 The 150-entry PCA 2018 $25k High Roller saw the field dwindle down to the last eight contenders by the end of Day 2. The remaining players will come back Sunday, January 14 at 12 p.m. to battle it out for the title and a sweet $836,350 first-place prize.
Jonathan Jaffe is leading the final table with 2,143,000. Jaffe, 30, is an accomplished with well over $2.5 million in live cashes. He ranks eighth on Massachusetts' all-time money list. Jaffe is well-known as "Iftarii" online. He's a renowned poker coach who has helped launch careers of some of today's top players such as Nick Petrangelo.
Jaffe knocked out Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu in ninth place to break the 2-million chip-mark and set the official final table. The Kid Poker bluffed with a missed flush draw and a rivered small pair but Jaffe had no tough time calling with kings.
While another online pro Chris Kruk follows in second place with 1,420,000, it's former NFL star Richard Seymour who highlights the final table. Seymour is a seven-time All-Pro and three-time Super Bowl Champion. He's just behind Kruk with 1,400,000.
Seymour has been annually attending the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for several years. Last year, he notched his first cash from The Bahamas, finishing 89th in the PokerStars Championship Main Event. While his résumé boasts roughly a dozen of cashes from various tournaments in the United States, his $25k High Roller prize will be the biggest of his poker career.
Seymour dropped to a short stack early in the day but mounted a great come back to make his way to the paid positions. The bubble broke after Isaac Haxton eliminated Richard Kirsch in 21st place, assuring the remaining field of a $45,300 payday.
Those who fell between the bubble and the final table included the likes of Steffen Sontheimer, Ari Engel, Haxton, Mike Watson as well as Team PokerStars Pros Negreanu and Liv Boeree.
Boeree's boyfriend, fellow Team PokerStars Pro Igor Kurganov is still in the hunt. He's on 633,000. The final table will also feature Felipe Ramos, Stefan Schillhabel, Justin Bonomo and Mikita Badziakouski. All finalists are set to pick up six-figure prizes.
The action will resume Sunday, January 14 at 12 p.m. local time with the blinds of 10,000/20,000 and the big blind ante of 20,000.
PCA 2018 $25k High Roller final table line-up:
Seat 1: Jonathan Jaffe, USA, 2,143,000
Seat 2: Felipe Ramos, Brazil, 633,000
Seat 3: Christopher Kruk, Canada, 1,420,000
Seat 4: Justin Bonomo, USA, 361,000
Seat 5: Igor Kurganov, Russia, Team PokerStars Pro, 660,000
Seat 6: Richard Seymour, USA, 1,400,000
Seat 7: Mikita Badziakouski, Belarus, 134,000
Seat 8: Stefan Schillhabel, Germany, 480,000
PCA/PSC BAHAMAS $25K HIGH ROLLER HISTORY:
2009: 48 entries, $1,131,800 prize pool, Bertrand Grospellier from France for $433,500
2010: 48 entries, $2,057,998 prize pool, William Reynolds from the USA for $576,240
2011: 151 entries, $3,699,040 prize pool, Will Molson from the USA for $1,072,850
2012: 148 entries, $3,626,000 prize pool, Alex Bilokur from Russia for $1,134,930
2013: 204 entries, $4,998,000 prize pool, Vanessa Selbst from the USA for $1,424,420
2014: 247 entries, $6,051,500 prize pool, Jake Schindler from the USA for $1,192,624
2015: 269 entries, $6,456,000 prize pool, Ilkin Garibli from Azerbaijan for $1,105,040
2016: 225 entries, $5,400,000 prize pool, Nick Maimone from the USA for $996,480
2017: 159 entries, $3,895,500 prize pool, Luc Greenwood from Canada for $779,268
2018: 150 entries, $3,484,800 prize pool, $836,350 for the winner
* (held as PokerStars Championship Bahamas in 2017)
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The 150-entry PCA 2018 $25k High Roller saw the field dwindle down to the last eight contenders by the end of Day 2. The remaining players will come back Sunday, January 14 at 12 p.m. to battle it out for the title and a sweet $836,350 first-place prize.
