Michiganders will soon be competing for its first-ever tournament festival in the licensed online poker market.
Michigan online poker players greeted the launch of legal and regulated online poker in the state on Friday with the re-entry of PokerStars after nearly ten years.
PokerStars Michigan (aka PokerStars MI) became the first online poker room to get licensed in the newly launched market and is currently the sole operator in the Wolverine State.
The response so far has been encouraging for the operator, with hundreds of players flocking to the tables to try out the real money games.
All eyes will now be on PokerStars’ very own Michigan Championship of Online Poker (MICOOP).
COOP, a short acronym for Championship of Online Poker, is the operator’s most successful tournament series brand. It runs in all the markets it operates, and has set records for the largest guaranteed tournament series in almost all of them.
The operator in its press release revealed that the inaugural MICOOP series is not too far away—so Michiganders will soon be competing for its first-ever tournament festival in the licensed online poker market.
Sign up to PokerStars MI today and enjoy $30 FREE or a $600 first-deposit bonus »
What to Expect from the Inaugural MICOOP series?
While no official dates are set, MICOOP is very likely to take place in February featuring big-sized guaranteed online tournament prize pools.
PokerStars’ first series in Pennsylvania, PACOOP, in late 2019 had initially guaranteed $1 million in prize money. It was later bumped to $1.225 million following a massive turnout.
In New Jersey, PokerStars ran a $1.1 million guaranteed NJSCOOP series to mark its entrance in the Garden State which took place in April 2016. But circumstances were different and the New Jersey online poker market already had two rooms operating before PokerStars came in.
Michigan’s market size is a bit different. It has a population estimated at just over 10 million, which is a little less than Pennsylvania’s 13 million residents, but it is more populous than New Jersey.
Considering the market size, PokerStars’ first-ever tournament series in the Wolverine State, MICOOP, is likely to sport total guarantees of around $750,000 to $1,000,000.
The tournament offerings are likely to be the same as found in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Usually, the COOP festival in these markets lasts for two to three weeks, so expect MICOOP to span at least two weeks.
The number of tournaments is expected to range between 50 to 100. The Main Event could feature a guarantee of $100,000 and may cost $300 to enter. Buy-ins throughout the series are expected to range from $10 to $750.
PokerStars is known to offer a wide variety of poker variants, so don’t be surprised to see Stud and Mixed game variants along with the popular No Limit Hold’em and Omaha in the MICOOP schedule.
Also, MICOOP is expected to be accompanied by a Depositor Main Event Freeroll and Second Chance Freerolls.
PokerStars’ First Online Tournament Series in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
| New Jersey | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|
| First Series | NJSCOOP | PACOOP |
| Date | May 15 – 29 (15 days) | Nov 30 – Dec 16 (17 days) |
| Total Gtd | $1.1 million | $1.225 million |
| No. of Tournaments | 54 | 50 |
| Main Event Gtd | $100,000 ($250 buy-in) | $125,000 ($300 buy-in) |
$50,000 Worth of Welcome Freerolls in Store for PokerStars MI Players
To mark its entry into the Michigan market, PokerStars MI is running a series of “We are in Michigan” welcome freeroll tournaments, dishing out $50,000 worth of prizes.
Sign up to PokerStars MI today and enjoy $30 FREE or a $600 first-deposit bonus »
Freerolls are running daily until February 7, with each tournament giving away $2500 in prizes. The freerolls are open to all real money players with verified accounts and they can play as many freerolls as they like.
Along with the welcome freerolls, PokerStars Michigan is also offering players a 100% First Deposit Match bonus offering up to $600 in extra funds.
To take advantage of this generous offer, make sure to use the bonus code STARS600 when making your first deposit.
Players looking to make a small deposit can use the FREE30 bonus code which will give them a bonus package worth $30 in total as well as a ticket to the Depositors Freeroll. To claim this one, players need to deposit at least $20
Bonus funds are divided between free cash and Spin & Go tickets as follows:
- Two $10 cash bonuses (issued within the first 36 hours and after seven days of play)
- Five $1 Spin & Go tickets (issued on the first and second day)
- One $5 Spin & Go ticket (issued on the third day)
