Zhen Cai Follows Up WSOP Main Event Final Table With Deep Run at EPT Barcelona
Table Of Contents
Zhen Cai has had a very good summer and he's looking to continue it at the PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona where he's going deep in his first-ever EPT Main Event.
Primarily a pot-limit Omaha cash game player, the Florida poker pro had just over $300K in tournament earnings before he cashed for $1.85 million in the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas last month. There, he navigated through a huge field of 8,569, eventually finishing in sixth place.
Just six weeks later, Cai finds himself deep in the money in yet another large-field major, this time in a record 1,988-entry €5,300 EPT Main Event, where he's already guaranteed a five-figure payday with €1,659,000 (~1,834,381) up top.
“It would mean a lot to be known in not just the United States but in Europe as well, so this would be a really cool title to win.”
Looking for a vacation for his family, Barcelona seemed the perfect spot to kill two birds with one stone, and try to parlay some of those Main Event winnings into more. "We just decided to choose a destination where I can play some poker and then it’s a good spot for them with all the touristy stuff.”
Not only does Cai have his wife Jessica, her mom, and his son along for the ride for his first time in Barcelona, he also has his good friend, 2018 WSOP Main Event runner-up Tony Miles in town, available to rail another final table if the opportunity arises.
Dream Run
With Miles in his corner along with the support of family and other friends all sporting “Feed the Beast” shirts, Cai liked his chances heading into the WSOP Main Event final table as he sat third in chips with nine remaining.
“I thought I had a pretty good edge for the final table but cards just didn’t go my way – just didn’t have enough chips, lost a few flips.”
About his final hand where he three-bet shoved 24 big blinds with ace-king in the big blind after a raise and a call, Cai has no regrets. “If I were to be in that same spot again, I would take it.”
If there’s one thing Cai’s play during that deep run demonstrated, it’s that he’s not one to worry about pay jumps or play too cautiously, willing to mix it up and shift gears depending on the situation.
"We just got closer and closer throughout the years."
Miles proved to be a valuable resource for Cai during his Main Event run, having gone through the whole experience the year before. Cai himself was there when Miles went deep and provided counsel in that time as someone that Miles called one of his “first coaches and mentors in poker” when he talked to PokerNews before Cai’s final table.
“Somehow I'm here,” Cai said at that time. “My best friend (Tony Miles) did it last year. And we're just back here again - it's just ironic."
During the break of the EPT Main Event, Cai filled us in on when their bond began back in 2011 when Cai offered Miles a spare concert ticket when he was in town and Miles took him up on it.
“Ever since then, we’ve been pretty close friends. We just got closer and closer throughout the years, throughout his addiction, and he was the best man at my wedding.”
Another Deep Main Event Run
Six weeks after his whirlwind WSOP Main Event experience, Cai finds himself back in the driver's seat, this time on the EPT. His signature aggressive style is paying off so far as he's been climbing the counts for three days.
“Yesterday (Day 2) I started off at a pretty tough table," Cai recalled. "I came in with 140,000 and I got up to 220,000 and then right when the table broke I had just lost a big hand and was at 100,000.”
“I haven’t really made any big decisions about what’s next."
At that point, Cai got moved to an easier table and built to around 400,000 before the money bubble was upon them, setting up a good situation for him to accumulate even more chips.
“I was definitely the one abusing the bubble, and made a couple hands later after that,” he said.
The 648,000 he bagged put him 15th in chips heading into Day 3, where he continued to chip up without having to do much showing.
“I don’t think I’ve shown down that many hands at all this entire tournament,” he said during the second break of Day 3.
His Day 3 table was a bit tougher early on with Alex Foxen two to his right, but the latter busted before the dinner break, thus eliminating that particular threat. But plenty more tough competition remained, including Ike Haxton who later joined his table. Cai maintained his stack and heading into the final level of play for the day, he was right around where he had started the day.
Seeking Validation
Undecided on how his recent score will affect his poker-playing schedule beyond this trip, Cai may be open to playing some more stops and to explore other avenues beyond poker.
“[To win] would be great, it would validate everything.”
“I haven’t really made any big decisions about what’s next," he said. "I don’t know, I might venture into some business and I’ll probably play a few more tournaments at least for the rest of the year — some of the bigger ones, but nothing like high rollers and stuff, that doesn’t really interest me.”
For now, he’s focused on adding another final table, and preferably a major title, as he goes deeper into the money at Casino Barcelona.
“It would be great, it would validate everything,” Cai said of potentially winning the EPT Main Event. “It would mean a lot to be known in not just the United States but in Europe as well, so this would be a really cool title to win.”
Unfortunately for Zhen Cai, his hunt for an EPT Main Event title in Barcelona came to an end during the final hands of Day 3 when he lost a flip with ace-king all in against Jiayuan Liu's pocket jacks. Cai cashed for €25,650 for finishing in 49th place. The Main Event action will continue Friday, so keep following the live updates provided by PokerNews through the rest of the week from Casino Barcelona.
The Stars Group owns a majority shareholding in iBus Media.
