Panka Wins PCA 2014 Main Event after 15 Hours of Play

Dominik Panka had only $8,092 in live tournament winnings to his name before the PCA 2014 Main Event. He now added $1,423,096 to that as the first ever Polish champion in the EPT series.

Eight players returned on the final day of the PCA 2014 $10,000 Main Event; Madis Muur had the chiplead with 6,205,000 but Mike ‘Timex’ McDonald, Isaac ‘westmenloAA’ Baron as well as online MTT world list 25th finisher Shyam ‘g's zee’ Srinivasan were the favourites.

The Final Table seat draw was as follows:

Seat 1: Pascal Lefrancois – 5,595,000
Seat 2: Dominik Panka – 3,695,000
Seat 3: Shyam Srinivasan – 1,505,000
Seat 4: Isaac Baron – 2,995,000
Seat 5: Fabian Ortiz – 3,040,000
Seat 6: Mike McDonald – 5,605,000
Seat 7: Madis Muur – 6,205,000
Seat 8: Daniel Gamez – 1,885,000

Play started on Level 26 (5,000/20,000/40,000) but it took two levels for the first elimination to occur. Fabian Ortiz opened to 135,000 from UTG, McDonald 3-bet to 325,000, Ortiz 4-bet all-in and McDonald called. Ortiz showed A-K, McDonald had queens and the latter hand held out on the neutral board. In a similar hand, McDonald soon managed to take the lead with 8,135,000 in chips, managing to make Muur fold his Q Q.

Pascal Lefrancois was out next, losing a flip with sixes to Baron’s A-K early into Level 30 (10,000/50,000/100,000). Srinivasan followed a bit later, his pocket jacks cracked by Panka’s tens and a third on the board.
On Level 31 (20,000/60,000/120,000), Daniel Gamez lost his stack, McDonald calling his 4-bet all-in for 2,890,000 with T T. Gamez held Q T and the board came 6 6 2 9 J. Muur followed soon thereafter, going 4-bet all-in with 4,125,000 and getting called by Panka.

Muur: Q T
Panka: A K

Board: 6 K T 4 9

The remaining players agreed on a deal: Panka secured $1,323,096, Baron $1,207,599 and McDonald $1,064,000 and they left $100,000 in for the winner.

After losing several major pots, it was Baron out in 3rd place, shoving his 3,805,000 on K Q and Panka called with A 9. The board ran 7 T 3 2 T for a flush.

Dominik Panka – 16,900,000
Mike McDonald – 13,655,000

The heads-up lasted for three and a half hours; McDonald started out better but Panka managed to double up on Level 34 (30,000/120,000/240,000) and dominated the game from then on. In a key hand, he raised to 500,000, McDonald called and the flop came 6 5 6. Panka bet 400,000, McDonald check-raised to 1,200,000 and Panka called to see the K turn. McDonald bet 1,500,000, Panka called and the T fell on the river. They both checked, Panka won with Q 5 and McDonald, who held 9 7, was left with a stack of about 6 million in chips against Panka’s 24 million.

In the final hand of the extremely long finale, Pabka raised to 500,000 from the Button, McDonald shoved and Panka called.

McDonald: 7 4
Panka: A 2

Board: 2 5 J 7 A

Panka won with two pair.

22-year-old Panka from Poland had only had $8,092 in recorded live tournament winnings before his victory in the PCA Main Event for $1,423,096. He qualified through a satellite game and is the first from his country to ever win an EPT series major.

The end results are as follows:

1st: Dominik Panka – $1,423,096
2nd: Mike McDonald – $1,064,865
3rd: Isaac Baron – $1,207,599
4th: Madis Muur – $581,040
5th: Daniel Gamez – $447,040
6th: Shyam Srinivasan – $328,020
7th: Pascal Lefrancois – $242,020
8th: Fabian Ortiz – $173,220