$1,700 TPC Championship
$250,000 Guaranteed  |  Structure
Level 6:  400/800 with a 800 ante
Day 1A Entries:  42

Another break is on deck when we run out Level 6 to the end and tournament staff will take that opportunity to pull the black chips out of play.

We will use that time to walk around and find a few chip counts from the field.

$1,700 TPC Championship
$250,000 Guaranteed  |  Structure
Level 4:  300/500 with a 500 ante
Day 1A Entries:  35

Players returned to action after the first break, many enjoying the comfort food offered by the Poker Snack Bar near the tournament area, and they are back underway with three more levels before another respite.

Daniel Chalifour had a nice three levels to start his day and he leads the field with 123,100. A few more friends grabbed seats before the break including 2025 PPO Champ Rafael Reis and 2026 WPO DeepStacks Challenge winner Ricardo Eyzaguirre.

Here’s a look at some counts from around the room:

Daniel Chalifour – 123,100 (246 bb)
Igor Tretyakov – 78,600 (157 bb)
Tony March – 78,500 (157 bb)
Juan Catala – 60,500 (121 bb)
Ricardo Eyzaguirre – 57,600 (115 bb)
Ye Yao – 53,400 (107 bb)
Fred Paradis – 52,300 (105 bb)
Eli Kiwan – 47,200 (94 bb)
Rafael Reis – 41,000 (82 bb)
Joshua Pitz – 28,800 (58 bb)
Pratik Shah – 26,000 (52 bb)

$1,700 TPC Championship
$250,000 Guaranteed  |  Structure
Level 3:  200/400 with a 400 ante
Day 1A Entries:  26

We are cruising along in the Draper Room with four tables in action and plenty of action. They will play out this level and take a break and we will check on some stacks.

Some early friends in action include Igor Tretyakov, Eli Kiwan, Tony March, Juan Catala, and John Dolan.

$1,700 TPC Championship
$250,000 Guaranteed  |  Structure
Level 1:  100/200 with a 200 ante
Day 1A Entries:  16

Action is underway for the 2026 Tampa Poker Classic Championship with 16 players at the start and many more expected as we get deeper into the weekend.

They will play the first three levels of the day before grabbing a break at the snack bar.

$1,700 TPC Championship
$250,000 Guaranteed  |  Structure
Level 1:  100/200 with a 200 ante

The preliminaries are all in the books and today we roll out the biggest game on the schedule. Flight A of the TPC Championship gets underway at 11 am with a $1,700 buy-in, three starting flights, and a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Players start with 40K in their stacks and all levels last 40 minutes. Late registration is open until the start of Level 10 at 5:45 pm and players may re-enter as often as they wish during that time.

Action will continue until 12.5% of the field remains and survivors will return on Sunday at 11 am for Day 2.

• $250,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 40,000 in chips
• Levels last 40 minutes
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 10 (5:45pm)
• Day 1 will end when 12.5% of the field remains
• Championship Structure Sheet

2026 Tampa Poker Classic
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 7
$400 Pot-Limit Omaha
Entries:  61
Prize Pool:  $20,130
March 11, 2026

The last Omaha tournament on the TPC schedule was a $400 Pot-Limit Omaha trophy event that drew 61 entries for a prize pool worth $20,130. After battling a tough final table, Grant Hart took the top spot outright for $7,110 and the TPC trophy.

Congrats Grant!

Primary Event Schedule

11AM: Day 1A – $1,700 TPC Championship (Re-Entry)

• $250,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 40,000 in chips
• Levels last 40 minutes
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 10 (5:45pm)
• Day 1 will end when 12.5% of field remains
• Championship Structure Sheet

Secondary and Satellite Schedule

3PM: $200 Championship Satellite (1-in-10)

• Two seats guaranteed into $1,700 TPC Championship
• Players begin with 20,000 in chips
• Levels last 20 minutes
• Late registration until start of Level 7 (5:15pm)
• Winners will be registered into the first available flight and chips will be in play when tournament starts
• Structure Sheet

6PM: $200 Championship Satellite (1-in-10)

• Two seats guaranteed into $1,700 TPC Championship
• Players begin with 20,000 in chips
• Levels last 20 minutes
• Late registration until start of Level 7 (8:15pm)
• Winners will be registered into the first available flight and chips will be in play when tournament starts
• Structure Sheet

2026 Tampa Poker Classic
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 7
$400 Pot-Limit Omaha
Entries:  61
Prize Pool:  $20,130
March 11, 2026

Registration closed for the $400 Pot-Limit Omaha tournament with 61 entries, putting together a prize pool worth $20,130. The last eight spots will be paid with $780 for a min-cash and $7,110 up top for the Event 7 winner.

1st: $7,110 + TPC Trophy
2nd: $4,400
3rd: $2,770
4th: $1,850
5th: $1,330
6th: $1,030
7th: $860
8th: $780

2026 Tampa Poker Classic
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 4
$600 Mega Stack No-Limit Hold’em
$50,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  135
Prize Pool:  $70,200
March 9 – 11, 2026

The $600 Mega Stack No-Limit Hold’em tournament was the last multi-day event heading into the TPC Championship. The tournament drew 135 entries, crushing the $50,000 guarantee and putting together a prize pool worth $70,200 and Pablo Valdivieso dominated to take the top spot in a five-way deal.

After a few missteps late in the opening event, Valdivieso came into Flight B of the Mega Stack, telling us, “I’m going to win this one.” He bagged the overall chip lead last night and went wire-to-wire on Day 2 with barely a hiccup. The last five players decided to each take $10,000 with the leftover cash going to Valdivieso.

Congrats Pablo!

$600 Mega Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool: $70,200  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 24:  25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 135

After a few minutes of play following the break, the five remaining players decided to divide up the remaining prize pool and call it a day. Nick Getzen, Fred Paradis, Luis Torres, and Adam Weingard each earned $10,000 while Pablo Valdivieso and his chip lead took home $10,590 plus the TPC trophy.

1st: Pablo Valdivieso – $10,590 + TPC Trophy
2nd: Nick Getzen – $10,000
3rd: Luis Torres – $10,000
4th: Fred Paradis – $10,000
5th: Adam Weingard – $10,000