Seat 5: Joel Micka, 36, United States (4,475,000)
PokerStars was Joel "JMPRODIGY" Micka's gateway to stardom. When he was 18, Micka played an online satellite and qualified for the LAPT in San Jose. At the time, he thought he was going to travel to California but only later realized that he would need to travel to Costa Rica's capital.
The trip, on which he brought his dad, propelled Micka into a professional poker career. He'd succeeded in the game before, but the $148,993 score for a runner-up finish in the LAPT Main Event allowed him to expand the horizon and start taking poker seriously.
Just over four years later, Micka would once again finish second, a somewhat unpopular finish in a poker tournament but typically very rewarding. Especially in a PCA Main Event, in which only two lost coin flips against Dimitar Danchev stopped Micka from winning the title. He would still walk away with a whopping $1,190,000.
That massive result came already after poker's Black Friday. Micka had been traveling around the world, oftentimes playing but never committing his full year-round focus entirely to the game. That lifestyle has characterized his journey, with golfing and hooping among his top activities. He claims he's never had a real job in his life.
Career Record:
Career earnings: $1,670,437
Best cash: $1,190,000, 2nd, 2013 PCA
Tournament Progression:
Day 1: 43,000 (132/163, 1b)
Day 2: 250,000 (45/77)
Day 3: 890,000 (14/18)
Day 4: 4,475,000 (3/6)
Event Highlights:
On Day 3, Micka rivered the nut straight as Luther Tran called off his last 350,000 with just bottom pair.
Micka began Day 4 among the short stacks but won a race early with eights against Mike Vanier's ace-ten to double up. He then eliminated Maria Konnikova in 14th place when he picked up queens against jack-ten. At the final table, Micka won a classic flip with queens against Matt Affleck's ace-king to bust Affleck in eighth.