- PokerStars has unveiled the full schedule for its first-ever North American Championship of Online Poker (NACOOP), encompassing Pennsylvania, Ontario, Michigan, and New Jersey.
- The Championships will include a total of 89 events, with every market featuring a $300 Main Event and a $50 Mini Main Event.
- The NACOOP will run from September 15 to October 2, with 19 events in Pennsylvania and Michigan/New Jersey, and 17 in Ontario awarding real trophies.
- Winners of the PACOOP and USCOOP Main Events will receive a “Gold Pass” worth $25k, including a seat at the NAPT High Roller Event and grandstand tickets for the upcoming Formula 1 race in Las Vegas.
- PokerStars is reviving the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) and champions of the NACOOP will be awarded valuable packages to participate in an upcoming NAPT event.
- The NACOOP event will focus more on No-Limit Hold’em (NLH) and Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) than the international World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), offering selective events across other disciplines.
Late last month, PokerStars came out with an exciting announcement: It was scheduling the first-ever North American Championships of Poker (NACOOP), an online poker festival that includes all the PokerStars rooms in North America under one umbrella for the very first time.
Now, the operator has come out with a full schedule for each part of NACOOP. Pennsylvania’s PACOOP, PokerStars Ontario's ONCOOP, and USCOOP on PokerStars Michigan and New Jersey, and locked in and ready to go, with action starting in less than ten days.
We know that each of the Championships will include a total of 89 events, 19 of which will run as Championship events (17 in Ontario). There are leaderboards, trophies, and a wide spread of game formats. Every market boasts a $300 Main Event and a $50 mini-Main.
PokerStars NACOOP 2023: Key Details
- Three separate series — in Ontario, Pennsylvania, and the “USCOOP” Michigan/New Jersey — all follow a very similar structure.
- Runs September 15 to October 2.
- 19 events in PACOOP and USCOOP and 17 ONCOOP award real trophies.
- Trophies for Main Event and Leaderboard winners
- $300 Main Event and $50 Mini Main Event in every market.
- Packages to the NAPT Las Vegas High Roller are available.
| Series | Platforms | Total Guarantee |
|---|---|---|
| USCOOP | PokerStars MI/NJ | $3,000,000 GTD |
| PACOOP | PokerStars PA | $2,500,000 GTD |
| ONCOOP | PokerStars Ontario | $1,500,000 ($2M CAD) GTD |
PACOOP Schedule Released — $250k Up for Grabs in the Main Event
The schedule for this year’s PACOOP on PokerStars PA, which will be played as part of the new NACOOP festival, includes a total of 89 tournaments, 20 of which will be awarding Championship trophies.
The highlights of the Championship for PA online poker players include the $300 Main Event with a $250k guarantee, a $2500 High Roller Championship with a $150k guarantee, and the $50 Mini Main Event, featuring a $50k prize pool.
The Championship will open with the $40k Pennsylvania Open Championship, a $100 event to kick things off, and also include a $200 8-game event dubbed the Godfather Championship, which will be played on October 2 (10-2), in memory of the Godfather of Poker, Doyle Brunson.
As is usually the case with PokerStars’ tournament series, we will see events across many different games, formats, and game speeds, but NACOOP will be more focused on NLH and PLO than the international WCOOP, with a few select events offered across other disciplines.
PACOOP buy-ins will range from just $10 for the lowest buy-in events and go all the way up to $2500 for the High Roller Championship, with a handful of other high-roller trophy events on the schedule, priced at $500 and $1000.
PokerStars PACOOP Highlights:
| Date | Tournament | Buy-In | GTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 20 | $250 PACOOP PLO Championship | $250 | $30,000 |
| September 29 | $100 PACOOP Heads Up Championship | $100 | $17,500 |
| October 1 | $300 PACOOP Main Event | $300 | $250,000 |
| October 1 | $50 PACOOP Mini Main Event | $50 | $50,000 |
| October 1 | $2500 PACOOP High Roller Championship | $2500 | $150,000 |
| October 2 | $200 PACOOP 8-Game Godfather Championship | $200 | $25,000 |
USCOOP Schedule for NJ and MI Players — $350k Guaranteed in the Main
PokerStars released the full schedule for the USCOOP portion of NACOOP as well, giving us a full insight into the 89 events that will be available to players in New Jersey and Michigan, with the two PokerStars US real money online poker rooms currently sharing their player liquidity.
The USCOOP schedule mimics the PACOOP one in many ways and includes most of the same key events, including the 20 trophy tournaments, but with boosted guarantees.
The USCOOP buy-ins also range between $10 and $2500, but the $300 Main Event will feature a $350k guarantee, the $50 Mini Main Event will feature a $60k guarantee, while the $2500 High Roller Championship will pay $150k, same as Pennsylvania.
PokerStars will be throwing the $200 Godfather Championship in USCOOP as well in honor of Doyle Brunson, along with a $10,200 Doyle Brunson Day Ten Deuce Freeroll for all players participating in the USCOOP.
Overall, players playing in the shared liquidity player pool of NJ and MI will get to play for $3,000,000 in guaranteed prizes across the two action-packed weeks from September 15 to October 2.
PokerStars USCOOP Highlights:
| Date | Tournament | Buy-In | GTD |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 20 | $250 USCOOP PLO Championship | $250 | $30,000 |
| September 29 | $100 USCOOP Heads Up Championship | $100 | $20,000 |
| October 1 | $300 USCOOP Main Event | $300 | $350,000 |
| October 1 | $50 USCOOP Mini Main Event | $50 | $60,000 |
| October 1 | $2500 USCOOP High Roller Championship | $2500 | $150,000 |
| October 2 | $200 USCOOP 8-Game Godfather Championship | $200 | $25,000 |
- Play one hand & get $150 in bonus play funds
- Top-quality mobile app
- Best online MTT schedule
Win North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Packages in NACOOP Main Events
There is even more good news for American players looking to play in the inaugural NACOOP, as both the PACOOP and USCOOP Main Events will award the champions a “Gold Pass” worth $25k. Each Gold Pass will include a $5300 NAPT High Roller Event seat and grandstand tickets for the upcoming Formula 1 race in Las Vegas.
PokerStars has been making great strides in its American markets recently and is now looking to bring back the North American Poker Tour (NAPT), one of the most iconic poker tours ever to be played on American soil.
PokerStars players will have a chance to win their seats in the NAPT via online events, and the champions of the inaugural NACOOP in both PA and the shared liquidity market of MI and NJ will be awarded valuable packages to come out for a yet unannounced NAPT stop this winter.
“We plan to really put our stamp on Vegas this November, making it an incredible experience from our first NAPT event in 12 years, all the way through to the return of Vegas to the racing calendar since 1982!” said Rebecca McAdam Willetts, Director of Partnerships & PR, PokerStars. “The NACOOP is just one way to get involved in all the action, but there is plenty more to come for both poker and racing fans around the world.”
