POKERSTARS CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIER BACKS HIMSELF FOR 350-1 PANAMA WIN
Confident of improving on his performance in the Bahamas
ONCHAN, Isle of Man – March 14, 2017 – An amateur poker player has backed himself to win the PokerStars Championship Panama Main Event at huge odds of 350/1 offered by the sponsor's online sports betting site, BetStars. Massimo De Mario has qualified to play PokerStars Championship events twice in as many months.
The 20-year-old German player qualified for PokerStars Championship Bahamas via a $10 Spin & Go tournament and finished in 22nd place for $24,000 in January’s debut Championship Main Event. Bolstered by the cash and confidence, he swiftly won a satellite into the next PokerStars Championship event, which takes place in Panama from March 10–20. He will be joined in Panama by three other players who have qualified for both of the opening Championship events via low cost Spin & Go qualifiers - one at $10 and one at $20.
Fuelled by his major achievement in the Caribbean in January, De Mario said: “I placed the bet on myself because I really think I can go far in Panama if I play well. I gained so much experience at PokerStars Championship Bahamas and I saw that I can compete with the best players.”
De Mario has placed $50 on himself to win the Main Event at 350/1 and $50 to finish in the Top 10 of the Main Event at 34/1. The bets would net him more than $19,000 if he were successful in the Main Event, on top of his tournament winnings. Other players who have placed a bet on De Mario stand to win big too, with the majority of bets being laid on a Main Event win for De Mario.
"TRADERS IN A PANIC"
Mike Coultard, Head of Poker Betting at BetStars said: “Finishing 22nd at PokerStars Championship Bahamas was a fantastic achievement by a Spin & Go qualifier against a really strong international field. However, in pricing this event we had to consider the bigger picture and felt that backing up that performance will be difficult. De Mario and many others have availed themselves of the 350/1 offered and we will be watching those chip counts with some anxiety.”
POKER: A WAY TO SEE THE WORLD
As well as the opportunity to play poker with the best in the world, live events offer players the
opportunity to see interesting and unusual places that they may ordinarily not visit. De Mario said: “I
like this part of playing poker, you travel a lot and can see the world. I don’t know if I’d have ever
thought to come to Panama if it wasn’t for playing here. I’ll visit the beach and explore the city – so
that’s really cool!”
Following his Panama plans, De Mario is aiming to continue his adventures and try to qualify for PokerStars Championship presented by Monte Carlo Casino® (April 25–May 5) and PokerStars Championship Barcelona (August 15–27). He’s also eyeing up another opportunity to see a new part of the world by trying to qualify for PokerStars Championship Sochi, which runs May 20–31. Satellites awarding Main Event seats and packages to PokerStars Championship Sochi are running online at PokerStars now.
About PokerStars
PokerStars operates the world’s most popular online poker sites, serving the global poker community. Since it launched in 2001, PokerStars has become the first choice of players all over the world, with more daily tournaments than anywhere else and with the best online security. More than 165 billion hands have been dealt on PokerStars, which is more than any other site.
PokerStars is the flagship brand of Rational Group, which is ultimately owned by Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA) and operates gaming-related businesses and brands, including PokerStars, PokerStars Casino, BetStars, Full Tilt, StarsDraft, and the PokerStars Championship and PokerStars Festival live poker tour brands (incorporating the European Poker Tour, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Latin American Poker Tour and the Asia Pacific Poker Tour). Amaya, through certain subsidiaries, is licensed, approved to offer, or offers under third party licenses or approvals, its products and services in various jurisdictions throughout the world, including in Europe, both within and outside of the European Union, the Americas and elsewhere. In particular, PokerStars is the world’s most licensed online gaming brand, holding licenses or related operating approvals in 17 jurisdictions. PokerStars.com and PokerStars.eu operate globally under licenses from the Isle of Man and Malta governments, respectively.
Play Responsibly! For more information on responsible gaming please visit our website at http://www.pokerstars.com/about/responsible-gaming/
About PokerStars Championship & PokerStars Festival
The PokerStars Championship, sponsored by PokerStars, is the world’s biggest poker tour. Bringing together some of the world’s most exciting and prestigious poker tournaments, the PokerStars Championship incorporates some events previously part of the European Poker Tour, North American Poker Tour, Latin American Poker Tour and Asia-Pacific Poker Tour. Collectively, these events have paid out well over $1 billion in tournament prize pools globally on five continents since 2004. Confirmed PokerStars Championship sponsored live events for 2017 include the Bahamas, Panama, Macau, Monte-Carlo, Sochi and Barcelona, with more events to be announced in the coming months.
PokerStars Festival events, sponsored by PokerStars, are mainly tailored for recreational players and incorporate some events previously part of the UK & Ireland Poker Tour, France Poker Series, Italian Poker Tour, Estrellas, Eureka, Asia-Pacific Poker Tour and Latin American Poker Tour. Confirmed 2017 PokerStars Festival sponsored live events are Rozvadov, Korea, Chile, Marbella, Manila and Uruguay with more events to be announced.
PokerStars Championship and PokerStars Festival poker tour brands are ultimately owned by Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA). Further information on the PokerStars Championship and PokerStars Festival is available online at www.pokerstarslive.com.
Play Responsibly! For more information on responsible gaming please visit our website at http://www.pokerstars.com/about/responsible-gaming/.
About BetStars
BetStars is a new online sports betting brand from the Rational Group, which operates the world’s largest online poker room, PokerStars. The sports betting service features a wide range of popular and specialist betting options, fantastic promotions and exclusive new products.
BetStars offers players a seamless experience between sports betting, casino and poker, with a single wallet between all three services. BetStars is available online and on mobile and tablet, with dedicated iOS and Android apps for a quick and simple betting experience.
BetStars is ultimately owned by Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA).
Play Responsibly! For more information on responsible gaming please visit our website at http://www.pokerstars.com/about/responsible-gaming/