Goeller triumphs in inaugural PokerStars Italian Poker Challenge
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Here’s all you need to know about the Italian Poker Challenge…
The first-ever PokerStars Italian Poker Challenge wrapped up on Monday, July 7, after eight action-packed days at the Casino di Campione.
Andreas Goeller was crowned the Main Event champion after the Italian bested a field of 1,122 entries to claim €113,465, following a heads-up deal with runner-up Gianluca Scarpantoni (€92,835). The €550 Main Event smashed its guarantee, generating a €754,656 prize pool.
The festival featured 17 events and brought players from across Europe to the stunning Lake Lugano. Goeller, an insurance agency director, added this title to his impressive 18th-place finish at EPT Monte Carlo in May. “Winning a Main Event for the first time is an incredible feeling,” he said.
Main Event Final Table Results:
1. Andreas Goeller (Italy) – €113,465*
2. Gianluca Scarpantoni (Italy) – €92,835*
3. Tom Robbert Talboom (Netherlands) – €56,530
4. Emanuel Pavoni (Italy) – €43,570
5. Pilgrim Sallustro (Italy) – €33,510
6. Antonio Pati (Italy) – €25,780
7. Raffaele Castro (Switzerland) – €19,830
8. Karol Josef Guzla (Poland) – €15,260
9. Rong Zhou (Italy) – €11,736
*indicates a deal
There was plenty of action throughout the festival
Other standout performances included Lukasz Marek Czeladzki, who won the festival’s first event — the €330 Mystery Bounty — for €6,790, and Samuele Mezzano, who claimed the €1,500 High Roller title and €30,345. The €440 PLO event was taken down by Manuel Mario D’Aleo, who earned €6,170.
PokerStars’ Luca Pagano, Head of the PokerStars Live Room Campione, praised the event’s success: “Once again, the stunning Casino di Campione has attracted players from all over Europe… The PokerStars Live poker room is now a premier destination for the poker community.”
ABOUT THE ITALIAN POKER CHALLENGE
Another fantastic festival of poker is coming to Campione this summer, just a few months after huge turnouts made the PokerStars Open debut a record-breaker.
The Italian Poker Challenge is an eight-day affair running from June 30 to July 7, 2025, with 17 tournaments on the schedule and a mega €770 buy-in Main Event with €700,000 guaranteed in the prize pool.
It all takes place at the luxurious Casino di Campione, located on the stunning shores of Lake Lugano. The venue – overseen by Italian poker legend (and former PokerStars Team Pro) Luca Pagano – was packed with players and action alike during the PokerStars Open in March, and we expect more of the same at this event.
The schedule is designed to suit players of all experience levels and bankrolls, with everything from freerolls and €90 satellites up to high rollers and speciality MTT formats.
The venue was packed for the PokerStars Open
You’ll come for the poker, but you’ll want to stay for the beautiful surroundings. Trust us, there’s a reason movie stars live in the area.
Don’t miss the Italian Poker Challenge. Online qualifiers are running right now on PokerStars, plus you can use your Power Path passes to play the event.
A Silver Pass package to the Italian Poker Challenge gets you your Main Event entry (€770), entry to the Mystery Bounty (€330), and the remaining value of the $2,500 package credited as expenses, to help with travel and accommodation.
ITALIAN POKER CHALLENGE KEY DATES
Festival Dates: June 30-July 7, 2025
- €770 Main Event – €700K GTD: July 2-7
- €440 PLO: July 2
- €1,500 High Roller: July 6-7
VENUE INFORMATION
The PokerStars Open Campione takes place at Casino di Campione, the license holder and operator of this event.
Address: Piazzale Milano, 2, 22061 Campione d’Italia CO, Italy
Telephone number: +41 916401111
Dress Code: Smart casual. No sports clothing and footwear (e.g. tracksuits, shorts, shirts, trainers, etc)
Minimum Age: 18
NB: Must bring a valid government-issued passport or valid European Union Citizen ID card to participate
ABOUT CAMPIONE
Campione d’Italia is a small town (like, really small – fewer than 2,000 residents) surrounded by Switzerland, resting peacefully along Lake Lugano and staring up in awe at the Swiss Alps.
And yet it’s entirely Italian; when PokerStars Blog was in town for the PokerStars Open, we crossed the border on our ten-minute walk to work.
This sleepy exclave has long been known for its beauty, and it’s said that Victorian travellers referred to the waterfront as “Paradiso”. It’s quite breathtaking (we’ll save you our amateurish phone photos, though).
It won’t be so sleepy there from June 30-July 7, however. The Italian Poker Challenge will no doubt be huge.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE POKERSTARS OPEN?
The PokerStars Open Campione festival ran from March 10-16, 2025 and was the debut stop of the new Open tour.
What a debut it was. The festival was a huge success, especially the €1,100 Main Event, which smashed guarantees and exceeded all expectations. Players from far and wide filled the Casino di Campione for a week of poker and a shot at becoming this exciting new tour’s first champion.
When all was said and done, the title went to a very deserving winner, already the winningest player in the final day field.
Romania’s Adrian-Sorel State took it down
Adrian-Sorel State of Romania had accumulated more than $1.5 million in live earnings before this festival, plus plenty more online throughout his poker career, the highlight of which came at EPT Monte Carlo last year. There, he won the €3K Mystery Bounty for €232,898, plus whatever he picked in envelopes.
After four days of play and one of the longest final days in recent memory–around 12.5 hours–the 38-year-old had another PokerStars trophy for his collection, plus a first-place prize of €363,000.
PokerStars Open Campione Main Event
Dates: March 11-16, 2025
Entries: 2,434 (inc. 1,000 re-entries)
Prize pool: €2,326,080
1. Adrian-Sorel State (Romania) – €363,000
2. Giorgio Soceanu (Italy) – €225,200
3. Barnaba Perone (Italy) – €160,880
4. Manel Montalban (Spain) – €123,760
5. Salvatore Russo (Italy) – €95,190
6. Jakub Sterba (Czech Republic) – €73,210
7. Gaspare Sposato (Italy) – €56,330
8. Andreas Putz (Germany) – €43,340
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