PCA 2014
Final Day Highlighted By Million Dollar Paydays
Four 7-figure scores at the PCA comes to a close.
The final day of the 2014 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure saw two of poker’s most talented, high profile players chasing both history and massive amounts of money. Mike “Timex” McDonald looked to become the first player ever to win two EPT Main Event titles while the red hot Vanessa Selbst took her shot at winning back-to-back championships in the PCA $25k High Roller.
In what turned out to be a marathon Main Event final table, Mike McDonald would have to wait for another day to make history as stoic Polish professional Dominik Panka would go on to defeat “Timex” heads up to take home over $1.4 million and the title of 2014 PCA Main Event Champion.
McDonald would have to settle for 2nd place, but he too would walk with a 7-figure payday thanks to a dead of night deal made between him, Panka and one time #1 online player on the planet, Issac “WestmenloAA” Baron. When the field narrowed to three, McDonald, negotiated a deal that guaranteed his short stack a $1.09 million dollar prize while Baron, who was sitting 2nd in chips, accepted an over $1.2 million dollar score.
The trio left $100k and the title on the table to play for as McDonald chased history, but after 16 hours it came to pass that the record books would have to wait.
On another table, in another tournament – the $25k High Roller – Vanessa Selbst was pursuing history of her own. Already having logged one of the best PCA’s ever by an individual player, she set her sights on the title of back-to-back High Roller Champion.
With a stacked table in front of her, including 2012 World Series of Poker Champion Greg Merson, Selbst came up just shy of her intended goal falling in 3rd place (her second 3rd place finish of the PCA) and had to watch Jacob Schindler trump Merson in heads up play from the rail.
Schindler would become the 4th millionaire of the day taking home, according to the Global Poker Index, $1.19 million in a chop with Merson that had him walk with a cool million of his own.
With the conclusion of the PCA Main Event Final Table the European Poker Tour turns its attention to EPT Deauville which kicks off on January 22.
Missed the Global Poker Awards? Watch It Free Here!
High Stakes Poker Pro Antonio Esfandiari Kicks Movie Star Kevin Hart's Arse
High stakes poker pro and three time WSOP bracelet winner, Antonio Esfandiari has won yet another prop bet. He took comedian Kevin Hart down in just three rounds, as part of a boxing prop bet.
Lex Veldhuis Ships Sunday Warm-Up Live on Twitch
Last night, Lex Veldhuis took down the PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up Live on Twitch for over $34,000.
#10YearChallenge: PokerStars
Let's have a look at how PokerStars has changed in 10 years.
Just How Much Did Platinum Pass Holders Win at the #PSPC?
PokerStars gave away 320 free entries to the $25,000 buy-in PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) over the course of the previous year via Platinum Passes that after accomodations and spending money were valued at $30,000.
Watch: Crucial Hands at the #PSPC Final Table
In case you missed out on the Final Table stream of the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) event, here are clips of some of the most crucial hands at the Final Table of the event.
Bill Perkins Dishes Out The Wisdom At The PSPC
Joey Ingram sat down with Bill Perkins at the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) for a podcast that would almost hit the three hour mark.
This is Why One PSPC Platinum Pass Winner Tanked Two Minutes with Aces Preflop
With life-changing money on the line, one Platinum Pass winner genuinely considers folding aces pre-flop!
Watch: One of the Best Laydowns at PSPC, and Possibly of All Time
It was during day 2 of the history-in-making $25,000 buy-in PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship when a Vietnamese lady by the name of Thi Xua Nguyen stunned everybody by making this incredible laydown versus Athanasios Polychronopoulos, a Greek-American professional poker player with two WSOP bracelets.
MILLIONS Online Will Return in 2019
A historic moment was created on December 4 as partypoker pulled off an incredible feat by setting the record for the biggest tournament in the history of online poker.
Knitting Mom Scores $30,000 Poker Package
Jennifer Carter knitted her way to a $30,000 Platinum Pass from PokerStars, granting her entry into the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) taking place in the Bahamas in January.
Watch & Learn: Phil Ivey Playing Short Deck Hold'em
Short Deck Hold’em, AKA 6+ Hold’em, is one of the hottest poker variants being played today, and courtesy of these highlights from the HKD 500k ($64k USD) buy-in Short Deck Event at the Triton Poker SHR Jeju 2018 series, you can learn from one of poker’s all-time masters, Phil Ivey.
OP-Poker Takes a Look at PokerStars VR
OP-Poker, a team of Twitch streamers and official ambassadors of PokerStars’ Power Up, was recently invited to have a look at PokerStars’ brand new upcoming Virtual Reality Product PokerStars VR held at EGX conference at Birmingham.
Watch: PokerStars Team Pro Liv Boeree's Recent TED Talk
PokerStars Team Pro Liv Boeree in her latest TED Talk gave a six-minute speech on how poker taught her three important lessons that can be used in life.
Rounders Turns 20
Continuing the celebration of Rounders turning twenty this year, The Ringer now brings us “Going All In: An Oral History of Rounders” —which doesn’t disappoint.
Molly Bloom To Speak At Unibet Open Bucharest
Unibet has announced that the Poker Princess, Molly Bloom, who’s “Hollywood high stakes poker game was the subject of the Oscar-nominated and critically acclaimed film Molly’s Game“ will be their special guest!
ICYMI: Phil Hellmuth's Grand Entrance at 2018 WSOP Main Event
Words escape me. Prepare yourself for the grand entrance from WSOP 14 time bracelet winner, Phil Hellmuth (as captured by PokerNews).
Do You Think This is Collusion?
This story still has the poker community talking. Real life poker couple Kristen Bicknell (who is signed by partypoker) and Alex Foxen made the final table of a tournament at The Venetian in Las Vegas last month. Their alleged soft-play and collusion has the poker community riled up with the likes of Doug Polk and Justin Bonomo still talking about it long after play finished up.
Doyle Brunson Will Retire From Poker After Last WSOP Outing This Summer
*Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson has announced his retirement from poker so that he can spend more time with his wife, who is in failing health.
Watch Chris Ferguson's Nothingburger Full Tilt Statement
It has only taken 7 years for Chris “Jesus” Ferguson to apologise for his part in the Full Tilt fiasco that followed Black Friday. He has finally commented via Vimeo. Check it out below.
Jaime & Matt Staples Win Prop Bet!
A year on from agreeing to a crazy prop bet with billionaire Bill Perkins, the Staples brothers have walked away with $150,000 and won their bet to get within 1 lb of each other.