The first Main Event champion of a PokerStars Open event has been crowned. Romanian Adrian State claimed his spot as the outright champion late last night at the Campione Casino.
The numbers indicate that debuting the inaugural PokerStars Open in the enclave of Campione D'Italia was an excellent decision. A record-breaking 2,324 entries built a juicy €2,326,080 prize pool. Stars more than doubled its €1 million guarantee, a bigger turnout than anyone anticipated. After four long days of poker in an incredible, player-friendly structure, State cemented his place in poker history as the last player standing.
PokerStars Open Campione final table results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian State | €363,000 |
| 2 | Giorgio Soceanu | €225,200 |
| 3 | Barnaba Perone | €160,880 |
| 4 | Manel Montalban | €123,760 |
| 5 | Salvatore Russo | €95,190 |
| 6 | Jakub Sterba | €73,210 |
| 7 | Gaspare Sposato | €56,330 |
| 8 | Andreas Putz | €43,340 |
A family man and his rail
State enjoyed a classy celebration after cards hit their backs for what turned out to be the final hand of the tournament. He needed a ten or a jack to best short-stacked, second-place finisher Giorgio Soceanu's flopped pair. With one card to come, the jack of clubs hit the river to deliver the knockout gutshot straight.
State displayed a subdued reaction – a single fist pump raised in the air, followed by a deferential handshake to his opponent. The less-contained reaction would come 30 seconds later when he spotted his collection of railbirds just off the side of the stage.
The new champion let out a celebratory howl as he ran into the arms of his friends and fellow players. One by one, they each held their own miniature celebration as they embraced and took in the moment together.
"It feels amazing," State said simply. "Players were great, staff were great, PokerStars did a fantastic job."
This is State's biggest live cash of his career, surpassing his previous best, which also came at a PokerStars event last April in Monte Carlo when he won the €3,000 Mystery Bounty for €232,898.
State's victory places him firmly on top of the middle tier of the new PokerStars Live League leaderboard, though leaderboard chasing doesn't seem to be in the plans for the family man.
"Of course I'll play the events when I'm able, but I'd like to spend more time with my wife and daughter at home," said State.
A bigger turnout than anyone expected
Predicting how many players will come to a series is no easy task for operators. Make it an inaugural event at a casino that hasn't hosted a major tour in some time, and the task is only more challenging. The players did not disappoint here.
"When PokerStars makes projections, they tend to be on the conservative side," said Head of PokerStars Live Room Campione Luca Pagano. "They were thinking about 1,000 or 1,100 players. They didn't have any historical records. I had a feeling those numbers were very conservative. I told them maybe we could get up to 1,600 or 1,700, and they were laughing at me. Now we are both laughing at each other."
The numbers only tell one side of the story. The feedback from the players was only encouraging to Pagano.
"They like being here in Campione," continued Pagano. "Not just the Italian players that were connected to Campione for some past memories. All the players appreciate how beautiful both the area and the casino are. I think eventually we'll bring even more players. We're ever more ambitious now."
Next stop on the tour
Those looking to get in on the leaderboard chase will have their opportunity next month at the always-beloved Irish Poker Open, which runs April 10-21. It's the 45th anniversary of the award-winning festival, and there's more days than usual to the schedule, so expect a bigger turnout there as well.
If you need more inspiration to head to one of the best live events of the year, check out its rich and colorful history below.
Images courtesy of Manuel Kovsca/Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd.
