Welcome to Day 1a of the 2017 PokerStars Championship Macau Main Event
In one hour from now at 12 p.m. local time, one of the highlights of the 2017 PokerStars Chamoionship Macau gets underway at the PokerStars Live Macau poker room at City of Dreams. The first of two starting days for the HKD42,400 Main Event kicks off and will feature a total of six levels of 75 minutes each with a starting stack of 30,000. Registration will remain open for another two levels on Day 2 and there will be a break of 15 minutes every two levels before bagging and tagging.
So far, the first ever PokerStars Championship on Asian soil has attracted fantastic numbers for the events with massive 818 entries in the HK$8,800 PokerStars National Championship and 88 entries in the HK$400,000 Super High Roller. The former event is down to the final table with Koen Breed holding a big chip lead and will determine a winner today, while the same also applies for the Super High Roller as well.
Steve O'Dwyer leads the final 14 players on the money bubble, as the tournament will also come to a conclusion today. While many big names are still hoping for a major title in the Super High Roller, you can expect the PokerStars Team Pros Celina Lin, Felipe Ramos and Team Online Randy "nanonoko" Lew in action of the Main Event.
Day 1 Level Structure
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 min | 50 | 100 | |
| 2 | 75 min | 75 | 150 | |
| Break 15 min | ||||
| 3 | 75 min | 100 | 200 | 25 |
| 4 | 75 min | 150 | 300 | 50 |
| Break 15 min | ||||
| 5 | 75 min | 200 | 400 | 50 |
| 6 | 75 min | 250 | 500 | 75 |
It is the third PokerStars Championship since the inauguration of the series that follows into the footsteps of the European Poker Tour with stops at the Bahamas and in Panama so far. Christian Harder defeated a 738-entry strong field in January 2017 for a payday of $429,664, while Kenneth Smaron emerged victorious just a few weeks ago in Panama after coming out on top of a 366-entry strong field, claiming $293,860 for his efforts.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor to provide updates from the Main Event, the Single-Day High Roller as well as the final High Roller tournament, so make sure to tune back in regularly.