Mrakes in Charge as Day 5 of the Last-Ever PokerStars Championship Main Event Kicks Off at 12 p.m.
855 players entered, 15 remain after four days. At 12 p.m. local time, Day 5 of the last-ever PokerStars Championship Prague Main Event will get underway. It's been the tournament of hometown hero Michal Mrakes, who's been in the top of the standings throughout most of the tournament. Mrakes grabbed a monstrous chip lead on Day 4 and will kick off the penultimate day with 4,945,000 in chips, towering over the opposition led by Valentin Shabelnyk (3,225,000).
Mrakes currently holds $933,905 in lifetime winnings and is poised to jump over the fabled 1M mark in this tournament. The Czech's' biggest cash to date was made six months ago, when he won €200,000, and a fourth place or better in this tournament would top that achievement. Mrakes and his opponents already have €38,400 locked up for their respective deep runs, but all eyes are on the first place prize of €775,000 that awaits the winner on Monday night.
Despite the experience and chip lead going in, there's still a host of challengers ready to contest Mrakes for the title. Besides the aforementioned Shabelnyk, accomplished players like Robert Heidorn (2,485,000), Jason Wheeler (2,400,000), Matas Cimbolas (1,615,000), Harry Lodge (1,360,000), Pierre Calamusa (900,000) and Kalidou Sow (640,000) are still in contention as well. Alex Foxen also has a shot at PokerStars Championship glory, but the American breakout star of 2017 has his work cut out for him as he starts the day as the shortest stack in the room (470,000).
Seat Draw Day 5
| Table | Seat | Name | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Matas Cimbolas | Lithuania | 1,615,000 | 54 |
| 1 | 2 | Navot Golan | Israel | 1,955,000 | 65 |
| 1 | 3 | Valentyn Shabelnyk | Ukraine | 3,225,000 | 108 |
| 1 | 5 | Colin Robinson | USA | 2,085,000 | 70 |
| 1 | 6 | Harry Lodge | UK | 1,360,000 | 45 |
| 1 | 7 | Thomas Lentrodt | Germany | 1,520,000 | 51 |
| 1 | 8 | Jason Wheeler | USA | 2,400,000 | 80 |
| 2 | 1 | Pierre Calamusa | France | 900,000 | 30 |
| 2 | 2 | Michal Mrakes | Czech Republic | 4,945,000 | 165 |
| 2 | 3 | Gabriele Lepore | Italy | 580,000 | 19 |
| 2 | 4 | Robert Heidorn | Germany | 2,485,000 | 83 |
| 2 | 5 | Kalidou Sow | France | 640,000 | 21 |
| 2 | 6 | Serhii Popovych | Ukraine | 710,000 | 24 |
| 2 | 7 | Aleksandr Mordvinov | Russia | 820,000 | 27 |
| 2 | 8 | Alex Foxen | USA | 470,000 | 16 |
Action will resume with just under an hour left in level 24 with blinds at 15,000/30,000 and a running ante of 5,000. All levels will be 90 minutes for the remainder of the tournament. Day 5 will continue until there are six players left before action will be suspended for the night. The six remaining hopefuls will then return on Monday, December 18, to contest for the last-ever PokerStars Championship Main Event title and the first place prize of €775,000. PokerNews will be on hand to provide all the updates as we get closer to crowning a new champion in the stunning Hilton Hotel Prague!