The new year has dawned and 888poker is getting right down to business with the first big online series of 2024, XL Winter. With a total of 69 games and 35 featured events, there is more than $2.4 million guaranteed across the 16 days of online poker.
The first events officially kick off on January 14 and run through to January 29. That’s when the final table of the Main Event is scheduled to be streamed on 888pokerTV. But players don’t need to wait: the first Day 1 flights for this tournament are underway now — and it boasts double the guarantee of last year, promising at least $1 million in prize money.
Elsewhere over the 16 days of action there are some big games on the docket. In addition to the massive Main Event, players can look forward to another multi-day Mystery Bounty game with $200k guaranteed, and there two other tournaments with at least $120k and $100k up for grabs.
As is usually the case, the Main Event is the biggest buy-in of the series at $888, but most of the series comes in at a far lower price point. There are events as low as $11. The Mini Main Event with a buy-in of $25 and $100k guaranteed is, in fact, the best value tournament of the whole series, as measured by the dollars guaranteed for every dollar of buy-in ($GTD/$BI) with a whopping $4k guaranteed for each dollar invested.
2024 XL Winter Series Summary
| Dates | Jan 14 – Jan 29 |
| Games | 69 |
| Featured Games | 35 |
| Total Gtd | $2,414,000 |
| Featured Gtd | $2,081,000 |
| Buy-In Range | $11 – $888 |
| Best Gtd | $1,000,000 |
| Median Gtd | $15,000 |
| Average Gtd | $59,457 |
| Average Buy-In | $159 |
| Median Buy-In | $109 |
Hot Winter Action in XL Winter
As players plan which events to play, they should look not only for featured events — which include a number with the name — but also extra branded regular events that have beefed-up guarantees over their typical form. There could be a lot of value in these side events as most players focus on the big-ticket tournaments.
Flights for both versions of the Main Event are also running right from the start of the series — in fact, there are Main Event flights on the 888poker client starting January 7, more than a week in advance of the official start of the series. There are also freeroll qualifiers running right now with two seats to the Main Event guaranteed, so watch the lobby for a chance to get into the Main for free.
Big Increases for 2024
Perhaps the big news from XL Winter this year is the beefed-up prize pools. In the 2023 edition of the series, there was $1.5 million guaranteed in the big games. This year’s $2 million guarantee is a 33% increase from the last year, so it is clear 888poker expects a big series.
The main reason for that extra money this year is down to the $1 million guarantee in the Main Event. The 2023 edition of the XL Winter Main Event came with a promise of $500k, so the doubled guarantee on the Main makes up the vast majority of the difference from last year’s guarantees.
Catch Action and Prizes with the Stream Team and 888pokerTV
The best way to complement the XL Winter grind is with 888pokerTV and the Stream Team. Stream Team members will be streaming their own action live throughout the series, and 888pokerTV will be highlighting selected events with cards-up commentary on delay with Nick Wealthall and David Tuchman.
888pokerTV Streaming Dates
- 15/1 — $120,000 GTD XL Winter #02 Opening Event
- 23/1 — $200,000 GTD XL Winter #20 Mystery Bounty
- 30/1 — $1,000,000 GTD XL Winter #34 Mystery Bounty MAIN EVENT
