More time to build up to the event has meant that more Platinum Passes have been awarded to poker players around the world.
The countdown is on for the second running of the triumphant PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC), and the operator has gone above and beyond to make it a grand event.
When the inaugural edition ran in 2019, PokerStars sent 320 players to compete in the biggest $25k event for free. The operator has committed to giving away even more Platinum Passes for the second edition.
Per the latest information published on PokerStars’ Learn News section, over 400 Platinum Passes have been handed out. Each Pass is worth $30,000, which includes tournament buy-in, travel, and accommodation expenses. This means that over $10.2 million is already guaranteed in the prize pool even before the direct registration starts.
- Deposit $20 and get $30 worth of free play
- One of the best mobile apps
- Biggest MTT guarantees
The second running of the PSPC will take place at the Baha Mar Resort in the Bahamas starting January 30. The buy-in for the event is set at $25,000 — same as its inaugural edition — and the event will be preceded by the flagship PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) tour comprising a massive 70 events, including the prestigious PCA Main Event with a buy-in of $10,300.
When the PSPC ran for the first time in 2019, it became the biggest $25k live tournament ever. 1,039 players took part in the event, generating $26.5 million in prize money, including 320 Platinum Pass holders who won their way to the massive event for no cost. In the end, one such Platinum Pass hopeful, Ramon Colillas from Spain, took down the event taking home the trophy and $5.1 million in prize money.
The event turned out to be historic, making it the largest $25,000 buy-in in live poker tournament history and the largest-ever tournament outside of the WSOP and Triton events. Eight months later, during PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona in 2019, the operator announced the second edition would return in August 2020 at a new venue in Barcelona, Spain.
But unfortunately, the event never occurred, as the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the initially scheduled event twice — in 2020 and 2021. Finally, as the Covid restrictions eased up, PokerStars confirmed the PSPC would be returning for its second edition in 2023 — not to Barcelona, but to the Bahamas, returning to its original roots.
“More time to build up to the event has meant that more Platinum Passes have been awarded to poker players around the world,” the operator wrote in the blog post. “And through a variety of different methods.”
Exactly 418 coveted Passes have been given away to lucky and deserving players. These passes have been awarded via a variety of routes, but a majority of them have been distributed online, representing over 60% of those given away.
Over 50 passes have been won via live events, while close to 50 have been issued via community giveaways and promotions. A few players have even won Passes for the second time.
A good portion of the coveted Platinum Passes has been awarded in key markets, including Spain, France, Germany, Brazil, the UK, and the US. Mainly, in the US, the operator offered dozens of Platinum Passes in a myriad of ways.
- No. of Platinum Passes Given Away: 418
- Prize Pool Guaranteed: $10.2 million
- Awarded via Online Events: 275+
- Awarded via Live Events: 50+
- Community Giveaways & Promotions: ~ 50
- Deposit $20 and get $30 worth of free play
- One of the best mobile apps
- Biggest MTT guarantees
There’s Still Time to Qualify for the PSPC Event
While the Platinum Pass promotional giveaways may have ended, players can still win their way to play the epic event for a minimal investment. PokerStars is currently running qualifiers and direct satellites, offering a PSPC package worth $30,000 — the same value as the Platinum Pass.
These qualifiers or step-satellites run twice daily with buy-ins of $11 and $109. The $11 qualifiers feed into the $109 qualifier, which feeds into a $1050 buy-in PSPC Qualifier scheduled to run on January 15.
The $11 qualifiers guarantee one seat to the $109 qualifiers, which promise one seat to the final qualifier. The $1050 direct PSPC Qualifier offers one package guaranteed. The package worth $30,000 includes a seat to the PSPC event, six nights’ accommodation for the player and one guest at Baha Mar Grand Hyatt, and $1900 credited to their Stars account to cover travel costs.
Grab the latest PokerStars Promo Code, and start playing for a seat at the big event in the Bahamas »
