Main Event
Day 1a Started
2017 PokerStars Championship Prague
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2017 PokerStars Championship Prague
Buy-in
€5,300
Prize Pool
€4,146,750
Entries
855
Level
31
Blinds
80,000 / 160,000
Ante
20,000
Welcome to Day 1a of the 2017 PokerStars Championship Prague €5,300 Main Event
At noon local time Prague will once again be the place to be for all poker enthusiasts in Europe, as Day 1a of the 2017 PokerStars Championship Prague €5,300 Main Event kicks off at the stunning Hilton Hotel Prague. The PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) has previously visited "the City of a Hundred Spires" since 2007 and it is the 11th consecutive year that the PokerStars branded live tour finishes off the year in the Czech Republic.
The flagship tournament of the 43-event strong festival comes with a price tag of €5,300 and all players receive 30,000 in chips. Each Day 1 will play a total of eight levels of 75 minutes each with breaks every two levels and a 75-minute dinner break at the end of level six. Action concludes around midnight local time and the registration remains open until the cards are back in the air for Day 2.
Day 1 Level Structure
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 minutes | 50 | 100 | - |
| 2 | 75 minutes | 75 | 150 | - |
| Break | 20 minutes | |||
| 3 | 75 minutes | 100 | 200 | 25 |
| 4 | 75 minutes | 150 | 300 | 50 |
| Break | 20 minutes | |||
| 5 | 75 minutes | 200 | 400 | 50 |
| 6 | 75 minutes | 250 | 500 | 75 |
| Dinner Break | 75 minutes | |||
| 7 | 75 minutes | 300 | 600 | 100 |
| 8 | 75 minutes | 400 | 800 | 100 |
It is the seventh PokerStars Championship Main Event since the rebranding and previous winners include Christian Harder, Kenneth Smaron, Elliot Smith, Raffaele Sorrentino, Pavel Shirshikov and Sebastian Sorensson. Sorrentino almost became the first player to claim two titles in the very first year and finished third in Barcelona after cutting a three-way deal with Sorensson.
2017 PokerStars Championship Main Events at a Glance
| PSC Stop | Buy In | Entries | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bahamas | $5,300 | 738 | $3,376,712 | Christian Harder | $429,664 | $429,664 |
| Panama | $5,300 | 366 | $1,775,100 | Kenneth Smaron | $293,860 | $293,860 |
| Macau | HKD42,400 | 536 | HKD20,796,800 | Elliot Smith | HK$2,877,500 | $370,245 |
| Monte-Carlo | €5,300 | 727 | €3,525,950 | Raffaele Sorrentino | €466,714 | $508,281 |
| Sochi | RUB318,000 | 387 | RUB150,000,000 | Pavel Shirshikov | RUB29,100,000 | $514,893 |
| Barcelona | €5,300 | 1,682 | €8,157,700 | Sebastian Sorensson | €987,043 | $1,160,285 |
Back in December 2016 it was Jasper Meijer van Putten that lifted the last EPT Main Event trophy here in Prague after emerging on top out of a field of 1,192 entries, taking home the lion's share of the €5,781,200 prize pool for a career-best score of €699,300. The Dutchman has extended his unbeaten run without being eliminated from a tournament in Prague to nine days in a row after topping a field of 49 entries in Event #2 €10,300 Single Re-Entry. Along with the second PokerStars trophy at the Hilton Hotel, van Putten added further €150,000 to his poker bankroll and will be back to defend his Main Event title in the upcoming days with the confidence at an all-time high.
The €50,000 Super High Roller will play down to a winner later today as well as Timothy Adams holds a commanding lead over Adrian Mateos and Mikita Badziakouski, while Georgios Vrakas leads the final eight in the 2,117-strong PokerStars National Championship €1,100 Main Event. Other finalists include Marco Regonaschi, Yan Shing Tsang and Ludovic Geilich.
The PokerNews live reporting team will provide updates from the following events in Prague:
| Dates | Event | Live Updates? |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 10-12 | €50,000 PokerStars Championship Super High Roller | No, feature style content |
| Dec. 12-18 | €5,300 PokerStars Championship Main Event | Yes |
| Dec. 13 | €25,500 PokerStars Championship Single-Day High Roller I | Yes |
| Dec. 14 | €25,500 PokerStars Championship Single-Day High Roller II | Yes |
| Dec. 16-18 | €10,300 PokerStars Championship High Roller | Yes |
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
Some Familiar Faces Sitting Down Early
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
The Main Event has just gotten underway with Day 1a. As the shuffle up and deal was announced, 68 players had taken their seat. Here are some of the more recognizable faces in the field so far:
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 |
Varnica Takes Two
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Ante Varnica and Fahredin Mustafov know each other well from the most recent World Series of Poker Europe and Circuit Event at the King's Casino and both drew the same table at the start of Day 1a along with former EPT champion Jannick Wrang.
Varnica won two pots right away to boost his stack. One of them saw a flop of 
and a bet of 550 by Varnica forced folds from Mustafov and Wrang. Soon after there were 1,200 in the middle to the 
turn and Wrong bet 300. Varnica raised it up to 1,800 and claimed the pot without resistance.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
32,000 | 32,000 |
|
29,500 | 29,500 |
|
|
29,000 | -1,000 |
Leckey's Overbet Gets Through
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Paul Leckey and Ante Varnica built a pot of 3,000 or so and each checked a board of 
. Varnica was under the gun and checked the river and Leckey bet 6,100. Varnica thought about 30 seconds and then slid his cards to the dealer.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
31,500 | 31,500 |
|
|
28,500 | -3,500 |
A Few More We Recognize
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 |
Further Additions to the Field
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Former EPT champion Anton Wigg has sat down on the same table as Christopher Kruk while other notables that joined the action in the first level include Saar Wilf, Liviu Ignat, Mario Adinolfi, Saar Wilf, Gab Yong Kim and Andrey Kotelnikov.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
|
30,000 | 30,000 |
Helppi Loses Some
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
On the 6-handed table, the cutoff opened for 300. Big blind Juha Helppi called and checked on 
. The cutoff bet 400 and Helppi quickly tossed in a 500-chip to call.
As he got his 100-chip change and the dealer put out the on the turn, Helppi checked again. His opponent checked behind.
The completed the board and Helppi checked once more. The cutoff bet 450 and Helppi slid forward another 500-chip to call. The cutoff showed 
and Helppi mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
29,000 | -1,000 |
Roca de Torres Looking for Another Big Win
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Winning one big tournament is hard enough, but Marti Roca de Torres was able to do that when he came out of nowhere — he had about $30,000 in live cashes — to win WSOP Europe Main Event last month for €1,115,207.
Now, Roca de Torres is back in action here at PokerStars Championship Prague, having showed up early for the €5,300 Main Event. The Spaniard hopes to make it to two majors in a row and establish himself as one of the breakout stars of 2017 on the felt.