The first-ever tournament series on the new PokerStars by FanDuel platform has officially been announced.
Branded as the PokerStars Ignite Series, the festival gets underway this Saturday, April 18, running through May 4, and it arrives with considerable scale and ambition.
A total of $5 million has been guaranteed, positioning it as PokerStars’ largest-ever tournament series not only within the regulated US online poker market but across the broader North American landscape as well.
The schedule is set to conclude with a $500,000 guaranteed Main Event, adding yet another half-million-dollar headline tournament to the new platform’s growing portfolio.
PokerStars Ignite Series on FanDuel Overview:
- Takes place from April 18 — May 4
- Total events: 88
- Buy-ins: $25 – $1,500
- $5 million in guarantees
- $500k GTE Main Event ($300 buy-in)
- Open to players from NJ, MI & PA
- Special Launch Welcome Offer: $1000 deposit bonus for all!
- $500,000 GTD Main Event on May 3
- New software on a 3-state online poker network
PokerStars Ignite Series Details
The PokerStars by FanDuel Ignite Series features a total of 88 events, largely split into two buy-in tiers. Most tournaments have a standard $100 tier, coupled with a $25 Mini tier.
The series also features a selection of tournaments with higher buy-ins, ranging from $250 all the way up to $1,500.
The $500k Main Event comes with a buy-in of $300 and it takes place on May 3. This is a re-entry tournament, and players will be able to buy in with cash or using tournament tickets won through promotions or satellites.
Other outstanding tournaments on the Ignite Series schedule are two Sunday Dynasty events, featuring buy-ins of $100 and $200 and guaranteed prize pools of $200k and $250k.
Otherwise, guarantees for the events in the Mini tier range from $10k to $25k, while the regular tier features guarantees between $10k and $75k.
There are also some non-traditional events on the schedule, such as Ignite #63 – Seven Deuce Game. This is a No Limit Hold’em tournament that will have the popular Seven Deuce side game as a part of its structure. We don’t know how exactly this will look in practice, but it will probably be similar to how it works in cash games.
A majority of tournaments on the schedule are of the No Limit Hold’em variety, but there will be at least one pick for PLO fans in Ignite #27 $250 Wednesday Wrap ($50k GTD).
FanDuel Poker Ignite Series Highlights
- April 18 – Ignite #03 – $250 Blast Off ($125k GTD)
- April 19 – Ignite #08 – $100 Sunday Dynasty ($200k GTD)
- April 24 – Ignite #26 – $250 Mystery Bounty ($100k GTD)
- April 26 – Ignite #45 – $200 Sunday Dynasty ($250k GTD)
- May 3 – Ignite #80 – $300 Main Event ($500k GTD)
- May 3 – Ignite #82 – $1,500 High Roller Main ($250GTD)
Sunday Million Debuts on FanDuel Poker
The announcement closely follows a massive Sunday session in which more than $1.1 million in prize money was awarded. This came as the Sunday Million made its debut on the platform, featuring two tournaments each carrying a $500,000 guarantee.
One event was held at a $100 buy-in, while the other featured a $1,000 buy-in, with both tournaments running in a non-bounty format.
Although neither event ultimately met its guarantee, the turnout at PokerStars US was still notable, drawing over 5,500 total entries combined across the two tournaments. Importantly, both events were conducted as single-flight tournaments rather than multi-flight formats, making the turnout even more significant.
The $100 buy-in event attracted 5,075 entries, consisting of 3,606 unique players and 1,469 re-entries. Despite the large field, it still fell short of the ambitious guarantee, resulting in an overlay of $34,115.
Meanwhile, the $1,000 buy-in event recorded 449 entries, including 337 unique players and 112 re-entries, leading to a larger overlay of $73,450.
Even with two sizeable overlays, the operator has moved ahead with announcing a brand-new flagship series for the FanDuel Poker network, underlining its confidence in the platform. A $5 million guaranteed series represents a substantial commitment and stands out in the current market environment.
Series of this magnitude are rarely seen in the regulated US market, with only WSOP Online historically delivering festivals on a comparable scale.
Prior to the launch of the new platform, PokerStars’ tournament series in the US typically peaked at $2 million to $2.5 million in total guarantees, with more recent offerings trending closer to $1.5 million.
While this is not positioned as a SCOOP-branded series, it still carries a strong sense of prestige and signals PokerStars’ intent to establish a high-value tournament ecosystem on its new FanDuel-powered network.
