Hall was all smiles following his $2.3 million victory

As we have seen time and time again over the past couple of years, a poker tournament is much more akin to a marathon than a sprint. Just ask Galen Hall, whose deliberate and paced efforts at the PCA Main Event final table helped him upset an overwhelming chip leader and pick up one of the biggest paydays in poker.

When the final table began, all eyes were on big chip leader Chris Oliver, with some suggesting seasoned vets like Mike Sowers and Sam Stein might come from behind to victory. Somewhat lost in the shuffle was Hall, who began the day second in chips to the big stack and stealthily maneuvered his way up the counts, setting up a lengthy and memorable heads-up match with the chip leader.

It took less than an orbit to lose a player when Philippe Plouffe moved in over the top of a raise from Sam Stein. Stein called with AK and was racing with Plouffe’s QQ. An ace on the river gave Stein the pot and sent Pflouffe packing early in the day.

Despite picking up some nice pots, including picking of a bluff from Stein, Max Weinberg was the next to go in seventh place shortly after a massive pot against Mike Sowers. Sowers cold four-bet all-in after action from Oliver and Hall. Sowers’ AJ had Hall and Oliver beat, but he didn’t account for Weinberg waking up with queens behind him. Weinberg just had Sowers covered, but Sowers backdoored a spade flush to double up and leave Weinberg with less than a million chips. Weinberg went out shortly thereafter, when his A8 failed to hold up against Hall’s JT.

Bolivar Palacios was the next to go when his KJ couldn’t outflop Hall’s A4. After his ousting in sixth place, the final five had a dinner break and returned to play in fron of the ESPN2 cameras. Sowers’ only had a little time in the televised poker limelight before he shoved in on an 832 flop with pocket fours. Oliver, who was in the midst of a seemingly unstoppable hot streak, snapped him off with 28 for two pair. Sowers failed to improve, and Oliver raked in another big pot, amassing more than half the chips in play.

His stack only got bigger when he dispatched with Stein in fourth place when his A9 couldn’t beat Oliver’s AQ in an all-in preflop showdown. Minutes later, play was down to heads-up when an extremely short Anton Ionel got it all-in with K6 against Hall’s KQ. The board ran out Q9753 and Hall’s pair of queens ousted Ionel in third place.

Ionel’s chips gave Hall a little more ammunition going into heads-up play, but Oliver still held a nearly 3-1 chip lead that only got bigger after a big pot in which he rivered a full house against Hall’s straight. Hall managed to make a phenomenal laydown, but it took a chunk out of his stack.

Hall was undeterred and sparred his way through two hours of small pots until he found a spot to double up.  Oliver wore him down a second time, but Hall ended up on the right end of a cooler where both players flopped two pair to increase his stack again.  He followed that up with another massive double up, getting it all-in preflop with pocket kings against Oliver’s A9.  The kings held and suddenly it was Oliver who was desperate for a double up.

Oliver picked up pocket queens and managed to get it in good against Hall’s A8, but the AK8 flop was all Hall’s.  Oliver failed to improve on the turn or river and Hall officially defeated the monster chip stack to claim the upset win, not to mention $2.3 million.

Here are the final results for the PCA Main Event final table:

1st: Galen Hall – $2,300,000
2nd: Chris Oliver – $1,800,000
3rd: Anton Ionel – $1,350,000
4th: Sam Stein – $1,000,000
5th: Mike Sowers – $700,000
6th: Bolivar Palacios – $450,000
7th: Max Weinberg – $300,000
8th: Philippe Plouffe – $202,000

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