Welcome to Day 1b of the 2017 PokerStars Championship Prague Main Event
At noon local time, cards are in the air for the second of two starting days of the 2017 PokerStars Championship Prague Main Event, the seventh and final PokerStars Championship Main Event of its inaugural season. Yesterdays Day 1a attracted a field of 193 players. 77 of them advanced to Day 2, with Czech Republic's very own Michal Mrakes in the lead with 202,700.
Prague has been woven with the PokerStars Championship's past, the European Poker Tour (EPT), and has been a stop since 2007 (EPT4). The gorgeous Hilton Hotel Prague is expected to be packed today as players from all over aspire to become the next in line to lift the trophy in "the City of a Hundred Spires".
Past EPT Prague Main Event Winners
| Season | Buy-in | Entrants | Prize pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | €4,700+€300 | 555 | €2,530,240 | Arnaud Mattern | €708,400 |
| 5 | €5,000+€250 | 570 | €2,764,500 | Salvatore Bonavena | €774,000 |
| 6 | €5,000+€250 | 586 | €2,842,100 | Jan Skampa | €682,000 |
| 7 | €5,000+€300 | 563 | €2,730,550 | Roberto Romanello | €640,000 |
| 8 | €5,000+€300 | 722 | €3,501,700 | Martin Finger | €720,000 |
| 9 | €5,000+€300 | 864 | €4,190,400 | Ramzi Jelassi | €835,000 |
| 10 | €5,000+€300 | 1,007 | €4,883,950 | Julian Track | €725,700 |
| 11 | €5,000+€300 | 1,107 | €5,368,950 | Stephen Graner | €969,000 |
| 12 | €5,000+€300 | 1,044 | €5,063,400 | Hossein Ensan | €754,510 |
| 13 | €5,000+€300 | 1,178 | €5,781,200 | Jasper Meijer van Putten | €699,300 |
Last year's winner Jasper Meijer van Putten will be in the field today and the Dutchman is already off to a fantastic start in Prague. Just days ago, Meijer van Putten won the €10,300 Single Reentry and added €150,000 and a PokerStars Championship trophy to his mantle top. Another one to watch for is Raffaele Sorrentino, who won the PokerStars Championship Presented by Monte-Carlo Casino Main Event earlier this year. Sorrentino nearly repeated that feat in Barcelona, where he finished 3rd for €850,110, almost making him the first two-time champion in the PokerStars Championship's short history.
Like Day 1a, Day 1b features a price tag of €5,300 and all players receive 30,000 in chips. Eight levels of 75 minutes each will be played, with a 75-minute dinner break at the end of level six. Day 1b will end around midnight and late registration is open up until the start of level 2.
Next to Day 1b, a €25,500 Single Day High Roller will take place. Updates of that tournament can be found here. Follow PokerNews throughout the day for all updates of the PokerStars Championship Prague!
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 |