Ramon Colillas Turns Free Entry Into $5.1 Million as Winner of Record-Breaking PokerStars Players Championship

Onchan, Isle Of Man (ots/PRNewswire) -

PokerStars makes six new millionaires

PokerStars (Nasdaq: TSG) (TSE: TSGI), the flagship poker brand of
The Stars Group, announced today that Ramon Colillas from Barcelona,
Spain, won $5.1 million and was crowned the winner of the PokerStars
Players No-Limit Hold'em Championship (PSPC)
(http://www.pokerstarslive.com/pspc/), the richest and biggest-ever
$25,000 buy-in poker tournament.

(Photo:
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/807239/PokerStars_Championship.jpg )

(Photo:
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/807238/PokerStars_Ramon_Colillas.jpg
)

Colillas won free entry into the tournament as part of a
PokerStars global promotion that awarded 320 people a $30,000
Platinum Pass package, which in addition to free entry, covered
travel and hotel accommodations at the Atlantis Resort & Casino in
the Bahamas. Colillas topped a field of 1,039 players that produced a
record-breaking total prize pool of $26,455,500 and attracted players
from all over the globe. As part of the total pool, PokerStars added
an extra $1 million to the first-place prize.

PokerStars awarded the 30-year old Spanish native a Platinum Pass
after he topped the Campeonato de España de Poker leader board based
upon his successful tournament play in a series of
PokerStars-sponsored tournaments in Spain. The former fitness trainer
converted to a professional poker player at the age of 24.

"A lot of players were saying this was the most important
tournament in history, so now it's only about happiness and enjoying
the moment," Colillas said moments after his win.

The runner-up was 26-year-old professional poker player Julien
Martini from Paris, France, winning an impressive $2,974,000. Julien
was a very composed contender and had attempted to win a Platinum
Pass last year in the EUR1,100 EPT Barcelona National Event, just
missing out on the Platinum Pass, but still winning EUR323,000 for
coming in second.

Platinum Pass winner Marc Rivera from The Philippines came in
third place with $2,168,000. The 45-year-old won his ticket at the
APPT Manila National Main Event with what was then his biggest live
cash win. After being introduced to the game 12 years ago by his
brother Ashley, who told Rivera he was "going to love it", the
engineer (at the time) has been playing ever since. When not on the
felt, Rivera enjoys basketball, watching TV series and spending time
at home with his family, playing with his son and daughter.

Not only has Colillas become a millionaire, but five other final
table players have also joined the club. The eight-handed final table
included US poker pro Scott Baumstein who started amassing live
tournament cashes in 2009 and has accrued over $1.9 million in
winnings over the past decade, Jason Koonce who had two reported live
cashes worth a total $6,426, Marc Perrault who has had a string of
hefty online and live cashes dating back to 2012, Farid Jattin, a
regular fixture on the live tournament circuit across the United
States and who is leading the Colombian all-time money list with over
$2.9 million in winnings, and Talal Shakerchi, a businessman from
London who has over $6 million in winnings to date. The players all
took home cash winnings between $509,000 and $2.1 million for their
efforts.

The PSPC made it into the history books with a total prize pool of
$26,455,500 awarded to 181 players, smashing the previous $15,495,750
prize pool record for a $25,000 event. Of the Platinum Pass holders,
43 collectively cashed in for nearly $9.8 million, including
Jacqueline Burkhart from the United States with $86,400, Atanas
Pavlov from Bulgaria with $105,000 and Ireland's Sven McDermott with
$69,100.

PokerStars Director of Poker Marketing, Eric Hollreiser said, "We
couldn't have scripted a better outcome for the tournament and
PokerStars congratulates Ramon and all of the competitors for making
this an historic event. Ramon's victory is a reminder that with a
dream, some talent and a little luck, poker can change your life.
We're proud to have created a special experience for more than a
thousand players, but especially for those like Ramon who had never
previously dreamed of playing in such a tournament."

The poker fun doesn't stop despite the conclusion of the PSPC. The
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA)
(http://www.pokerstarslive.com/pca/) continues with events including
the $10,300 buy-in PCA Main Event, $25,000 buy-in PCA High Roller,
$100,00 buy-in PCA Super High Roller and $1,100 PCA National. Live
updates from the Super High Roller can be read on the PokerStars Blog
(https://www.pokerstars.com/en/blog/tournaments/2019/pca-2019-100k-su
per-high-roller-day-1-li-178761.shtml) now and will be live-streamed
on PokerStars TV on January 11 and 12.

To keep up to date with all live reports from the PCA visit the
PokerStars Blog (https://www.pokerstars.com/en/blog/pspc/) or watch
the live stream daily from 12:30 ET and 13:30 ET on January 16 at
PokerStars.TV (http://www.pokerstars.tv/en/tv/live/).

Find out more about Colillas' win on the PokerStars Blog (https://
www.pokerstars.com/en/blog/tournaments/2019/free-rolling-ramon-colill
as-turns-platin-178775.shtml).

For further information, please contact press@pokerstarslive.com

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 182 billion hands have been dealt on
PokerStars, which is more than any other site.

The Stars Group owns or licenses gaming and related consumer
businesses and brands, including PokerStars, PokerStars Casino,
BetStars, Full Tilt, Sky Bet, Sky Vegas, Sky Casino, Sky Bingo, Sky
Poker and BetEasy as well as live poker tour and event brands,
including the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold'em Championship,
European Poker Tour, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Latin American
Poker Tour, Asia Pacific Poker Tour, PokerStars Festival and
PokerStars MEGASTACK. The Stars Group is one of the world's most
licensed online gaming operators with its subsidiaries collectively
holding licenses or approvals in 21 jurisdictions throughout the
world, including in Europe, Australia, and the Americas.

Play Responsibly! For more information on responsible gaming
please visit our website at
http://www.pokerstars.com/about/responsible-gaming/

Contact: Vaughan Lewis, Press@starsgroup.com

ots Originaltext: PokerStars.com
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
+44-7624-270339

Original-Content von: PokerStars.com, übermittelt durch news aktuell