It was Half Price Sunday this past weekend across PokerStars' US markets, and players came out in droves for the bargain buy-ins. Three feature games in each market all broke guarantees by at least 5%, with some prize pools more than 50% above the guarantee.
On Sunday July 18 PokerStars threw a half price party in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Major Sunday games were all set at half their usual price, and players in all states showed their appreciation with inflated numbers across all the featured games.
Looking at three major games per market, Half Price Sunday Warm-Up, Half Price Sunday Special, and Half Price Sunday Supersonic there were almost 4,800 entries across all markets, with total prizes of more than $187,000.
That meant that overall, the Half Price Sunday games broke guarantees by almost 16%, and players enjoyed almost $550 in prize pool value per dollar spent on buy-in (prizes/buy-in).
USA Half Price Sunday Summary
| Michigan | New Jersey | Pennsylvania | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries | 1583 | 628 | 2571 | 4782 |
| Buy-In | $90.00 | $162.50 | $90.00 | $342.50 |
| Guarantee | $48,000 | $26,500 | $87,500 | $162,000 |
| Prize Pool | $57,065 | $36,384 | $94,360 | $187,808 |
| % Over Gtd | 18.88% | 37.30% | 7.84% | 15.93% |
| Gtd/Buy-In | $533.33 | $163.08 | $972.22 | $472.99 |
| Prizes/Buy-In | $634.05 | $223.90 | $1,048.44 | $548.35 |
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Michigan Results
PokerStars Michigan was in the middle of the road on all indicators this past weekend for Half Price Sunday. With prize pools almost 19% over guarantee, that put PS MI smack in the middle of the three markets for total prizes, and even when prizes/buy-in is calculated, Michigan lands in the middle of the pack.
Michigan Half Price Sunday Overall Results
| Entries | Buy-In | Guarantee | Prize Pool | % Over Gtd | Prizes/Buy-In |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1583 | $90.00 | $48,000 | $57,065 | 18.88% | $634.05 |
The best result in Michigan percentage-wise came in the Half Price Sunday Warm-Up. With a $15 buy-in and $3,000 guaranteed, it had more than $4,000 in prizes in the end, for almost 35% above guarantee.
Michigan Half Price Sunday Details
| Game | Half Price Sunday Warm-Up | Half Price Sunday Special | Half Price Sunday Supersonic |
| Entries | 295 | 1035 | 253 |
| Buy-In | $15.00 | $50.00 | $25.00 |
| Guarantee | $3,000 | $40,000 | $5,000 |
| Prize Pool | $4,027 | $47,093 | $5,946 |
| % Over Gtd | 34.23% | 17.73% | 18.91% |
| Gtd/Buy-In | $200.00 | $800.00 | $200.00 |
| Prizes/Buy-In | $268.45 | $941.85 | $237.82 |
| Collected | $4,026.75 | $47,092.50 | $5,945.50 |
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STARS600New Jersey Results
PS New Jersey had both the best and worst results of the lot on Sunday, depending on what metric is prioritized. With $26,500 and $36,384 collected in prizes, PokerStars NJ broke guarantees by more than 37%, the highest percentage above guarantee in any of the three states.
On the other hand, because of the relatively high total buy-ins in New Jersey ($162.50 in NJ compared to $90 in the other two states), the final prizes/buy-in value is the lowest of all three markets at just under $224.
New Jersey Half Price Sunday Overall Results
| Entries | Buy-In | Guarantee | Prize Pool | % Over Gtd | Prizes/Buy-In |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 628 | $162.50 | $26,500 | $36,384 | 37.30% | $223.90 |
New Jersey had the best performing tournament across all three states as well, looking at percentage over guarantee. The Half Price Sunday Supersonic in NJ collected more than 58% more than the $3,000 guarantee, but all three games in NJ beat guarantees by at least 30%.
New Jersey Half Price Sunday Details
| Game | Half Price Sunday Warm-Up | Half Price Sunday Special | Half Price Sunday Supersonic |
| Entries | 194 | 295 | 139 |
| Buy-In | $25.00 | $100.00 | $37.50 |
| Guarantee | $3,500 | $20,000 | $3,000 |
| Prize Pool | $4,559 | $27,081 | $4,744 |
| % Over Gtd | 30.26% | 35.41% | 58.14% |
| Gtd/Buy-In | $140.00 | $200.00 | $80.00 |
| Prizes/Buy-In | $182.36 | $270.81 | $126.51 |
| Collected | $4,559.00 | $27,081.00 | $4,744.07 |
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Pennsylvania Results
In terms of percent over guarantee, PokerStars PA was the worst of the three markets this weekend, managing just 7.84% more in prizes than it guaranteed. However, that translated into some huge returns on investment for players, as there was more than $1,000 in prizes for every dollar spent in buy-ins.
PA also collected the most prizes across all markets by a significant amount, and posted the most entries. More than 2,500 entries across the three games meant that there was almost $95,000 handed out to players in Half Price Sunday in PA this weekend.
Pennsylvania Half Price Sunday Overall Results
| Entries | Buy-In | Guarantee | Prize Pool | % Over Gtd | Prizes/Buy-In |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2571 | $90.00 | $87,500 | $94,360 | 7.84% | $1,048.44 |
The best game in Pennsylvania this weekend was the Half Price Sunday Warm-Up. It ended up with 474 entries for almost $6,500 in prizes, nearly 30% above the $5,000 guarantee.
The most money and the highest prizes/buy-in across all three markets came in the PA Half Price Sunday Special. While it was the lowest percentage over guarantee in any of the three states, the nearly $80,000 prize pool was the biggest pool of any of the featured games.
Pennsylvania Half Price Sunday Details
| Game | Half Price Sunday Warm-Up | Half Price Sunday Special | Half Price Sunday Supersonic |
| Entries | 474 | 1755 | 342 |
| Buy-In | $15.00 | $50.00 | $25.00 |
| Guarantee | $5,000 | $75,000 | $7,500 |
| Prize Pool | $6,470 | $79,853 | $8,037 |
| % Over Gtd | 29.40% | 6.47% | 7.16% |
| Gtd/Buy-In | $333.33 | $1,500.00 | $300.00 |
| Prizes/Buy-In | $431.34 | $1,597.05 | $321.48 |
| Collected | $6,470.10 | $79,852.50 | $8,037.00 |
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STARS600Despite competing with the WSOP Bracelet series, as well as other major tournament action at the competitor’s site in New Jersey, the half price sale was a success. Almost $190,000 was collected across the games, significantly above the guarantees.
People love a bargain, and poker players love value. With broken guarantees in all nine of the featured half price events, it is clear PokerStars USA can attract a crowd even with big things happening elsewhere.
