Main Event
Day 6 Completed
2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
Main Event
Day: 6
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$15,132,000
Entries
1,560
Level
34
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
25,000
Level 34
: 150,000/300,000, 25,000 ante
The 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event has come to a close after an amazing day of action at the final table. Emerging victorious after about 10 hours of play is Galen Hall and he's now $2.3 million richer!
The first player to be eliminated on the day was start-of-the-day short stack Philippe Plouffe. He got all in early on with the 
against Sam Stein's 
. An ace hit on the river and sent Plouffe out the door early on while Stein moved to second in chips.
Max Weinberg was the next to go and he fell after being crippled in a huge hand involving many of the players at the final table. From under the gun, Oliver raised to 250,000 with the 
. Stein flatted in position against Oliver again, this time with the 
. Hall was on the button and went for the reraise to take down the pot with the 
. He made it 735,000 to go, picking up on the play of the other two.
Mike Sowers was in the small blind and picked up on everything that was going on. He took his entire stack holding the 
and shipped it into the middle, moving all in for 3.4 million. Weinberg shipped it in from the big blind after waking up to the 
. Everyone else folded and Sowers and Weinberg were left heads up.
The flop came down 
and kept Weinberg's queens in front. The turn brought the 
and gave Sowers a flush draw to go with his one overcard. The river completed the board with the 
and Sowers nailed the spade he needed. That hand crippled Weinberg and he was eliminated shortly after.
Next to go was Bolivar Palacios in sixth place. After Hall opened with a raise, Palacios moved all in. Hall called him with the 
. Palacios held the 
. A board of 
followed and that was the end of the line for Palacios.
Sowers fell in fifth place at the hands of Oliver. The flop was when the money went in and Sowers was behind. He held pocket fours against the 
for Oliver. The turn and river bricked off and $700,000 was all Sowers would leave with.
While Anton Ionel worked the short stack, Stein got frisky against Oliver and it wound up costing him his tournament life. Stein called off with the only to be dominated by the for Oliver. The 
board was no help for Stein and he was eliminated to give Oliver even more power.
Shortly after Stein fell, Ionel followed him out the door. His 
couldn't best the 
for Hall and out the door in third place he went. With his third-place finish, Ionel did move into second place on the all-time Romanian money list and that set the stage for heads-up play.
Hall entered the day second in chips behind the massive chip leading Oliver. When they got down to two, Hall held 13.1 million to Oliver's 33.395 million. Right off the bat, fireworks struck in a hand that forced Hall to make an amazing fold to save his tournament life.
From the button, Hall raised to 450,000 holding the 
. Oliver defended from the big blind with the and the two were off to the flop. The first three community cards came down 
. Oliver took the lead with the best hand having flopped a pair of deuces. Hall added an open-ended straight draw. Oliver checked and Hall fired 575,000. Oliver made the call.
The turn brought the and paired the board. It also gave Oliver trips and took away the bottom end of the straight draw for Hall. Oliver checked his trips and Hall checked behind.
Jaws dropped and eyes popped from everyone watching the feed as the river hit with the . Hall had made his straight, but Oliver had him notched with a full house. Oliver got sneaky with his full house and checked. Hall fired out a bet of two million and had walked right into Oliver's trap. Oliver thought for a little bit and started to cut out some chips. Then, he moved all in to go for max value and try and end this thing right here. Hall didn't snap-call. He tanked for a few minutes holding the wheel. Eventually, Hall gave it up and made one the best folds we've ever been witness to. Oliver scooped the pot and little does he know how very close he was to winning the event on this hand.
Hall's fold turned out to do more than just keep him alive for a little bit longer. He battled for a few hours with Oliver, but never seemed to get the big push he needed to in order to get back into the game. Finally though, Hall doubled with two queens on the board of 
. Oliver had paid off his river shove holding the 
.
From there, Hall seemed to have new-found confidence and then was able to find another big double after a big flop for both players. Hall flopped top two to Oliver's bottom two on an board. All of the money went in and Hall's hand held up to put him up to 19,7 million, really closing the gap.
On the very next hand, Hall found two black kings and was able to get Oliver to commit all the chips holding the . He doubled again and this time took a massive chip lead with just under 40 million to Oliver's nearly seven million.
On the final hand of the tournament, the two got all the money in with Hall having the to Oliver's . The flop came down to put Hall in the leader and push Oliver out the door. He wasn't able to find any help on the turn () or river () and it was all over. Oliver walked into the final table with a huge chip lead, but was only able to ride it to a second-place finish and $1.8 million.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galen Hall | $2,300,000 |
| 2 | Chris Oliver | $1,800,000 |
| 3 | Anton Ionel | $1,350,000 |
| 4 | Sam Stein | $1,000,000 |
| 5 | Mike Sowers | $700,000 |
| 6 | Bolivar Palacios | $450,000 |
| 7 | Max Weinberg | $300,000 |
| 8 | Philippe Plouffe | $202,000 |
Congratulations to all the finishers, but especially to Galen Hall, the 2011 PCA Main Event champion and winner of $2.3 million in cold, hard cash!
Thanks to PCA official photographer Neil Stoddart for the winner photos.
![[user101598]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 34
: 150,000/300,000, 25,000 ante
On Hand #211 Galen Hall had the button and raised with . Chris Oliver woke up with and moved all in. Hall called.
The dealer rapped the table and delivered a monster flop:
Hall snatched the lead from Oliver, yet he sat calmly in his seat without moving. Oliver was pacing around the table as the dealer delivered the on the turn.
Oliver was now down to two outs; only a queen would keep him alive.
It was not to be for the 21-year old from Florida, the on the river was not enough and Hall was the 2011 PCA Main Event Champion.
Oliver entered the final table as the chip leader and never relinquished the lead until he was heads-up with Hall. He was never afraid to be brutally aggressive and his efforts left him just short of the title and first place prize.
Nevertheless congratulations are in order for the young runner-up. Oliver only had one major cash before this event and now he can add $1,800,000 to his tournament earnings.
Level 34
: 150,000/300,000, 25,000 ante
Both players are winning small pots, and since the big double up no major hands have been played.
Level 34
: 150,000/300,000, 25,000 ante
The hand following the one where he doubled Galen Hall, Chris Oliver raised to 750,000 from the button with the . Hall reraised to 1.9 million holding the and this one looked like it might get big given that Oliver just doubled Hall on the last hand. Indeed, Oliver came back over the top with a four-bet to 4.3 million. Hall studied for a bit and then five-bet for just about the minimum. Oliver quickly shoved and Hall snapped him off.
The pot was worth just shy of 40 million and Hall would earn a commanding chip lead if he were to win this hand. The flop was first and it rolled out 
to keep Hall's kings in front. Oliver still was looking for an ace on the turn or river to win the event.
The turn brought the and now just an ace was needed for Oliver to end the event. The fell on the river and that did it, Hall earned the double up. He moved to just about 40 million while Oliver dropped to under seven million.
Level 34
: 150,000/300,000, 25,000 ante
Galen Hall had the button, opened to 650,000 with and Chris Oliver called with .
The flop fell . Uh oh.
Oliver checked to Hall who continued for 675,000. Oliver check-raised to 1.575 million and Hall clicked it back, making it 2.675 million. Oliver min-raised right back, making it 3.775 million and Hall finally moved all in. Oliver called.
Oliver needed a four or running spades and the on the tun was a great sweat. With any spade or a four Oliver would eliminated Hall and win the 2011 PCA Main Event.
The 
on river was a blank however, and Hall doubled to 19.7 million chips.
Level 34
: 150,000/300,000, 25,000 ante
Chris Oliver had the button and opened to 650,000 with 
. Galen Hall defended with and the dealer flopped .
Hall checked and Oliver continued for 875,000. Hall then check-raised to a massive 3.75 million and Oliver mucked face up.
Level 34
: 150,000/300,000, 25,000 ante
A raise from Chris Oliver to 650,000 came on the button as he held the 
. Galen Hall attempted a three-bet to 1.65 million with the , but Oliver shoved on him and the hand was over.
Level 34
: 150,000/300,000, 25,000 ante
Chris Oliver held the and Galen Hall the on the flop of . Oliver checked with nothing over to Hall who held two pair. He checked behind.
The turn brought the 
and Oliver fired 675,000 at the pot. Hall flatted with his two pair.
The river completed the board with the 
and Oliver checked as if he was giving up. He indeed was giving up because after Hall fired 1.375 million, Oliver quickly mucked his hand.