The new March stage of the Italian Poker Challenge in Campione d’Italia has been made official, one of the most important PokerStars Poker Live tournaments with a guaranteed prize pool of €700.000 for the Main Event. But beyond the main tournament, the IPC will be a true festival that will take place from March 17 to 23.
The new PokerStars Live event will be one of the most interesting novelties for Italian poker players in the spring.
After the success of the PokerStars Open hosted in the poker room overlooking Lake Lugano, the IPC presents itself with a modern, accessible structure designed to involve both regulars and enthusiasts looking for a first great live experience.
In the usual press release, PokerStars hails the success of the PS Open: “after the start of the season marked by the success of the PokerStars Open in January – which brought a significant turnout of international participants back to Campione with over €2,2 million distributed – and the recent ISOP stage, the Italian Poker Challenge in March represents a key step in consolidating the format and evaluating its positioning in the national live calendar”.
Italian Poker Challenge: the €700.000 GTD Main Event
The beating heart of the festival will naturally be the Main Event of the Italian Poker Challenge, which puts a guaranteed prize pool of €700.000 on the table.
A figure that immediately certifies the ambition of the project. The multi-flight formula allows progressive access to the tournament:
- Day 1 with various speed levels (regular, fast and turbo) for 6 flights
- Deep structure
- Extended late registration
- Special prize of €500 for day 1A
An interesting structure, then. PokerStars Live presents it like this: “The heart of the festival will be the IPC Main Event, with six flights scheduled from March 17 to 21. To further broaden the participation base, a Day 1A Special price of €500 is introduced, alongside the standard €700 flights. This choice allows for more gradual access to the event, while maintaining a guaranteed prize pool of €700.000. The concentrated programming and the distribution of flights until Saturday favor a more efficient management of participation flows, enhancing the weekend as the central moment of the festival”.
More than 60 players will receive a ticket for the Sunday Million
PokerStars has also announced a parallel initiative that enhances the tournament: the top 10 in the chip count of the 6 day 1s will be able to participate in the Sunday Million, they will be rewarded with a ticket for the next online tournament on March 29.
The poker room “has also planned an initiative that offers the opportunity for the best players to obtain access tickets to the Sunday Million online tournament on March 29. In particular, the first 10 players in the ranking at the end of each of the six Main Event flights will receive the ticket, as well as players who have made at least one re-entry during the Main Event”.
We are therefore talking about an important initiative, at least 60 players will receive the ticket (the top 10 of the 6 flights) plus those who re-enter for an important appointment like the most prestigious tournament on the national online scene: the Sunday Million.
The complete IPC Festival
The Italian Poker Challenge, however, is not just the Main Event. The program includes tournaments with formats of all types:
- Mystery Bounty
- PLO Challenge
- High Roller
- Freezeout
- Second Chance
- Satellites to qualify both online on PokerStars Network and live in Campione
A proposal that recalls the model of great international festivals, but with a strong Italian identity. In the wake of the PokerStars Open, the goal is clear: to create a stable live poker platform that gives continuity to the movement and brings Campione back to the center of the European poker map.
IPC: the last edition won by Nicastro
The last edition of the Italian Poker Challenge took place in November 2025 and saw the victory in the Main Event of Pietro Nicastro (in the cover photo).
The tournament, also with a €770 buy-in, recorded over 900 entries and ended with a three-way deal at the final table, at the end of which the trophy ended up in the hands of Pietro Nicastro, author of a decisive comeback in the final phase. From an economic point of view, however, the highest prize went to Davide Suriano, who was the top winner after the final agreement.
Curiosity: in the November festival, the first edition of the Assopoker Cup was also held, our special live event by Assopoker.
Campione returns as a poker landmark
It is no coincidence that all this happens right on the shores of Lake Lugano. Campione d’Italia has always represented a symbolic place for Italian live poker: an elegant location and already a protagonist in the past of international level events such as the European Poker Tour.
The IPC fits right into this path of relaunch, consolidating the presence of great poker in the PS Live room managed by Luca Pagano.
Qualifying online and live
It will be possible to qualify through online and live satellite tournaments. Online satellites will be available on PokerStars Network (PokerStars Poker and Sisal Poker) from February 17 to March 17, with €1.170 packages of guaranteed prizes and buy-ins from €100.
Detailed information on the event and how to qualify online through our Club del Poker with special freerolls follows.
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Italian Poker Challenge: the Festival program
| Day | Time | Format | Event | Buy-in | Levels | Reg Close |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday March 17 | ||||||
| 17/3 | 17:00 | 2 Days Event | Mystery Bounty Challenge – Day 1 | 440 € | 30 min | Level 12 |
| 17/3 | 19:00 | Single Day Event | Qualifier IPC Main Event – Day 1 B/C/D/E/F – WYS @100k (10 seats GTD) | 90 € | 20 min | Level 10 |
| Wednesday March 18 | ||||||
| 18/3 | 15:00 | 2 Days Event | Mystery Bounty Challenge – Day 2 | – | 40 min | Level 12 |
| 18/3 | 19:00 | Multi Day Event – 1A | Italian Poker Challenge – Main Event 700K GTD – Day 1A (Special Price) | 500 € | 40 min | Level 14 |
| Thursday March 19 | ||||||
| 19/3 | 15:00 | Multi Day Event – 1B | Italian Poker Challenge – Main Event 700K GTD – Day 1B | 770 € | 50 min | Level 14 |
| 19/3 | 17:00 | Single Day Event | PLO Challenge | 330 € | 20 min | Level 10 |
| 19/3 | 19:00 | Single Day Event | Qualifier IPC Main Event – Day 1 B/C/D/E/F – WYS @100k | 90 € | 20 min | Level 10 |
| 19/3 | 21:00 | Multi Day Event – 1C Fast | Italian Poker Challenge – Main Event 700K GTD – Day 1C Fast | 770 € | 25 min | Level 14 |
| Friday March 20 | ||||||
| 20/3 | 15:00 | Multi Day Event – 1D | Italian Poker Challenge – Main Event 700K GTD – Day 1D | 770 € | 50 min | Level 14 |
| 20/3 | 17:00 | Single Day Event | 1-Shot Freezeout | 220 € | 20 min | Level 10 |
| 20/3 | 19:00 | Single Day Event | Qualifier IPC Main Event – WYS @100k | 90 € | 20 min | Level 10 |
| 20/3 | 21:00 | Multi Day Event – 1E Fast | Italian Poker Challenge – Main Event 700K GTD – Day 1E Fast | 770 € | 25 min | Level 14 |
| Saturday March 21 | ||||||
| 21/3 | 13:00 | Multi Day Event – 1F Turbo | Italian Poker Challenge – Main Event 700K GTD – Day 1F Turbo | 770 € | 15 min | Level 14 |
| 21/3 | 17:00 | Multi Day Event – Day 2 | Italian Poker Challenge – Main Event 700K GTD – Day 2 | – | 60 min | Level 14 |
| 21/3 | 21:00 | Multi Day Event – 3 | IPC Second Chance – Day 1 | 330 € | 30 min | Level 12 |
| Sunday March 22 | ||||||
| 22/3 | 14:00 | Multi Day Event | IPC Second Chance – Final Day | 330 € | 30 min | Level 12 |
| 22/3 | 14:30 | Multi Day Event | Italian Poker Challenge – Main Event 700K GTD – Day 3 | – | 60 min | Closed |
| 22/3 | 15:00 | Single Day Event | High Roller | 1,100 € | 30 min | Level 10 |
| 22/3 | 15:30 | Single Day Event | Big Sunday | 220 € | 25 min | Level 12 |
| Monday March 23 | ||||||
| 23/3 | 14:00 | Multi Day Event | Italian Poker Challenge – Main Event FINAL DAY | – | 60 min | Closed |
