$10,300 Main Event
Day 6 Completed
2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
$10,300 Main Event
Day: 6
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
Buy-in
$10,300
Prize Pool
$5,645,400
Entries
582
Level
32
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
25,000
Level 32
: 100,000/200,000, 25,000 ante
The 2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $10,300 Main Event began with 582 players, but after six days of play, only one remained in Argentina’s Maria Lampropulos, who took down the prestigious title for $1,081,100 and a coveted $30,000 Platinum Pass.
It was the second seven-figure score for the 36-year-old Lampropulos, who became the first woman to win the PCA Main Event in its 13-year history. Back in April 2017, she topped a field of 1,204 entries to win the partypoker Millions Live for $1,255,004.
"I feel very, very happy. I know that it's incredible. It's great," she said after the win.
It was an impressive run for Lampropulos, who finished 55/341 in chips on Day 1, and then cracked the top 18 on Day 2. She then finished sixth, second, and third in chips in the three subsequent days leading up to the finale.
The win brought her lifetime earnings – which only date back to 2014 – up to $2,794,574 and moves her into third on Argentina’s all-time money list behind Nacho Barbero and Ivan Luca, the latter being her longtime boyfriend.
"I am extremely grateful for the people who believed in me, especially my boyfriend," she said. "Ivan always trusted me and helped me to improve and grow. Whenever I had doubts about how I'd played a hand, he helped me regain my confidence by telling me that I can get it."
Fun Fact: In 2016, Lampropulos and Luca played heads-up in a 682-player field in the Eureka Poker Tour Season 6 King’s Casino Event #8: €1,100 NLHE. The two chopped with Luca getting the title for $115,649 and Lampropulos earning $103,907.
2018 PCA Main Event Results
| Place | Player | County | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Maria Lampropulos | Argentina | $1,081,100 |
| 2nd | Shawn Buchanan | Canada | $672,960 |
| 3rd | Koray Aldemir | Germany | $481,560 |
| 4th | Adrian Mateos | Spain | $372,600 |
| 5th | Daniel Coupal | Canada | $293,560 |
| 6th | Christian Rudolph | Germany | $229,760 |
On Day 6, it took just six hands for the first player to fall. That is when Lampropulos opened holding pocket sixes and called when the short-stacked Christian Rudolph jammed with ace-eight. Lampropulos flopped a set, and Rudolph was sent out the door in sixth place for $229,760.
On Hand #16 of the final table, Canada’s Daniel Coupal, a wheat and lentil farmer, defended his big blind against World Poker Tour champ Shawn Buchanan. Coupal, who had eight-four suited, checked the king-high flop and Buchanan bet. Coupal bluffed at it by check-raising all in, but unfortunately for him, Buchanan had a king to make the easy call. Coupal earned $293,560 for his fifth-place finish.
Next to go was 2017 GPI Player of the Year and three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Adrian Mateos, who was the last former PokerStars Main Event winner in the field. The Spaniard began the final day as the chip leader, but he fell back to earth before getting it in with Big Slick on a king-high flop against Buchanan’s diamond flush draw. The turn hit Buchanan, and Mateos had to settle for fourth place and $372,600. Not too shabby considering on Day 5 he sat dead last in chips among the final 18 players.
The three-handed play was an extended affair, which wasn’t surprising considering two of them had played for and won seven figures before. We already talked about Lampropulos’ previous score, while Aldemir took $2,154,265 for finishing third in the 2016 WSOP $111,111 One Drop High Roller (he also won the 2017 Triton High Roller Series Paranaque City for $1,292,509). As for Buchanan, he has won high six-figures several times in the past, including the $768,775 he got for winning the 2007 WPT Mandalay Bay Poker Championship.
Finally, on Hand #96 of the final table, Koray Aldemir shoved the button with king-seven suited and Buchanan called with ace-eight suited. An eight on the flop and another on the turn left Aldemir drawing dead, and he was bounced in third place for $481,560.
Shawn Buchanan, a six-time COOP winner on PokerStars where he plays under the moniker “buck21,” took a 2-1 chip lead into heads-up play, but lady luck would favor Maria Lampropulos. She got it in twice in three hands, both times with overs to Buchanan’s pocket pairs. She won both races to take the lead.
In what would be the last hand of the tournament, which took place on Hand #107 of the final table, Buchanan got it in good with king-five but failed to hold against the ten-seven of Lampropulos after a ten hit the flop. Buchanan lost three flips to bust in second place, though he had a $672,960 consolation prize to help ease the pain.
"I had her down to 2.5 million and then just boom-boom-boom," Buchanan said after his bust out. "Three races and you're out, that's kind of how it goes sometimes."
Congratulations to Maria Lampropulos, the 2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure champion!
| Year | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 221 | $1,657,500 | Gus Hansen | $455,780 |
| 2005 | 461 | $3,487,200 | John Gale | $890,600 |
| 2006 | 724 | $5,647,200 | Steve Paul-Ambrose | $1,388,600 |
| 2007 | 937 | $7,063,842 | Ryan Daut | $1,535,255 |
| 2008 | 1,136 | $8,562,976 | Bertrand Grospellier | $2,000,000 |
| 2009 | 1,347 | $12,674,000 | Poorya Nazari | $3,000,000 |
| 2010 | 1,529 | $14,831,300 | Harrison Gimbel | $2,200,000 |
| 2011 | 1,560 | $15,132,000 | Galen Hall | $2,300,000 |
| 2012 | 1,072 | $10,398,400 | John Dibella | $1,775,000 |
| 2013 | 987 | $9,573,900 | Dimitar Danchev | $1,859,000 |
| 2014 | 1,031 | $10,070,000 | Dominik Panka | $1,423,096 |
| 2015 | 816 | $7,915,200 | Kevin Schulz | $1,491,580 |
| 2016 | 928 | $4,500,800 | Mike Watson | $728,325 |
| 2017 | 738 | $3,376,712 | Christian Harder | $429,664 |
| 2018 | 582 | $5,645,400 | Maria Lampropulos | $1,081,100 |
![[user270022]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 32
: 100,000/200,000, 25,000 ante
Hand 107: Shawn Buchanan limped with the 
and Maria Lampropulos shoved with the 
. Buchanan took a moment before making the call and putting his tournament life on the line.
Lampropulos spiked a ten on a 
flop to take the lead. The 
fell on the turn and the 
on the river sealed the victory for Lampropulos.
Buchanan earned $672,960 for his runner-up finish while Lampropulos banks a whopping $1,081,100 and the title of PCA 2018 Main Event champion.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
17,460,000
3,910,000
|
3,910,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 32
: 100,000/200,000, 25,000 ante
Hand 105: Shawn Buchanan limped with the 
and Maria Lampropulos checked her option with the 
. The flop came down 
and Lampropulos check-called a bet of 250,000.
Lampropulos checked again when the 
hit the turn and Buchanan continued with a bet of 675,000. Lampropulos moved all in and Buchanan folded.
Hand 106: Lampropulos opened to 650,000 with the 
and Buchanan folded.
Level 32
: 100,000/200,000, 25,000 ante
Hand 102: Maria Lampropulos was on the button with the and just limped. Shawn Buchanan, who looked down at the 
in the big blind, moved all in and Lampropulos called off for 3.5 million.
It was a flip, and Buchanan was looking to hold to stay alive. That proved easier said than done as the 
flop paired Lampropulos. Neither the 
turn nor 
river helped Buchanan, and he sent some chips across the table.
With that double, Lampropulos chipped up to 7.05 million while Buchanan dropped to 10.4 million.
Hand 103: Buchanan limped with the and Lampropulos, who had the in the big blind, and she checked to see the 
flop. Lampropulos checked and Buchanan, who flopped two pair, bet 250,000. Lampropulos folded.
Hand 104: Lampropulos picked up the on the button and raised to 550,000. Buchanan thee-bet to 1.2 million with the . Lampropulos paused for a bit before moving all in for 6.75 million and Buchanan snap-called.
It was another flip, and once again Buchanan was looking to hold to win it all. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't do it as the 
flop paired Lampropulos' ace. The turn left Buchanan looking for a nine on the river, but it wasn't in the cards as the 
bricked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
13,550,000
10,170,000
|
10,170,000 |
|
|
3,900,000
-9,750,000
|
-9,750,000 |
|
|
||
Level 32
: 100,000/200,000, 25,000 ante
Hand 97: Shawn Buchanan opened to 500,000 and Maria Lampropulos folded.
Hand 98: Lampropulos limped and Buchanan checked bringing a 
flop. Both players checked and the fell on the turn. Buchanan bet 275,000 and Lampropulos called.
The 
completed the board and Buchanan bet 875,000 forcing Lampropulos to fold.
Hand 99: Buchanan opened to 5000,000 with the 
and Lampropulos called with the 
. Buchanan fired again when the flop came 
and Lampropulos folded.
Hand 100: Lampropulos limped with the and Buchanan checked holding the 
. A 
flop fanned and Buchanan check-folded to a bet from Lampropulos.
Hand 101: Buchanan limped with the 
and Lampropulos checked with the . The flop came down 
and both players checked to see the on the turn.
Buchanan bet 250,000 and Lampropulos made the call. The hit the river giving Buchanan quads and Lampropulos check-called a bet of 550,000, mucking when she saw the bad news.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
13,650,000
1,875,000
|
1,875,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
3,380,000
-2,295,000
|
-2,295,000 |
Level 32
: 100,000/200,000, 25,000 ante
The final two players are now on a quick 10-minute break while tournament officials get ready for heads-up play.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,775,000
195,000
|
195,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
5,675,000
-150,000
|
-150,000 |
Level 32
: 100,000/200,000, 25,000 ante
Hand 96: Koray Aldemir was on the button and moved all in for 3,525,000 million. Shawn Buchanan was in the big blind and opted to make the call.
Koray Aldemir:
Shawn Buchanan: 
Aldemir was a 2-1 underdog and in need of some help. He didn't get any on the 
flop, which paired Buchanan.
The 
turn improved Buchanan to trips, and that left Aldemir drawing dead. The meaningless 
was run out on the river and the young German headed to the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,580,000
3,505,000
|
3,505,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level: 32
Blinds: 100,000/200,000
Ante: 25,000
Level 31
: 80,000/160,000, 20,000 ante
Hand 92: Koray Aldemir open-jammed with the in the small blind and Maria Lampropulos thought for two minutes before Aldemir called the clock.
Lampropulos would make end up making the call with , putting herself at risk.
The board ran out 
and Lampropulos scored a massive double up.
Hand 93: Shawn Buchanan was given a walk.
Hand 94: Buchanan limped in with and Aldemir checked with the . The flop came down 
and Buchanan's bet of 200,000 was called by Aldemir.
The fell on the turn and both players checked to see the on the river. Buchanan bet 325,000 and Aldemir called, winning the pot with his pair of nines.
Hand 95: Aldemir limped in with and Lampropulos checked her option with the 
. A flop fanned out and Aldemir continued with a bet of 200,000. Lampropulos called to see the on the turn.
Aldemir checked and then folded when Lampropulos bet 500,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,075,000
1,145,000
|
1,145,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
5,825,000
3,675,000
|
3,675,000 |
|
|
3,550,000
-4,580,000
|
-4,580,000 |
|
|
||