The 2019 Caribbean Poker Party is always a big deal among professional poker players as well as amateurs. Players travel from all over the world to attend the series, taking part in a plethora of poker tournament events in the beautifully exotic location. This year, poker pro Adrian Mateos has made the spotlight due to his gameplay during several events. The pro managed to win not only the $25,000 High Roller, but also the $10,000 Main Event. For his efforts, Mateos now has earned over $1.6 million in prize money from these two wins alone!
Getting to Know the Player
If you have never heard of Adrian Mateos, he has quite an impressive record at the felt. He is the youngest player to have ever won three World Series of Poker bracelets and has just over $19 million in career earnings. His performance in the 2019 Caribbean Poker Party has helped to solidify the 25-year-olds reputation as a top contender in the poker industry.
For his first win during the Caribbean Poker Party, Mateos would outlast the field of 125 players during the $25,500 no limit hold’em high roller tournament. The event had a guaranteed prize pool of $2 million and with so many players competing, the total money up for grabs came in at over $3.1 million.
Mateos was able to defeat Brock Wilson in heads-up play to earn the first place win after starting with a 5 to 1 chip deficit. He battled back and overcame his competitor, but not before cutting a deal. Wilson would earn a bit more prize money than Mateos but a coin flip for the win gave the pro the title too, plus $520,464 in prize money.
Just a few days later, Mateos was still in the Caribbean and decided to compete in the Main Event. He was able to outlast the field of 948 players during the $10,300 main event to win the first-place prize. The guaranteed prize money for this event was $10 million.
This event also ended after a deal was made. The final three players, Mateos, Chris Hunichen and Aaron Van Blarcum decided to cut a deal, with $100,000 left to go to the winner and the title. Van Blarcum would take down Hunichen to begin heads-up play against Mateos. Early on, Mateos gained a nice chip lead and his advantage over Van Blarcum quickly came to a 6 to 1 lead.
On the final hand, Van Blarcum would go all-in with 10-2 and was called by Mateos with J-9. A pair of nines on the flop held up for Mateos and gave him the title win, plus the $100,000 in extra cash.
All eyes will be on the pro from here on out as he continues to take part in live poker events. It will be interesting to see if he can take down any more title wins before 2019 comes to an end and if his momentum will continue into the New Year.
