Scott Seiver made an improbable final table run in the 2013 European Poker Tour (EPT) PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) $100,000 Super High Roller Event Monday, advancing from a deep chip deficit to win the whole thing and over $2 million.
David “Doc” Sands began the eight-handed final table with a gigantic chip lead, holding over 80 percent of the total chips of all of the rest of his opponents. It looked like he had a shot to waltz to victory. Here is a look at the standings when Monday’s play started:
1. David Sands — 6,680,000
2. Nick Schulman — 2,295,000
3. Philipp Gruissem — 1,610,000
4. Greg Jensen — 1,500,000
5. Dan Shak — 870,000
6. Scott Seiver — 755,000
7. Cary Katz — 590,000
8. Vladimir Troyanovsky — 505,000
Things started off with a bang on just the third hand, when last year’s runner-up, Dan Shak, went to the flop against both Seiver and Greg Jensen. Upon seeing that flop of T♠-9♣-9♥, Shak moved all-in with K♦-J♦, or just two overcards and a gutshot draw. Jensen, surprisingly, then went all-in over the top with a similar hand, K♥-Q♥. Seiver insta-called, not surprisingly, with A♣-A♥. The turn was the A♠, giving Seiver a boat, making the river a non-issue. Shak was gone in 8th place and Jensen lost half his stack, and Seiver tripled-up, going from rags to riches within minutes.
It took just a few more hands for the next two eliminations. Vladimir Troyanovsky went all-in pre-flop for 485,000 with pocket Tens and Nick Schulman made the easy call with Aces. An Ace flopped and Troyanovsky hit the rail in 7th place.
Right after that, Jensen moved all-in with A♦-5♥ after Schulman raised pre-flop. Unfortunately for Jensen, Schulman had once again found a monster – pocket Kings. Jensen never got the Ace he needed and bowed out in 6th place. Perhaps it would have been better if Jensen lasted longer, though, as he let everyone know that he was donating all his winnings to help the families of the victims of the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The $286,200 should go a long way.
Things slowed down a little (how could they not), with the next elimination coming in the next level, Level 19 (blinds and antes 30,000/60,000/10,000). Seiver, who had chipped up to almost 4 million, moved all-in from the small blind after the rest of the table folded to him. Philipp Gruissem, one of the two short stacks, took a look at his cards and decided they were good enough to risk his tournament life. They were, as his A♠-8♣ was better than Seiver’s K♠-Q♠, but Seiver flopped a Queen and knocked Gruissem out in 5th place.
The next three hours saw no eliminations, though Seiver watched his stack drop below 1.5 million while Cary Katz, the short stack after Gruissem’s ouster, kept finding ways to double-up. Seiver didn’t stay down for long, though, first taking a sizable hunk of Katz’s stack and then taking a nice pot from Sands to pull even with the chip leader at just under 5.4 million chips. Seiver kept going, taking the lead before Katz was eliminated by Sands in 4th place.
Not long after the dinner break, the match got to heads-up. Schulman moved all-in from the button for 2.435 million with K♠-6♠ and was called immediately by Sands, who held pocket Tens. An all club flop of A♣-6♣-T♣ looked like it spelled certain doom for Schulman, but the J♣ on the turn offered him some options, as he could now chop with a club and win with a non-club Queen. He wasn’t able to hit any of those on the river, though, and had to settle for 3rd place.
Going into heads-up play, Sands had the lead on Seiver, 8.605 million to 6.150 million. Seiver got off to a slow start, quickly dropping to 4.4 million chips, but was able to climb back above his pre-heads-up starting stack before the tide turned permanently.
Seiver started the pre-flop betting with a raise to 400,000 with 9♦-9♥. Sands re-raised him to 900,000 with T♣-T♥, at which point Seiver moved all-in. Sands made the call and it obviously looked bad for Seiver, as he was totally crushed by a higher pair. He flopped a set, though, staying alive and taking a commanding lead of 12.5 million to 2.255 million.
Just a few hands later, it was over. Sands went all-in with K♥-4♦ and Seiver called with A♣-7♠. Sands did pick up a flush draw on an all-diamond flop, but that was it as he couldn’t catch anything else on the turn or river. Sands was out in 2nd place and Scott Seiver became the new champion of the PCA $100,000 Super High Roller Event, pocketing $2,003,480.
2013 EPT PCA $100,000 Super High Roller Event – Final Table Results
1. Scott Seiver – $2,003,480
2. David Sands – $1,259,320
3. Nick Schulman – $744,140
4. Cary Katz – $543,800
5. Philipp Gruissem – $400,700
6. Greg Jensen – $286,200
7. Vladimir Troyanovsky – $257,580
8. Dan Shak – $228,960
