John Dibella Wins PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event

Photo: Neil Stoddart / PokerNews.com

Topics: Epic Poker League, PCA, Faraz Jaka

The poker story at the start of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $10,000 Main Event was Faraz Jaka. The skilled and colorful pro grabbed a big stack early, spent several days near the chip lead, and began the final table with the lead. At the end, Faraz had to settle for third place. Westchester, New York stock trader John Dibella parlayed a $1,000 satellite seat into a payday of $1.775 million, defeating online pro Kyle Julius heads-up.

It was not an easy road to victory for Dibella. Aside from Jaka, who brought the most chips and name recognition to the final table, there were several other successful tournament professionals looking for the major win on the European Poker Tour. Julius had over $1 million in online earnings to date, while two other players boasted six figures in career earnings. Xuan Liu became the first ever woman to make the PCA Main Event final table, and Dutch pro Ruben Visser tried to expand his success on the EPT.

One of the more interesting storylines, however, belonged to Anthony Gregg, who in 2009 finished second to Poorya Nazari in this very event for $1.7 million. Gregg is the first player to make multiple PCA Main Event final tables. The other two players at the final table qualified in similar fashion to Dibella, as Mark Drover and David Bernstein, a pair of Canadians, each took advantage and turned small investments into six-figure profits.

At the start of the eight-player final table, it was the Haves vs. the Have-Nots. Jaka, Julius, and Liu were bunched up near the chip lead. Dibella and Visser hovered in the middle. Bernstein, Drover, and Gregg needed some help to get back into contention.

Two of those short stacks would get into it early. The action folded around to Drover in the small blind and he open-shoved twelve big blinds with J5. Gregg, the shortest stack remaining, woke up with KK in the big blind and Drover would need a lot of help to stay alive. The K63 on the flop would all but guarantee a double, and the J on the turn sealed it. Gregg doubled-up and got room to maneuver, while Drover was left with just over three big blinds.

Drover would not give up, however. He doubled through Liu and took a number of pots without a showdown to regain his final-table starting stack. Drover continued to be the most active player at this final table. He was all-in once again against Ruben Visser, ahead with AQ against Visser’s AJ, but the flop was brought trouble for Drover, coming out K84, giving Visser a flush draw and a chance to eliminate Drover. The turn was the 6 and the river the 4, completing Drover’s comeback and leaving Visser in serious peril on a short stack.

Visser three-bet all-in and made his stand with 66. Julius had more than enough chips to oblige him in a coin flip, calling with AQ. The board ran out KQ278 and Kyle’s pair of queens was good enough to knock out the Dutch pro. Visser finished in eighth place and received $156,400. Julius and Jaka had the biggest stacks, with Julius holding a small lead.

Dibella led the middle pack in third place, but he would make it a three-horse race at the expense of Bernstein. Dibella opened and Bernstein three-bet shoved his remaining chips with 44, but he ran head first into Dibella’s AA. With no help from the board, Bernstein was sent away in seventh place for $260,000. Not a bad payday when you consider Bernstein got his seat from an investment of less than $100.

With another short stack double-up for Drover, Gregg became the shortest stack of the remaining six. He open-shoved less than fifteen big blinds with AT and Liu found AQ in the small blind and called. The flop was 955, giving Gregg three chop outs, and the 6 on the turn gave Gregg a flush draw. The 8 on the river was a blank, however, and Gregg fell short of equaling or bettering his runner-up finish three years ago. He did, however, earn $364,000 as the sixth-place finisher.

Julius took control of the table at this point, crossing the 10-million chip mark and putting some distance between himself and the rest of the pack. Just as it seemed that Julius would run away with it, Jaka closed the gap. After Jaka opened, Drover three-bet all-in from the big blind with KJ and Jaka quickly called with 66. The board did nothing to improve either hand, and Jaka’s pair of sixes were good enough for the knockout. Starting with a short stack and quickly reduced to a pitiable three big blinds, Mark Drover’s active play boosted him to fifth place, good for $468,000. Drover’s stack pulled Faraz virtually even with Julius.

Four players remained for a long time. The blinds and antes pushed John Dibella down to fourth in chips, but a series of uncalled all-ins brought him back into contention. Then he got into a key hand with Jaka that would change the makeup of the final table.

Jaka opened from the button with JJ and Dibella continued his trend of three-betting all-in, this time with 44. Faraz, of course, and was poised with his higher pair to take control of the three-handed table. The 4 in the door put an end to that, doubling up Dibella and leaving Jaka in bad shape.

Jaka returned the favor a short while later, getting the remainder of his chips in well behind with KQ against Dibella’s AA. The J93 flop gave Jaka some outs, and the T on the turn gave Jaka an unbeatable straight to double up and get some of his chips back. Following this wild exchange Julius was well out in front, Jaka and Dibella were competing for second, and Liu was the shortest stack.

The four went to dinner break in this arrangement, but it didn’t take long for it to change. On the very first hand back from break, Liu picked up A7 on the button and open-shoved. Jaka called with A6 in the big blind and Liu seemed on the cusp of a big double-up. The flop changed everything, coming out A63 to give Jaka two-pair and a commanding lead, but the turn 5 gave Liu some additional outs for a straight. The river was the 2 and Liu’s run came to an end. The first ever woman to make the PCA Main Event final table would finish in fourth place, earning $600,000. Jaka overtook Julius for the lead and Dibella lagged well behind both of them.

While Dibella sat on the sidelines waiting for his moment to strike, Jaka and Julius played the biggest pot of the tournament. Julius opened from the button with AK, and Jaka three-bet from the small blind with KJ. Julius four-bet to keep the pressure on Jaka, but Jaka thought he could push Julius off of his hand and five-bet all-in. Julius called, however, and was in prime position to take control of the tournament.

The AK7 flop did Jaka no favors, as he would need runner-runner to win the pot, and the 9 ended all speculation. Julius had more than two-thirds of the chips in play and Jaka was crippled. Jaka would double up once before another crucial pot would go down between the final three.

Jaka raised from the button with 66 and Dibella three-bet from the small blind with 77. Julius found a dream scenario when he looked down at AA and just called, hoping to reel in a monster pot and keep Jaka involved, but Jaka, who committed a fair amount of his ever-shortening stack, sniffed it out and made a tough fold.

The dream became a nightmare for Julius on the flop, coming out 873. Dibella had flopped a set, but just check-called to see the 8 on the turn. Dibella checked, Julius bet, and Dibella check-raised with a full house. Julius didn’t believe him and shoved all-in and Dibella quickly called. The river was the K and for the first time at the final table Dibella had taken the chip lead.

Julius took on the short-stacked Jaka in a blind vs. blind confrontation, Julius’ KT against Jaka’s AJ. The K62 flop put Julius in the lead, and the T on the turn left Jaka with four outs to a straight to win and stay alive. The A on the river gave Jaka top pair but it was not enough. The last Epic Poker League member standing exited in third place, earning $755,000 but falling short of his ultimate goal.

Dibella entered the heads-up match with a lead and quickly extended the gap between himself and Julius. Dibella made several big hands and didn’t give Julius much of a chance to come back. Dibella opened his lead to nearly 4-to-1 when the final hand of the tournament began.

Julius raised with 96 from the button and Dibella called with 65. The AQ3, giving Dibella a flush draw, but he check-called Kyle’s continuation bet to see the 8 turn. This time both players checked, and the river was the T. Dibella led out with his flush and Julius went all-in, representing the hand that Dibella himself had. Dibella quickly called and just like that a champion was crowned.

Julius got $1.5 million for finishing in second by virtue of a deal made before heads-up play started, while Dibella won $1.755 million and the crown of 2012 PCA Main Event champion.