Austria. In such event, this poker professional won €25,220, which was equivalent to US$23,523 at that time. In 2003, Rob Hollink also participated in a €3,000 Pot Limit Omaha event of the Euro Finals of Poker tournament conducted in Paris, France. His prize money was €122,400, which was equivalent to US$131,798. In 2004, this poker professional also joined a €250 Pot Limit Omaha event of the World Heads-Up Poker Championship in Barcelona, Spain, wherein he won €23,000 or US$27,855.
Rob Hollink has also experienced several money finishes at poker events conducted by the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour.
Among all the achievements of Rob Hollink, the most notable one was his victory at the €10,000 European Poker Tour Grand Final that was conducted in Monte Carlo, Monaco in 2005. In such event, this poker professional was able to defeat two hundred eleven poker professionals and was able to receive the cash prize of €635,000 or US$845,190.
Well, Rob Hollink may have not succeeded as a basketball player or a football player or a tennis player, but he has definitely excelled in being a professional poker player.
