This Week's Big Winner: Maria Lampropulos Wins 2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event

Maria Lampropulos outlasted a field of 582 entries to win the 2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $10,000 no-limit hold’em main event, becoming the first ever female PCA champion. The 36-year-old Argentinian poker pro defeated a stacked final table to secure the $1,081,100 first-place prize, the second seven-figure score of her career. She earned $1,280,000 back in April of 2017 when she won the PartyPoker Millions main event.

She now has more than $2.7 million in career live tournament earnings. Lampropulos also won her way into the PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold’em Championship in 2019, earning a Platinum Pass to the PSPC worth $30,000 as the champion of this event.
“I feel very, very happy. I know that it’s incredible. It’s great,” she told PokerStars reporters after coming out on top.

In addition to the title and the money Lampropulos also earned 2,100 Card Player Player of the Year points, taking the early lead in the 2018 POY race. She is now second on the Argentinian live tournament earnings list, sitting behind only her boyfriend, WSOP bracelet winner Ivan Luca. The two incredibly finished first and second in a €1,100 buy-in tournament back in 2016, outlasting a field of 682 entries together.

Here are the five biggest hands that propelled Lampropulos to the win.

Tournament: PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event
Buy-In: $10,000 • No. of Entries: 582 • Prize Pool: $5,645,400 • 1st Place Prize: $1,081,100

The Action

On just the sixth hand of the six-handed final table, Lampropulos raised to 170,000 from under-the-gun and Rudolph three-bet all-in for 805,000 from the big blind. Lampropulos made the call with pocket sixes and was racing against Rudolph’s A 8. The flop came eight-high, but it also brought a six, falling 8 7 6. Rudolph needed something runner-runner to stay alive, but the Q and 7 were bricks, sending him to the rail in sixth place. He pocketed $229,760 for his deep run in the Bahamas, while Lampropulos took a small chip lead over her four remaining competitors.

The Action

Sitting on the short-stack three-handed, Lampropulos was put to the test for her entire stack when Aldemir shoved from the small blind. Lampropulos had a tough decision for her last 15 big blinds, and went into the tank for nearly two minutes before Aldemir called the clock. Lampropulos eventually made the call with K 8, and saw she was ahead of Aldemir’s Q 10. The board ran out 8 5 4 4 9 and Lampropulos doubled into second place.

The Action

Lampropulos started heads-up play down 2:1, but after running into quads, she found herself down more than 4:1. After being dealt A 8, she limped in on the button. Buchanan then moved all-in with pocket fours, and Lampropulos called all-in for the coinflip. The board rolled out J 8 3 2 A and Lampropulos doubled back into contention.

The Action

Lampropulos raised to 550,000 on the button and Buchanan three-bet to 1,200,000 from the big blind. Lampropulos then moved all-in for 6,750,000 and Buchanan called. Lampropulos showed A 10, and once again Buchanan held a pocket pair with 9 9 and a coinflip to win the title. Unfortunately for him, the dealer put out a board of A J 6 Q 2, and the pot and the big double went to Lampropulos.

The Action

Facing a huge chip disadvantage, Buchanan limped his button and then called off his last 12 big blinds or so with K 5 after Lampropulos shoved from the big blind. Lampropulos was behind with 10 7, but took the lead as the flop came down 10 9 5. Buchanan needed to hit one of his five remaining outs to come from behind, but the 2 and 9 on the turn and river sent him to the rail in second place, good for a $672,960 payday. Lampropulos dragged the pot and claimed the trophy, the title, and the $1,081,100 first-place prize.

Final Table Results

1. Maria Lampropulos — $1,081,100
2. Shawn Buchanan — $672,960
3. Koray Aldemir — $481,560
4. Adrian Mateos — $372,600
5. Daniel Coupal — $293,560
6. Christian Rudolph — $229,760
7. Oleg Titov — $169,920
8. Adalfer Morales Gamarra — $116,860
9. Patryk Poterek — $92,020