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The prospect of a $1,820,420 first prize and the title of PCA 2014 champion is looming ever closer for 20 players here at Atlantis in the Bahamas.
The current chip leader is 27-year-old poker pro Madis Muur from Tallinn, Estonia. Muur mainly plays online - in mid-stakes tourneys during the week and the Sunday majors. He only started playing the EPT circuit this season and only plays live if he qualifies - however he has already won seats for three out of four EPTs so far this season and won his PCA seat in a $215 Double Chance Qualifier in mid-December. He had a great run at his EPT debut in Barcelona, finishing 12th for €58,980. His total live tournament earnings top $102k including his victory in the €300 Estonian Championship of Poker 2013 in March for €13,000.
Currently in second place is Canadian pro Mike McDonald. The 24-year-old from Ontario, whose lifetime tournament winnings already total nearly $6 million, first shot to fame in 2008 when he became the youngest ever EPT winner, taking down the EPT Dortmund Main Event for €933,600, aged just 18. He came close to retaining his title the following year, with a fifth place finish. As well as making the final of this PCA's $100k Super High Roller, his phenomenal results also include third at EPT Deauville, bubbling the EPT Madrid final and making the final in both EPT Barcelona Super High Rollers in 2012 and last August.
UKIPT Dublin champion Max Silver, who was last night's chip leader, is also still in contention for the PCA Main Event title, along with WSOP bracelet winner Pascal Lefrancois, LAPT Vina del Mar champion Fabian Ortiz, Dortmund Masters Finale winner Robert Auer, and WSOP November Niner Antoine Saout. All 20 remainng players are guaranteed at least $70,700.
Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst, who finished in 42nd place for $32,000, was the winner of the #PCALastLonger contest.
There were 1,031 players at this year's PCA, creating a prize pool of $10,000,700 with the winner getting $1,820,420 along with a a “Steel and Black” design watch worth €5,550 from SLYDE, the Official Watch Sponsor of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure 2014. 151 players are being paid.
The players hail from 65 countries including 346 Americans who defied atrocious weather in the States to get to the Bahamas. They accounted for 34% of the field, with 143 Canadians also present (14%). See below for nationality pie chart and info graphic on how well Americans have performed at the PCA over the years!
