PokerStars’ staff and poker dealers have left the Atlantis in the Bahamas. Poker tables and chips are in storage, rooms have been cleaned, and poker players are on to the next tournaments. The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is over.
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The inaugural PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) is in the history books, and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event crowned its champion. Ramon Colillas won the PSPC for $5.1 million on a Platinum Pass freerolls, and Chino Rheem claimed $1.5 million for the Main.
But players traveled to the Bahamas for more than just those two tournaments, as the PCA offered more than 40 events, including four other high-stakes tournaments classified as high rollers.
Sam Greenwood Wins PCA $100K Super High Roller
The first high-stakes tournament outside of the PSPC started on the day of the PSPC final table. The $100K buy-in Super High Roller brought in 61 players to create a prize pool of $5,918,220.
Day 2 played down toward the final table, and with the 10th place elimination of Alex Foxen, that table was set. However, with only eight places paying, action was tense on that bubble until Gregory Jensen busted in ninth place. Soon after, Stephen Chidwick left in eighth place, then Steffen Sontheimer in seventh, and Igor Kurganov in sixth. That left five players to return the following day.
Chris Hunichen was the chip leader, followed by Henrik Hecklen, Jesus Cortes, Sam Greenwood, and Talal Shakerchi. Not long after Day 3 began, though, Greenwood doubled through Hunichen, and when Shakerchi pushed all-in, Greenwood called and busted him in fifth place. Hunichen doubled through Hecklen twice to stay alive, and the latter doubled through Cortes. But Hunichen tried again against Greenwood but failed, leaving the tournament in fourth place. Greenwood then busted Cortes in third, and it didn’t take long for him to eliminate Hecklen in heads-up play.
1st place: Sam Greenwood (Canada) $1,775,4602nd place: Henrik Hecklen (Denmark) $1,284,2603rd place: Jesus Cortes (Spain) $828,5604th place: Chris Hunichen (US) $627,3405th place: Talal Shakerchi (UK) $485,3006th place: Igor Kurganov (Russia) $378,7607th place: Steffen Sontheimer (Germany) $301,8208th place: Stephen Chidwick (UK) $236,720
On January 12, the $50K High Roller was set to play out in just one day, and it did just that. There were 26 entries, including eight reentries, which created a prize pool of $1,274,130.
When the final eight players took to one final table, Igor Kurganov held a significant chip lead, and Justin Bonomo followed in a distant second. Kurganov started strong, and Tim Adams doubled through Talal Shakerchi, leaving the latter with little more than two big blinds, but he did double through Alex Foxen to stay in. Dominik Nitsche busted first, and a big hand for Foxen eliminated Shakerchi in seventh and Matthias Eibinger in sixth. That burst the money bubble.
Stephen Chidwick took control and busted Kurganov in fifth place, and he then got involved in a massive hand that resulted in Bonomo out in fourth place and Foxen out in third. Chidwick held a sizeable chip lead over Adams, but he doubled through Chidwick, at which point the two agreed to a deal. Each player agreed to an amount that corresponded with their chip counts, and they left $21,530 and the title for which to play. Adams quickly took the lead when play resumed, though Chidwick doubled back into the lead. When Adams jumped ahead again, he took that lead straight to victory.
1st place: Tim Adams (Canada) $372,5082nd place: Stephen Chidwick (UK) $423,8223rd place: Alex Foxen (US) $207,0404th place: Justin Bonomo (US) $149,7205th place: Igor Kurganov (Russia) $121,040
Justin Bonomo Wins PCA $25K Single-Day High Roller
The players flocked to this tournament on January 13 in greater numbers than the previous day. The end result was 47 entries, including 15 reentries, and a $1,128,470 prize pool.
Nine players eventually took seats at the final table, but not all of them were to be paid. Pablo Cabrera was the first to depart, followed by Henrik Hecklen, and then Mikita Badziakouski busted on the bubble.
Justin Bonomo took the lead quickly and then eliminated David Peters in sixth place. Nick Petrangelo left in fifth place, and Bonomo sent Igor Kurganov out in fourth. Jesus Cortes was accumulating a good amount of chips until Steffen Sontheimer doubled through him. But Bonomo doubled through Sontheimer, and the latter busted moments later, courtesy of Cortes. Bonomo took a slight lead into heads-up play and increased it, but Cortes doubled through. That didn’t stop Bonomo, who quickly chipped up again and then ousted Cortes to claim the win.
1st place: Justin Bonomo (US) $383,6502nd place: Jesus Cortes (Spain) $265,2003rd place: Steffen Sontheimer (Germany) $169,2804th place: Igor Kurganov (Russia) $129,7805th place: Nick Petrangelo (US) $101,5606th place: David Peters (US) $79,000
A more relaxed structure for the final high roller of the series brought well over 100 players into action, and with reentries, the total entries sat at 162. The resulting prize pool was $3,849,930.
Day 2 of the tournament moved toward the money bubble in the evening hours, and Mike Watson was the unfortunate bubble player, out in 24th place. James Romero was the first to cash in the event for $44,660, and others who followed before play stopped included Rob Hollink, Dario Sammartino, and Jesus Cortes. Of the 12 remaining players, Thomas Muehloecker and Markus Durnegger held the two top leaderboard spots.
The first player to go on Day 3 was Nick Petrangelo, followed by Kelvin Kerber, Max Silver, and Sam Greenwood. The final eight players then took to one table, from which Davidi Kitai was the first to bust in eighth place. Sean Winter was next in seventh, after which the action slowed. Martin Zamani struggled but kept doubling, but Tom-Aksel Bedell climbed into a solid lead, though Zamani quickly took it away when he doubled through Bedell. Short-stacked Dominik Nitsche doubled through Bedell, too. Gianluca Speranza soon became the sixth-place finisher, and a big hand saw Zamani bust Markus Durnegger and Bedell at one time.
Zamani had a dominating chip stack, and Nitsche doubled and climbed to get off of a short stack. Muehloecker doubled through Nitsche but busted shortly thereafter in third place. Zamani held a two-to-one lead over Nitsche when heads-up play began, but the latter wouldn’t quit and eventually doubled to keep it going. Eventually, though, Nitsche did fall in second place to give Ben Zamani’s brother, Martin, his first high-roller win.
1st place: Martin Zamani (US) $895,1102nd place: Dominik Nitsche (Germany) $606,3603rd place: Thomas Muehloecker (Austria) $404,2404th place: Tom-Aksel Bedell (Norway) $331,1005th place: Markus Durnegger (Austria) $265,6406th place: Gianluca Speranza (Italy) $205,9807th place: Sean Winter (US) $152,4608th place: Davidi Kitai (Belgium) $112,040
