Canadian phenom Mike McDonald is currently in second place, and looking a very strong contender in the bid to become the first-ever two-time European Poker Tour Main Event champion. 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 the EPT Barcelona Super High Rollers - in 2012 and last August. Like 426 other players, McDonald won his PCA 2014 seat on PokerStars – but he isn’t just any old qualifier - he was actually the very FIRST player win a package, securing his trip in a $700 qualifier back in August last year.
Muur enters the final table as the chip leader with 6,205,000. Hailing from the Estonian capital of Tallinn, Muur is mainly an online player, focusing his attention on mid-stakes tournaments on PokerStars during the week, and the majors on Sunday. This is the Estonian’s first year on the European Poker Tour, as he only plays live if he is fortunate enough to qualify. Muur has already won seats to three of the four EPT Main Events this season, playing in London and Barcelona along with PCA.
Muur finished 12th in the EPT Barcelona Main Event, earning $78,892, and has just over $100,000 in career tournament earnings. He has already doubled that number by reaching this final table, and will be looking for his first seven-figure score on Monday.
Gamez is a recreational poker player who invested some $4,000 in online qualifiers and finally won his trip to the PCA in a $33 unlimited rebuy satellite. A keen golfer, Gamez works as an event coordinator for his family’s radio company in Guatemala and is soon to be a dad in February. The former communications student mainly plays mid stakes multi-table tournaments online. He has been to the PCA three times but this is his first ever live cash. His biggest online cash was $17,500. He said: “My dad is my mentor and if I win the tournament I plan to help him out with the company.” Gamez, whose Panamanian wife is expecting the couple’s first child in February, came to the Bahamas with his friend Juan Carlos.
Welcome to our coverage of the final table of the 2014 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event! Yesterday's play saw 20 players return to the felt and play down to the final table of eight. Madis Muur leads the final table with a stack of 6.205 million but European Poker Tour Season 4 Dortmund champion Mike McDonald is right on his heels with 5.605 million for the second biggest stack.
While Muur is the one closest to achieving the goal of earning all of the chips, the story on everyone's lips is that of McDonalds. McDonald, the most experienced live tournament player at the table, has the chance to make EPT history with the chance to become the first ever two-time EPT Main Event champion. McDonald has come close to achieving this feat before. During EPT Season 5 he scored a fifth-place finish in the Dortmund Main Event for €197,000 and followed that up in Season 6 with a third place in Deauville which netted him €295,000. McDonald will certainly be a force to be reckoned with coming into this final table.
Play for the final table will kick off at 1 p.m. local time, and we will be conducting our live reports off of the live stream, meaning our coverage will begin at 2 p.m. Be sure to stay tuned here for all of the latest as we draw toward the dramatic conclusion of the 2014 PCA!
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