Event 1: Fabian Foster Captures the $300 Kickoff Title After Heads-Up Deal

The opening event of the May Deep Stack Series delivered four days of nonstop action at Orange City Poker as Event 1: the $300 Kickoff officially concluded following a heads-up deal between Fabian Foster and Rolando Martinez.

The tournament drew an impressive 624 entries across seven starting flights, generating a $156,000 prize pool and crushing the original $100,000 guarantee. After the dust settled, Fabian Foster was officially declared the champion, earning $23,646 and the trophy, while Rolando Martinez finished runner-up for $23,147 following an intense heads-up battle.

Foster entered the final table already among the more accomplished players remaining in the field. The Davenport, Florida native boasts more than $1 million in documented live tournament earnings, including major victories at Seminole Hard Rock properties, a 2025 Lucky Hearts Poker Open title worth more than $141,000, and numerous deep runs throughout Florida’s tournament circuit.

The final table featured several momentum swings throughout the evening. Tiago Alves Dos Santos entered Day 2 as the overall chip leader after bagging 705,500 in Flight 1F and eventually finished in 3rd place for $12,459 after a dramatic all-in confrontation against Foster. Chris Cochran finished 4th for $9,044, while Cameron Rowe rounded out the top five, earning $6,950.

Earlier in the day, the field quickly narrowed from 35 remaining players down to the final table. Notable deep runs included Daniel D’Alessandro (18th), Peter Van Dusen (9th), Michael Jagroo (8th), Tricia Miller (7th), and Aaron Speer (6th).

When the deal was finalized, Foster held approximately 10 million chips to Martinez’s 7.9 million, securing the title and officially closing out the first major event of the May Deep Stack Series at Orange City Poker.