After our initial interview in a back hallway at Atlantis, we gave 2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure winner Betrand "ElkY" Grospellier some time to breathe. Now, we've asked him to write a little bit about what his first major win meant to him and his poker career.
by Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier
The PCA is always a special tournament for poker players, especially because the location is so great and because there are so many online qualifiers and the atmosphere is very special. Players are usually much younger, too, and I know many more of them as we always play with each other on PokerStars.
The tournament was pretty much a very smooth ride for me, except the end of day 3 where I lost a huge pot with AQ to JT to put me in the bottom of the crowd. Fortunately, I managed to double up twice in a row on my big blind and small blind, the second time eliminating my fellow member of Team PokerStars Pro, Hevad Khan. I feel great about the way I played overall. With the exception of the AQ hand, everything really went my way this tournament.
ElkY
I was able reach the final table second in chips, and was surrounded by the two players I respected the most. Joe Elpayaa and David Pham were on my immediate left and right, and respectively third and first in chips. I knew we were going to be the three most fearless players at the table. I was was fortunate to have great timing and capture the chip lead early on by eliminating two other players.
Then I caught a big hand in a blind vs. blind battle against David Pham which really slowed him down against me. Joe got in some bad situations, too, and found himself short stacked pretty early. I was able to defeat his KJh with my AQo. I was more focused than ever before on this final table.
Pham was the next one out, after losing a bunch of small pots. His elimination was a huge relief for me Finally, I ended up heads up with the chip lead. I was being very aggressive from the very start and won a couple of nice pots against Hafiz Khan. I could feel he was ready to make a move on me. When I made my standard raise of 400,000 on the button and he shoved, I asked him how much it was. He was almost stuttering after realizing his mistake.
I insta-called and was relieved when he sheepishly turned over 93o. The board came 7524. When I saw the four of hearts rolling on the river, I was overwhelmed with joy and satisfaction. All my friends rushed towards me to congratulate me.
It will be engraved in my memory for ages to come.
by Brad Willis and Howard Swains Photography by Neil Stoddart
Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier was a pro-gaming star before he was a PokerStar, but celebrity is not what gets him out of bed in the morning. It's the competition. It's the winning. He was the first PokerStars player to achieve VIP Club Supernova status. He was the first PokerStars player to reach the Supernova Elite level. Second place, as far as ElkY is concerned, is barely worth the work.
"When you get second, people forget about you really quickly," he said.
And he knows how it feels. It's not been too long ago that ElkY got heads up at EPT Copenhagen with every confidence he would win. There were few people in the room that had any doubt. That night, it didn't happen.
"I was devastated," he confessed.
Despite being a feared tournament player and prized member of Team PokerStars Pro, ElkY was still in search of that elusive big tournament victory, a first place finish that would validate every bit of effort he put toward the game. When he came to the PCA, he wanted nothing but to win.
"If there was one tournament other than the World Series main event that was the most important," he said, "this was it."
Tonight, ElkY left the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure tournament stage and fell into a sea of celebrants and fans. Within seconds, flash bulbs strobed on his sunglasses and hugs covered every part of his body. A public relations executive grabbed him by the hand and dragged him through the room, where people called out congratulations in French and applauded loudly. Seconds later, ElkY was in a quiet hallway, like a rock star just coming off stage.
He looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath.
"I cannot believe it yet," he said.
Just moments before, he had won the $2 million first prize in the fifth annual PCA.
2008 PCA Champion, Betrand "ElkY" Grospellier
The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is a story of maturation. It was cute in its infancy on a cruise ship at sea in the Caribbean. It was impressive in its adolescence in the World Poker Tour days. Now, as a top European Poker Tour event, the PCA has become one of the biggest high stakes tournaments in the world.
When the event began, 1136 players filled the Atlantis Grand Ballroom. It took two days to fit everyone in and five days to cull the field to the top eight players. And what a final eight they were. From online prodigies to seasoned live tournament veterans, the PCA final table was immediately recognized as a place where real poker would shine. With a $2 million first prize on the line, there was little doubt about how serious the day would be.
Half the field here qualified for the event on PokerStars. By the time the final table was set, the eight players were guaranteed no less than $150,000, and all but one of them, ElkY, had qualified via PokerStars satellite.
A measured start fit well into the sleepy quiet morning. By midday, though, the players had their caffeine and were ready to go to work.
Some people might describe Richard "Ricky" Fohrenbach as diminutive. At one point last night, the TV crew gave him a pillow so he would sit high enough in his chair for the cameras to see him. Though he is an adult, he seems to revel in his youthful looks and getting carded when he buys drinks. His elfish spirit seemed to guide him at the table. Always smiling, the guy everybody calls Ricky seemed to determine to go big or go home today. He started well, doubling up with jacks against Joe Elpayaa's tens. His only mistake was imploring, "One time!" during the hand. Sure enough, his next big hand was jacks again. This time, he was up against ElkY's AK. A king on the flop spelled the end of Ricky's day. He finished in eighth place, earning $150,000.
Richard Fohrenbach--Eighth Place--$150,000
That particular hand marked the beginning of ElkY's rise to the chip lead. Having just defeated pocket jacks, ElkY picked up a pair of his own and made them hold up. This time, he was up against Christian Harder's pocket sevens. Harder qualified for the PCA in a $650 satellite. He began the day on the shortest stack and missed his chance to double early. When he couldn't catch up to ElkY, he finished in seventh place and won $200,000, the biggest win of his young poker career.
Christian Harder--Seventh Place--$200,000
ElkY, it appeared, could not be stopped. Having sent two consecutive players to the rail, ElkY got settled into the chip lead. In a battle of the blinds with Elpayaa, ElkY raised with AQ and then called one million more, the amount of Elpayaa's all-in. Elpayaa held KJ. Neither hand improved and Elpayaa went out in sixth place, a $300,000 cash.
Joe Elpayaa--Sixth place--$300,000
At a rather aggressive table, Craig Hopkins was the exception. It will take a review of the EPT broadcast before we know for sure. Regardless, Hopkins barely played a hand today. Whether he was card dead or simply happy to climb the money ladder, Hopkins sat quietly until he was down to around 600,000 chips. He got them in once to steal the blinds and antes. The second time he tried it, he got all-in with Kd8d. He ran into David Pham's TT. Pham flopped a set and made the king on the turn irrelevant. Hopkins patience led him to a fifth place finish and $450,000 payday.
Craig Hopkins--Fifth place--$450,000
At the beginning of the day, David "The Dragon" Pham was the odds-on favorite to win. He had more live tourney experience. He had more final table experience. He also had a commanding chip lead. It would prove to not be commanding enough. Throughout the day, Pham's stack and good fortune went in the same direction. By late afternoon, Pham had become one of the shorter stacks at the table. It had been 24 hours since he had laid an exceptionally bad suckout on Paul Holup. Now, Pham was to be on the bad end of the stick. This time, he flopped two pair and played it slow. When the turn brough a second diamond, Pham check-raised all-in and ElkY called with Ad2d. The seven of diamonds on the river was enough to take the fire out of the Dragon. He finished in fourth place, earning $600,000.
David Pham--Fourth Place--$600,000
Kris Kuykendall celebrated his 25th birthday yesterday. He gave himself the gift of a final table. Today, he realized that gift was the gift that keeps on giving. The one-time business student didn't have an exceptionally active day. Regardless, he managed to fight his way all the way to third place. The denouement was his KQ not catching up to Hafiz Khan's Ah7h. For third place, Kuykendall earned $800,000.
Kris Kuykendall--Third Place--$800,000
After Kris finally succumbed, it was left to two of the tournament's undoubted heavyweights to slog it out. ElkY, the Team PokerStars Pro Member from France, had been here before but come up short. His second place in Copenhagen season three might have been an advantage but it may also have been an albatross. Who could tell, but with 13,000,000 in chips, he was in pole position.
Hafiz Khan, meanwhile, had come to the final table fourth in chips, but had prospered behind an aggressive approach, particularly where the short-stacks were involved. A pro for two years, Khan was not intimidated, but he'd never been this deep in a live tournament before. Khan had 9,000,000 and it was an intriguing match up.
There was also the real money to think of, of course. With two million on offer for first and a little more than half that for the runner up, there was plenty to play for. The players took a protracted break to gather their thoughts before returning to the stage and the stands now packed with supporters, ready to watch the crowning of the new champion.
They didn't have to wait long.
After the regulation jabbing, the first big pot went ElkY's way, when he slow-played an ace on an A-A-Q board, eventually prising about 1.5 million from Hafiz, the largest chunk with a 1.1 million bet on the river. Then there was that hand, the one that makes both champions and regrets.
ElkY raised, Hafiz jammed, from the big blind, handing the decision back to the leader. Any top player makes a lot of decisions like this, though, and they're right, more often than not. So it was in this case, as ElkY called with his pocket eights. Khan had made his play but had been caught: he could only muster a nine-three.
There was an anxious flop, turn and river, but the nine was nowhere to be seen.
A Gallic roar emanated from the bleachers as ElkY took it down. One for France, one for Team PokerStars Pro. And one in the win column for Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier.
Hafiz Khan--Second Place--$1,094,976
ElkY came to this tournament as a new man. He'd lost 60 pounds in a $75,000 weight loss bet. Low carbs, a good doctor, and what he described as "good discipline" netted him the win in that contest. Tonight, he leaves the PCA a new man. He is no longer only a pro-gaming champion. He is a poker champion.
Betrand "ElkY" Grospellier is the champion of the 2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.
Many thanks to Howard Swains, Neil Stoddart, Michelle Willis, and the PokerStars support team, including Bryan, Jose, Gareth, and Andrew for their work on the PokerStars Blog this week. Additional thanks go to John Smith for his technical support and B.J. Nemeth for his cooperation and professionalism. --Brad
All Level 28 news will be updated here. The blinds and antes are 80,000/160,000/20,000. If you're refreshing on a regular basis, the latest information will be at the top. All Level 27 action can be found HERE.
Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier wins the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, and $2 million.
Hafiz Khan eliminated in second place, winning $1,094,976 End of the road--That's it. The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is done. At the end, it was a bluff gone awry for Hafiz Khan in a brief heads-up joust. ElkY, with the chip lead, raised 500,000 pre-flop; Hafiz pushed all in from the big blind. ElkY dwelt for a moment, but not quite as long as you might think for a $2 million decision. Obviously he had some read of Hafiz and called, flipping 8-8. Khan was caught and meekly tabled 9-3. The board bricked and ElkY's eights were good. The Team PokerStars Pro member from France is the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure champion. Bien, bien ElkY!
Back in action, ElkY playing strong--After a long break, the players are back. In opening actiion, ElkY slow-played an ace on a JAA flop and pulled more than one million out of Khan's stack. [5:27]
You're missing nothing-- The final two are decided but they're taking a protracted break in preparation for the heads-up dual. We'll have all the action when it resumes.
Heads up-- Two players remain for the money, with Team PokerStars Pro's Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier taking the chip advantage over Hafiz Khan. The approximate counts are 13 million for ElkY, 9 million for Khan. The money is being deposited on the table, and we're shaping up for a big showdown.
Kris Kuykendall is eliminated in third place, winning $800,000
Kris krushed-- The spirited Caribbean adventure of Kris Kuydenhall is over. He was down to his last 1.5 million and was unfortunate not to double up moments before. But then Hafiz Khan raised his blind for the hundredth time and Kris had to make the all-in call with Kd-Qs. He wasn't totally out of it whe Hafiz showed Ah-7h, but the flop was unkind. It came 4d-4h-6h, removing a couple of Kris's outs. Neither the non-heart king nor queen came on the turn or river and ace-high was good for Khan.
Hopkins hopes--Craig Hopkins, the fifth placed finisher here in the Bahamas, has returned to the tournament room to root for one of his final table nemesis. It would be imprudent to say who at the moment, but it's good to see him, and his wife Lindsay, back around the table as they play down to a winner. [4.45pm]
Double-up? No. Chop it--Kris Kuykendall finds a great spot for a potential double-up. He gets his last 1.5 million in with A-Kd and is called by Hafiz Khan with A-5. The board, however, thwarts Kuykendall when it comes Q-A-Q-A-10, giving both players aces full. They chop the blinds and antes, which is not exactly what Kris would have hoped for given his dominance of Khan's hand. [4.35pm]
David Pham eliminated in fourth place for $600,000
Dragon slayed--It took five days before that headline was for real. Now it happens. ElkY raised to 400,000 preflop and Pham called in the big blind with Q5. The flop came KhQh5d. Both players checked. When the Jd came on the turn, Pham checked, ElkY bet 700,000, andand Pham raised all-in for 2,000,000 more. ElkY called with Ad2d and spiked his diamond on he river. Pham is out in fourth place, earning $600,000.
Supernova Shane "fumbo420" Fumerton might remember this PokerStars Caribbean Adventure by the ones that got away: a tournament victory and one really big fish.
I met Shane early this morning, down at the ferry boat dock. He and fellow Supernova Clayton "slammedfire" Mozdzen, Clayton's girlfriend Keli Keyes, and one lucky friend of Supernova Ryan "southside1" Aiken boarded Chubasco III, a 46 foot fishing boat. Shane and Clayton may have been out of the tournament, but that doesn't mean PokerStars couldn't show them a good time. That's one of the reasons it pays to be a Supernova, or at least a friend of a Supernova.
Captain Mike and First Mate Charlton were our crew on this perfect morning. As we pulled away from the dock, there were very few clouds in the sky and the morning air was already warm. It seemed like a perfect day to go deep sea fishing.
Matt Dodd from Austin claimed a spot on the top deck with the captain. As we pulled away from land, I got to know Shane, Clayton, and Keli a bit. First Mate Charlton went about setting up four lines off the boat as we chatted and soaked in the sun.
Matt Dodd on deck
Shane just turned 28 years old on January 3rd. He left Canada for the his third PCA in the Bahamas on the 4th. It was -30 degrees Celcius when he left home. Fortunately, Shane says he doesn't mind the winter in Winnipeg. Chris Moneymaker's breakout victory in the World Series of Poker is what inspired Shane to get into the game. He's mostly an online player, who says he finds it hard to transition from multi-table play on the internet to slower live action. Shane enjoys fishing. He tries to go several times in the summer and ice fishing in the winter. He says if he ever wins the big one, he'll buy a cabin on the lake and fish more often.
Shane, Clayton and Keli went deep sea fishing in the Bahamas last year, but they didn't catch anything. Keli and Clayton got to break the streak first this morning. Our lines caught two fish nearly back-to-back. They reeled them in together. I wish I could tell you I got the money shot of the Supernova and his girlfriend reeling in their fish, but I was busy hanging my head over the side of the boat and emptying the contents of my stomach. Apparently, I'm more of a land person than a choppy seas person. Ace blogger, reporting for duty, sir.
Clayton and Keli each brought in wahoo, fish that can swim up to 75 miles an hour. Our untrained eyes estimated they were in the ten to fifteen pound range, but Matt Dodd says they were smaller. This is our fish tale, though, so we can make them as big as we want, right? All I know is those dudes put up a fight. It wasn't easy to get them in the boat, and once they were there, they didn't want to stay. Keli and Clayton were the victors in the end.
Clayton and Keli
Clayton is 24 years old, and he plays poker for a living. This is his and Keli's second trip to the PCA. They were also at EPT Barcelona. Clayton and Shane met a few years ago after they had both won seats into the World Series of Poker Main Event. They realized they were both going and they lived in the same area, so they became friends. Since then, they've played in many tournaments together. They say they almost always go out of the tournaments on the same day, and sometimes even with the same hand. Ace-King ended their run this time around.
Shane had hoped to catch a big one during his PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, and he almost did. First Mate Charlton says it was huge, a 40 to 45 pounder, and Shane went to work. We all thought he had it when, suddenly, nothing! It got off the line. Shane thought it was something he did wrong, but First Mate Charlton says there was no way he could have gotten that fish in the boat. It was just not Shane's day.
Shane Fumerton
A while later, the brother of the fine woman who organized this trip and many other fantastic things for the Supernovas wrestled a barracuda and won. James Hadley has some experience in the water, and he made it look easy. He also saved me from jumping off the boat by supplying me with Dramamine, so, I owe this trip report to the barracuda-wrestling brother of Joan Hadley. Thank you, fine sir.
James Hadley
So, in the end, it seems fishing is a lot like poker. Sometimes you get the fish. Sometimes the fish get away. And sometimes you miss all the action because you're in the tank. No matter what, though, I bet these PokerStars Supernovas will come out winners in the future, both in the water and especially at the tables.
All Level 27 news will be updated here. The blinds and antes are 60,000/120,000/15,000. If you're refreshing on a regular basis, the latest information will be at the top. All Level 26 action can be found HERE.
Kris continues to climb--On the last hand before the end of the level, all four players go to the flop, calling Hafiz's 325,000 pre-flop bet. The flop comes Jh-5d-2h, checked all round, then the Qh comes on the turn. Again, checked all round, but David Pham bets 600,000 on the 2c river. ElkY and Hafiz fold but Kris calls and shows A-Q, which is good enough to beat Pham's Q-9. The ace plays. That's the end of the level, with chip counts to come.
Short-stack fightback--Kris Kuykendall is battling his way back into contention here. The latest sizeable hand earned him in excess of a million chips, when his ace-three diamonds picked up a flush draw on the turn and made top pair on the river, which turned out to be good enough against a disgruntled Hafiz Khan.
ElkY taking it easy--ElkY is the big stack here, with more than 10,000,000 and he's flexing his muscles whenever he gets the chance. Most recently, Hafiz Khan raised to 325,000 from under-the-gun, and both ElkY and Kris called. The flop was interesting: 9h-10h-4d and ElkY stabbed 450,000 at it. Khan called. The river was also had potential: Ah. ElkY tossed in 775,000 and Hafiz passed, very reluctantly.
Million dollar pot--There haven't been a lot of big hands since these four reconvened, and even a million dollar pot is not that impressive given the chip counts. One of those just went to Hafiz Khan, however, when his kings and queens beat David Pham's kings and sevens. The board was paired, which slowed the action, but Pham's river bet of 700,000 ensured a seven-figure pot. [2.55]
Still here, still four--If you'd like to see a lot of pots being played out live, check out EPT Live. [2:50]
Back in action--We back in action at Level 27. The blinds are starting to get a tad expensive, so the final four are going to have to get to work. [2:36pm]
Final four--As we begin level 27, there are four players remaining. Their names and stacks:
All Level 26 news will be updated here. The blinds and antes are 40,000/80,000/10,000. If you're refreshing on a regular basis, the latest information will be at the top. All Level 25 action can be found HERE.
On extended break--We're on an extended break while the TD and players talk a little about the tournament structure. Chip counts can be found at the PCA Chip Counts page. [2:05pm]
Craig Hopkins eliminated in fifth place, winning $450,000
Folding to big cash--It must've been an exceptionally card dead day for Craig Hopkins. He played next to know hands and those he did were all-ins. He finall put it all in from under the gun with Kd8d. David Pham called in the small blind with TT and flopped a set. Hopkins finished fifth for $450,000.
Craig Hopkins--Fifth place--$450,000
Joe Elpayaa eliminated in sixth place, winning $300,000
Down to five--ElkY's dominance of this final table continues as he ends Joe Elpayaa's tournament. ElkY, with the huge stack, raises pre-flop from the small blind. Joe, in the big, wakes up with Kh-Jh and thinks it's good enough to shove for just more than one million. ElkY calls with A-Q and is never caught by bigegypt, despite vociferous support from the rail. We're down to five, with the bleachers' favourite Elpayaa eliminated..
Joe Elpayaa--Sixth Place--$300,000
Ebb and flow-- Still slow here around the final table, where a pre-flop bet is usually enough to take down the blinds and antea. Sometimes it gets a little further, but not often. The short-stacked Craig Hopkins has been especially quiet, clearly waiting for his chance to double up, but not putting his tournament life on the line just yet. That has meant that his big blind has come under some significant attack from the more comfortably-stacked players, especially David Pham and Hafiz Khan. The other relative short stack is Joe Elpayaa, but he's in a lot more pots, shoving in for about a million more if he suspects he's being robbed. He just found A-K in the big blind and was able to squeeze out both Hafiz Khan and ElkY who had already entered the pot.
Bring the lull--It's only a matter of time before the action gets hot again. For now, it's a tad slow again.
In other news...--It's pretty good to be a PokerStars Supernova. They get treated pretty well here. One crew of them went out all morning on a deep sea fishing trip for free. We had a blogger on board. The story and pictures are coming. I'll leave it to the blogger to decide whether the tales of woe from the Good Ship Pukes-A-Lot get fully told. [12:40pm]
Play about to begin again--The players are on their way back to their seats. [12:39pm]
Chip counts updated--With seven players remaining, Team PokerStars Pro, ElkY, has jumped into the chip lead. For full counts, visit the PCA Chip Counts page.
All Level 25 news will be here. The blinds and antes are 30,000/60,000/5,000. If you're refreshing on a regular basis, the latest information will be at the top. Yesterday's level 24 action can be found HERE.
Level ends--Level 25 is in the books. Chip counts coming soon. [12:25pm]
Christian Harder is eliminated in seventh place, winning $200,000
ElkY runs good--Just a few minutes after beating pocket jacks with AK, ElkY has made jacks hold. Christian Harder pushed all-in with 7s7d. ElkY made the quick call with JhJc. Harder never caught up and is out in seventh place, winning $200,000. That pot very well may have put the Team PokerStars Pro in the chip lead. [12:05pm]
Christian Harder--Seventh Place--$200,000
Richard Fohrenbach is eliminated in eighth place, winning $150,000
Yep, just the one time--Ricky Fohrenbach bellowed "One time!" when he had jacks in the previous hand against Joe Elpayaa's tens. But it was just one time, because two hands later, Fohrenbach found jacks again against ElkY's ace-king. They got it all in pre-flop but there was a king on the flop and Fohrenbach never caught up again. He's out, becoming the eighth placed finisher, and going home with $150,000. We're down to seven, with Pham still leading, but ElkY breathing down his neck, with an approximate $6.8 million.
Richard Fohrenbach--Eighth Place--$150,000
One time!--It's a raise to 160,000 from Joe Elpayaa and a snap all-in from Ricky Fohrenbach. Back to Elpayaa, he barely thinks before announcing a call for 950,000 more. Ricky had jacks, Elpayaa tens. By the river, the jacks had made a heart flush and Ricky is up to about 2.2 million. [11:54am]
Cagey--As predicted, it's been a tight start to the final table. No one is under any immediate pressure, and the all-in merchants have been weeded out of this field. The final eight are happy to make pot-sized bets and play real poker. If anyone has caught the eye it's been Hafiz Khan, who has been making a few moves. He picked up a pot of about 400,000 from Kris Kuykendall with a bet of the Kd turn, pairing the board. Then he picked off a probable squeeze play from Joe Elpayaa, moving all-in after "bigegypt" had reraised to 625,000 pre-flop. [11.45am]
Faces of the final table--Here are the people fighting for the $2 million first prize.
Silent morning--After a week of constant screaming and noise, the Atlantis Grand Ballroom is a little different this morning. The live action hasn't started up yet and the final table is still waking up. Right now, it's possible to hear one's self think. That, of course,is bound to change. The players at the final table have some rowdy sweaters who are bound to shake off the cobwebs soon. [11:24am]
Watch it live--Of course we appreciate you being here. However, if you have access to a good internet signal (and your boss doesn't mind), you might as well watch this as it happens. Check out EPT Live for real-time coverage and commentary.
Dragon's den--This is David Pham's house right now. With a commanding chip lead, a wealth of final table experience, and a morning spent taking aggression pills, Pham is playing the role of the bully. As always, nobody wants to be the first out, or give up too many chips while some shorter stacks are still around. Still, it's only a matter of time before somebody starts looking Pham up.
There are still 11 minutes left of level 24, which we'll be updating in this post. The blinds and antes are 30,000/60,000/5,000. If you're refreshing on a regular basis, the latest information will be at the top. Yesterday's level 24 action can be found HERE.
Done with 24--That level didn't have much time left. We're done and moving on.
Play underway--The final table, albeit a bit late, is underway. [10:58pm]
A reminder of the final table players and their chip stacks:
David Pham 7,390,000
Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier 3,060,000
Joe Elpayaa 2,755,000
Haffiz Khan 2,560,000
Kris Kuykendall 2,150,000
Richard Fohrenbach 1,855,000
Craig Hopkins 1,770,000
Christian Harder 905,000
All the winners so far from the PCA can be found HERE.
The final table of the 2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is scheduled to begin soon. You can follow the action here or at EPT Live. In the meantime, here's a look at the people who will be fighing for the $2 million first prize.
Kris, who turned 25 yesterday (January 9), graduated with a business degree from the University of Cincinatti and coaches wrestling in his spare time. He has only been playing poker for two years and turned pro after six months. He specialises in online cash games – 2/4 and 5/10 No Limit – and when he won his seat to the PCA, it was the first satellite he had ever played. The PCA is also his first ever live tournament but he says he found the transition from online to live pretty easy. This is his biggest result to date. He added: “I’ve had an up and down tournament so far. “
Kris Kuykendall
Seat 2: Christian Harder, 20, USA – PokerStars qualifier - 905,000 chips
Christian Harder, a student from Annapolis, Maryland, is playing in his first live big buy-in event. After studying business last semester at Salisbury University, he decided to take this semester off to play poker. He’s getting off to a pretty good start after qualifying on PokerStars in a $650 multi-table satellite. Known as “charder30” online, Harder is no stranger to tournament poker. He spends most of his time playing the biggest buy-in tournaments online with $8ok in a $1k event his biggest win to date. Although the shortest stack at the table, Harder still feels confident going into final table play.
Christian Harder
Seat 3: David Pham, 41, USA - PokerStars qualifier - 7,390,000 chips
David 'The Dragon' Pham enjoyed having odds on his side at an early age, when the 17-year-old was one of only 46 (out of 145) people to survive a boat journey fleeing his native Vietnam for the United States. He joined the cleaning business of his cousin Men 'The Master' Nguyen, who had registered some success at the Las Vegas poker tables. He studied the game under his cousin and learned well from the master, as he was soon wiping the floor with his opponents at the table. His breakthrough year was 2000, when his consistent performances saw him named Cardplayer's Player of the Year. The following year saw him claim his first WSOP bracelet on the $2,000 SHOE event, and he would add his second in a NL Hold'Em shootout event in 2006. He’s had five WPT final tables in all and two WSOP bracelets. Pham is considered one of the most aggressive pros in the game and lies 23rd on the all-time money list - with $5.4 million in career earnings.
David Pham
Seat 4: Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, 26, France- Team PokerStars Pro - 3,060,000 chips
ElkY was a famous professional gamer until a friend suggested he try his luck at poker seven years ago. He quickly proved his skills by qualifying for the WSOP two years running. He joined Team PokerStars in 2006. Rarely without his trademark sunglasses, poker has proved a profitable career switch for the young Frenchman. In EPT Season 3, he cashed three times including his second-place finish in Copenhagen for €309,000. ElkY is a prolific online player and said: "With gaming, I could practice 12 hours a day, but if I lost the game, the value would be zero. However, in poker every hour has some benefit”.
ElkY
Seat 5: Joseph Elpayaa, 19, USA – PokerStars qualifier - 2,755,000 chips
Joespeh “bigegypt” Elpayaa, 19, from Chicago, has played a few big live events in Europe - including last year’s EPT Grand Final and the Irish Open - but this is his first big cash. Online, he has had a lot of success and says he has won “several “ $100k prizes in various events. Joseph was in the top 1% of those who took the ACT college exams last year but he only attended for a week before deciding to focus on poker. He learned poker in home games with his brother Adam and friends. His preference is cash games but he says “being deep in a tournament beats anything else.”
Craig, a professional sports bettor from Chesterfield in the UK, has been playing poker for years with friends but only four years online. He played in last season’s EPT Grand Final but didn’t cash. He also qualified with PokerStars for last summer’s WSOP but couldn’t go because it clashed with his honeymoon. He said: “My wife Lindsey is here supporting me. She’s been brilliant. I got made redundant from work two years ago and decided to take up sports betting full-time. A lot of girlfriends wouldn’t be happy about that but she has been really supportive.” Craig has also had tons of support from friends and family back home – some friends even had champagne delivered to him at the Atlantis. His friends now call him “The Apple” after a picture of him eating fruit appeared on blondepoker on the first day of the PCA.
Craig Hopkins
Seat 7: Richard Fohrenbach, 20, USA – PokerStars qualifier - 1,855,000 chips
College student Richard, from Milford, Connecticut, says he played around 20 Double Shoot Out satellites for the PCA before finally winning a seat in October. “I came second in one, and then won one later the same day.” He said he doesn’t consider himself a pro but is taking some time off from studying at Boston College to focus on the game. “This is by far my biggest win to date. I’ve only ever cashed once in a live tournament before this, and that was for £2,000.” Richard has already bought in to EPT Dortmund at the end of January, as well as the Season 4 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo.
Richard Fohrenbach
Seat 8: Hafiz Khan, 33, USA – PokerStars qualifier - 2,560,000 chips
Former software analyst Hafiz Khan, from Stockton, Northern California, has been playing poker for four years and turned pro two years ago. Hafiz normally plays online. He said: “I’ve been enjoying the PCA. It’s been long and gruelling, but fun. I expected to do well. This is my best result so far.”
It started with a hula and it finished with a cheer. Forty players entered the Grand Ballroom at noon to find it transformed into a tiki lounge: the colors of the poker chips were matched in the feathers of parrots, the contents of cocktail glasses and the patterns on shirts.
It looked like the set for a party, but there was poker to be played first -- and the serious matter of a prize pool of about $8.6 million to contest.
The tiki bar at the final table of the 2008 PCA
When the final player, William Thorson, busted out at 10.30, leaving eight with a shot for the biggest money, relief was mixed with grenadine and ginger ale and shaken and then stirred. Still remaining in the mix, and those who will comprise our final table tomorrow, are:
Seasoned EPT watchers will notice a familiar pattern. There are a handful of well-known pros, and some internet whizz-kids. Some players fall into both categories.
David "Dragon" Pham, our chipleader, scarcely needs any introduction. He is already a serious force in the major league and has two World Series bracelets and five WPT final table appearances. There's not a lot he doesn't know about the game. He was the chip leader overnight, and even though it slipped during the day, he hauled it back and has done enough to take his place around the EPT final table felt for the first time.
Pham was also responsible for ending proceedings today. It was his pocket aces that bested William Thorson's fours to set our final table.
David Pham
Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, of Team PokerStars Pro, is definitely a player with a foot in both online and offline each camp. He's graduated from the online tables, where he flew to Supernova status in the blink of an eye, and is now a bone fide superstar in the bricks and mortar world. He'll be looking to go one better on his second place in Copenhagen in season two, and seal his place as one of the brightest players on the circuit.
ElkY
As for the others, they all seem to know one another even if the world at large doesn't know them yet.
Joe Elpayaa, or "BigEgypt" on PokerStars, was chewing the fat all day long with Richard Fohrenbach, another big-time online player. Each of them will renew their acquaintance tomorrow. Haffiz Khan has some previous, and has his supporters in the bleachers here.
Joe Elpayaa
Hafiz Khan
Meanwhile, Kris Kuykendall has been at the summit of the leaderboard ever since late yesterday, and he'll be a force to be reckoned with, yet to make a mistake. It's an unorthodox way to celebrate one's 25th birthday, but one we're sure Kris wouldn't trade for any other gift.
Kris Kuykendall
The final spot is taken by Craig Hopkins, a British player who is having his finest tournament to date. Cheered on by wife Lindsay, the serial PokerStars qualifier has gone deeper than ever before.
Craig Hopkins
Of course, in order for these eight to have made it, we lost 32. They included Victor Ramdin, the Team PokerStars Pro member, as well as other known players Eric "Rizen" Lynch and Rhett Butler. Thierry Van Den Berg also took a tumble when his aces were cracked by kings.
Behind all the grass skirts, it was just another day of brutality on the EPT.
Tomorrow, we start early. The cards will be in the air at the ungodly hour of 10am ET. Be sure to check back for the blow-by-blow account of the final table.
We can't end the day without recognizing Dustin "neverwin" Woolf for winning the third annual PokerStars World Championship of Battleship Poker. Woolf won six straight heads-up matches to capture the $48,000 firt prize and gold bracelet. For more on the Battleship Poker Championship, click here.
Woolf and his bracelet
As we close Day 4, see HERE for all the winners so far.
