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Kenneth Smaron Wins Pokerstars Championship Panama Main Event for $293,860

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Garfed   Malta. Mar 22 2017 03:25. Posts 4818

American Kenneth Smaron took down the Main Event of the debut PokerStars Championship Panama 2017 after outlasting a 366-player field in the $5,300-buy-in signature event. He succeeds Bahamas Main Event winner Christian Harder, becoming the second-ever Championship winner in this new era of global live events. In addition to the trophy and the top prize of $293,860, Smaron earned a place in history as the winner of the largest poker tournament ever held on Panamanian soil.

The world-class Sortis Hotel, Spa & Casino played host to the inaugural PokerStars Championship Panama, breaking the record for the largest poker event ever held in Latin America. There were well over 6,000 entries across the 46 events, with more than $9.3 million awarded in prizes.

"We would like to thank all players and media who made the first PokerStars Championship in Panama such a great event with over 6,100 tournament entries and more than $9.3 million in prize money awarded overall,” said Edgar Stuchly, PokerStars’ Director of Live Events. “The events were flawlessly executed and player response has been very positive. We look forward to bringing more PokerStars sponsored events to this region and beyond as we continue to invest into growing poker globally. We hope to see you at our next event of PokerStars Championship – which kicks off in Macau next week."

Main Event champ Smaron, 32, originally hails from Philadelphia, but the American pro has been living abroad since Black Friday in order to continue pursing his online career. He now splits his time between Costa Rica and Colombia.

"I'm going to take a few days off, celebrate this one tonight,” the champ said in his postgame interview. “And I'm going to fly back to Costa Rica tomorrow.”

Until this big win, Smaron was better-known by his PokerStars moniker, "kenny05", widely revered as a high-stakes Sit & Go legend. While he spends most of his time dominating online, he’s no stranger to success in live tournaments. Smaron’s first significant mark in a PokerStars event came back in December 2015 when he won €595,000 for an outright victory in the European Poker Tour (EPT) 12 Prague €10,000 High Roller.

SMARON’S RISE TO VICTORY
After a long grind in the middle of the pack, Smaron seized control of the chip lead on Day 5 of this Main Event, but his stack took a huge hit when he had a late-day bluff picked off by Denis Timofeev. The Russian standout, who qualified for this event at PokerStars, took over the chip lead entering the final day, but it was Smaron who would end up as the last man standing.

Smaron defeated 40-year-old recreational player Harpreet Gill in the final heads-up match. The Canadian runner-up entered the decisive Day 6 in fifth place, but he laddered up relentlessly as the day wore on. Gill collected $217,860 for his second-place finish, a prize four times larger than the combined total of his previous live results.

The aforementioned Timofeev fell in third place, losing a flip with pocket tens against Smaron's ace-king in a pre-flop confrontation. Smaron's hand improved to a straight on the river, eliminating Timofeev with a $161,340 prize and reducing the field to three.

Belgian amateur poker player, Jonathan Abdellatif, navigated to his first six-figure result, earning $119,480 for a fourth-place run. He, too, was knocked out by the eventual champion, getting himself all-in with a flush draw against Smaron's top pair. Abdellatif’s hand failed to improve on the following streets, and he was forced to the rail while the other three played on without him.

German PokerStars qualifier Robin Wozniczek was the youngest player at the final table, celebrating his 22nd birthday during Day 3 of this event. Wozniczek also had his hands on the chip lead at one point on Day 6, but he took a brutal beat from Abdellatif to exit in fifth place with an $88,480 consolation prize.

Canadian player Anthony Diotte entered the final day with the shortest stack, and his appearance on the PokerStars TV webcast lasted just three hands. Diotte lost an early coin flip, sending all of his chips to Wozniczek and collecting $65,520 on his way out the door in sixth place.

The official final table also included Florida's James Salmon (seventh place, $48,520) and Ohio's Byron Kaverman (eighth place, $35,920).

PokerStars Championship Panama Main Event final table results:
1st - Kenneth Smaron, USA, PokerStars player, $293,860
2nd - Harpreet Gill, Canada, $217,860
3rd - Denis Timofeev, Russia, PokerStars qualifier, $161,340
4th - Jonathan Abdellatif, Belgium, $119,480
5th - Robin Wozniczek, Germany, PokerStars qualifier, $88,480
6th - Anthony Diotte, Canada, PokerStars player, $65,520
7th - James Salmon, USA, $48,520
8th - Byron Kaverman, USA, $35,920

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