- The operator has also increased the guarantee on its regular $530-buyin progressive knockout tournament to $1 million.
- Million’s history is peppered with special one-offs with bigger prize pools, often to coincide with an anniversary.
- Indeed, over a three-year period in 2008 to 2011 it consistently had larger guarantees even during regular weeks.
- With the global coronavirus pandemic spreading across the world, online poker traffic has skyrocketed.
- Last Sunday was by far the largest regular $109 Sunday Million in its history.
In what is thought to be the first time in modern online poker history, PokerStars has put a $2 million guarantee on a regular Sunday Million tournament.
With its now-standard $109 buy-in, the operator will be looking to attract 20,000 players and re-entries to cover the guarantee.
The operator has also increased the guarantee on its regular $530-buyin progressive knockout tournament, the Bounty Builder HR, to $1 million. Both will be played as two-day tournaments to accommodate the extra play from the expected increase in turnout.
The Sunday Million has always had a seven-figure guarantee and has run almost every week for fourteen years. Traditionally it has a $1 million guarantee, though its history is peppered with special one-offs with bigger prize pools, usually to coincide with important anniversaries like that of the tournament or of PokerStars itself.
Indeed, over a three-year period in 2008 to 2011—prior to Black Friday, when players from the United States could play on the global site—it consistently had larger guarantees even during regular weeks, with a string of $1.5 million, $2 million, and even $2.5 million-guaranteed tournaments.
