After 50 games for $50 each, the dust settled on the recent 50/50 Series on PokerStars Ontario, and the final numbers were well above the pre-series expectations. Ultimately, the total prizes were about 25% above the total guarantees, with more than $328k awarded to players throughout the series.
There was a massive turnout of Ontario online poker players for the recent 50/50 Series on PokerStars Ontario, with more than 7000 entries across the board. The Main Event was the biggest tournament of the series by pretty much all measures, with the largest field and the biggest prize pool.
The Main was the only game to crack 500 entries, totaling 579. No other tournament even broke the 400-entry mark. Three other events had 300 entries or more, however, while six games found at least 200 additions to the prize pool.
The Main Event crushed the prize pool race by nearly $12,000 with a final pool of $26.3k. The next-best game saw 323 entries for $14.6k in total prizes. Both games were well above their promised guarantees.
- Excellent tournament schedule
- The best variety of game types
- #1 Rated online poker room in Ontario by pokerfuse.com
More than $66k in Extra Prizes
In the end, the pre-series guarantees were crushed by over 25%. Before the series kicked off, total guarantees were set at $262,000, but when all 50 events were complete, players ended up banking $328,233 for an increase of 25.28%.
2023 50/50 Series Summary
| Events | 50 |
| Total Guarantees | $262,000 |
| Total Prizes | $328,233 |
| Total Collected | $324,324 |
| *Series Gtd Increase | 25.28% |
| *Total Entries | 7128 |
| Total Over Gtd | $66,233 |
| $10k Gtd Events | 4 |
| Missed Gtd | 11 |
| Beat Gtd | 39 |
| $10k+ Prize Pools | 8 |
| Total Overlay | $3,908.50 |
| Total Fees | $32,076 |
The Main Event (#47) was the big performer in most categories over the series. It had the most extensive field and the largest guarantee and ended with the biggest prize pool — a respectable 31% over the guarantee.
That 31% was just “respectable” compared to other events. The third game in the series had $8k guaranteed, and with 323 entries (second-best by entries behind the Main), it was more than 80% above the original guarantee, with a final prize pool of $14,696.50.
15 games did better than the Main Event in terms of boosting their guarantees. Two more tournaments had better than 70% extra in prizes, and a further six events posted prizes at least 40% above the guarantee.
- Excellent tournament schedule
- The best variety of game types
- #1 Rated online poker room in Ontario by pokerfuse.com
50/50 Series Biggest % Increase
| Event | Guarantee | Date | Entries | Prize Pool | Gtd Diff | % Gtd Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50/50 Series 03 | $8000 | Feb 5 | 323 | $14,696.50 | $6,696.50 | 83.71% |
| 50/50 Series 10 | $8000 | Feb 6 | 307 | $13,968.50 | $5,968.50 | 74.61% |
| 50/50 Series 21 | $5500 | Feb 8 | 206 | $9,373.00 | $3,873.00 | 70.42% |
| 50/50 Series 23 | $4000 | Feb 9 | 136 | $6,188.00 | $2,188.00 | 54.70% |
| 50/50 Series 31 | $1800 | Feb 10 | 61 | $2,775.50 | $975.50 | 54.19% |
Not everything hit the pre-series promises, however. 11 tournaments didn’t reach the guarantees, but the entire overlay for all of them came to less than $4000, and with more than $32k collected in fees, that was easily covered.
The 50/50 Series was the fourth series of the year for PokerStars Ontario, and the operator seems to be only getting started. The Bounty Builder Series kicks off on Feb 18 with more than $30k guaranteed on opening day alone.
The 50/50 Series may well be in the books as a big success, but PokerStars Ontario is already gearing up for its fifth series of 2023. See the PokerStars ON lobby for full details on the Bounty Builder games.
