The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure has an uncanny habit of unearthing new talents. All of the former champions John Gale, Ryan Daut, Steve Paul-Ambrose, Poorya Nazari, Harrison Gimbel, Galen Hall and John Dibella recorded the primary major score in their careers in Paradise Island, each outlasting stacked fields and terrifying final tables to prevail.
Tonight, we will add to their ranks a tender Polish player named Dominik Panka, who upset all of the form books, in addition to the history writers, to win one of the crucial toughest finals ever witnessed at the tour.
Mike McDonald was expected to become the primary two-time EPT champion, and the purist would have settled for an excellent return to action from Isaac Baron. Because it was, the watching poker community was left with a guessing game on their hands. Just who was Panka, specifically on the online tables, where his brilliant game had quite clearly been honed?
He had qualified on PokerStars -- we knew that -- but had kept his online handle secret. However the likes of Isaac Haxton, commentating for PCA Live, was confident we were watching the play of 1 of the actual anonymous greats of the net world transferring his talents to the bricks and mortar environment.
"Obviously, I'm a web based player," Panka, 22, said. "I BEGAN playing live tournaments last year. Each day I sat down on the table, I USED TO BE somewhat nervous, but then all that pressure came off. It's weird, but I DID NOT feel an excessive amount of pressure. I USED TO BE very confident in my game."
Panka took on and bettered Baron after which McDonald, taking the biggest slice of a three-way care for the 2 established superstars. Then with $100,000 left to play for, and the all important title, Panka didn't let up.
Baron bowed out and McDonald swung right into a chip lead. But Panka wrestled it back at the 244th hand of ultimate table play, winning a huge flip with pocket nines against the K♣J♠ of McDonald. After that, Panka ground down McDonald, the last adversary of a few 1,031 others who assembled for this tournament this week, and snatched the highest prize.
Panka is the primary champion from Poland and is $1,423,096 richer. He's also out of the shadows and now has as much chance as anyone to become the primary double EPT champ.
Make no mistake, by the way, this was no fluke. Panka gained the real admiration of all who watched him, including people who remained on site through a grueling three-hour heads up session on the end of a 16-hour final table.
"I've run really expert this week," the defeated McDonald said. "IT IS A sweet begin to the year. Obviously I wish I'd won, but (Panka) played really well."
The final table convened at 1pm and was broadcast continue to exist PokerStars.tv. Everyone fascinated by the development -- the players, organisers and tv crew alike -- knew this was going to be an extended one, with a glittering field sharing bundles of chips between them.
Fabian Ortiz, who once won an LAPT event after getting back from lower than one big blind, was a few of the most active players within the early stages of this final table. But it surely almost seemed as if he was more well-off with a micro-stack. He couldn't get a hand to face up and none of his bluffs were working, which left him with the fewest chips of the eight.
When he finally found a sound hand -- A♠K♥ -- his neighbour McDonald had Q♥Q♠. They got all of it in pre-flop and the pocket pair held up. Ortiz bade farewell in eighth, winning $173,220, and we were suddenly at the way.
The next pot of note was an absolute corker, arguably the primary major turning point of the day. In these relatively early stages still, with seven players remaining, Madis Muur, an unflappable Estonian, and McDonald had swapped the chip lead between them, but not by much. That they had also largely stayed away from one another, judiciously opting to pick out at the other, smaller-stacked opponents.
That's when the poker gods intervened and dealt McDonald A♣K♠ and Muur Q♠Q♦ with the previous at the button and the latter within the small blind. Things were always prone to get interesting, but this exceeded expectation.
McDonald opened with a regular min-plus raise. Muur three bet to 310,000 after which McDonald four bet to 700,000. Within the EPT Live commentary booth, Tom Hall, who had finished tenth on this tournament, was dumbfounded. "I CANNOT really put myself in Mike's head," Hall said. "For me to take a look at and understand his level..." Hall tailed off.
Muur needed to attempt to do battle with McDonald. He five bet to 1.275m. "Playing a 14 million chip pot could be completely absurd at this stage within the tournament," Hall said. "There are still seven in."
He added: "It's stomach-crunching. It really hurts even fascinated by this spot."
McDonald didn't just think. He actually did. He moved all in for 6.73m, which at this stage was slightly not up to Muur. He was willing to gamble for his tournament life, his two-time dream and, of course, the huge chip lead.
Muur was anguished after which it suddenly dawned on everybody that he could also be preparing to fold his queens. He sighed and flipped over his cards, showing how big his pass was.
"Bad fold probably," Muur said. McDonald didn't reply.
"I'm speechless," Hall said within the commentary booth.
McDonald therefore assumed the chip lead and it will last for approximately another 50 hands. But during that period, which also incorporated a dinner break, Baron began his steady move up the leader board. Baron, with all of the experience of the bright online grinder, picked up a succession of small pots, resulting in the instant when he was dealt A♦K♣ when Pascal LeFrancois had 6♠6♥.
LeFrancois opened, Baron three bet, LeFrancois, the tournament short stack at this stage, shoved. Baron waited for roughly the time it takes to head during the downward motion in a blink of an eye, and the cards were on theirs backs by the point the eyelid was back in place.
The 9♥Q♣T♣ flop ostensibly missed Baron, but he picked up more outs. The A♥ at the turn left LeFrancois denuded. The player who famously posed for his World Series of Poker bracelet photo along with his top off, skulked out of the room fully clothed and $242,020 richer. Baron, meanwhile, was the chip leader for the primary time within the tournament.
Shyam Srinivasan is likely one of the only players on the earth who can match Baron for online poker success. He has greater than $7m in tournament winnings at the virtual felt and was having something of a breakout performance at the live circuit together with his measured journey to the general table.
But there's nothing anyone can do -- either live or online -- to conquer a foul run of cards. And Srinivasan went out in fifth upon getting a brutal beat by the hands of Panka. The Polish player had pocket tens to Srinivasan's pocket jacks. But a 10 popped out at the flop and that was the tip of Srinivasan. He took $328,020, greater than thrice his total live event cashes to date.
Panka, meanwhile, was now starting his roll.
There we were with five players left and there have been still as many players from both Estonia and Guatemala as there have been from the us. However, the American, Baron, was now within the chip lead, with the 2 representatives of the smaller countries in fifth and fourth spots.
That, indeed, was exactly where they might exit.
Even before a card was dealt today, Daniel Gamez was thus far sooner than all other Guatemalan players within the country's all time money list that there wasn't even an all time money list published anywhere to be seen. Because the table grew slightly short handed, Gamez found himself repeatedly with smaller pairs to his opponents, trimming his chips further and further.
He eventually got them in against McDonald. A DEADLY move on the better of times. In this occasion he had the percentages stacked against him with Q♥T♥ to McDonald's T♦T♠ and after the dealer completed the formalities, McDonald's hand was stretched around the table to shake that of Gamez.
Gamez had achieved much here within the Bahamas this week, including sending numerous graphics teams in desperate search of the icon of a brand new flag. More pertinently, he had also earned himself $447,040, and played superbly. We were right down to four.
Baron continued his effortless control of the general table, even taking over McDonald and edging during the 10 million chip mark. The one player going backwards at this stage was Muur, who was now within the unfamiliar position of short stack. He got his chips in with Q♦T♣ and bumped into the resurgent Panka's A♥K♣.
Muur took $581,040 and an extended and lonely walk down the catwalk on the front of the stage with the echoes of deal negotiations ringing in his ears.
Baron, Panka and McDonald desired to have a look at the numbers. "THE WAY IN WHICH Panka is playing, I DO NOT BELIEVE he should surrender any money," said Tom Hall, back within the commentary box, and seeing the Polish player with the chip lead for the primary time today. They examined a chip-chop after which an ICM break-down. It didn't take long to come to a decision an equitable arrangement. Panka was going to win the PCA, no less than in financial terms.
They agreed at the following payouts: Panka - $1,323,096, Baron - $1,207,599 and McDonald - $1,064,865. They might play on for $100,000 and the trophy. And the title, of course.
Baron was creating a long-postponed return to the high stakes tournament tables. Three or four years ago he was one of the most productive players within the world, but had gone back to university and had migrated to the large cash games of late. However, he had clearly kept all his skills intact and cards up broadcast permitted us to peer just how brilliant he still was.
One fold with pocket queens, in particular, was sensational. There has been a small bet from McDonald on a board showing two eights and Baron skittered away, correctly. However, along with his stack dipping to the third largest from the 3 remaining, Baron got all his chips in with K♦Q♥.
Panka called with A♠9♠ and Baron let loose an enormous laugh when the flop came 7♠T♠3♠, ending it immediately. Baron's return to the tournament scene netted him $1,207,599 and offered a gradual reminder to the arena that Isaac Baron has not gone anywhere.
That left us with two, and a titanic heads up battle. The $100,000 for which they were still playing was perhaps secondary to the acclaim of winning this thing. Yet each man applied himself as though it was still $2m at the line. Although supporters started to wilt and backers drifted away, neither McDonald nor Panka let up.
On this occasion, it was Panka's day. There has been that giant flip, which gave him the entire momentum. After which McDonald desired to dance with 7♣4♣ against Panka's A♦2♣. There was, of course, some drama. The flop helped Panka, coming 2♠5♠J♥, but McDonald flew into the lead at the 7♥ turn.
But finally we were going to seek out a champion when the A♣ popped up at the river. Panka and Poland had prevailed.
"My mind and body targeting being a rock, a statue," Panka said, who only slightly began to thaw after a remarkably icy performance. "I CANNOT dance with joy. I'm still in that mindset that I MUST be concentrated."
One suspects so one can shift sometime tonight.
PCA 2014 Main EventDate: January 7-13, 2014Buy-in: $10,300Players: 1,031Prize pool: $10,070,000
1 - Dominik Panka, Poland, PokerStars qualifier, $1,423,096*2 - Mike McDonald, Canada, PokerStars qualifier, $1,064,865*3 - Isaac Baron, USA, $1,207,599*4 - Madis Muur, Estonia, PokerStars qualifier, $581,0405 - Daniel Gamez, Guatemala, $447,0406 - Shyam Srinivasan, Canada, PokerStars qualifier, $328,0207 - Pascal LeFrancois, Canada, PokerStars player, $242,0208 - Fabian Ortiz, Argentina, $173,220
*denotes a three-way deal
It was a large day on the PCA. Kathy Saraf became the primary two-time ladies event champion. Then Jake Schindler out-lasted Greg Merson and Vanessa Selbst to win the High Roller.
Those High Rollers were actually playing poker in Ole Schemion's living room, where Sarah Grant's blooper reel was at the TV.
We caught up with tales from the nosebleeds, courtesy of Ville Wahlbeck, and the bleary eyed patrons of last night's players' party.
And because the PCA wound down, we decided that everything must go.
That is now the tip of that. Enjoy on reflection through all our coverage from the PCA and join us in Deauville in a few weeks.
Meanwhile, if you happen to see a Polish man looking to fit this in an overhead locker of a plane back to Central Europe, help him out.
Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: PokerStars Caribbean Adventure]
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