Maxim Panyak Wins PokerStars National High Roller (RUB 3,400,000)
Just three weeks ago, Russian pro Maxim Panyak was denied his first PokerStars Spade trophy on one of poker’s biggest stages, ultimately falling in fourth place at the PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo Main Event. Panyak returned to action this week in his home country and found redemption capturing the PokerStars National High Roller at the Sochi Casino and Resort for RUB 3,400,000.
There were 116 entries in the RUB 132,000 event, generating a prize pool of RUB 13,502,400. Many of Russia’s top players and even an American pro and a Brazilian Team PokerStars pro stood in Panyak’s way but the native of Yekaterinburg would not be denied. Bagging the chip lead after Day 1 and holding it to go wire-to-wire, Panyak bested a final table that included Vladimir Troyanovskiy, Igor Yaroshevskyy, Jason Wheeler, and his heads-up opponent, Ivan Safarov.
| Place | Name | Country | prize (RUB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maxim Panyak | Russia | 3,400,000 (approx. USD $59,820) |
| 2 | Ivan Safarov | Russia | 2,295,000 (approx. USD $40,378) |
| 3 | Vladimir Troyanovskiy | Russia | 1,492,000 (approx. USD $26,250) |
| 4 | Dmitry Ponomarev | Russia | 1,236,000 (approx. USD $21,746) |
| 5 | Asker Aloev | Russia | 995,000 (approx. USD $17,506) |
| 6 | Igor Yaroshevskyy | Ukraine | 785,400 (approx. USD $13,818) |
| 7 | Alexandr Prigarnyi | Russia | 600,000 (approx. USD $10,556) |
| 8 | Jason Wheeler | USA | 452,000 (approx. USD $7,952) |
The latest PokerStars champion was thrilled to claim the title, especially coming on home soil. Panyak had this to say after the win; “After so many difficult years for poker in this country, winning a tournament here means freedom. I want to enjoy this important moment for my country, drinking and making a party!”
PokerStars Team Pro Felipe Ramos was able to check-off the Russian flag from the list of countries the Brazilian has found a cash in. Ramos made Day 2 but fell early, busting in 13th place for RUB 243,000. Just 17 players made the money.
With the win, Panyak has climbed to USD $1,348,134 in career live-recorded tournament earnings, his best cash coming from his final table appearance in Monte Carlo mentioned earlier.
Panyak is back in action today, taking a seat in the PokerStars Championship Sochi Main Event Day 1b. To say he would be confident in his game right now would likely be an understatement. Only time will tell if Panyak will be able to carry any sort of momentum he may be feeling into another final table appearance and perhaps a major championship title.