PokerStars has announced the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) is returning to the North American market this month.
Running in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ontario between March 21 to April 7, SCOOP will guarantee $5.75 million USD in prize money. Buy-ins range from $5 a the low end to $2,500 at the top — but players can qualify for less through online satellites from as little as $1. The full schedule has yet to be released.
However, what we do know is that events across the board will include fan-favorites such as NLHE, PLO, 8-Game, PL Badugi, 2-7 Single Draw, and HORSE. As in prior years all events should have three tiers of buy-in: low, medium and high in order to appeal to a wide range of players’ bankroll sizes.
SCOOP 2025: At A Glance
- $2.2 million guaranteed in New Jersey & Michigan, 44 events scheduled.
- $1.7 million guaranteed in Ontario, 44 events scheduled.
- $2 million guaranteed in Pennsylvania, 43 events scheduled.
Across all markets, it has been revealed that 2025 SCOOP Main Events will take place on April 6. There will be a low $50 buy-in Main Event offering a guarantee of $50,000, a medium event with a $300 buy-in awarding a $200,000 and a $2,500 high Main Event giving away at least $125,000.
In Ontario, all guarantees will be awarded in Canadian Dollars.
“Winning a SCOOP title is one of the greatest achievements in online poker,” Steve Preiss, VP of PokerStars North America, said via press release. “Each year, this series delivers unforgettable moments, thrilling competition, hefty guarantees and life-changing prizes. We are thrilled to once again bring this opportunity to our players and continue building the legacy of SCOOP in North America.”
Separate series will run in the Pennsylvania and Ontario markets as these remain segregated from wider player pools. Players in New Jersey and Michigan will play together on the PokerStars shared network.
The guarantees across the board are slightly smaller than last year’s outing. This is seen in New Jersey and Michigan, which is guaranteeing $700,000 less than last year, Pennsylvania has a guarantee $250,000 less and Ontario is almost a million under on what was offered last year. The reduction in guarantees is surprising as last year, SCOOP broke all its guarantees comfortably.
| PokerStars NJ &MI | PokerStars PA | PokerStars ON | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCOOP 2024 | $3 million | $2.2 million | $2.3 million |
| SCOOP 2025 | $2.25 million | $2 million | $1.7 million |
We had been hoping that by now Pennsylvania had joined the shared player pool of Michigan and New Jersey — as this is something the state is actively working on. However, it will miss the SCOOP window but is hopefully still on track to launch in time for the WSOP 2025 that kicks off in May.
With only a few weeks to go before the online series gets underway, a full schedule should drop very soon!
The Spring Championship of Online Poker from PokerStars will run online March 21 to April 7 in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ontario.