Welcome to the PokerStars Championship Sochi!
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.