Another round-up from the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure live from the land of Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie this time bringing you the news of a $100,000 buy-in event reduced to a $50,000 event containing two jokers.
Only two people show up.
A few more stragglers arrive, a pow-wow ensues, and a decision is reached – the thin shoulder blades of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) will slice the buy-in for the final $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em in half. The inferno will rage through 20-minute levels, and the unlimited re-entry rule replaced with a single re-entry should someone end up in hell without passing GO somewhere within the first ten levels.
Eighteen players felt the new way of the world was acceptable, and the game went ahead. At the end of a long day, we had reached a final table that housed the same number of people that had re-entered.
With only five people receiving a reason to celebrate, three were going to be heading to Graceland not realising that Elvis is dead. Dominik Nitsche was the first player to hit the rail when he called Matthias Eibinger’s small blind shove from the big blind. Eibinger held AQ, Nitsche held K9o, and the ace-high hand was the best hand by the time the dealer called time.
Then we reached the money after a double, trouble, rubble, stubble bubble that went a little something like this:
Talal Shakerchi moved all-in for 170,000 in early position, Alex Foxen did likewise for 210,000 on the button, Stephen Chidwick moved all-in from the small blind, and after burning through six-time bank chips, Matthias Eibinger made the call.
On your backs, gentlemen:
Foxen: 8c8d
Chidwick: 2s2c
Shakerchi: AhJd
Eibinger: As9d
Board: Ts9c5s8h2d
Foxen turned a set to eliminate Shakerchi, and then Chidwick rivered a set to eliminate Eibinger. As the winner of the hand, Foxen also took 210,000 from both Eibinger and Chidwick before the British pro feasted on the Austrian’s bones.
Igor Kurganov was the first to fall once ITM after losing a flip AK<QQ against Chidwick despite flopping an ace and a king; Chidwick rivered a third queen. Chidwick then took the game to heads-up when his AsJd eliminated the Kh8d of Bonomo and the K9ss of Foxen.
Chidwick began his heads-up fight with Adams holding a 5,020,000 v 1,480,000 chip lead. The pair decided to add two joker’s to the deck, and agreed upon a deal, with Chidwick earning $423,822, and Adams $350,978, leaving $21,530 up for grabs.
Adams doubled up when his A5cc turned a flush when all-in versus Ad7c and the Canadian cruised into the lead after that point before Chidwick took charge once again when KK met the might of AK. Adams won back-to-back pots to retake the lead before Chidwick shoved the button holding AcJd, and Adams called with a queen and a joker. The board ran out Qh7h4cAs6s to give Adams a set of queens using the joker as the third queen.
The result inches Adams total Live Tournament Money Earned credits to $10,595,891. It’s his fifth win, and his first since beating 34-entrants to win the €50,000 No-Limit Hold’em event at the PokerStars Championship in Prague back in 2017.
Here are the scores on the drawers:
ITM Results
1. Timothy Adams – $372,508*
2. Stephen Chidwick – $423,822*
3. Alex Foxen – $207,040
4. Justin Bonomo – $149,720
5. Igor Kurganov – $121,040
*Signifies a deal
