PokerStars USA is all set up for a massive Sunday in the US market as the operator has lined up big tournaments on the occasion of Easter in the ring-fenced markets of Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
In PA online poker, the operator’s most successful tournament Pennsyl-MANIA returns for its fourth installment with another impressive guarantee of $400,000 while players of online poker in NJ will get to play the New Jersey Classic featuring $100,000 guarantee once again.
Not forgetting the players in Michigan, they are also up for a proper treat as the operator on PokerStars MI has scheduled MI online poker's first ever Michigan Classic tournament. It boasts half-million in guaranteed prize money and is by far the biggest online tournament in the short history of the regulated market in the Wolverine State.
All combined, these tournaments across three networks: PokerStars MI, PokerStars NJ and PokerStars PA promises $1 million in prize money.
Each of these is spread to run for two days kicking off on Sunday, April 4 at 5 PM ET, with Day 2 resuming on Monday. The buy-in has been set at $300 for Pennsyl-MANIA and MI Classic; while the NJ Classic is a bit expensive costing $500 to enter.
To celebrate the launch of these marquee tournaments, PokerStars is running Depositor Freerolls in each of the three networks. Players will need to make a deposit of at least $30 using the bonus codes in the table below.
PokerStars Big Easter Tournaments for US Players
| Network | Event | Bonus Code | Freeroll Worth | Buy-in | Gtd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PokerStars MI | Michigan Classic | CLASSIC | $60,000 | $300 | $500,000 |
| PokerStars PA | Pennsyl-MANIA | MANIA | $45,000 | $300 | $400,000 |
| PokerStars NJ | New Jersey Classic | CLASSIC | $15,000 | $500 | $100,000 |
If you haven’t yet signed up to PokerStars in your state, you can do so below. There is still time to sign up, verify, and make a deposit with the above bonus codes to take part!
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$500,000 Guaranteed Michigan Classic
The massive $500,000 guaranteed Michigan Classic tournament was announced on the same day BetMGM Poker went live in the Wolverine State.
While it may appear that Michigan Classic has been announced to take on its new competition, surely PokerStars would have been planning it long before BetMGM made its footing in Michigan.
It is not only the largest ever guaranteed online poker tournament in Michigan but also shares the record with Pennsyl-MANIA for the largest guaranteed tournament in PokerStars’ US regulated market history.
With buy-in set at $300 ($20 going to the operator as tournament fee), the tournament will need to attract 1786 entries to cover its guarantee. If it ends up with a field size of 1850 entries, it will end up becoming PokerStars’ largest tournament in its US markets, beating the previous record of Pennsyl-MANIA’s first edition which attracted over 1300 entries to build a prize pool of $515k.
Re-entries per player are capped to a maximum of five for the Michigan Classic tournament.
Big Giveaway and Dozens of Satellites Running
To celebrate the launch of MI Classic, PokerStars is doing a massive giveaway via the special Depositor Freeroll. Players who make a deposit of $30 or more using the bonus code 'CLASSIC’ will receive a ticket to this freeroll that awards the top 200 players an entry to Michigan Classic with total prize pools worth $60,000.
This freeroll takes place on the same day, Sunday, April 4 at 14:00 ET.
Furthermore, PokerStars MI is running dozens of satellites each giving away seats to MI Classic. Some of these satellites are even free to enter.
Record-Breaking Pennsyl-MANIA Returns for Fourth Edition
Clearly, the operator’s most popular tournament in Pennsylvania. Making its return for its fourth installment, Pennsyl-MANIA this time guarantees $400,000 for a new buy-in of $300, allowing up to five re-entries.
The tournament holds the record for producing the largest prize pool in PokerStars US history. That came during its first edition in May last year when 2774 entries each paying $200 brought in $515,694 prize money—more than twice the size of its guarantee.
The second edition returned a few months later with a boosted guarantee. It did not break the previous record but still attracted enough to comfortably breach its $350K guarantee.
The December edition was the most ambitious one. Promising $500,000 for its third edition, the tournament attracted over 2300 entries but fell short to create an overlay of $70,000.
Nevertheless, it ended up being the second largest online poker tournament in Pennsylvania and record for largest overlay in the site’s history.
PokerStars Pennsyl-MANIA Tournament History
| Date | Buy-in | Guarantee | Final Prize Pool | Entries Required | Entries Attracted | Overlay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17 — 18 | $200 | $250,000 | $515,964 | 1345 | 2774 (1760 unique) | $0 |
| Aug 23 — 24 | $200 | $350,000 | $376,836 | 1882 | 2026 (1274 unique) | $0 |
| Dec 27 — 28 | $200 | $500,000 | $500,000 | 2689 | 2309 (1421 unique) | $70,526 |
| Apr 4 – 5 | $300 | $400,000 | 1429 |
$45,000 Depositor Freeroll
The upcoming edition will now need to attract around 1430 entries to cover. To help it achieve its target, PokerStars PA is also running a Depositor Freeroll, asking players to deposit $30 or more using the code 'MANIA’ to win an entry. Top 150 players will win an entry to the tournament with each ticket worth $300. It runs on the same day as the main event.
Multiple daily satellites are running at $25 to $30 buy-ins and a $50 buy-in Last Chance guaranteeing 10 seats is scheduled to run on April 4. Freeroll satellites have also been scheduled.
$100,000 New Jersey Classic
Returning for its second edition following a successful previous outing, the New Jersey Classic once again guarantees $100,000. However, this time around, it costs $500 to enter instead of a $200 buy-in.
The previous edition that ran in December last year drew 653 entries (446 unique players and 207 re-entries) to build a prize pool of $121.4k.
For its upcoming edition, it will need to attract 213 entries to breach its guarantee. Unlike the Michigan and Pennsylvania editions, NJ Classic allows unlimited re-entries.
Freerolls and satellites are available in the client including a Depositor Freeroll giving away top 30 players a seat to the $500 buy-in tournament. To qualify, players will need to make a deposit of at least $30 using the code 'CLASSIC’.
Short Progressive PKOs Make Debut on PokerStars US Markets
In addition to these one-off tournaments, PokerStars has also added a new tournament format in these markets. Called Short Progressive KO, players in this hyper-structured bounty format start with just 15 big blinds, with the first level lasting 30 minutes and thereafter blinds going up every 3 minutes.
The format lasts for only a couple of hours providing quick entertainment. These are scheduled to run daily with buy-ins costing $10.
