The 2017 Punta Cana Poker Classic attracted 382 entries to the beautiful five-star Melia Caribe Tropical Hotel Resort on the easternmost tip of the Dominican Republic. The $1,650 buy-in tournament sported a guaranteed prize pool of $500,000 which was easily surpassed by the strong turnout. In the end $555,810 in total prize money was awarded to the top 45 finishers in this event, with the largest share going to eventual champion Roberto Carvallo from Chile.
- The Punta Cana Poker Classic parks a Vegas-style tournament on the most incredible island destination, so you don t have to choose between laying out on the beach or taking over the felt.
- Hard Rock Casino Punta Cana information section: This casino can be found in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Hard Rock Casino Punta Cana has a total of 450 gaming machines and 41 table games for you to enjoy. WCD also books hotel rooms in the major casino resorts in Punta Cana. You can browse our photos of Hard Rock Casino Punta Cana or find news about Hard Rock Casino Punta Cana on this page.
Sep 02, 2015 Caribbean Poker Tour, Punta Cana Posted on September 2, 2015 This is an opportunity for keen poker players to combine a big money live poker experience with a stay at the five star hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana in the sunny Dominican Republic.
“The final table was tough, I started the day with only a few chips and had the luck to win some flips,” Carvallo said in a video interview on sponsor Americas Cardroom’s YouTube channel.ACR ran online satellites to the event which awarded $4,900 packages to the tournament, including airfare, six-nights accommodations, food and beverage packages, entry into the tournament and much more.
Carvallo, who won a live satellite into the main event, entered the nine-handed final table in sixth chip position with 448,000. The chip leader to start the day was Santiago Soriano with 3,945,000. Soriano was ultimately eliminated in third place when he called an all-in shove from Carvallo. Soriano was ahead with the A4 but failed to hold up against Carvallo’s KJ on a 1052KQ board. Soriano earned $50,025 as the third-place finisher and Carvallo entered heads-up play at a slight chip disadvantage to American Jamin Stokes.
Carvallo and Stokes battled it out for a while, with a number of lead changes. At one point the two drew relatively level in chips, with Carvallo holding a slight advantage and the two agreed to chop the remaining prize pool for $97,590 each. They then went all-in on the next hand to determine who would be the official winner of the title and the trophy. Carvallo was dealt the 103 and found himself up against the 98 of Stokes. The board ran out 63237 and Carvallo made trips to secure the pot and the title.
Carvallo followed in the footsteps of 2016 champion Eduards Kudrjavcevs, 2015 winner Luis Yepez and notable poker pro Ari Engel, who took home the title in 2014.
Here is a look at the payouts awarded at the final table:
| Place | Player | Earnings (USD) |
| 1 | Roberto Carvallo | $97,590 |
| 2 | Jamin Stokes | $97,590 |
| 3 | Santiago Soriano | $50,025 |
| 4 | Benjamin Craig | $39,185 |
| 5 | Julian Kaplan | $29,180 |
| 6 | Lucas Smith | $23,620 |
| 7 | Cristopher Cardinale | $18,900 |
| 8 | Kalman Dohany | $14,730 |
| 9 | James Casement | $11,395 |
You can check out the winner interview with Carvallo below:
Poker Punta Cana Dominican Republic Vacation
