Italy’s Raffaele Sorrentino is just a six-handed final table away from making PokerStars Championship history by winning a second Main Event on the festival’s schedule within just four months.
The 2017 PokerStars Championship Barcelona €5,300 Main Event completed its fifth day of play last night and it was the Italian who scooped the largest stack of all six remaining players. Sorrentino is leading those six players into a final table battle, which is set to take place today, starting noon local time.
With his proven skills and the right cards coming his way on Day 5, the player had accumulated 15.5 million in chips by the time the last hand for the tournament day was dealt. Sorrentino is followed by Bulgaria’s Lachezar Petkov with 10.325 million and PokerStars Team Pro Andre Akkari with 8.15 million.
Akkari had a very action-packed Day 5. The Brazilian poker pro headed a pack of 16 survivors at the time cards were thrown in the air at Casino Barcelona on Saturday, but found himself with only five big blinds left at some point. The player managed to regain momentum and eventually scoop the third largest stack among the final six, thus starting the tournament’s final day of play in a quite a good position.
Who Is Raffaele Sorrentino?
The 37-year-old poker pro from Catanzaro, Italy made the headlines this spring as the first Italian to win a PokerStars Championship Main Event and the first winner of the PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo Main Event, known to be the successor of what we had previously known as the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final.
The player survived a field of 727 entries to eventually scoop the lion’s share of the €3.6-million-plus prize pool. Sorrentino’s portion of the money totaled €466,714, which also became his career largest cash. With a good starting position for the final day of the Barcelona Main Event, the player has the chance to improve that accomplishment significantly.
Aside from his PokerStars Championship endeavors, the player has also taken part in quite a few WSOP tournaments and has cashed in three of them. Sorrentino was also a constant presence in EPT tournaments, before PokerStars’ decision to swap its live tournament brands over the world with the PokerStars Championship and Festival ones.
The Italian poker pro currently has $1,021,196 in live tournament winnings. However, being one of the six finalists in the Barcelona Main Event, he will certainly boost his bankroll significantly.
About PokerStars Championship Barcelona €5,300 Main Event Final Table
There are six players left to contend for the Barcelona Main Event title. The final table is represented by contenders from six different countries. Play is set to resume today at noon local time at Casino Barcelona.
Aside from Sorrentino, Petkov, and Akkari, Brian Kaufman Esposito from Uruguay with 6.475 million, Sweden’s Sebastian Sorensson with 6.125 million and UK’s Usman Siddique with 3.875 million are the three other players vying for the first-place prize and the title.
Each of the six finalists is guaranteed €252,000 in prize money. The winner will take home the amount of €1,410,000, an excellent reward for his hard work and ability to survive a field of 1,682 participants.
