The games are on and the gloves are off in PokerStars North American markets this month with the return of the Bounty Builder series. All three PokerStars markets in North America — Pennsylvania, New Jersey/Michigan, and Ontario — are running similar series in the back half of February with $3 million in total guaranteed.
Bounty games have quickly become among the hottest online. PokerStars in the US and Ontario has put together the Bounty Builder series set to run concurrently across the North American scene.
There are nearly 200 games across the three markets to make up the $3 million in guaranteed prizes with more than $450,000 reserved for Main Event players in the three series. For NJ/MI players, there will be $200k to play for in the Main, with PA playing for $175k. The Canadian contingent in Ontario will have a cool $100k Canadian to play for in the Main Event.
Series action gets underway on Feb 16 and kicks off 11 days of Bounty action on PokerStars. The final games in the series run on Feb 26 with the two-day Main Events kicking off their opening day’s action on Feb 25 and finishing things out on the final day of the festival.
Step Into the Ring for Knockout Action
PokerStars players in North America will be stepping into the ring for the latter half of February with the return of the Bounty Builder Series. The popular series has run multiple times in the past with last year’s Ontario battles beating their guarantees.
North American Bounty Builder Series Overview
- Dates: Feb 16-26 — $3 million guaranteed in North America
- PokerStars US (MI/NJ)
- $1.25 million guaranteed
- $200k Main Event guarantee with a trophy awarded
- PokerStars PA
- $1 million guaranteed
- $175k Main Event guarantee with a trophy awarded
- PokerStars Ontario
- $750k (USD) guaranteed
- $100k (CAD) Main Event guarantee with a trophy awarded
It will be all bounties, all the time in the series, but players will get some variety through various kinds of bounty games. Most of the games in the two-week series will be progressive knockout games (PKO) but there are also a few progressive total KO games on the list in each jurisdiction.
Equally, while the schedule is littered with no-limit hold 'em games, players who enjoy different formats of poker will have their chance to shine as well. In addition to a bevy of NLHE games, there will be a few kinds of Omaha, including 5-card, as well as NL 2-7 single draw and PL Badugi for fans of the mixed games to take a knockout swing at.
Extra Ringside Attractions
While the main action will be taking place on the Bounty Builder felt as players compete for the big guarantees, PokerStars is putting in some ringside attractions for players waiting for the next bout.
The biggest news is that each market in North America will be running a Bounty Builder leaderboard for the duration of the series. There is $5,000 each up for grabs in PA, NJ/MI, and ON for the player who has the best overall results across the series in their respective market.
Additionally, there are a variety of ways players can get into the games for less than the sticker price. Satellites abound on the client and are running now with buy-ins as low as $1 and there will also be a special promotion for the series happening over in the Spin & Go section.
For players looking for the excitement of jackpot poker games, PokerStars combines the thrill of those games with cheap access to the Bounty Builder games. All markets are hosting special $3 Spin & Go games with a $300 Bounty Builder entry in the prizes. See the clients for more details.
NAPT Returns
North America was also recently in the PokerStars news from the live felt with the announcement of the return of the North American Poker Tour (NAPT) again for 2024. While the dates and locations for tour stops in 2024 are still up in the air, the operator has confirmed the return of the NAPT and it looks likely that the November Vegas series will be back on the schedule.
But, as the name implies, the NAPT is a poker tour, not a poker series, and it looks like 2024 will bring more events across North America. Most likely, PokerStars will be looking to the regulated markets it already has exposure in, so players should be looking for NAPT stops in or near places like Atlantic City, Philly, Toronto, and Chicago.
While it’s not impossible that unregulated states like California and Connecticut, both of which hosted NAPT stops back in the day, or overseas destinations like the Bahamas, might figure into the 2024 NAPT season, the most likely stops will almost certainly be in the regulated states.
