The 38-year-old player David ‘Chino’ Rheem from Los Angeles, who is a three-time World Poker Tour (WPT) Main Event champion, has added yet another major poker accomplishment to his ever-growing poker portfolio. The player outlasted a strong field of 865 entries to take down the 2019 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) $10,300 buy-in NLH Main Event, taking home a whopping $1,567,100 prizemoney as the newest PCA champion. This was the fifth 7-figure score of his poker career, and it saw his lifetime live poker tournament earnings cross the $10.2 million mark.
Rheem dominated the final table action of the 2019 PCA Main Event from start to end. He came into the day as the chip leader with six players remaining. He sent all his five opponents at the final table to the rail to bag a massive chip stack and eventually take down the title and the first-place prize.
The first player he busted was 2015 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open main event winner Brian Altman. Altman holding Ad 3d 4-bet all-in over the top of a 3-bet from Rheem. Rheem holding Qd Qh made a quick call. Altman failed to improve and went out taking $297,020 as the sixth-place finisher. Rheem then eliminated Spain’s Vicent Bosca (5th place for $396,880) and Ukraine’s Pavel Veksler (4th place for $503,440) to eventually enter the 3-handed action with 60% of chips in play.
The next major showdown took place when Rheem holding Ac 10d called the all-in of Scott Wellenbach,who had shoved for 1,790,000 with Kc Qh. While the flop K-8-7 gave Wellenbach the lead, the turn Jd and the river 9s gave Rheem straight to eliminate Wellenbach in 3rd place.
After that, Rheem took over a 4-to-1 chip lead into heads-up action against Daniel Strelitz, who battled it hard but could not go all the way. Strelitz had to finally settle for $951,480 for his deep run.
The heads-up play lasted only seven hands. With blinds running 80,000-160,000 and a big-blind ante being of 160,000, Strelitz shoved for 3,590,000 holding As 2s. Rheem quickly called with 5s 5d. The board ran out Kh Jc 10c 3h 10s, giving the pot as well as the PCA Main Event title to Rheem.
Final Table Results (USD):
- David “Chino” Rheem – $1,567,100
- Daniel Strelitz – $951,480
- Scott Wellenbach – $671,240
- Pavel Veksler – $503,440
- Vicent Bosca – $396,880
- Brian Altman – $297,020
- Mihai Manole – $208,920
- Marc-Andre Ladouceur – $146,840