Two months ago, Christian Harder became the first PokerStars Championship Main Event winner when he claimed the title at PokerStars Championship Bahamas to usher in a new era. Now, here at PokerStars Championship Panama, it's time to begin the process of crowning the next winner as the $5,300 Main Event is set to get underway.
Cards are set to begin flying at 11 a.m. local time here in Panama City at Sortis Hotel, Spa & Casino. Things begin modestly enough with eight levels of action, scheduled to last 75 minutes apiece. Blinds begin at 50/100 and players will get 30,000 to begin the tournament. They play through 400/800/100 before bagging up.
Unlike many tournaments nowadays, this one is a straight-up freezeout — reentry will not be allowed. Registration will be open throughout the day, stretching into the start of Thursday's Day 2.
Stay tuned for live updates throughout the day here on PokerNews to see who gets off to a good start in the race to become the next PokerStars Championship winner.
Day 1a of the PokerStars Championship Panama Main Event is expected to draw a special player – Friend of PokerStars Tito Ortiz. If you followed mixed martial arts (MMA), and especially the UFC, then you’re familiar with Ortiz. Even if you don’t, you might recognize him from his stint on the 2008 edition Celebrity Apprentice alongside now-President Donald Trump.
The former Light Heavyweight Champion, who in 2012 became the ninth fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, has a MMA record of 19 wins (eight knockouts, five submission, and six by decision) and 12 losses (four by knockout, three by submission, five by decision, and one draw).
He was a beast in the octagon, and now he’s trying to best opponents on the felt. Ortiz, who was formerly married to Jenna Jameson, is no stranger to poker though. He appeared on PokerStars Shark Cage, and in 2015 competed at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in the Bahamas.
Ortiz is in the building but has yet to take his seat, instead opting to chat up Felipe Ramos in the hallway. He should be in action soon, and you can rest assured that we’ll be keeping an eye on him to see how he fares in the 2017 PokerStars Championship Panama Main Event.
.@PokerStars main event in Panama here I come. Time to kick some ass and take some names! @TraciSzy making it happen. ##poker #texasholdem
PokerNews has activated the MyStack App for this event, allowing you to directly adjust your chip counts in our live reporting blog using your iPhone or Android phone.
You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.
Click here to download the My Stack app for iPhone, or click here to download the My Stack app for Android.
Back in January, Tito Ortiz retired from his storied MMA career after his first-round finish of Chael Sonnen at Bellator 170. Today, Ortiz is sporting a t-shirt remembering that day with #FinalFight.
Not everyone can go a full round with the MMA legend, but we just did. We spent one orbit observing Ortiz, who was sitting with 43,000 seven handed.
Hand #1 (Button): Paul Newey raised to 400 from middle position and Ortiz called. Lokesh Garg came along from the big blind and three players took a flop of . Both Garg and Newey checked, and that prompted Ortiz to bet 1,000. Only Newey called and the both players checked the turn.
When the completed the board on the river, action again went check-check and Ortiz tabled the for a pair of queens. It was no good though as Newey had aces with his .
Hand #2 (Cutoff): Ortiz raised to 300 and Lokesh called from the small blind. Luke Graham came along from the big and it was three-way action to the flop, which came down .
Two checks opened the door for Ortiz to continue for 500, and only Lokesh called to see the turn. Both players checked and then Lokesh check-folded to a bet of 2,000 on the river.
Hand #3 (Hijack): A player in early position raised to 400 and Ortiz folded.
Hand #4 (Lojack): Action folded to Ortiz and he released his hand.
Hand #5 (Under the Gun): Ortiz folded.
Hand 6 (Big Blind): The player in the hijack raised to 300, Jose Da Silva Paulo Demeyere called from the small blind, and Ortiz folded from the big.
Hand #7 (Small Blind): Newey raised to 400 from the hijack and Ortiz folded.
Simon Charette was in the small blind with a pot of 5,650 built up preflop between he and Osvaldo Lewis, who occupied the cutoff. After Lewis called over the floorperson to verify something in Spanish, he moved all in for approximately 30,000 when Charette checked the flop. The Canadian seemed pained and thought a couple of minutes until just before the break began, then he called off his stack.
"I'm just drawing," he said, turning over .
Lewis tabled .
"Wow, totally misread him," Charette said.
The turn and river were bricks: and . Charette's stack was just under the 31,000 held by Lewis, and he headed for the exits.
With 30,000 in the pot and a board reading , Jose Moran Guzman checked from under the gun and Orpen Kisacikoglu moved all in for 10,225.
Guzman only had 10,425 and he didn't seem excited by being put to the test. He tanked for a bit before making the call, and he was glad he did as his turned set of tens with the bested the of Kisacikoglu.
It was a short run in the Main Event for Canadian high roller Timothy Adams. He had a bet of 5,000 in front of him in the last hand he played, with on the felt. Lokesh Garg check-raised to 11,500 and Adams responded with an all-in shove for 26,000. Garg called.
Garg:
Adams:
Top two was no good for Adams, and he didn't improve on the river.
Isaac Haxton raised preflop and got a couple of callers, seeing flop. He bet 700 into approximately 2,500, and Davidi Kitai called on the button. Julian Stuer put in a raise out of the big blind, and Haxton committed his remaining chips, around 4,600. Stuer quickly called when Kitai mucked.
Haxton:
Stuer:
Stuer needed a fourth diamond on board and found one in the river after a turn.
With 3,000 in the pot and a flop of , Jose Da Silva Paulo Demeyere checked from the big blind and UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz fired out 4,000 from the under-the-gun position. Martin Kus folded from early position and Demeyere woke up with a check-raise to 11,000.
Ortiz made the call, which left him just 7,550 behind. After the dealer burned and turned the , Demeyere moved all in and Ortiz opted to call off.
Ortiz:
Demeyere:
Demeyere was ahead with two pair, but you can guess what happened by the title of this post. The spiked on the river to give Ortiz a bigger two pair and new life! Demeyere was left with 8,500 after the hand.
Nacho Barbero opened the action with a raise to 1,000 from first position. He picked up no fewer than 4 callers and the flop came .
Small blind Dan Colman shoved for 7,725 and big blind Eduards Kudrjavcevs folded. Barbero asked for a count before he called. Swedish PokerStars qualifier Sebastian Hinderoth squeezed allin for a whole lot more and action was back on Barbero soon enough.
Barbero tanked for a bit before he eventually, reluctantly, called.
Dan Colman:
Nacho Barbero:
Sebastian Hinderoth:
The on the turn and on the river were both blanks and both Colman and Barbero got up from the table to make their exit. We're not entirely sure, but it looks like Sebastian Hinderoth is the chip leader. Hinderoth has no recorded cashes on TheHendonmob.com, but that might just change here in Panama this week. He's off to a great start!
. Both Garg and Newey checked, and that prompted Ortiz to bet 1,000. Only Newey called and the both players checked the 
turn.
completed the board on the river, action again went check-check and Ortiz tabled the 
for a pair of queens. It was no good though as Newey had aces with his 
.
.
river.
flop. The Canadian seemed pained and thought a couple of minutes until just before the break began, then he called off his stack.
and 
. Charette's stack was just under the 31,000 held by Lewis, and he headed for the exits.
, Jose Moran Guzman checked from under the gun and Orpen Kisacikoglu moved all in for 10,225.
on the felt. Lokesh Garg check-raised to 11,500 and Adams responded with an all-in shove for 26,000. Garg called.
flop. He bet 700 into approximately 2,500, and Davidi Kitai called on the button. Julian Stuer put in a raise out of the big blind, and Haxton committed his remaining chips, around 4,600. Stuer quickly called when Kitai mucked.
.
