US Players Running Deep in PokerStars Players Championship; Bohn, Destefano Among Top Three
The PokerStars No Limit Hold’em Players Championship reaches the fourth day of action on Thursday with only 52 players remaining. Several Americans are still in the hunt for the title.
Two of those are right at the top of the chip leaders, with Blake Bohn and Dylan Destefano returning in second and third. Day 1 chip leader Tony Tran is also still alive and looking for an even deeper run.
The final numbers are also in for the tournament with the winner taking home $4.1 million.
In other news at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in the Bahamas, several Americans are also among the final players in the $250,000 Super High Roller including Justin Bonomo and Byron Kaverman. Here’s a look at some of the recent events in the Bahamas.
Americans shining at PokerStars PSPC
With three days in the books, Petar Kalev found the PSPC chip lead at the end of Day 3 with 3.7 million. The Bulgarian has $519,592 in live tournament winnings. The biggest chunk of that came in December at the European Poker Tour Prague when he finished seventh in the €5,300 Main Event for $173,567.
Bohn (pictured in lead image courtesy PokerStars/Joe Giron) returns second in chips with 2.8 million. The player from Shakopee, Minnesota, has $3.5 million in live tournament winnings.
In December, he took down the Mid-States Poker Tour Minnesota Winter Poker Classic main event for $181,864. He’s now looking for an even bigger score.
“I have had this event highlighted on my calendar for a few months,” Bohn told USPoker on Thursday. “I have been really playing the best poker of my life. Playing for large sums of money and on the big stage excites me and no moment is too big for me.
“I have a great support system in place. Personally, I hired a mindfulness coach a year ago, and professionally I lean a lot on my close friend Mohsin Charania for advice. I try to play to my strengths, while acknowledging my weaknesses and trying to limit the mistakes.”
Rinse and repeat. Day 3 pic.twitter.com/bkamnONp0n
— Blake Bohn (@bkbohn) February 1, 2023
So far that plan seems to be working. Destefano, of Milford, Connecticut, has $758,649 in live tournament winnings and returns with 2.7 million chips. His best tournament score came in 2021 in a $10,000 PokerGO Tour event, where he took runner-up for $136,000. In mid-January, he also finished runner-up in a PokerGO Cup event for $117,600.
Both Bohn and Destefano are in good shape to make some noise on Day 4.
Others still in contention
Several other American players are also still hoping their PSPC continues. Jeremy Ausmus sits 14th in chips with $1.5 million. He’ll be looking to add to his $13.6 million in live tournament winnings, which includes wins and big finishes on the PokerGO Tour, World Series of Poker, Triton Poker, and numerous others.
After a big day of action, Ausmus took some time Wednesday to reflect on the PSPC. A special moment played out at his table, exemplifying the mix of pros and recreational players in the event.
What an amazing tournament this PSPC is. Guy wins platinum pass and min cashes + 5k ladder for 40k total. Had wife on rail they are hugging and in tears cause this is 2 years wages for him, so cool to see
— Jeremy Ausmus (@jeremyausmus) February 1, 2023
Day 1 chip leader and two-time World Poker Tour champion Tony Tran also remains alive for Day 4 with 710,000. He spent much of Wednesday on a shorter stack but was able to find some pots later in the day.
“I was just maneuvering a short stack,” he told USPoker. “I had a brutal chop with Ace-King against Ace-10.”
Tran gained some traction later in the day in some spots where he was a 60% favorite to win, he says. His hands held up and he collected some chips. That included winning with Ace-high to King- and Queen-high.
“I’m still short, but we’ll maneuver until we have the chip lead,” he said.
Other American players still remain in the field including Jonathan Jaffe, James Mendoza, Chance Kornuth, Nadya Magnus, and Sean Winter. Live coverage continues on Thursday at the PokerStars YouTube channel.
A look at other events
Two more events are underway at the Baha Mar. The $250,000 PCA Super High Roller has reached the final table with action set to resume Thursday.
France’s Jean-Noel Thorel returns as chip leader, but the tournament is still two players away from the money.
Three Americans also return including Justin Bonomo, Byron Kaverman, and Chris Brewer. The tournament brought in 39 entries for a $9.6 million prize pool. The winner takes home $3.3 million.
The $25,000 PCA High Roller also continues into Day 2 on Thursday and several other side events get underway as well.
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