PokerStars

What to Look Forward to In the World of Poker in 2024

Posted on January 4, 2024January 2, 2024 by Kelley N.

2023 finally came to a close, but the best is yet to come for poker enthusiasts. With a plethora of incredible deals from different operators, be ready to greet 2024 in grand style. In addition to being the ideal way to commemorate the season, it is also an excellent way to be ready for an amazing year of poker and casino gaming.

PokerStars’ 2024 European Poker Tour

The 2024 calendar for the European Poker Tour (EPT) was unveiled, with an emphasis on quality rather than quantity. Starting in February in Paris’s Le Palais des Congrès, the tour will make its way to Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Cyprus, and Prague, among other famous locations, with the hopes of hosting a more grandiose event.

The first event of the season, EPT Paris, will take place from February 14th to the 25th in the newly expanded Le Palais des Congrès. In the following week, from April 24th through May 4th, the legendary EPT Monte-Carlo will continue its storied history as part of the EPT schedule.

Casino Barcelona, the site of PokerStars’ biggest ever sponsored live event in 2023, will play home to EPT Barcelona from August 26th through the 8th at the same time. The Merit Royal Diamond Hotel, Casino & Spa in Cyprus will play home to EPT Cyprus from October 9–20, continuing the island’s involvement in the circuit after a successful debut in 2023.

Last but not least, the 2024 season concludes with EPT Prague, which takes place from December 4–15. This year’s event aims to shatter its record for the largest Main Event field.

The online tournament entry options are provided by PokerStars. For example, satellites are running for the EPT Paris that provide Main Event tickets and lodging packages.

World Series of Poker (WSOP) Events

The 55th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) will take place at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas from May 28th to July 17th. After sixteen years in the Rio Convention Center, the event will head to the Strip for the third year in a row. With a great venue in the bag, Ty Stewart, WSOP’s senior vice president, looks forward to surpassing the success of 2023, aiming for a groundbreaking 2024 event.

There will be four beginning flights for the Main Event No-limit Hold ’em World Championship, which is a $10,000 buy-in event, from July 3–17. Defending the Main Event title and taking home a whopping $12.1 million in 2023, Daniel Weinman beat off an unprecedented field of more than 10,000 competitors.

Other notable events on the schedule include the “Mystery Millions,” the renowned “Millionaire Maker,” the Seniors Championship, and the Ladies Championship.

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PokerStars Unveils Holiday Special With 25 Days of Tournaments for US & Ontario Players

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Kelley N.

With PokerStars’ highly acclaimed 25 Days of Tournaments bonanza returning to both the US and Ontario, Canada, players can look forward to opening daily surprises. This holiday promotion, which runs from December 5th through the 29th, is evocative of the thrilling anticipation of an advent calendar in that it promises a surprise tournament every day.

Tons of Goodies for Poker Enthusiasts

Two buy-in levels, $10 and $50, are available in the campaign to accommodate players with varying bankroll amounts. It is available to PokerStars users in New Jersey (PokerStars NJ), Michigan (PokerStars MI), Pennsylvania (PokerStars PA), and Ontario (PokerStars Ontario).

Fans should be ready for an exclusive surprise event each night at 9:00 PM ET, where the tournament’s nature remains veiled in secrecy until 9:00 PM the evening before.

There are more than just surprises to look forward to throughout this event. Side events such as Half-Price Sunday on December 10 and High Roller Sunday on December 17 are also available to participants.

During Half-Price Sunday, PokerStars will host its renowned Sunday major tournaments with a remarkable 50% reduction in buy-ins while retaining the same guarantees, offering an enticing opportunity for all players.

There are 25 Days of events when participants can win additional prizes in addition to the daily mystery events. Among these highly sought-after prizes are unique pieces of merchandise signed by PokerStars North America Team Pros, tickets to live sports events, and bonus tickets worth thousands of dollars.

In all four areas, there will be freerolls every day and week where you can enter to win a share of $1,000 in prizes, so it should be exciting. In addition, the offer adds daily tasks that unlock chests, making the game experience even better.

Keeping the Fire Burning

The 25 Days of Tournaments caps off a successful year for PokerStars, following the triumph of the Fall Fest series. Notably, the previous Main Event on PokerStars’ shared liquidity network, spanning New Jersey and Michigan, surpassed expectations with 824 entries, comfortably surpassing its $200k guarantee by an additional $30.7k. Similarly, the Pennsylvania leg, with a $175,000 guarantee and a $300 buy-in, generated buzz with 607 entrants, slightly falling short and creating a $5,000 overlay.

It certainly proves that PokerStars is dedicated to providing unforgettable experiences. A wide variety of exciting tournament formats were included in earlier iterations of the campaign, including Progressive Knockouts (PKOs), 3-handed Zoom, heads-up, Total Knockouts, Pot-Limit Omaha variations, and many more.

Strong Start for 2023 Tournament Poker Season

Posted on January 4, 2023January 2, 2023 by Kelley N.

It may feel like the 2022 poker tournament season just wrapped up a few weeks ago, but those in the poker world are already moving on to other things. We are entering the year 2023 with a new crop of tournaments and some interesting variations on the standard fare.

Borgata’s Offering

The poker tournament schedule for the year 2023 got off to a rousing start at the Borgata in Atlantic City. There are $1,000,000 in guaranteed bounties for the $2000 ($200 juice) Mystery Bounty tournament known as “The Return.” On Monday, January 2, the action began with Day 1A, and later that day, at seven o’clock in the evening, Day 1B began its portion of the tournament.

As exciting as that event was, it was really a warmup for the real thing. A $5,000 buy-in Championship Event with some unusual stipulations will take place on Wednesday at the Borgata. The total prize pool for the tournament is $3 million, and the winner is certain to receive at least $1 million.

WSOP

From January 4-24, 2023, King’s Casino in Rozvadov will play host to twelve tournaments as part of the World Series of Poker International Circuit. Simultaneously, an event on the WSOP Circuit is being held in the United States, with players making the trip to Oklahoma’s Choctaw Casino Resort.

PokerGO

The PokerGO Cup 2023 will begin on January 11 at the PokerGO Studios in Las Vegas. The eight-part “High Roller” tournament series culminates on January 19 with the $50,000 Championship Event, which will be broadcast online.

The Bahamas will host the second annual PokerStars Players’ Championship for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. The 46-event festival kicks off on January 22 at the Baha Mar Resort and Casino in Nassau. The $25,000 Poker Players’ Championship (PSPC) is only one of several tournaments, including bounty and High Roller events.

What About the EPT and WPT?

The World Poker Tour and the European Poker Tour, two of the biggest tournament poker circuits, will not get off until later in 2023. Out of the two, the EPT is the one that will be making its maiden trip to a new venue first.

Beginning on February 15 at the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile, the European Poker Tour (EPT) will host a series of tournaments with buy-ins of €5,000 for the Main Event, €10,000 for the High Roller, €50,000 for the Super High Roller, and €3,000 for the Mystery Bounty. The final match of the tournament will be held on February 26.

Poker Operators Tightening Integrity Controls

Posted on July 4, 2022July 4, 2022 by Kelley N.

Online poker is more popular than ever. As the game continues to gain more popularity, operators are hard at work trying to find new and interesting ways of ensuring that their customers get the best experiences. One of the areas that they have been improving on is integrity controls. This not only ensures fairness but also makes the platforms more trustworthy.

GGPoker Introduces Poker Integrity Council

The Poker Integrity Council was established by GGPoker as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to defend the integrity of the game via a variety of internal and external investigations. It will be up to the council, which will comprise Jason Koon and Andrew Lichtenberger, Fedor Holz, Seth Davies, and Nick Petrangelo, to examine complaints of cheating and carry out impartial evaluations. They will also be tasked with implementing punishments for suspicious behavior detected at GGPoker tables.

To determine if disciplinary action should be taken in every given matter presented before the council, members will vote. This will, of course, come after investigations into signs of suspicious behavior and analyzing relevant hand histories. Only then will they provide a verdict.

In each matter that is presented before the council, the steps of the procedure will include identifying suspicious behavior, evaluating relevant hand records, and ruling, which will include council members voting on whether disciplinary action is warranted.

If disciplinary action is required, the player may get a warning regarding their conduct. In some cases, GGPoker will temporarily suspend or permanently ban their account, or a player could receive a permanent ban in addition to having their funds confiscated.

PokerStars Implements Ban on Cheaters

In light of the multiple claims of cheating that have been floating around the poker world, PokerStars has decided to take a bold step in protecting the integrity of the game. Players who have been banned for cheating on PokerStars, the biggest online poker site in the world, will also be prohibited from playing in live tournaments that PokerStars organizes in the future.

When deciding whether or not to ban a player from live tournaments, PokerStars follows a “no questions asked” approach. For whatever reason, any player who is evicted from a PokerStars online tournament will not be allowed to participate in any of the company’s live tournaments.

Numerous allegations have been leveled against well-known live and online poker players in the last several months. In light of PokerStars’ new policy, other poker sites may follow suit and take similar measures against players that commit cheating acts such as using prohibited tools, ghosting, and collusion.

Online Poker Finally Arrives in Ontario

Posted on April 4, 2022April 3, 2022 by Kelley N.

Ontario’s online gambling market is finally a reality and this represents a lot of renewed optimism about Canada’s gambling sector. Being the very first jurisdiction in the country to take bets within the context of a legal and private online gaming market, it sets the pace for what we can expect in the future.

Going forward, residents of Ontario will be able to wager on casino games as well as sporting events. Other forms of gambling products and services will also be offered online on both mobile apps and web-based platforms. These will, of course, have to be from licensed and regulated operators.

So far, iGaming Ontario has registered an impressive 25 operators. More are expected to be added in the long run but this is certainly a great start. Thankfully, there is a decent number of online poker options. Poker enthusiasts in the jurisdiction now have another amazing option when it comes to enjoying their favorite online poker titles.

Offshore Operations

Now, even though online gaming is now available in Ontario, some of the online poker options will still be offered from offshore sites. Players will not need to worry about the lack of localized content though as the poker operators are taking the new market very seriously.

PokerStars, for instance, will strive to ensure that its customers in Ontario have access to the global poker market as well as its massive player pool. 888poker and GGPoker who are always big brands in the online poker sector also have their sights set on the newly-launched market. There is talk of even more operators coming in.

Two-Tiered System

The launch of online gambling today (Monday, April 4, 2022) came with the creation of a de-factor two-tiered system. As it stands, there are no long-term plans for the system but it is expected to have some far-reaching impacts, especially on poker players.

Commissioned by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the two-tiered system is intended to help with avoiding a blackout period. This means that licensed online poker operators will be operating alongside rivals that have just started the licensing process.

On the bright side, this could help eliminate the possibility of black market operators stepping in where the players have no viable options. The main disadvantage of this is that it might lead to the market having some arguably inferior products and services. Still, this is all work in progress and we will have to wait and see how it all pans out over the coming months.

PokerStars COOP Series Coming to Three Different States in September

Posted on September 4, 2021September 1, 2021 by Kelley N.

Poker lovers in the United States who may be feeling left out of all the action in PokerStars’ World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) have something to smile about. While they are still not able to access the dot come version of the poker room and participate in the tournament, the operator has found a way to cater to them. The company has recently announced that it will be running Champions of Online Poker (COOPs) in three different states.

That said, poker lovers in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, the three states, will be able to simultaneously enjoy some special tournament action. This will run from September 10 through September 27. But that is not the only great news that the players should look forward to.

Amazing Prize Pools

According to the operator, the total guaranteed prize pools across the three states will be a whopping $4.5 million. Players who will be participating in the Pennsylvania Championship of Online Poker (PACOOP) will take the biggest share of the prize pool. That is $2 million in guaranteed prizes which will be won across a total of 69 events.

Coming in second will be the Michigan Championship of Online Poker (MICOOP). This is promising $1.5 million in guaranteed prize pools for its 68 events. The New Jersey Championship of Online Poker (NJCOOP) will be offering $1 million in guaranteed prizes that will be won over a total of 60 events.

All the Main Event winners during the tournament will receive a PokerStars trophy. In addition to that, there are a few special COOP events whose winners will also receive trophies. The guarantees for these Main Events are as follows:

$200,000 for PACOOP
$150,000 for MICOOP
$100,000 for NJCOOP

How To Get In

If you are looking to participate in any of the state poker events, you will be happy to know that the buy-ins for most events will be quite reasonable. Most of them will be below $100. However, they could range from as low as $10 to as high as $100. All the Main Events will have buy-ins of $300. That’s not too bad. They will also be running for two days starting from September 26.

To help their customers get in on the poker action, PokerStars is also hosting several promotions till September 26. All that the players need to do is participate in the operator’s special $3 Spin & Go’s. With that, they stand a chance of winning the $300 COOP Main Event tickets.

PokerStars Launches Its Operations in Michigan

Posted on February 4, 2021February 3, 2021 by Kelley N.

Poker enthusiasts in Michigan have had to endure a long wait for the launch of online poker since online gambling was legalized in the state over a year ago. Well, the wait is finally over as Michigan has recently officially become the fifth state in the country to offer legal and regulated online poker. As expected, this is a pretty lucrative market and already some of the biggest brands in the sector have already made a play for the sector.

World-renowned online poker operator PokerStars became the very first poker brand to go live in Michigan. The company’s efforts to offer its world-class services in the state received the backing of FOX Bet and Stars Casino both of which are also pretty notable brands in the world of gambling.

For the venture in the newly-regulated online poker market, PokerStars and its affiliate companies partnered with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Gaming Authority.

A Rocky Start

There was of course a lot of excitement when PokerStars announced that its poker offerings would be coming to the state. However, a little adjustment period may have been needed as the company tried to figure out the new market and iron out a few bugs. On the first day of online poker gaming on the site, there were a few notable glitches.

These glitches mainly affected the users’ ability to add funds to their accounts which would have been disastrous at any other time. However, this has since been fixed and new players can go in with confidence that such issues will not taint their experiences.

PokerStars even went as far as offering some very exciting promotions to welcome poker lovers in Michigan to their new offering. The most memorable one was a 100 percent deposit bonus – the minimum amount required to claim this was however on the higher side at $600.

Very High Hopes for The Industry

As mentioned earlier, the state has very high hopes for the online poker industry and by extension the online gambling sector as a whole. PokerStars’ entry into the market makes things all the more exciting given its stellar reputation.

According to Richard Kalm, the executive director of the Michigan Gaming Control Board, revenue generated from the newly launched sector will have a huge impact on several projects in the state. The money will go into such things as education, support for the tribal communities as well as further development of Detroit.

PokerStars Pennsylvania Celebrates Anniversary with Tournament Series

Posted on November 4, 2020November 5, 2020 by Kelley N.

It has been one whole year since PokerStars made its debut in the Keystone State. Since its launch, the online poker platform has recorded very strong numbers in terms of revenue as well as the number of visitors. More and more players have been welcomed to the platform and with the pandemic, there was a significant surge in traffic which further cemented PokerStars’ position as the go-to online poker destination for poker lovers in the Keystone State. This can also partly be attributed to its monopoly in that particular marker – this is, however, set to come to an end very soon as other online poker operators are already making plans to join the state’s gaming market.

Meanwhile, PokerStars is marking its 1st anniversary in the state by offering its customers the chance to participate in a fun and exciting tournament series that will be running all through November. Referred to as the Pennsylvania 1st Anniversary Series, the event series will run from November 8 to November 15. During this period, poker players will be able to play across 35 events for a chance of winning a portion of the $1 million guaranteed prize.

The Highlights

The schedule for the tournament is pretty packed to make sure everyone gets a chance to participate. The main highlight will, however, be the $100-entry Main Event which boasts of a guaranteed prize pool of a whopping $200,000.

In addition to that, there are lots of other exciting events that players can participate in. The operator has made it easy for the customers to grab over $10,000 in tickets to the events. These can be grabbed in seven freerolls and players can qualify for those for as little as $1.

Some of the other notable events on the massive schedule include the $100 Sunday Special that will go down on November 8. This has a guaranteed prize of $100,000. There is also the ‘Mini’ Main Event that will go down on November 15 and carries a guaranteed prize pool of $25,000. Moreover, there is the amazing $50 phased tournaments that will be running throughout the duration of the tournament series and has a guaranteed prize of $50,000.

Competition on The Way

As mentioned earlier, PokerStars has had a monopoly in the Keystone State’s online poker market ever since it was launched. This is about to come to an end as other poker operators that have been eyeing the state are inching closer to launching their poker offerings. However, if the high traffic that PokerStars boasts of is anything to go by, the operator does not have much to worry about.

PokerStars Begins Testing Poker Side Bets

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Kelley N.

Over the years, PokerStars has been known for being one of the most innovative online poker operators on the planet. All of the poker operator’s efforts are motivated by the need to give its customers the best possible experience at the poker tables. With its next project, PokerStars intends to give its customers the opportunity to bet against the house on what cards are coming. This new side bets feature is definitely going to resonate well with gamblers who are looking for more ways of spreading their wagers around.

Side bets are not an entirely new concept for PokerStars. The operator has been mixing casino-style gambling with partially skill-based games in a number of their tournaments. Its Spin & Go tournaments are a great example of this.

How Side Bets Work

As mentioned earlier, side bets are a special kind of bet since unlike the skill-based gaming that poker players indulge in, they involve the players betting against the house instead of betting against each other. To avoid the impact of the actual play at the poker tables, the money used for making these side bets do not come from the player’s stacks at the table. The money will come from the players’ account balances.

Since they are totally based on luck, side bets doe not require any form of skill to play. This will make them an interesting addition to the PokerStars poker tables. It is speculated that there will be Return-To-Player (RTP) of 97.12 percent and 97.29 percent for side bets flops and side bets on hole cards respectively. The house advantages on these are pretty low which means that the interested players will stand better chances of making a killing from the side bets.

When Will It Arrive?

As of the time this piece was written, the side bets feature is only available on clients in the United Kingdom and the European Union. It is also only available at hold’em tables. The beta test of the feature has been shrouded in mystery but since it has stayed around for this long, it is safe to presume that the company is making some progress in that regard.

No details have emerged from PokerStars regarding any timeframes for the unveiling of the feature to more markets across the globe. However, given the online poker operators’ massive presence in several states in the US and other countries, there is some certainty that players in those areas will be able to enjoy using the new feature when it is rolled out. Get ready for even more action at the poker tables.

PokerStars Goes Live in Pennsylvania

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Kelley N.

Online poker has been one of the most anticipated pieces of the Keystone State’s expanded gambling plans. After months of waiting and several setbacks, the online poker industry is finally set to kick off with the launch of PokerStars’ online poker room. The poker operator which is best known as one of the world’s leading online poker operators will be starting off its Pennsylvanian operations with the launch of a toned-down version of its poker site. This is because the launch which is scheduled for November 4 will be a soft-launch and will, therefore, involve a few tests that will be overseen by the PGCB.

Licensed Under Mount Airy

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has already stated that its staff members are ready to oversee the test launch of an online gaming site. While the boar’s spokesperson did not reveal any specific details about the yet-to-be-launched online gambling operation, he did mention that the operation is licensed under Mount Airy Casino.

If you have been keeping an eye on the Keystone State gambling expansion, then you already know that Mount Airy is the official land-based casino partner of PokerStars.

Public Tests

The state’s gambling laws require all regulated operations to undergo a public test period before the official launch. During the test period, the regulator will be tasked with determining whether PokerStars is a good fit for the market and if it is it will be given the green light for a full launch. Some of the aspects that will be evaluated include the geolocation tools that are used by the operator as well as the fairness fo the games offered.

This test phase will last for two to three days after which the regulator will deliver a verdict regarding whether the operator can launch full operations or not. There is quite a bit of optimism that PokerStars will pass the tests. After all, it already has experience in the business and therefore it will certainly utilize this in the state. If all goes well, by next week Pennsylvanian poker enthusiasts will have full access to a robust and fully-featured online poker offering.

Is Mobile Gaming on the Way?

Unfortunately, there is no information suggesting that PokerStars is even thinking of a mobile poker app for the Pennsylvanian market. While the online poker site is definitely going to be responsive enough to work across a wide range of devices, mobile gaming has been gaining a lot of popularity in the state. More and more people are switching to available gambling apps and hopefully, there will be a mobile poker option. While there is no mention of the app and considering PokerStars’ history of starting things off with online gambling, it should not be long before something comes up. Keep your fingers crossed.

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