The Ontario Championship of Online Poker (COOP) — the flagship annual series of PokerStars ON — has returned for its fourth edition.
Running from September 12 to September 29, the series is exclusively available to Ontario online poker players and guarantees C$2 million in prize money. It stands as one of the largest tournament series in the regulated Canada online poker market.
This series is the regional equivalent of the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), one of the most prestigious annual tournament festivals in the global online poker market. Much like the World Series of Poker (WSOP), many of its events carry a “Championship” designation.
ONCOOP 2025 Overview:
- Runs from September 12 to 29
- C$2 million in guarantees
- 99 tournaments (27 Championship events)
- Buy-ins from C$20 to C2,500
- C$175,000 guaranteed Main Event
- C$30,000 in leaderboards & deposit bonus
- Excellent tournament schedule
- The best variety of game types
- #1 Rated online poker room in Ontario by pokerfuse.com
At present, PokerStars has only announced a COOP series for Ontario and not for the United States. This is somewhat surprising, as the operator has traditionally unveiled COOP schedules for both Ontario and the US simultaneously.
Inside the Ontario COOP Schedule
Focusing back on Ontario’s edition, ONCOOP is very much a premier series. Buy-ins range from C$20 at the entry level to C$2,500 at the high end.
In total, the schedule includes 99 tournaments. Out of these, 27 have been designated as Championship events, awarding winners a special trophy in addition to their prize money.
Naturally, the series features multiple Main Events, all carrying Championship status. There are three in total: the C$50 COOP Mini Main Event with a C$45,000 guarantee; the C$300 COOP Main Event — Medium, which is the centerpiece of the festival with a C$175,000 guarantee; and the C$2,500 High Roller Main Event with a C$150,000 guarantee.
Beyond the Main Events, the schedule offers numerous highlights. On September 13, for example, players can compete in the Kickoff Championship, a trophy event with a C$100 buy-in and a C$30,000 guarantee. On the same day, a Turbo Mystery Bounty runs with a C$100 buy-in and a C$15,000 guarantee, catering to players who prefer fast-paced formats.
September 14 will be especially busy, with three Championship events scheduled at buy-ins of C$200, C$50, and C$1,000, offering a combined C$180,000 in guarantees. Other notable tournaments include the C$250 PKO Heads-Up Championship on September 16, the C$200 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout Championship on September 17 with a C$15,000 guarantee, and recurring themed events such as the Thursday Thrill Championship and Friday Night Championship.
The overall schedule is diverse, featuring formats and poker variants unmatched by other Ontario operators. Players can look forward to mixed games like 8-Game and H.O.R.S.E, several Omaha variants, traditional freezeouts, progressive knockouts, total knockout formats, and mystery bounty tournaments. A Phased tournament is also included, with multiple Day 1 flights at a C$25 buy-in leading into a C$30,000 guaranteed final phase.
As is tradition with PokerStars’ major series, a leaderboard competition will also run, offering C$15,000 in prizes. Two separate leaderboards ensure fair competition across different bankroll levels. The higher a player finishes in the rankings, the more points they collect and the larger their cash reward. The top prize for the major leaderboard is C$2,000, while the mini-tier leaderboard awards C$1,000 to its winner.
Additionally, players can benefit from a reload bonus promotion, with C$15,000 in COOP tickets being distributed.
PokerStars has been operating a ring-fenced platform for Ontario players since 2022, and this fall’s festival marks the fourth running of COOP in the province. While each edition has carried C$2 million in guaranteed prize pools, the number of tournaments has varied over the years. The first edition in October 2022 was one of the largest in terms of volume, featuring 132 tournaments, followed by an expanded 137-tournament schedule in 2023.
Last year, the schedule was scaled back to 90 events while maintaining the same overall guarantees. This year, the C$2 million prize pool is once again on offer, now distributed across 99 tournaments.
Meanwhile, on the global dot-com platform, the original WCOOP takes place from September 7 to October 1, boasting $65 million in guarantees.
