The capital native Ariel Guzmán
The last PSOP Main Event was a complete success after overwhelmingly surpassing its guaranteed prize pool of four million pesos. With close coverage through the Live Blog by CodigoPoker, the most important moments of each phase were experienced, including the qualifier that included five flights, Day 2 where the path was set to define the final table of the event, and Day 3 where the exciting final table result was decided. You can find all the detailed information at: Ariel Guzmán, current champion of the Main Event at the PSOP.
Guzmán, to proclaim himself champion, overcame a large field with 977 entries, where a total of MXN$5,270,915 was distributed and where he defeated Alexis García
Ariel Guzmán will defend his champion title as a local in CDMX
Speaking closely with the current Main Event champion, there was an opportunity to delve a little into his first encounters with cards, his evolution as a poker player until dedicating himself fully to it, and also how he has processed all this at the highest point of his career so far. We were also able to discuss towards the end of the conversation his plans to participate internationally for the first time.
–CodigoPoker: Ariel, how did you discover poker and what attracted you to this game until it became a true passion?
-Ariel: It was very curious because I discovered poker during my university days since in my first semester I had a lot of free time. On Thursdays we were free from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm, so we looked for activities to do during that time. At first, it was soccer, basketball, and other sports. Then we moved on to board games and one day a friend brought a poker deck and taught us different games until we got to Texas Hold’em. Little by little I started exploring internet sites to learn more about this variant and playing with my friends is how I began to get more and more involved.
–CodigoPoker: How would you describe your evolution as a player from your first games until establishing yourself as the current champion of the Main Event at the PSOP?
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-Ariel: It’s really many years, practically twenty years separate me from the beginnings in the game until winning such an important event as the PSOP Main Event. Well, like everyone, you start as an amateur and little by little it becomes your main entertainment. About five years passed from when I started until I began to see it as a lifestyle. The process was very slow as another four or five years passed until I decided to adopt it as my profession. We’re talking about a period of ten years when my professional career began. It started with some small trophies, local tournaments, and cash games, until reaching the point of lifting a big trophy like the one at PSOP Monterrey.
–CodigoPoker: After the initial euphoria of a great victory, how do you feel today, a couple of months later, still holding the current champion title?
-Ariel: Yes, of course, the emotions calm down a bit. We’re still very happy but a bit more focused and grounded with the euphoria more balanced. Really happy and eager to participate in more national and international tournaments, but definitely very eager to defend the title and hopefully be able to achieve such a victory again.
–CodigoPoker: What expectations do you have for yourself in the next Palace Series of Poker in Mexico City and how do you see the competitive level in the Main Event compared to the previous edition in Monterrey?
-Ariel: Personally, I am very motivated. I would like the level to be very high, the attendance to be greater, for the good of Mexican poker. I believe national tournaments need to start breaking records so that the guarantees get bigger and bigger and grow even worldwide. I would really love, even if I don’t win it, for the champion’s prize to double compared to what I won. What more could I ask for than to become champion again, but I know it’s very difficult because of the level we have that is growing, strengthening with players who study more, players who travel to compete abroad, and a community that greatly elevates the PSOP.
–CodigoPoker: Do you have plans to participate in any international competition this year? Have you set any goals beyond the national circuit?
-Ariel: Yes, I am making plans to attend the WSOP this 2026. I haven’t yet decided which tournaments I will play but my dream has always been the World Series and the Main Event, so I am working to fit three or four events into my schedule. I don’t want to enter too many because I consider it very tiring and highly demanding, plus if you participate in too many tournaments your performance drops. I want to arrive fresh at the Main Event, give it my all in that tournament, and advance as far as possible. I will be very focused these months to prepare and play the tournament of my dreams, which is the Main Event of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. So yes, it’s in my plans, I hope to be there and represent Mexico to raise the flag across all skies, of course.
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