After successfully running the Bounty Builder Series, the PokerStars USA network is following it up with more promotions at PokerStars NJ and PokerStars PA in what is traditionally a quiet period for summer.
First up in the lineup is the popular Cardex bingo-style cash game promotion giving players a chance to win up to $5000 every day in cash prizes. The promotion is already underway in both markets and runs until August 16.
For tournament players, there are two separate Sunday promotions scheduled to run on August 2.
In Pennsylvania, the operator is running a Knockout themed promotion, switching all of its Sunday majors to the popular progressive knockout format (PKO), with a bounty up for grabs for every player that gets eliminated.
Over at PokerStars New Jersey, PokerStars has brought back the high-valued Half Price Sunday major promotion, slashing buy-ins of its five popular Sunday tournaments by 50% but retaining the same guarantees.
Sign up to PokerStars PA today and enjoy $30 FREE or a $600 first-deposit bonus »
Sign up to PokerStars NJ today and enjoy $30 FREE or a $600 first-deposit bonus »
PokerStars’ Cardex Challenge Returns to PokerStars’ US Markets
The popular Cardex promotion has been brought back by the operator again, offering players a chance to win up to $5000. All players have to do is match their cards in any No Limit Hold’em cash games (minimum three players) to what appears on the Cardex spinning wheel.
However, it is important to note that players must opt-in every day to become eligible for the mystery prize money.
To opt in, players will need to log-in and open the Challenges Window from the lobby of the PokerStars software.
Once opted in, the spinning device will reveal the rank of the card that players must match with one of their hole cards. These cards are either red or black, so players only need to match the rank and color.
When a player matches the reel card, Cardex will automatically assign the next card on the next reel. In total, there are five cards to be matched, and upon matching all, players receive an instant cash prize.
The instant cash prize will be awarded at random and players can win one cash prize per day until the end of the promotion on August 16.
PokerStars’ Cardex Overview
- Players must opt-in to be eligible
- All players in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are eligible
- Daily cash prizes as high as $5000
- Match 5 Cardex cards in any NLHE games to win an instant cash prize
- The promotion ends on August 16
Sign up to PokerStars NJ today and enjoy $30 FREE or a $600 first-deposit bonus »
KO Sunday – PokerStars Pennsylvania
For the first time, five Sunday majors of PokerStars Pennsylvania will be played in the ultra-popular progressive knockout format.
Progressive Knockout tournaments, also called bounty tournaments, play similarly to regular knockout tournaments except that a bounty increases each time a player knocks out his or her opponent. Typically, 50% of the buy-in goes into the prize pool and the other half funds a bounty on each player’s head.
Each time a player is eliminated, a portion of the bounty is awarded to the remaining player as an instant prize, allowing players to win large sums of money even before a tournament gets in the money. The remaining portion is added to the bounty of the winner of the knockout hand.
This Sunday, five popular Sunday tournaments will utilize this format, including the marquee tournament, Sunday Special.
KO Sunday Special PokerStars PA August 2
| Tournament | Buy-in | GTD | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| KO Sunday Warm-Up | $30 | $10,000 | 16:00 |
| KO Sunday Storm | $10 | $3,500 | 17:00 |
| KO Sunday Special | $100 | $85,000 | 18:00 |
| KO Sunday High Roller | $250 | $25,000 | 19:00 |
| KO Sunday Supersonic | $50 | $7,500 | 22:00 |
Sign up to PokerStars PA today and enjoy $30 FREE or a $600 first-deposit bonus »
Half Price Sunday – PokerStars New Jersey
Another popular tournament promotion that has been widely used by multiple operators is the Half Price promotion, in which the tournaments are offered for half the usual price but offer the same guarantees.
This coming Sunday will see five Sunday majors get their buy-ins slashed by 50%. The flagship Sunday Special will carry a buy-in of $100 instead of the usual $200 but will guarantee the same $40,000. The Sunday Warm-Up will come for a buy-in of just $25 and boast a $10,000 guarantee while the Sunday Storm will feature an affordable entry fee of $5, with $5k guaranteed.
Half Price Sunday Special PokerStars NJ August 2
| Tournament | Buy-in | GTD | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half Price Sunday Warm-Up | $25 | $10,000 | 16:00 |
| Half Price Sunday Storm | $5 | $5,000 | 17:00 |
| Half Price Sunday Special | $100 | $40,000 | 18:00 |
| Half Price Sunday High Roller | $250 | $8,000 | 19:00 |
| Half Price Sunday Supersonic | $37.50 | $5,000 | 22:00 |
These promotions come hot on the heels of the successful Bounty Builder Series (BBS) that paid out over $2.6 million in prize money across both the markets. The Bounty Builder Series ran from July 12 through 26.
The series was more ambitious in Pennsylvania, guaranteeing $1.5 million across 70 tournaments, including 18 Championship events that gave out belts. After over two weeks of play, the series generated nearly $2 million in prize money.
In New Jersey, the BBS paid out a prize pool of over $600,000.
