Stake Poker, one of the more recent additions to the international online poker market, recently announced one of its biggest tournaments to date. Stake Showdown is scheduled for Sunday, September 27, and will feature a $1,000 buy-in and a $125,000 guaranteed prize pool.

The event comes in the wake of the massive August Madness, which offered an $80,000 guaranteed prize pool for just an $8 buy-in, which made it more widely available to the player pool on the international platform.

The newly announced Stake Showdown is reserved for high rollers, but is also expected to attract quite a few qualifiers, as satellites are already running and will continue daily until the tournament starts in late September.

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Players from a variety of markets will have a chance to qualify for the $1,000 buy-in for as little as $0.50, which is the lowest entry point into the satellite path. From there, players will advance through $10 and $100 step satellites, all the way to the $1,000 buy-in.

Of course, those with deeper bankrolls will also get to play the tournament directly and make use of the re-entry option during the early levels.

A Fast-Growing Online Poker Platform

Stake first launched its international iGaming platform in 2017 without much pomp, and went about building its business model quietly for a few years.

The brand exploded on the scene in 2022, when it started aggressively pursuing its marketing efforts, hiring a number of high-profile brand ambassadors, and investing money in Kick.com, a direct competitor to Twitch, the world’s biggest live streaming platform.

In 2024, Stake launched its online poker platform within its online casino, allowing international players to play online poker in their browsers with crypto deposits and withdrawals, and entirely in-house-built poker software. See our Stake Poker Crypto Guide to learn how to use cryptocurrency to play online poker.

Since launching, Stake has put a lot of effort into building up its online poker brand, launching a number of standalone tournaments, as well as entire tournament series, with millions of dollars given away in prize money over the last couple of years.

Stake has also invested heavily in the development of its unique online poker platform, which now includes popular features like Run it Twice, Rabbit Hunt, Four Color Deck, and more.

With events like the Stake Showdown, Stake is looking to expand interest in its online poker product, although it remains mainly focused on sports betting and casino games, which make up the vast majority of its international game offering.

A Sweepstakes Poker Opportunity for US Players

Simultaneously with adding a real-money online poker product to its international crypto platform, Stake launched a sweepstakes poker site in the US, giving American players from many states a chance to join the poker tables.

At Stake.us, players can enjoy online poker under the unique sweepstakes model, often also called social poker, which does not involve any real-money play or gambling, but does offer a chance to win valuable Sweeps Coins, which can be redeemed for real cash prizes.

While Stake.us remains a relatively small player in the US sweepstakes poker market, its player pool has been growing consistently, and unique events and promotions being thrown by the operator, combined with the brand’s ever-growing presence in the iGaming community, are all steps in the right direction.

While the upcoming Stake Showdown will only be available to players playing on the international Stake platform, players across the US should watch for similar opportunities offered via Stake’s sweepstakes poker platform, as the operator continues to grow its presence across America.