The 12th annual PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event is down to the final six after 18 players busted on Day 5.
The nearly 12-hour session ended with Chance Kornuth compiling 7,860,000 chips, the big stack heading into today’s final table and chance at the $1,491,580 first-place prize.
Kornuth has built-up a resume over the years, taking more than $1.7 million in cashes and claiming a WSOP bracelet in 2010.
However, winning the PCA Main Event would unquestionably be the biggest win of his career.
On Chance’s heels are Kevin Schulz (6.155 million), Diego Ventura (3.98 million), Niklas Hambitzer (3.1 million), Juan Martin Pastor (2.655 million), and Rami Boukai (780,000) as the short stack. 20 minutes remained in Level 29 featuring 40K/80K blinds and 10K antes as play resumed at 1 PM ET.
Day 5 Highlights
Kornuth began the day as a commanding big stack at table 2, but got off to a horrendous start by losing 974,000 chips just an hour into play.
Chance called Juan Martin Pastor’s all-in, but his three of a kind sixes lost to Pastor’s flush.
After being held in the middle of the pack for several hands, Kornuth rebounded off Jim Collopy’s all-in shove, topping his opponent with pocket aces.
Throughout the day, Kornuth expanded his chip lead by playing aggressively before the flop.
The strategy paid off, giving him 110 big blinds at one point, with his nearest opponent at just 45.
Juan Etcheverry, who led the final 57 heading into Day 4, was eliminated in 17th place after two difficult days.
During Level 25, Etcheverry called a 550K all-in move by Rami Boukai with K of clubs and Q of hearts.
After the board gave him nothing, the former big stack was down to just 120,000 chips.
The very next hand he would bust when he moved all-in with K of diamonds and J of spades. The board once again gave him nothing.
Final Six
While EPT events are typically played eight handed at the final table, organizers this year decided to drop down to six, probably a good idea considering last year’s event finished at 5:00 AM local time.
Here is your PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event Final Table:
• Seat 1: Kevin Schulz (6,155,000) is a fairly unknown pro who has amassed $467,654 in live tournament earnings, a total that is set to greatly increase today.
• Seat 2: Chance Kornuth (7,860,000) is the big stack, and one of only two players at the final table with a WSOP bracelet to his credit.
• Seat 3: Niklas Hambitzer (3,100,000) has no live tournament results, and reached the PCA Main Event through a $700 qualifier.
• Seat 4: Diego Ventura (3,980,000) has nearly $1.5 million in online earnings, but just one live cash of $1,043.
• Seat 5: Rami Boukai (780,000) is the short stack, but the former mixed martial arts fighter should still be feared. He’s the other player besides Kornuth with a WSOP bracelet.
• Seat 6: Juan Martin Pastor (2,655,000) has accumulated $36,474 in live winnings and has achieved Supernova Elite status on PokerStars.
With a fairly inexperienced final six, and prize payouts ranging from $285,740 to $1,491,580, the 2015 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event will undoubtedly be a live-changing experience for not just one, but a half-dozen players.
