Men Lie, Women Lie, Numbers Don't: ARIA High Roller Series

Facts and figures. They make the world go around and, more often than not, tell a story without letting opinions or biases get in the way. Which numbers from past ARIA High Rollers set the stage for this week’s events on PokerGO and what quick opinions do we have?

36 – ARIA have run High Roller tournaments since 2014, but the stakes have been raised in 2017. Three dozen High Roller events have run since the start of the year and with an average of nearly $900,000 up for grabs in each event, that increase hasn’t seemed to negatively impact prize pools. PokerGO will be your home for the rest of the ARIA High Roller Series schedule in 2017, meaning you won’t miss any of the final table action from the world’s biggest events. 

$1,454,720 – The biggest ARIA High Roller of the year took place right before the year’s biggest event. The $100,000 Super High Roller that proceeded the $300,000 Super High Roller Bowl drew 54 entrants and a nearly $5.3 million prize pool. Some big names cashed, including Daniel Negreanu and reigning GPI Player of the Year David Peters, but Christian Christner walked away with the win and the biggest score, good for a career-best $1.454 million result.  

$1,000,000 – While Christner broke the seven-figure mark in one event, nine other players have earned over $1 million in ARIA High Roller Series events since the start of the year. The aforementioned Peters has amassed just over $1.5 million, along with Justin Bonomo and Brian Rast. Dan Smith, Poker Masters champion Steffen Sontheimer, and Super High Roller Bowl runner-up Jake Schindler have also eclipsed seven-figures, but the only non-pro to join them is Cary Katz.

31 – While Katz is, by definition, a non-professional, his ARIA High Roller results clearly say otherwise. In his career, Katz has cashed 31 times and amassed nearly $6 million in ARIA High Roller Series earnings. Those two figures are both the best in the history of the ARIA High Roller Series, with Tom Marchese sitting as Katz’s nearest competitor in both categories.

8 – Marchese may trail Katz in all-time cashes and ARIA High Roller Series earnings, but he is neck and neck in ARIA High Roller Series victories. Both players have won eight ARIA High Roller events since the series began, but with Jake Schindler, Dan Smith, Brian Rast, Fedor Holz, and more of the world’s top players within touching distance, the race to ten ARIA High Roller wins could be a close one.

The ARIA High Roller Series debuts on PokerGO this week, with back-to-back days of final table coverage starting Friday, October 27. For exclusive ARIA High Roller Series coverage, follow Poker Central and PokerGO.