Featured Content | 2017 PokerStars Championship Sochi

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2017-05-26 18:22 UTC+3

From St. Petersburg to Sochi; Spin & Go Qualifier Jamie Stephens

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It wasn't until after he had won, that Canadian Spin & Go qualifier Jamie Stephens realized what lay ahead of him. A native of Brantford, Ontario, Stephens is one of only three players from Canada to qualify for the PokerStars Championship Main Event here in Sochi, and it took an email response from PokerStars to discover what exactly the 37-year old had secured.

A regular morning for Stephens involves firing up a few $7 Spin & Go’s on PokerStars. One morning the $8 Sochi package Spin and Go caught his eye and he decided to register one and test his luck. Stephens wasn’t entirely sure what the package actually entailed and was happy to see when the wheel stopped rolling it had landed on the ticket. He initially assumed the ticket was for a satellite or some sort of feeder into a Main Event package.

It wasn’t until he noticed how weird and super tight his opponents were playing that he thought anything more of it. He decided to pump up the aggression and continued to push around his two tablemates.

Stephens recalls one particular hand where he got a player all-in but was way behind, holding pocket nines against his opponent’s monster pair. A nine on the river gave him a sizable chip lead as he got to heads-up play. Not long after, Stephens disposed of them as well and a congratulations window appeared showing he had won a Main Event package to the PokerStars Championship Sochi.

Still a bit confused, he googled the event and found some details. He immediately emailed PokerStars support and got a response indicating he indeed did win a seat in the Main Event.

Stephens, who plays occasionally at a local casino in Brantford, began to play more often in preparation for the event, even finding a few final tables in some daily events. Wanting a bit more practice, Stephens flew to Florida to play at the Hard Rock and found a final table in a daily event there. Stephens also scored his first win on the trip, playing at a poker room in St. Petersburg, FL. Taking down a $33 daily with about 60-odd runners.

Having the ability to bring someone with him, Stephens’ uncle also made the journey along with a friend, all of whom relished the opportunity to travel to Sochi.

Stephens has really been enjoying his time so far, saying: "PokerStars has been treating us really good."

At the “Meet and Greet” with PokerStars Team Pros, Stephens was able to have a lengthy conversation with Chris Moneymaker and was even able to share a story with Moneymaker about a prop bet one of Stephens’ poker buddies had won against Moneymaker in the Bahamas.

If Stephens can spin his package into a cash, it will be the first live-recorded tournament cash of his poker career and will give him a profile on the Hendon Mob. The self-employed event planner has aspirations of winning the World Series of Poker Main Event and getting PokerStars Team Pro and fellow Canadian Daniel Negreanu to fold a hand when they meet across the felt!

Tags: Chris Moneymaker Jamie Stephens PokerStars Championship Sochi

2017-05-25 21:00 UTC+3

Maxim Panyak Wins PokerStars National High Roller (RUB 3,400,000)

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Just three weeks ago, Russian pro Maxim Panyak was denied his first PokerStars Spade trophy on one of poker’s biggest stages, ultimately falling in fourth place at the PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo Main Event. Panyak returned to action this week in his home country and found redemption capturing the PokerStars National High Roller at the Sochi Casino and Resort for RUB 3,400,000.

There were 116 entries in the RUB 132,000 event, generating a prize pool of RUB 13,502,400. Many of Russia’s top players and even an American pro and a Brazilian Team PokerStars pro stood in Panyak’s way but the native of Yekaterinburg would not be denied. Bagging the chip lead after Day 1 and holding it to go wire-to-wire, Panyak bested a final table that included Vladimir Troyanovskiy, Igor Yaroshevskyy, Jason Wheeler, and his heads-up opponent, Ivan Safarov.

Place	Name	Country	prize (RUB)
1	Maxim Panyak	Russia	3,400,000 (approx. USD $59,820)
2	Ivan Safarov	Russia	2,295,000 (approx. USD $40,378)
3	Vladimir Troyanovskiy	Russia	1,492,000 (approx. USD $26,250)
4	Dmitry Ponomarev	Russia	1,236,000 (approx. USD $21,746)
5	Asker Aloev	Russia	995,000 (approx. USD $17,506)
6	Igor Yaroshevskyy	Ukraine	785,400 (approx. USD $13,818)
7	Alexandr Prigarnyi	Russia	600,000 (approx. USD $10,556)
8	Jason Wheeler	USA	452,000 (approx. USD $7,952)

The latest PokerStars champion was thrilled to claim the title, especially coming on home soil. Panyak had this to say after the win; “After so many difficult years for poker in this country, winning a tournament here means freedom. I want to enjoy this important moment for my country, drinking and making a party!”

PokerStars Team Pro Felipe Ramos was able to check-off the Russian flag from the list of countries the Brazilian has found a cash in. Ramos made Day 2 but fell early, busting in 13th place for RUB 243,000. Just 17 players made the money.

With the win, Panyak has climbed to USD $1,348,134 in career live-recorded tournament earnings, his best cash coming from his final table appearance in Monte Carlo mentioned earlier.

Panyak is back in action today, taking a seat in the PokerStars Championship Sochi Main Event Day 1b. To say he would be confident in his game right now would likely be an understatement. Only time will tell if Panyak will be able to carry any sort of momentum he may be feeling into another final table appearance and perhaps a major championship title.

Tags: Felipe Ramos Igor Yaroshevskyy Jason Wheeler Maxim Panyak PokerStars Championship Sochi Vladimir Troyanovskiy

2017-05-25 17:00 UTC+3

Georgy Philippovich Wins PokerStars National Championship Sochi

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Yesterday Russian professional poker player Georgy Philippovich outlasted a 756-entry field in the RUB 66,000 PokerStars National Championship in the Sochi Casino and Resort. The 26-year-old from Yekaterinburg took home RUB 6,313,500 (approx. $112,172) for his efforts after a three-way deal.

Reflecting on his victory, Philippovich, who enjoys riding his bike or playing table tennis and football in his spare time, said that it was an incredible result for him.

“I’m so proud of winning an event at the first Russian PokerStars Championship after so many legally difficult years for poker here in Russia."

Coming into the PokerStars National Championship, Philippovich had won less than $30k in live tournaments, but with a solid online background, dozens of five-figure cashes earned on PokerStars and a podium spot in a Sunday Million, he successfully transitioned his skills from the virtual realm to the live felt.

"I tried the play the same way I usually play online and it worked out," Philippovich revealed his winning strategy.

When Philippovich is away from live or online tables, he likes riding a bike or playing table tennis and football.

Philippovich beat the start-of-day chip leader Vitaly Avanesyan heads-up to add the extra RUB 700,000 left for the champion. Avanesyan secured himself RUB 5,495,000 while the third-place finisher Viktor Kudinov took home RUB 5,151,500 in the aforementioned three-way deal.

Runner-up Avanesyan (RUB 5,495,000)is a recreational player from Ulyanovsk, and already owns a ring from WSOP Circuit Georgia where he beat a 96-entry field in the $220 PLO Event for a $5,760 payday.

Third-place finisher Kudinov (RUB 5,151,500) also celebrated his career-best result today, as did Andrey Soloviev (fourth for RUB 2,710,000) and the only non-Russian in the field 38-year-old Sergey Em from Kazakhstan who laddered from shortest stack to 5th (RUB 2,150,000).

Dmitry Chop was the first player to leave the table on the final day, busting in sixth place for RUB 1,625,000. Chop had already had a win from Sochi to his name. He took down the partypoker Millions Main Event here in Krasnaya Polyana just two months ago for $225,000.

The RUB 66,000 PokerStars National Championship drew 756 entries (551 unique players plus 205 re-entries). The top 111 finishers shared pieces of the RUB 43,999,200 prize pool. Among the notable players who cashed were Nacho Barbero (ninth for RUB 630,000), Andrey Kotelnikov (tenth for RUB 515,000), Timofey Vekshin (11th for RUB 515,000), Aleksandr Denisov (12th for RUB 458,000), Harry Lodge (23rd for RUB 281,000), Sergei Chantcev (32nd for RUB 180,500), Josef Snejberg (37th for RUB 180,500), Alexander Lakhov (44th for RUB 158,000), Nikolay Fal (52nd for RUB 158,000), Dmitry Ponomarev (70th for RUB 139,000), Alexander Moiseev (77th for RUB 121,000) and Mikhail Korotkikh (91st for RUB 121,000).

PokerStars National Championship Sochi final table results:
1st - Georgy Philippovich, Russia, RUB 6,313,500 (approx. $112,172) *
2nd - Vitaly Avanesyan, Russia, RUB 5,495,000 (approx. $97,630) *
3rd - Viktor Kudinov, Russia, RUB 5,151,500 (approx. $91,527) *
4th - Andrey Soloviev, Russia, RUB 2,710,000 (appox. $48,149)
5th - Sergey Em, Kazakhstan, RUB 2,150,000 (approx. $38,199)
6th - Dmitry Chop, Russia, RUB 1,625,000 (approx. $28,871)
7th - Van Thach Vu, Russia, RUB 1,166,200 (approx. $20,720)
8th - Rudolf Babayan, Russia, RUB 798,000 (approx. $14,178)

Tags: Andrey Soloviev Dmitry Chop Georgy Philippovich Rudolf Babayan Sergey Em Van Thach Vu Viktor Kudinov Vitaly Avanesyan

2017-05-24 20:00 UTC+3

Vitaly Avanesyan Leads PokerStars National Championship Final Table

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The final table is set for the PokerStars National Championship in Sochi. Just six players will return to the Sochi Casino and Resort on Thursday afternoon to play for a top prize of RUB 8,310,000 (approximately USD $147,000). The man with the best shot at claiming the title right now is chip leader Vitaly Avanesyan.

The Russian player will start Day 4 with 5,450,000, having a slight chip advantage over his competitors. Fellow countrymen Viktor Kudinov (4,320,000) and Andrey Soloviev (4,065,000) are the closest to catching Avanesyan and will have position on the chip leader for the remainder of the event.

Seat	Name	County	Chip Count
Seat 1	Andrey Soloviev	Russia	4,065,000
Seat 2	Viktor Kudinov	Russia	4,320,000
Seat 3	Georgy Philippovich	Russia	2,800,000
Seat 4	Sergey Em	Kazakhstan	690,000
Seat 5	Dmitry Chop	Russia	1,500,000
Seat 6	Vitaly Avanesyan	Russia	5,450,000

Avanesyan considers himself a recreational player, mostly playing in the live scene. He is already guaranteed his best live score but isn’t a stranger to hoisting hardware. The 26-year old captured a World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit ring after taking down a 96-player $220 Pot-Limit Omaha event at the WSOP-C Georgia stop for USD $5,760.

Though he enters the final table sitting in fifth position, the most notable player has to be Dmitry Chop. Chop has amassed almost a million US dollars in live-tournament earnings including a victory in this very same room just two months ago where he claimed the partypoker Million title for USD $225,000.

Former PokerStars Team Pro Nacho Barbero had his deep run come to an end on the final table bubble. The Argentinian busted ninth for RUB 630,000. Other notables to hit the rail were Andrey Kotelnikov (10th - RUB 515,000), Timofey Vekshin (11th - RUB 515,000), Aleksandr Denisov (12th - RUB 458,000), Harry Lodge (23rd - RUB 281,000), Sergei Chantcev (32nd - RUB 180,500) and Josef Snejberg (37th - RUB 180,500).

Day 4 kicks off at noon local time and will play down until the latest PokerStars National Champion is crowned.

Tags: Harry Lodge Jose Ignacio Barbero PokerStars Championship Sochi Sochi Casino and Resort Vitaly Avanesyan

2017-05-23 20:00 UTC+3

Online Qualifier Vladislav Zhukov Leads PokerStars National Championship

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The chip lead after Day 2 of the PokerStars National Championship at the Sochi Casino and Resort belongs to $5 qualifier Vladislav Zhukov. The Russian player, hailing from Voronezh, tops just 39 survivors with a stack of 1,401,000.

Zhukov admits this is his first-ever live event, primarily playing online, where he qualified for this event. Sitting second in chips is fellow countryman Robert Askarov with 1,139,000. Petr Bartagov (1,011,000) and Sergei Chantcev (962,000) also have top stacks with Nacho Barbero (676,000), 615,000), Aleksandr Denisov (443,000), Harry Lodge (427,000), Timofey Vekshin (407,000), Josef Snejberg (217,000) and Andrey Kotelnikov (172,000) all still in the mix.

When registration closed, the field was set at 756 entries, 205 of them being re-entries, and 83% of the total coming from Russian players. There were 20 countries represented in the event with Belarus chipping in 20 players and Armenia with 13, claiming the top three spots. Kazakhstan and Ukraine round out the top five.

The day did not go so well for the vast majority of the field but some notable players leaving with some consolation include Alexander Lakhov (44th - RUB 158,000), Nikolay Fal (52nd - RUB 158,000), Dmitry Ponomarev (70th - RUB 139,000), Alexander Moiseev (77th - RUB 121,000) and Mikhail Korotkikh (91st - RUB 121,000).

Brazilian PokerStars Team Pro Felipe Ramos was in the hunt as the day began but was eliminated sometime before the money bubble popped. As the festival has really just kicked off, Ramos will have plenty of opportunities to make this a profitable trip.

Play will resume with Day 3 action at noon local time and is expected to continue until an official final table is set.

Tags: Alexander Lakhov Felipe Ramos Harry Lodge Jose Ignacio Barbero PokerStars Championship Sochi Sochi Casino and Resort

2017-05-23 17:00 UTC+3

Language Barrier No Problem for Harry Lodge

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Online qualifier Harry Lodge is making the most of his trip to Russia by playing the PokerStars National Championship Event. After finishing Day 1b second in chips, the young British pro said he went home and immediately launched an online grind.

"I was really unorganised and didn’t know the SCOOP dates ahead of time! So for the first week and a half I was on holiday with my girlfriend. I went to Monte Carlo and then she came and met me and we went on holiday there and then on to Sicily.

"I got back, played about a week of SCOOP and then realised that Sochi was set for the final Sunday of SCOOP. I made played day 1b of the National two days ago, went home and fired up a scoop session that last until 8am. That was a long day of poker!"

Lodge has already tasted success in PokerStars sponsored live tournaments. His first major live score was a fifth-place finish in the UKIPT4 Isle of Man Main Event for a £27,600 payday. Lodge has also made his mark on the PokerStars Festival London earlier this year, finishing third in the £2k High Roller for £36,150. In all, he's racked up $338,000 in live cashes, with his career-best result coming in the 2015 UK Poker Championships Nottingham Main Event where he took down the title along with £60,000.

However, he's now enjoying his first trip to Russia, despite troubles with getting a visa and getting that all arranged with ample time to spare.

"I don't really recognise in the field! Usually it’s a good thing when there’s no one at the table you recognise because chances are they’re not going to be as strong if you’ve not heard of them before. But I’ve never played in Russia before so I don’t know how the average Russian player really plays so coming into it a bit blind and just taking each hand as it comes."

The language barrier is one of the biggest issues, says Lodge, and he's come up with an ingenious way to make his bet sizes clear to the dealer.

"When someone’s made a bet, especially when they’ve used a larger denomination chip like a 5,000-value chip, and they’re betting 3,300 or whatever amount, I’m not actually sure what they’re betting.

"Fortunately, a lot of the dealers do speak English but when they don’t I’ve actually gone ahead and lined my chips up in front of my stack and been “Is this how much they’re betting?”

"I think I’ve learned the numbers for three or seven, but that’s about it. If they bet 3,700 then maybe I’ll know what they’re doing! "

And like all players in mid-May, his eyes are now looking towards the bright lights of Vegas and the WSOP.

"My plan is simple! I win the Main, fly back straight after, and then have a little bit of time off before Vegas. I think I’m going 10th June until the end of the series.

"I’m not playing the really large stuff. I play everything up to $5,000 as well as the Main Event. I'm going for a week less than last year, mainly because of a bit of negotiation with the girlfriend!

"It's still going to be about $100,000 in buy-ins for the summer."

Tags: Harry Lodge PokerStars Championship Sochi

2017-05-23 15:33 UTC+3

Felipe Ramos: "Emotions Make Poker More Fun"

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PokerStars Team Pro Felipe Ramos has enjoyed great success at PokerStars events in the past six months, cashing in tournaments in the Bahamas, London, Panama, Macau and Monte Carlo as well as his native Brazil.

Ramos now finds himself in Sochi at PokerStars' first event in the country. Currently playing in the National Championship, which attracted nearly 800 entrants, he spoke to PokerNews about his recent SCOOP exploits, playing with Russian poker-players, and how he's looking forward to seeing his favourite person of all-time in poker: Chris Moneymaker.

"I got here a couple of days ago," said Ramos, "It's my first time in Russia. I stayed in Moscow for two nights just to do some tourist stuff. It's an amazing place and I liked it very much. Then I flew to Sochi.

"It reminds me of south Brazil! It's a little cold and with the mountains and the pure air - I like it very much and it’s a very nice environment at the casino. There's been a good turnout for the National event which I’m playing right now."

The event is close to the money now, but the Brazilian is taking it one event at a time.

"I'm looking forward to winning this, and playing the main event next. Hopefully they'll be the only two things that I play. You always focus on the tournament you're playing, and the next event. That's my game plan.

"Obviously, if I bust then of course I'll have to check the schedule. You need to play a full schedule just to maximise your time at an event. I might play the PLO High Roller, although I might still be in the Main Event. If not I'll hop in like in Macau [where Ramos finished 3rd for $53,918]."

There is plenty of other fun activities for Ramos to enjoy away from the table, including karaoke, bungee jumping and the Stars player party. He's looking forward to enjoying them with some of his fellow PokerStars Team Pros.

"These events are the best. Whenever you play poker for a living you’ve got to make the most of this poker lifestyle. Two of my favourite people in the poker world are Liv Boeree and Igor Kurganov, and they're going to be here. It's always so much fun hanging out with them.

"And then, my favourite person of all time in poker is Chris Moneymaker. He’s just an unbelievably nice guy. We are going to go bungee jumping and I said to him “Don’t worry Chris, I’m your friend. I'm going to give you a hand”

Ramos laughed as he mimed pushing someone in front of him.

"You know how us poker players know our pushing ranges!"

Cue more laughter from the Brazilian as he looked around the tournament floor.

"It’s a really nice atmosphere here. I like the Russians. They’re very passionate. I really appreciate that and I really think they're awesome. If everyone could love the game like they do, we would have such a better environment.

"I see people winning hands and cheering, I think that’s pretty cool. On Day 1 this guy was hitting rivers and giving me bad beats, hitting the table. He was apologising to me and I said to him: 'That’s fine, you gotta do what you feel like!'

"These emotions make poker more fun."

Having enjoyed playing SCOOP online while travelling the live circuit, Ramos is looking forward to travelling to Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker later this month.

"Sochi ends on the 31st, and on the 1st I fly to Vegas to start my WSOP grind. I always look forward to playing all the events I can while the WSOP is going on. I think there’s no point in playing the big ones, like the $100,000 event. There’s no point.

"I think there’s value in some of the events such. I’m looking to play wherever I’m a winner. So that’s how poker players need to think. I’m trying to become the first Brazilian in the GPI top ten. That would be really something."

Tags: Felipe Ramos PokerStars Championship Sochi

2017-05-23 13:15 UTC+3

Welcome to the PokerStars Championship Sochi!

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After the success of events in the Bahamas, Panama, Macau and most recently in Monte Carlo, the PokerStars Championship rolls into Sochi, Russia for one of the largest poker events on Russian soil.

Set in the heart of Russia's holiday location, Krasnaya Polyan, the Sochi Casino and Resort is one of the largest in Eastern Europe with the capacity of 2,000 people.

The first four PokerStars Championship Main Events saw three Russian players navigate their way to a final table. Aleksei Opalikhin finished fourth in The Bahamas, taking $192,420 while Andrey Bondar and Maxim Panyak met each other on the final table at PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo. Bondar was eliminated in third place for €271,500 and Panyak bust in fourth place worth €199,900.

PokerStars Championship Sochi will also feature online legend Vladimir "shabalinvlad" Shabalin, who earned more than 10 million VPPs during his career on PokerStars. Shabalin has already proved he can transition his skills to the live felt, too. He won two tournaments at PokerStars Championship Macau and fell just shy of completing a remarkable hat-trick.

Along with a variety of buy-ins and games on offer, the tour's first stop in Russia also features #StarsFun activities during players downtime away from the table, including a Virtual Reality (VR) Challenge running daily between 11:00 and 22:00. The most successful players will be rewarded with prizes each day and the owner of the highest score for the event wins a complete VR set up.

There is a Meet & Greet reception on May 24 from 20:00 until 22:00; an exclusive session for online qualifiers to meet and speak to some of the world’s best players and enjoy complimentary drinks and finger food at the Marriot Hotel Bar.

For those looking to add more adrenaline to their poker battles, there is a Bungee Jumping session planned for May 25 and May 26 (30-person capacity for each time) where players can try the highest jump in Russia at 69 & 207 meters high.

The unmissable Players Party will kick off on May 27 at 21:00 in the Sky Bar. Complimentary drinks will be featured at the party. Another cultural #StarsFun activity is planned for May 30 as the Karaoke SingStar Night starts at 22:00 in the Medora Karaoke Hall. Come and become the PokerStars Championship Sochi SingStar!

Stay tuned to PokerNews for feature coverage over the next couple of days live from the Sochi Casino and Resort.

Tags: PokerStars Championship Sochi Sochi Casino and Resort