Muehloecker, Durnegger Jousting for Lead as 12 Remain in $25K
Twenty levels of play have expired in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $25,000 High Roller, and a couple of Austrian imports are dominating here at Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas.
At the very top of the counts sits Thomas Muehloecker with 1,420,000, following closely by countryman Markus Durnegger with 1,385,000. The two sat at the same table for the final couple of levels of the night after the two-table redraw, and all of the chips seemed intent on a ski trip as they made their way into the stacks of the Austrians without the two butting heads.
Gianluca Speranza had held the lead but lost it when he tried an old-fashioned three-barrel with air and got caught by Muehloecker, who called down with pocket sevens on a nine-high board. Muehloecker then busted Bartlomiej Machon in a flip.
As for Durnegger, he busted Ben Heath in a flip worth about 1 million during the final level of the night, Level 20 (8,000/16,000/16,000).
The two have put considerable distance between themselves and the field as the next closest player is Sam Greenwood with 880,000. Greenwood, of course, has put together a phenomenal PCA thus far, with a win in the $100K Super High Roller and twin cashes in the PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold'em Championship and the Main Event.
Others making the final 12, putting themselves in contention for the $895,110 top prize, included Nick Petrangelo, Dominik Nitsche and Sean Winter.
That comes out of a prize just shy of $3.85 million, after 11 buzzer-beating entries pushed the field to 162. There were 23 paid places, and Mike Watson would bubble the event, while Jesus Cortes, Dario Sammartino and Preben Stokkan were among those getting paid.
Cortes is on a fantastic run himself at the PCA as he got third in the $100K and second in a $25K Single-Day High Roller for over $1 million in prize money.
Play continues Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. local time as part of the final day of the 2019 PCA. They'll play down to a champion starting at 10,000/20,000/20,000, and you can follow all of the updates here on PokerNews.
gave Heath a pair of kings and the lead. However, the 
on the turn improved Durnegger to a set and only a queen would save Heath. The river was the 
and Heath exited the tournament in 13th place.
. Machon was flipping with 
board provided him with little sweat.
on the turn and the 
on the river bricked off and Watson was eliminated on the money bubble.
hit the board, and the 
turn and river danced around her.
. Foxen was in good shape to keep his comeback going as he had 
river.