David Eller Wins Card Player Poker Tour Caribbean Cruise

David Eller defeated Hong Lin heads-up to win the third annual Card Player Poker Tour Caribbean Cruise main event. The event, hosted in conjunction with Card Player Cruises, featured a $1,100 no-limit hold’em main event, which drew a field of 30 players aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.

Eller all but ended the tournament when she shoved with A3 and Lin called with JJ while the two were nearly even in chips. After a board of A1073Q Lin was left with only 4,000 in chips and was all in blind and eliminated on the very next hand.

Eller, a semi-retired electrical contractor from Port Orange, Florida said this was only his second poker cruise, the first being nearly 10 years ago.

The final two were no strangers to each other, both being regular faces at bestbet Jacksonville. With knowledge’s of Lin’s play, Eller said he just tried to be the aggressor in order to win the tournament.

Action at the final table got underway quickly, so quickly that the first elimination happened on the very first hand of play. Bryant Duke moved all in for 42,700 from early position and Mark Stephen Edwards came over the top to isolate for 77,100. Action folded back around to Duke and he tabled 44. Edwards showed QQ and left Duke drawing nearly dead after a KQ7 flop. Duke left the table after the dealer peeled off the 9 on the turn and the river was a meaningless 2.

William Bryan, who began the day as the second shortest stack in play, was eliminated next. Bryan had moved all in several times prior, only to find no callers, but on his final hand of the tournament, Lin called. Bryan had shoved his last 44,000 from the button with A5 and Lin called from the small blind with A10. Bryan was eliminated when the board ran out K767J.

A severely short-stacked Gary Thorreycroft’s day came to an end next. Thorreycroft moved all in for 11,900 – less than four big blinds at the time – and Edwards called. Thorreycroft showed Ace-King to Edwards’ 42. Edwards flopped a straight draw after the dealer spread 856 and picked up a pair of twos when the 2 opened on the turn. Edwards’ pair of deuces held on the Q river and Thorreycroft was eliminated.

In an unexpected turn of events, Edwards was the next to fall. Edwards shoved for about 60,000 from the cutoff with A2 and David Eller called from the button with JJ. Edwards picked up a flush draw to double after a K75 flop but never found the needed cards as the board completed 69.

Card Player’s own Barry Shulman was eliminated next. Staring down a flop of Q76 Shulman check-called Bob Thaemert’s all in shove for 93,000. Shulman had just slightly less and tabled 102 for a flush draw. Thaemert showed AA and Shulman never found the needed cards when 2 and J fell on the turn and river. With Shulman’s elimination, the final four players were in the money and guaranteed at least $2,940.

The four then agreed to make a deal and spread the money out more evenly among them. With the shortest stack at the time, Allison Hollander agreed to leave with $5,850 and Thaemert and Eller agreed to $7,350. Having Lin, who held a sizable chiplead, received $8,850. The four then played for the trophy and the title of CPPT champion.

Hollander was the first elimination post-deal when she moved all in for her last 46,000 from the cutoff. Thaemert called from the button and Eller moved all in for 193,800 from the small blind. Thaemert called and the hands were tabled. Hollander showed A2, Thaemert tabled A3 and Eller turned over KQ. Eller took all the chips after a J639K board.

Thaemert followed Hollander to the rail after getting his stack in pre-flop with 33 versus Eller’s A7. Eller rivered an Ace on a J106JA board to send Thaemert packing.

Final Table Results

Check out Card Player TV’s video interview with Eller after his win:

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