Top 20 Finalists: Koen de Bakker (koendb)

Chances are you should be a little scared if you end up in a Sit & Go with the Netherlands' Koen de Bakker (koendb). Topping the S&G Leaderboards was how he earned his ticket to Live the Dream. Just last year, Koen qualified for the WSOP Main Event by climbing the Everest Poker Steps alongside Team Everest's Steven van Zadelhoff. “We played a bunch of Step 6 S&Gs together until we both qualified,” Koen says.

Splitting his time up between the tournaments and the cash game tables, koendb has always been dedicated to improving his all-around poker skills. Like many of Everest's top players, Koen honed his skills at the Shasta freerolls, steadily built his initial bankroll with tourney play for about six months until graduating to $25 NLHE and eventually $1000 NLHE 6-max cash games.

“I've tried other poker sites, but always came back to Everest. For me, Everest Poker is like home,” says Koen. “I enjoy the variety of the tournaments, the cash games, and especially the live event opportunities offered to players.”

In addition to playing his first WSOP, Koen took his seat in nine other international tournaments spanning the globe from nearby Amsterdam to far-away Asia during 2009.

In the relatively short time Koen has been laying the groundwork for a solid career in poker, he has also been working towards the completion of an economics degree. It's not difficult, Koen says. Because it has made him a better student. “Poker sharpens my mind. It helps me study better by keeping me focused. And there are many things about poker and economics which are similar.”