The PokerStars Open Campione Main Event, taking place right now on the shores of Lake Lugano in Italy’s Lombardy region, has cruised past its posted guarantee of €1M to create a huge €2,326,080 prize pool.
With late registration only just closed, the 2,423 entries represent a record for PokerStars live events at this €1,100 price point.
Cards are in the air for Day 2, with 772 surviving Day 1 players, plus more than 250 late registrants, competing for the lion's share of the €2M+.
PokerOrg's Terrance 'TJ' Reid is in Campione, in the Main Event and in his element - see his comments below for a flavor of the feeling in the room as late registration closed.
Filled to capacity
Following the announcement that PokerStars was uniting some of its regional live poker brands under a new banner — The PokerStars Open — there must have excitement at Stars HQ, as well as possibly a few last-minute nerves, as the new era kicked off.
The likes of the Estrellas Poker Tour, the France Poker Series and the UK & Ireland Poker Tour had all been mainstays in live European poker for close to 15 years. Retiring the established brands in favor of The PokerStars Open was a calculated gamble, but if attendance in Campione is any indicator it appears to have paid off in (red) spades.
1,000 entrants was the magic number required to meet the €1M guarantee, and early indicators suggested that would not be a problem. Lines of eager players waiting to register for Day 1a meant a delayed start — and therefore a late finish — with over 600 players pulling up chairs in a Casino di Campione poker room filled to capacity.
A further 163 entries joined in the day’s later starting flight, and more than 300 more registered prior to the start of yesterday’s Day 1c, meaning the seven-figure guarantee was easily passed before play even began. Final numbers for Day 1c totalled an enormous 1,124 entries — enough to cover the event guarantee on its own — with one final turbo Day 1d giving 208 more players a chance to join the throng.
Reid flies the PokerOrg flag
Head of the 772-player pack to start Day 2 was Romania’s Darius Neagoe with a stack of 417K. PokerOrg’s aforementioned Terrance ‘TJ’ Reid, a writer and live events manager — not to mention an extremely competent player in his own right — began play today just behind Neagoe with 413.5K chips.
The turnout at Campione has been incredible, above what anyone anticipated. This Main Event had stretched the limits of staff and tables, but they've handled it professionally and smoothly. Tables are divided between the 3rd and 9th floors. The main logistical pressure point had been the elevators, with only 6 small lifts for the thousands of players, but we make do.
Tournament Directors had to add on an extra level onto all Day 1s in anticipation of not being able to handle the return of players on Day 2. Even so, we started the day 10-handed with a decent alternate list.
With the prize pool well over €2.3 million, there is an air of excitement. I personally can't wait to get rid of this 10th seat at the table, but it's worth these pressure points for the opportunity of such a big pay day. The floor, staff, and dealers have all been excellent. In light of recent conversations in Vegas rooms, it's refreshing to see competent dealers sliding cards instead of pitching them with efficiency and game integrity in mind.
You may know Reid’s name from his years of fine work with PokerOrg, or you might recognize his face from his recent heads-up match versus Doug Polk.
Also still in there and swinging, as of time of writing, are WSOP bracelet winners Gabi Livshitz, Alexandre Reard, Jamie Walden, Alessandro Pichierri and Andriy Lyubovetskiy, as well as PokerStars ambassadors Barny Boatman, Guillermo Sanz and Benjamin Bruneteaux.
Rory Jennings and Adam McKola, PokerStars ambassadors and YouTubers, bust within a place of each other shortly after late registration ended.
Late registration closed at the start of Day 2’s second level (1K/1.5K/1.5K), with Darius Neagoe maintaining his chip lead.
Stay with PokerOrg throughout The PokerStars Open Campione for the latest news, results and much more, right through to the crowning of the Main Event winner on Sunday, March 16.
Images courtesy of Rachel Kay Winter/Manuel Kovsca/Rational Intellectual Holdings, Ltd.
