Welcome to Day 1a of the 2017 PokerStars Championship Sochi Main Event
In one hour from now as of 12 p.m. local time, the flagship event of the 2017 PokerStars Championship Sochi festival at the Sochi Casino and Resort, Krasnaya Polyana, kicks off with Day 1a of the RUB 318,000 PokerStars Championship Main Event (approx. $5,590). It is the first time that a PokerStars sponsored tour is heading to the home country of team pro Igor Kurganov and the 12-day festival features a total of 43 events, and the Main Event has a guaranteed prize pool of RUB 150,000,000 guaranteed.
Each of the two starting days will play a total of eight levels of 75 minutes each with a break every two levels and a dinner break at the end of level six, all participants receive 30,000 chips and the action will conclude at midnight. The vast majority of participants will be sporting the Russian flag along with some nearby countries represented as well, but an asset of PokerStars Team Pros such as Luca Pagano, Chris Moneymaker and Felipe Ramos also made the trip to Sochi.
Day 1 level structure
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 min | 50 | 100 | |
| 2 | 75 min | 75 | 150 | |
| 3 | 75 min | 100 | 200 | 25 |
| 4 | 75 min | 150 | 300 | 50 |
| 5 | 75 min | 200 | 400 | 50 |
| 6 | 75 min | 250 | 500 | 75 |
| 7 | 75 min | 300 | 600 | 100 |
| 8 | 75 min | 400 | 800 | 100 |
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor to provide all the action until the first PokerStars Championship Main Event winner is crowned on Russian soil, so make sure to tune back regularly.