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France, Spain, Italy & Portugal to Share Online Poker Pools

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Universally accessed, border-free online poker - at least in Europe - is showing signs of resurgence from its ashes.

At least that's the impression left after an announcement today from French gaming regulator ARJEL.

On July 6 the Regulatory Authorities of France, Italy, Spain and Portugal will sign an agreement for the shared liquidity of online poker.

As communicated by the General Directorate of Game Management:

"This agreement will lay the foundations for cooperation between the signatory authorities in such a framework and will be followed by developments within each jurisdiction that are necessary in order to make liquidity possible for the game of poker. "

After years of being in walled off, segregated markets, this is great news for French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese poker players and means the opening of internet frontiers for players.

It also likely means a surge in new poker offerings from licensed online rooms to bring in new recreational players and expand the player pool even further.

reunion europe
Regulators make it happen.

In the Works Since Last May

The agreement between Spain, France, Italy and Portugal didn't emerged from nowhere.

Last May regulators from Germany, Austria, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom held a meeting in Lisbon where several aspects of administrative cooperation between the parties were discussed.

Issues such as money laundering and terrorist financing, new games, virtual currencies, cross border enforcement and prevention of fraud were discussed.

Shortly after the DGOJ held a meeting with the Danish Regulatory Authority (Spillemyndigheden), whose legislation is very similar to the Spanish one, and where also conversations of future were held.

UK, Germany Not Included for Now

While the inclusion of major poker playing populations like the UK, Germany and Scandinavia would be a dream it will be the countries of "Southern Europe" that take the first step on July 6 in Rome.

pokerlistingscom invades london for the wsope 11616
Adding UK would be nice, too.

France, Spain, Italy and Portugal will give their online players the opportunity to do something they have advocated for for years: to play amongst each other.

The expanded player pool will likely inspire poker rooms like PokerStars, PartyPoker and 888poker to consider organizing tournaments that take into account the overall pool of players from all four countries (although some operators are not yet licensed in some countries, like 888poker in Portugal).

It's also well known that the #1 French poker operator, Winamax, is preparing its entry into Spain, Portugal and Italy.

Details of the implementation are still to be sorted but the framework for cooperation should be in place the begin the process starting as early as next week.

w/ files from Alvaro Quiros.



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New Chest-Based PokerStars Rewards Program Set for Release

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Are you ready to crack open some virtual chests?

PokerStars is hoping the answer is yes because its new chest-based rewards program is set to go live world-wide today.

The rewards program rolled out first in Denmark and Italy where over 1,000,000 chests have been opened with over 150 instant $1,000 prizes.

The premise of randomized rewards like chests initially gained popularity in the video game world where players received randomized packs of cards in a game like Hearthstone or different skins in Overwatch’s famous loot boxes.

Breaking Down Chest Rewards

There are a wide range of prizes that can be won from chests including some personalized ones.

Some of the top-end prizes include $1,000 in cash, 1,000,000 StarsCoin or packages to PokerStars Championship live events.

cash money

On the other hand personalized rewards will include tournament tickets that reflect your gameplay. For instance if you’re a sports bettor or casino player then you’ll occasionally win tickets to those platforms.

The more chests you open the better chance you’ll have at winning some of the big prizes.

You can also speed up the rate you generate chests, however, by equipping a boost. Having a boost active let players turbo-charge their earn-rate up to twice the normal rate.

There is no cap on how many chests you can earn in a single day. Once you open at least four chests you will actually be upgraded to the next level of chests, which offer even bigger rewards.

There are actually six tiers of chests including Red, Blue, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum with different rewards for each one.

You can open chests as soon as you acquire them or let them stack up and open them all at once.

StarsCoin Sticks Around

Despite the new chests, StarsCoin will be sticking around and players will still be able to earn them at the tables by generating rewards points (previously known as VPP).

In addition all the existing rewards for StarsCoin, such as cash or tournament tickets, will still be available in the Rewards Store. The Rewards Store can be accessed through MyStars.

It’s worth noting that you have six months to use StarsCoin from the last day you earned any rewards points. That expiration date is not new and it was the same before the rollout of the new rewards program and chests.

To learn more or sign up for an account yourself and chase those chests you can always check out our PokerStars review.



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PokerStars Steps in to Reimburse PKR Player Balances

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Several years ago PokerStars played the white knight by acquiring Full Tilt Poker and reimbursing all poker players who had money trapped on the site.

Today the company announced it’s doing it again -- but this time without buying the company outright.

PokerStars will allow the 60,000 players hit by PKR’s recent insolvency to transfer all their funds to PokerStars.

Obviously PokerStars potentially benefits from getting new customers, but those players are free to cash out at any point.

Seamless Process for PokerStars Players

Any PKR players who already have a PokerStars account should simply be able to link up their two accounts to gain access to their PKR balance.

A Whole Lotta Cash

PKR players who don’t currently have a PokerStars account can simply open one up to gain access to their funds.

PokerStars, which made a deal with the court-appointed Administrator in the UK to reimburse PKR players, will begin contacting said players today.

It’s important to note that players will not have any requirements to unlock their funds. Once they've gone through a relatively short process they should immediately have access to their PKR balance.

PokerStars has already set up an FAQ to help guide PKR players through the transition.

PKR suspended operation of its site in early May of this year.

No Plans to Revive PKR

When PokerStars acquired Full Tilt Poker in 2012 it re-started the client and players were once again able to play on FTP.

pkr poker closes
PKR will remain shuttered.

The deal with PKR is completely different, however, and there are no plans to resurrect the PKR brand, according to PokerStars VP of Corporate Communications Eric Hollreiser:

"We're not doing this to improve our bottom line and we are not acquiring or planning to revive the PKR software platform.

"We're doing this because we think it's the right thing to do for the poker world and to encourage others to join us in putting you, the player, first by segregating and protecting player balances from operating funds.

"PokerStars is proud that we're in a position where we're able to step in and help these players and encourage all companies in the industry to put players first."

PKR was a unique entry in the online poker world as it offered a 3D platform that had more in common with video games than poker clients. The PKR platform initially attracted a considerable player base but that quickly dwindled as players showed a preference towards more traditional “flat” poker software.



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PokerStars Takes Signature Sunday Million Live w/ €1m GTD

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It’s the most famous and richest weekly tournament in the history of online poker.

Now PokerStars is taking its signature Sunday Million into the live arena.

The first-ever Sunday Million Live will take place Aug. 24-Sept. 4, 2017, at King’s Casino in Rozvadov in the Czech Republic.

The buy-in will be a familiar €220 (adjusted slightly for the Euro) but it will also offer an enticing €1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. Players also have the option of playing Day 1 online or live.

The eventual winner will walk away with a very solid return on their investment, which definitely sounds like the online version of the tournament.

All Sunday Majors Go Live

The Sunday Million isn't the only Sunday Major that’s getting the live tournament treatment.

kings casino rozvadov
King's Casino to host.

The €220 buy-in Sunday Million Warm-Up and €500 buy-in Sunday Million 500 are also coming along for the ride as will a couple of small events created just for the occasion including a €400 PLO tournament.

“The Sunday Million Live is a great addition to PokerStars’ rich and varied live events calendar," said David Curtis, Live Events Manager, Europe at PokerStars, "blending the best of our online and live poker offerings to create a truly unique and exciting event,”

“We’re looking forward to once again partnering with King’s Casino and welcoming many of our live and online players to Rozvadov in August and anticipate a fantastic event for all.” 

Online Day 1s start June 18, 2017 on PokerStars and are freezeout tournaments. Live Day 1s start August 24 and allow unlimited re-entry into the same starting day. 

Day 2 takes place on Sunday 3 September live at King’s Casino. Check the schedule below:

Sunday Million Warm Up: August 24-28, 2017 - €220 (€200,000 guaranteed)
Sunday Million Live: August 24-September 4, 2017 - €220 (€1,000,000 guaranteed)
PL Omaha: August 30 -31, 2017 - €400
Sunday Million 500: August 21-September 1 , 2017 - €550 (€50,000 guaranteed)
No Limit Hold’Em: August 2-4, 2017 - €220 (€100,000 guaranteed)

Qualify Online for as Little as €2.20

As you might expect there are already online qualifiers running for all the Sunday Million Live events and it’s possible to qualify for a little as €2.20.

2016.03.20 sundaymillion finaltable
Online poker's signature event goes live.

All players with a COM/EU/UK Stars Account can qualify online via PokerStars or Full Tilt.

You’ll also get to try out the new Stars Rewards program. PokerStars officially launched its Stars Rewards program on a global scale this week and players from around the world can now open those chests that were previewed earlier this year.

The new rewards program focuses on recreational players and gives everyone a chance to open randomized chests once they’ve generated enough points. The chests are similar to those found in video games with randomized awards of up to $1,000 in cash.

To learn more or sign up for a account with a $600 bonus, visit our PokerStars review.



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Exclusive 100% up to $1,200/£1,000 Bonus on Full Tilt Poker!

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Remember how much fun playing on the old Full Tilt Poker software was?

How smooth the play? And how big the promotions could be?

Now picture all of that along with all of the options from the biggest poker site in the world, PokerStars.

That means Jackpot Spin & Gos, ultra-fast Zoom Poker, full mobile support and access to the world's biggest online cash-game and tournament prize pools.

That's what playing at Full Tilt Poker means these days. And as a PokerListings reader you can get a massive boost to your bankroll just for signing up and creating a new account.

zoom table regular buttons
Zoom it up.

How big of a boost? Up to $1,200 for players around the world and up to £1,000 specifically for UK players.

Offer Good Until Sept 30

This is a proper exclusive for PokerListings.com readers and the highest bonus you'll be able to find anywhere.

It's good to grab right now but you do have until September 30, 2017 to take advantage.

What do you need to do to get it? Simply head over to our Full Tilt Poker review and create a new player account via our download link.

You'll automatically be eligible just by using that link and entering one of two codes:

TILT1200 (for players outside the UK) TILT1000 (for players in the UK)

That's fully double the standard bonus and available only to PokerListings.com users.

Access to All PokerStars Offers and Rewards Plus The Deal

Since the merger of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker back in 2016 players at Full Tilt Poker are now fully integrated into the PokerStars client and player pools.

Jackpot Full Tilt Poker
The Deal is real.

That means access to the full suite of PokerStars offerings from its new Chest Rewards system to its signature Sunday Million and massive tournament lineup to its exclusive Spin & Go qualifiers for the PokerStars Live tour.

As an added bonus for FTP players they can also still access The Deal, Full Tilt's own super popular progressive jackpot promo.

Just 7 or 70 StarsCoin will earn you a spin on the wheel for a shot at winning more StarsCoin, cash or the jackpot round. The Progressive Jackpot starts at $25,000 and grows until it hits. Cash prizes of $300-$5,000 are also on the wheel.

Hit the jackpot and you'll win 50% of the current jackpot tally. The other 50% is split among anyone who played The Deal in the previous 12 hours.

Get $30 in FREE play on Spin & Gos when you sign-up, too. Click through to our Full Tilt review to collect your massive bonus now!



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100+ Events, $4m GTD in PokerStars MicroMillions till Aug. 2

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It started this past Sunday in the midst of the WSOP Main Event playdown but make no mistake: there's still a ton a value left in the 2017 PokerStars MicroMillions.

The MicroMillions is PokerStars’ ultimate small-stakes online tournament series with 129 events spread over two weeks and buy-ins as low as just 11 cents.

Just a few days into its 2017 schedule, the series caps off on Sunday, July 30 with the $1m guaranteed Main Event with just a $22 buy-in.

Low Buy-ins, Big Guarantees

Now in its 13th edition all tournaments in the MicroMillions have buy-ins under $22 and most have 5 or 6-digit guarantees.

Variety is in abundance, too, like for example the Total KO events with the prize pool distributed entirely in the form of bounties.

The focus is on No-Limit Hold'em Tournaments but there are also Omaha, Stud, Draw and plenty of mixed tournaments on the agenda.

Buy-ins range from $0.11 to $1.10 to $3.30 to $5.50 to the $22 buy-in for the 3-day Main Event on July 30. 

Kevin Martin WSOP 2017 2
Kevin Martin is in.

$25,000 Invitational Freeroll

Another big highlight of the series will be the MicroMillions Invitation Freeroll on August 1.

All players who manage to reach a MicroMillions final table will be invited to join Team Pro Online members and Twitch streamers for a one-off $25,000 invitational.

The player who makes the most cashes across the entire MicroMillions series will also be invited to play.

Qualify for Free!

As always PokerStars offers a multitude of ways to find a seat for less than the stated buy-in.

65 cent Spin & Go qualifiers are already available in the lobby along with the usual MTT satellites.

If you don't already have an account with PokerStars, click through to our PokerStars review page to be eligible for our $600 sign-up bonus.

The remaining schedule for the 2017 MicroMillions below:

Wed, July 19, 00:00 $3.30 NLHE Turbo $15,000 Wed, July 19, 03:00 $3.30 PL 5-Card Draw $5,000 Wed, July 19, 10:00 $5.50+R NLHE Bubble Rush $20,000 Wed, July 19, 12:00 $3.30 PLO 6-Max, Progressive KO $10,000 Wed, July 19, 14:00 $1.10 NLHE Progressive KO $7,500 Wed, July 19, 16:00 $3.30 NLHE Ante Up $15,000 Wed, July 19, 18:00 $5.50 NLHE Heads-Up $30,000 Wed, July 19, 20:00 $1.10+R NLHE Splash $50,000 Wed, July 19, 21:00 $5.50 FLHE 6-Max $10,000 Thu, July 20, 00:00 $3.30 NLHE 3-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Total KO, Shootout $15,000 Thu, July 20, 03:00 $5.50 NLHE $20,000 Thu, July 20, 08:00 $3.30 NLO8 6-Max, Hyper-Turbo $5,000 Thu, July 20, 10:00 $3.30 NLHE Hyper-Turbo, Total KO $5,000 Thu, July 20, 18:00 $0.11+R NLHE 6-Max, Hyper-Active $10,000 Thu, July 20, 20:00 $5.50 NLHE Progressive KO $100,000 Thu, July 20, 21:00 $3.30 5-Card PLO8 6-Max $20,000 Fri, July 21, 00:00 $3.30 NLHE Turbo $15,000 Fri, July 21, 03:00 $3.30 Stud $5,000 Fri, July 21, 10:00 $5.50 NLHE $15,000 Fri, July 21, 12:00 $3.30 NLHE 8-Max $10,000 Fri, July 21, 14:00 $1.10 NLHE $5,000 Fri, July 21, 16:00 $5.50 PLO 8-Max $15,000 Fri, July 21, 18:00 $3.30 NLHE 6-Max, Progressive KO $50,000 Fri, July 21, 20:00 $5.50 NLHE 8-Max $50,000 Fri, July 21, 21:00 $5.50 FL Triple Draw 2-7 $10,000 Sat, July 22, 00:00 $1.10+R NLHE Turbo $10,000 Sat, July 22, 03:00 $5.50 NLHE 6-Max, Progressive KO $25,000 Sat, July 22, 10:00 $5.50 NLHE 8-Max $20,000 Sat, July 22, 12:00 $1.10 NLHE 6-Max, Progressive KO $5,000 Sat, July 22, 14:00 $3.30 FLO8 8-Max $5,000 Sat, July 22, 16:00 $5.50 NLHE $40,000 Sat, July 22, 17:00 $2.20+R NLHE Saturday Splash SE $50,000 Sat, July 22, 20:00 $3.30 NLHE Progressive KO $50,000 Sat, July 22, 21:00 $5.50 PLO Heads-Up $10,000 Sun, July 23, 00:00 $5.50 NLHE 4-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO $30,000 Sun, July 23, 03:00 $1.10 NLHE $5,000 Sun, July 23, 10:00 $3.30 NLHE $20,000 Sun, July 23, 12:00 $5.50 NLHE 6-Max $30,000 Sun, July 23, 14:00 $3.30 NL Courchevel Hi/Lo 8-Max, Progressive KO $7,500 Sun, July 23, 16:00 $1.10+R NLHE Turbo, Win the Button $15,000 Sun, July 23, 18:00 $3.30 NLHE Progressive KO $75,000 Sun, July 23, 20:00 $5.50+R NLHE $100,000 Sun, July 23, 21:00 $5.50 HORSE $20,000 Mon, July 24, 00:00 $3.30 NLHE 6-Max, Hyper-Turbo $25,000 Mon, July 24, 03:00 $5.50 NLHE Progressive KO $30,000 Mon, July 24, 10:00 $3.30 NLHE 6-Max, Progressive KO $10,000 Mon, July 24, 12:00 $1.10 NLHE $5,000 Mon, July 24, 14:00 $3.30 PL Badugi $5,000 Mon, July 24, 16:00 $5.50 NLHE $40,000 Mon, July 24, 18:00 $3.30 NLHE Win the Button $30,000 Mon, July 24, 20:00 $3.30+R NLHE $50,000 Mon, July 24, 21:00 $1.10+R PLO 8-Max $10,000 Tue, July 25, 00:00 $5.50 NLHE Bubble Rush $30,000 Tue, July 25, 03:00 $3.30 NLHE 6-Max $10,000 Tue, July 25, 10:00 $1.10 NLHE 8-Max, Progressive KO $5,000 Tue, July 25, 12:00 $3.30 NLHE Turbo $10,000 Tue, July 25, 14:00 $5.50 NLHE Progressive KO $35,000 Tue, July 25, 16:00 $1.10 NLHE $10,000 Tue, July 25, 18:00 $3.30 PLO 6-Max, Progressive KO $15,000 Tue, July 25, 20:00 $5.50 NLHE $60,000 Tue, July 25, 21:00 $5.50 Razz $15,000 Wed, July 26, 00:00 $3.30 NLHE 3-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Win the Button $30,000 Wed, July 26, 03:00 $1.10 NLHE 8-Max $5,000 Wed, July 26, 10:00 $3.30 NLHE $10,000 Wed, July 26, 12:00 $1.10 NLHE 3-Max, Progressive KO $5,000 Wed, July 26, 14:00 $5.50 NLHE $20,000 Wed, July 26, 16:00 $3.30 NLO8 6-Max $15,000 Wed, July 26, 18:00 $5.50 NLHE 8-Max, Progressive KO $50,000 Wed, July 26, 20:00 $0.55+R NLHE 6-Max, Hyper-Active $35,000 Wed, July 26, 21:00 $5.50 PLO 6-Max $25,000 Thu, July 27, 00:00 $1.10+R NLHE Turbo $12,500 Thu, July 27, 03:00 $3.30 NL 5-Card Draw $5,000 Thu, July 27, 10:00 $1.10 NLHE $5,000 Thu, July 27, 12:00 $3.30 NLHE Progressive KO $12,500 Thu, July 27, 14:00 $5.50 NLHE 6-Max, Win the Button $20,000 Thu, July 27, 16:00 $3.30 Mixed NLHE/PLO 6-Max $15,000 Thu, July 27, 18:00 $1.10+R NLHE 6-Max $15,000 Thu, July 27, 20:00 $5.50 NLHE Progressive KO $75,000 Thu, July 27, 21:00 $5.50 Stud Hi/Lo $15,000 Fri, July 28, 00:00 $3.30 NLHE 3-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Zoom, Total KO $20,000 Fri, July 28, 03:00 $5.50 NLHE 6-Max $15,000 Fri, July 28, 10:00 $1.10 NLHE 4-Max $5,000 Fri, July 28, 12:00 $3.30 NLHE 8-Max, Win the Button $10,000 Fri, July 28, 14:00 $3.30 NLHE Ante Up $15,000 Fri, July 28, 16:00 $3.30 NL 2-7 Single Draw $7,500 Fri, July 28, 18:00 $5.50 NLHE 6-Max, Progressive KO $50,000 Fri, July 28, 20:00 $1.10+R NLHE Splash $50,000 Fri, July 28, 21:00 $5.50 PLO8 6-Max $20,000 Sat, July 29, 00:00 $5.50 NLHE Turbo, Zoom $15,000 Sat, July 29, 03:00 $1.10 NLHE 8-Max $5,000 Sat, July 29, 10:00 $3.30+R NLHE 6-Max $20,000 Sat, July 29, 12:00 $5.50 NLHE Win the Button $15,000 Sat, July 29, 14:00 $1.10 NLHE Progressive KO $10,000 Sat, July 29, 16:00 $5.50 NLHE Heads-Up, Turbo, Zoom, Total KO $30,000 Sat, July 29, 17:00 $2.20+R NLHE Saturday Splash SE $50,000 Sat, July 29, 20:00 $3.30 NLHE Progressive KO $50,000 Sat, July 29, 21:00 $3.30 HORSE $15,000 Sun, July 30, 00:00 $1.10+R NLHE 6-Max, Bubble Rush $15,000 Sun, July 30, 03:00 $5.50 5-Card NLO8 6-Max $10,000 Sun, July 30, 10:00 $1.10+R NLHE $10,000 Sun, July 30, 12:00 $3.30 NLHE 8-Max, Progressive KO $15,000 Sun, July 30, 14:00 $1.10 NLHE $10,000 Sun, July 30, 16:00 $3.30 8-Game $10,000 Sun, July 30, 18:00 $5.50 NLHE Progressive KO $150,000 Sun, July 30, 20:00 $22 Main Event $1,000,000 Sun, July 30, 21:00 $5.50 PLO 6-Max $30,000 Mon, July 31, 00:00 $3.30 NLHE 6-Max, Hyper-Turbo $25,000 Mon, July 31, 03:00 $5.50 NLHE Turbo, Progressive KO $30,000

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PokerStars Unleashes $300k-GTD Summer Series in New Jersey

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The Main Event is over and there’s nary a major live tournament in sight but New Jersey online grinders still have plenty of action to keep them busy.

The PokerStars.NJ Summer Series kicked off this week and runs until July 30 with 12 different events and $300,000 in guarantees.

Buy-ins range from $50 to $1,000 with a little something for everyone. Even micro-stakes grinders can qualify for PokerStars’ Summer Series through $2.50 Spin & Go tournaments.

The Summer Series Spin & Go’s run until July 30 with $400 Main Event tickets on the line as well as a variety of cash prizes.

Extra $5,000 Freeroll for Players

The 2017 NJ Summer Series is set to offer $300,000 in guarantees but anyone who plays the series actually gets a bit more value after the event ends.

2016 WSOP Jason Somerville 2
Time to grind it up.

PokerStars will be hosting a special $5,000 NJ Summer Series Wrap-up freeroll on July 31 at 19:30 ET for players who participated in at least one Summer Series tournament throughout the week.

Every player who played a Summer Series event will receive a freeroll ticket and a chance to mop up part of that $5,000.

The Series itself will offer a variety of No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha events with the showcase tournament being the $75,000-GTD No-Limit Hold’em Main Event on on July 30.

Players will have a shot at scoring a huge return on the event’s $400 buy-in.

To learn more or sign up for an account you can always head over to our PokerStars.NJ review page where you’ll also find an exclusive sign-up bonus.

Remember, our most recent Main Event champ Scott Blumstein referred to himself as "just a New Jersey online grinder" so anything is possible.

Here's a complete look at the remaining schedule for the 2017 PokerStars.NJ Summer Series:

Event #

Tournament

Buy-in

Start Date

Start Time

Guaranteed Prize Pool

1

NL Hold'em 6-Max

$75

July 23

16:00

$20,000

2

NL Hold'em Sunday Special SE

$200

July 23

18:00

$60,000

3

NL Hold'em 4-Max

$150

July 24

19:00

$12,500

4

NL Hold'em High Roller

$1,000

July 25

19:00

$35,000

5

NL Hold'em Rebuy

$50

July 26

19:00

$10,000

6

Pot Limit Omaha 6-Max

$250

July 27

19:00

$15,000

7

NL Hold'em Deep Hyper-Turbo

$200

July 28

21:00

$10,000

8

NL Hold'em Deepstack

$150

July 29

17:00

$20,000

9

NL Hold'em Bubble Rush

$100

July 29

20:00

$7,500

10

NL Hold'em, Progressive KO, 6 Max

$200

July 30

14:00

$25,000

11

NL Hold'em Main Event

$400

July 30

17:00

$75,000

12

PL 5-Card Omaha 6-Max

$100

July 30

20:00

$10,000



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Kevin Martin Can't Wait for $22 Buy-In, $1M GTD MicroMillions

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Recent Big Brother Canada winner Kevin Martin says his favorite online poker event is the PokerStars MicroMillions, running now.

A big part of why is the series' finale on July 30, a $22 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament with a guaranteed $1 million prize pool and $100k for first.

Martin just moved to Toronto after returning from the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and says he's excited to get back to streaming his online poker sessions.

It's good timing because he also said the MicroMillions series matches up really well with his followers

“Most of my audience from Twitch is that beginner player looking to grow and succeed,” Martin told PokerListings.com.

“There's always so much hype around the MicroMillions in my community. With a really small investment and some good play and luck you can win life-changing money.”

The 2017 MicroMillions series started on July 16 and offers a huge range of multi-table tournaments with buy-ins mostly from $1.10 to $5.50.

The tournaments have huge guarantees and they also include lots of non-Hold'em games.

Low-Stakes “Important Part of Poker Journey”

Most online poker players start out at micro or low-stakes, trying to turn their initial deposit into a bigger bankroll that will allow them to play higher stakes and make more money.

Kevin Martin 3
Kevin Martin at WSOP.

Kevin Martin says opportunities like the MicroMillions allow players to speed up that process by playing for a big prize without risking a big buy-in.

“Playing small stakes and improving is an important part of most poker players' journeys,” said Martin.

Most of the time for $3 the prize pool isn't going to blow you out of the water but during the MicroMillions the dream of turning just a couple of dollars into thousands is actually a reality!”

The chance to play lots of big-field events for a small investment is also valuable because it's not just No-Limit Hold'em tournaments. There are lots of mixed-game events too.

Another thing I love about the MicroMillions is the variety that the series offers,” said Martin. “Lots of different opportunities to test your skill and improve.”

If you don't already have a PokerStars account, read our review before signing up.

There are tons more MicroMillions events running until Sunday. Click here for the full MicroMillions schedule.

Sunday Million Live Offers Unique Opportunity

For years the Sunday Million has been the biggest weekly online poker tournament in the world but this year, for the first time, PokerStars is hosting a live version.

Starting August 24 at King's Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, players will compete for a share of a €1 million guaranteed prize pool.

Kevin Martin 4
"Live poker will always have a soft place in my heart.”

The buy-in is €215 but you can qualify online at PokerStars for as little as €2.20.

In a unique twist, you can choose to play your Day 1 live at King's Casino, or online at PokerStars. There are eight live Day 1 flights running August 24-31 with Day 2 playing out live on September 3.

Kevin Martin said he spends most of his time streaming online poker and loves it when he has a chance to play live.

“I used to be a full time live player so live poker will always have a soft place in my heart,” said Martin.

“It’s cool PokerStars is bringing the Sunday Million to the live poker scene. It’s such a legendary online tournament and I can only image playing the live format!”

Martin just returned from the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas where he played in the $10,000 buy-in WSOP Main Event.

He didn't make the money in that one but said the highlight of the trip was when he final-tabled a smaller tournament, finishing fourth for $12,000.

Check out this video from Kevin in Las Vegas:



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partypoker Reloads Powerfest for September with $35m Guaranteed

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It’s back and bigger than ever.

partypoker is bringing back its popular Powerfest series this September with a gargantuan $35m in guaranteed prize pools.

The series will take place Sept. 3-24 with a total of 300 different events with buy-ins ranging from $5.50 all the way up to $25,500 for the special Super High Roller.

This time around partypoker has designated 12 Championship events, which will each carry a guaranteed prize pool of at least $1m.

SHR Returns with New $3m Guarantee

The Powerfest $25,500 Super High Roller was an unusually large online tournament when partypoker debuted in May but the event became a runaway hit with a staggering 129 entries.

Sam Trickett
partypoker ambassador Sam Trickett.

The prize pool hit a staggering $3.2m and online player juanpardo99 walked away with an impressive $660,067 for first place.

The Super High Roller returns to the upcoming September Powerfest and this time around the prize pool is likely to be even bigger thanks to the new $3m guarantee.

Big buy-in events are hardly the only tournaments on tap for Powerfest, however, and partypoker is also bringing back multi-phased events where you can hop in for $5.50 or up to $530 depending on where you want to start in the action.

“Powerfest just keeps getting bigger and better so this time it was only right to increase the guaranteed prizepool again to $35,000,000,” said partypoker managing director Tom Waters.

“I hope that the players like the changes that we have made and continue to support us. The new championship events were added to give a little prestige to the headline tournaments and each of the winner will receive a trophy. Starting with a buy-in of $11, everyone has the opportunity to be crowned a Powerfest champion.”

Patrick Leonard: “It’s the Best partypoker Schedule Ever”

Powerfest will once again culminate with not one Main Event but four.

patrick leonard
Patrick Leonard

The Main Events of Powerfest will take place on Sept. 24 with buy-in levels at $11, $55, $215 and $1,050 with over $1.6m in guaranteed prize pools spread over all four events.

“I think it’s without doubt the best schedule partypoker has ever had,” said partypoker ambassador Patrick Leonard.

“Bigger buy-ins, bigger guarantees, two-day tournaments and the software will be improved making it easier for players to find the right tournaments and their experience will be better than ever before on the tables. I’ll be playing every day and cannot wait.”

You can learn more or sign up for an account on partypoker review page.

Here's the complete schedule for the championship events on tap for Powerfest this September:

Day

Time ET

Time CEST

Time UK

Lobby Name

Phase 1 buy–in

Direct Buy–in

Guarantee

Sun 10–Sep–17

12:30

18:30

17:30

Powerfest 111: Championship Event: [Phased]: $1M Gtd

$109.00

$1,050.00

$1,000,000

Sun 10–Sep–17

12:30

18:30

17:30

Powerfest 112: Championship Event: [Phased]: $1.5M Gtd

$530.00

$5,200.00

$1,500,000

Tue 12–Sep–17

14:00

20:00

19:00

Powerfest 147: Championship Event: $1M Gtd High Roller [2 Day Event]

$10,300.00

$1,000,000

Sun 17–Sep–17

12:30

18:30

17:30

Powerfest 218: Championship Event: [Final Phase]: $1M Gtd

$109.00

$1,050.00

$1,000,000

Sun 17–Sep–17

12:30

18:30

17:30

Powerfest 219: Championship Event: [Final Phase]: $1.5M Gtd

$530.00

$5,200.00

$1,500,000

Tue 19–Sep–17

14:00

20:00

19:00

Powerfest 254: Championship Event: $3M Gtd Super High Roller [2 Day Event]

$25,500.00

$3,000,000

Sun 24–Sep–17

12:30

18:30

17:30

Powerfest 323: Championship Event: [Final Phase]: $1M Gtd

$109.00

$1,050.00

$1,000,000

Sun 24–Sep–17

12:30

18:30

17:30

Powerfest 324: Championship Event: [Final Phase]: $1.5M Gtd

$530.00

$5,200.00

$1,500,000

Sun 24–Sep–17

14:00

20:00

19:00

Powerfest 325: Championship Event: $50K Gtd [$10K Gtd to 1st]

$11.00

$50,000

Sun 24–Sep–17

14:00

20:00

19:00

Powerfest 326: Championship Event: $150K Gtd [$20K Gtd to 1st]

$55.00

$150,000

Sun 24–Sep–17

14:00

20:00

19:00

Powerfest 327: Championship Event: $1M Gtd [$150K to 1st]

$215.00

$1,000,000

Sun 24–Sep–17

14:00

20:00

19:00

Powerfest 329: Championship Event: $1.5M Gtd High Roller

$1,050.00

 



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partypoker Overhauls Software, Offers New Title Fight Satellites

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Players logging on to partypoker this week will be treated to a revamped software client with a plethora of new features.

First and foremost the new software offers a striking dark aesthetic, which is a marked change from the old white version. The change was made to make long sessions easier on players’ eyes.

Players will also benefit from improved game navigation and collapsable filters to view more game changes.

partypoker also updated the Sit & Hero lobby to differentiate between three and four-handed games.

The new software is already available for download for all players on Windows.

Phase 2 on the Horizon

While the changes to partypoker’s software are impressive, it’s really just the start with several more phases of updates in the works.

Phase 2 is scheduled to go live in the next quarter and will include the ability to view the lobby in full screen as well as better-looking tables and more customization options.

Patrick Leonard
partypoker ambassador Patrick Leonard

The new software is the result of collaboration between players and developers at partypoker.

“We acknowledge that our poker product needed some love,” said managing director of partypoker Tom Waters.

“We have been working on this project for a number of months with the support of a large group of players. We have been testing the phase 1 release over the past couple of weeks and the feedback from the players has been extremely encouraging. There are many more enhancements in the pipeline and I am confident that by the end of 2017 our players will be delighted with the improved look and feel and the usability of the software.”

Interestingly the updated software actually removed one feature: The one-click lobby.

Apparently the vast majority of players preferred viewing the full lobby and developers made the decision to streamline the entire experience.

New Satellites to $250k-GTD Title Fight

It’s a busy time for partypoker with the €1m-GTD German Poker Championships currently being held in Rozvadov and the brand-new software getting a global launch.

hp hero partypokermillions wide
Non-stop partypoker action.

You can add one more ongoing promotion to partypoker this week with the launch of Title Fight phased satellites.

The $250,000-guaranteed Title Fight is partypoker’s flagship tournament that takes place every Sunday.

The event carries a rather significant $215 buy-in so partypoker is launching a series of phased satellites for players looking to get a seat on the cheap.

The new phased satellites start at $2.20 and run like normal satellites except that play ends at the end of 14 levels and players take their chips to the Title Fight Semi Final.

Make it through 15 levels of play in the Title Fight Semi Final and once again take all the chips in front of you to the Daily Final.

The Daily Final awards 10 seats to the $250k-GTD Title Fight. Simple as that.



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PokerStars Takes Spin & Go’s to the Limit with Max Edition

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PokerStars, one of the original pioneers of the jackpot-style Sit & Go format, is adding a new way to play Spin & Go’s.

Spin & Go Max will offer a variety of new elements but the eye-catching one is the chance for players to potentially win 10,000x their buy-in.

The rest of the new features include a randomized number of players (3-8), three final prizes (of which the winner picks one blind) and the option to cash out before picking your prize.

Spin & Go Max events are actually even more action-packed than normal Spin & Go’s with a fixed number of hands based on how many players are involved. Once the final hand has been played, everyone is all-in on every hand.

Because of the limited number of hands players will have to employ a slightly different strategy when playing Spin & Go Max.

Max Risk, Max Reward

Once a player outlasts all his/her competition in a Spin & Go Max they will then get the chance to roll the dice on three hidden prizes (which were shown at the beginning of the game).

cash money

If the prizes are big enough players will also be given the option of cashing out, creating a risk/reward situation.

Of course if anyone manages to hit that 10,000x multiplier than there's a good chance they will pick one of the hidden prizes.

Spin & Go Max will launch at the buy-in levels of $1, $3, $7 and $15 with at least one of the three random prizes being worth twice the buy-in.

“Spin & Go Max is the next level of the Spin & Go format and delivers more excitement and a great immersive experience through new graphics and more chances for winning moments,” said Severin Rasset, Director Of Poker Innovation and Operations at PokerStars.

Spin & Go Max is already live on .COM, .EU, .UK and .BE with other markets to follow shortly pending regulatory approval in those regions.

Win a Free Sunday Million Live Seat

New Spin & Go’s aren’t the only attraction at PokerStars right now.

Lex Veldhuis Twitch.tv
Lex Veldhuis streaming on Twitch.

The site is giving away €6,500 worth of €215 Day 1 tickets to its upcoming Sunday Million Live event at King’s Casino in Rozvadov.

The tickets will given away by Team PokerStars Pro Online members Felix ‘xflixx’ Schneiders, Lex ‘L.Veldhuis’ Veldhuis, Fintan ‘easywithaces’ Hand and Ben ‘Spraggy’ Spragg over the next three weeks.

Players can actually win the tickets in a variety of ways including competitions and straight-up giveaways across the Team Pros' Twitter and Twitch accounts.

A Day 1 ticket gives players a chance to qualify for the live Day 2 portion of the tournament which will take place in Rozvadov. To learn more or sign up for an account just head over to our PokerStars review.



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TonkaaaP, Nitsche Power Through Big Weekend on 888poker

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It was a busy weekend on the tables at 888poker and super-streamer Parker “TonkaaaaP” Talbot was one of the biggest winners making two final tables.

TonkaaaaP wasn’t the only winner as polarizedOMG harpooned the Baby Whale for $20k and germxxi won the Mega Deep.

Dominik Nitsche also managed to put together two top 35 results and cranked out a modest $1k.

Here’s a look at some of the best action from 888poker over the last few days.

Talbot Grinds Hard, Makes Two Final Tables

Dominik Nitsche 2013 WSOP EuropeEV0725K NLH High RollerFinal TableGiron8JG3544
Dominik Nitsche

Dominik Nitsche didn’t play that many tournaments over the weekend but recorded some solid results. He played the Turbo Mega Deep, the Baby Whale, the Mega Deep, and the Sunday Crocodile, and he made the deep-runs in two of them.

With two top-35 results, he was able to make almost $1k that day. On Saturday, Nitsche just quickly paid a visit to the tables. He played three Heads-up turbos for $1k each and won two of them, all against the same opponent.

Parker Talbot on the other hand played pretty much all the majors that 888poker offers, and managed to make two final tables.

In the $20k Sunday Lightning, he finished in 8th place, and in the $10k Sunday Rebuy, he was the runner-up for a very decent $2,000.

All that and Talbot was also just nominated for a PokerListings Spirit of Poker Award in the Rising Star category.

polarizedOMG Stacks $20k in Baby Whale

German player polarizedOMG won the “Baby Whale” and about $20k. However, second-place finisher SHIPITBITCH from Canada also won around $20k, because the last two players agreed on a deal.

As the Canadian was ahead in chips, he took down a little more money than his German counterpart, making him the biggest winner of the weekend.

Nicolas "PKaiser" Fierro was also at that table, finishing in 6th place.

Here are the complete final-table results from the Baby Whale:

1. polarizedOMG - $19,845 2. SHIPITBITCH - $20,567 3. McNugget123 - $12,882 4. Madeon1994 - $9,690 5. MOI_est_JEAN - $6,612 6. PKaiser - $5,130 7. Roulette69 - $3,990 8. sstringg - $2,850 9. Perrymejsen - $2,166

The $100k “Mega Deep” fell eight players short of filling up the prize pool, which meant that $19,000 would go to the eventual winner, making this the second most valuable tournament of the weekend.

Cash IMG 9203

The title in this one went to Germany, too, as Odyseus58 ended up as the last player standing, beating Palyaaa from the Ukraine and APJennings from Britain. Odyseus58 is on a roll, as he just won the $3k Twister in July.

The $40k guaranteed “Turbo Mega Deep” is a $215 buy-in Sunday major, and it’s also the favourite tournament of Argentina’s germaxii.

We know this because germaxii now won this tournament twice. He celebrated his first win in late May.

Also, germaxii had an all-around remarkable weekend on 888poker, cashing in five out of seven tournaments he played.

He final-tabled the $10k Monsoon, came 10th in the Baby Whale, 23rd in the Mega Deep, and 33rd in the Sunday Breeze, meaning he woke up – probably late – on Monday morning having earned $12.7k over the weekend.

XL Eclipse Looming, Schedule Coming Soon

Since 888poker revamped their festival schedule, the XL series has become way bigger. The XL Eclipse will be the second in the new series, and at 888poker, they’re still building the tournament schedule.

Once it gets published, you’ll find it here on PokerListings shortly after.



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PokerStars Turbocharges Zoom Tables with Usain Bolt Edition

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Usain Bolt officially retired from racing earlier this year but his likeness will soon be racing to a PokerStars table near you.

PokerStars announced a twist on its popular Zoom Poker tables this week with a special Usain Bolt Edition.

The new Usain Bolt Edition of Zoom Tables will feature the same fast-fold functionality of regular Zoom tables but there will be special “Road to Glory” challenges to commemorate Bolt’s historic career.

Players will be able to win individual prizes of up to $15,000 for competing in the Road to Glory on Zoom Poker Usain Bolt Edition, which runs from Aug. 14-Sept. 24.

Win $5k a Day on Bolt Tables

PokerStars will offer both weekend and weekday challenges for the Road to Glory promotion.

Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt

Every day during the week you’ll have a chance to win up to $5,000 by playing Zoom Poker Usain Bolt edition.

If you complete a challenge over the weekend you can also win up to $5,000. If players complete enough weekday challenges they’ll qualify for triple rewards, however, which means the weekend challenge could be worth up to $15,000.

“I’m very excited to bring my special edition of Zoom to my fans and poker players around the globe,” said Bolt.

“It is a non-stop poker game which is fun and competitive. I hope everyone enjoys it.”

The Usain Bolt edition Zoom Poker Tables will exist in a special tab in the lobby and are easy to recognize thanks to the signature backdrop of Bolt running on each table.

Showdown with Kevin Hart Still Looming

Kevin Hart and Usain Bolt are without-a-doubt the biggest celebrity endorsers of PokerStars right now but the pair have yet to face off at the poker table.

Kevin Hart IMG 4145
Kevin Hart

That’s going to change early next year when Bolt and Hart will play 1v1 at the recently revived PokerStars Caribbean Adventure at Atlantis Casino in the Bahamas.

Hart and Bolt have already been battling all year via social media but the PCA will mark the first they’ve sat down at the poker table across from each other.

If you’re looking to try the new exclusive Usain Bolt Edition tables you might want to check out our PokerStars review and download the software.

PCA qualifiers will also be upon us shortly (after a one-year absence) and this year’s rumble in the Bahamas promises to be as exciting as ever with a live $50,000 freeroll open to anyone who plays a PCA event.



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2017 WCOOP Highlighted by 162 Events, $700k in Added Value

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PokerStars announced the schedule for the 2017 World Championship of Online Poker today and it’s a big one with over 160 events and over $700k in added value.

The biggest change for this year’s WCOOP is the addition of 81 more events in a brand-new “Low” tier where buy-ins start at just $11.

This year’s edition will run from Sept. 3-25. The crown jewel of the series remains a $5,200 buy-in Main Event that goes off Sept. 24 and will offer a gargantuan $10m guaranteed prize pool.

Crack Chests, Win WCOOP Tickets

PokerStars recently introduced a brand-new loyalty program that centered around randomized chests.

Daniel Negreanu 5932
PokerStars ambassador Daniel Negreanu

Similar to rewards in several popular video games, PokerStars Chests award a variety of randomized prizes. The program is aimed primarily at recreational players who can potentially win very large prizes even if they are relatively new at poker.

PokerStars will be doling out over $700k in WCOOP tickets through chests over the following weeks.

Earning chests is as simple as putting in a certain volume of real-money hands.

Meanwhile WCOOP always brings a handful of new events and this year the most-talked about new inclusion would most likely be the special phased HORSE event.

The event will feature five starting phases and each one will focus on a specific game: Limit Hold’em, Omaha-8, Razz, Seven-Card Stud or Seven-Card Stud Eight-Or-Better.

Phase 2, and the rest of the tournament, will take place in the traditional HORSE format with all games represented.

HORSE doesn’t usually get a ton of attention from the majority of poker players but it’s a fantastic way to test your mettle across several different games.

The All-New Low Tier

For years WCOOP has been the premiere online series of choice for serious grinders but low and mid-stakes MTT grinders have been left out of the action.

While the Spring Championship of Online Poker always had three different buy-in levels all the WCOOP buy-ins were relatively high.

cash
Not necessary to play WCOOP-Low.

That’s changed this year as PokerStars is introducing a Low tier that will offer buy-ins starting at $11.

That’s not to say WCOOP-Low won’t offer anything for hardcore grinders. Low tournaments represent a second chance for players to get in on their favorite events of the series.

There will also be some larger events as the Low high rollers still top out at a sizable $1,050. The Main Event will also have a $215 buy-in with a guarantee that’s yet to be announced.

To learn more or sign up for an account you can always check out our PokerStars review.

Here’s a look at the complete 2017 WCOOP schedule straight from PokerStars:



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888poker Announces XL Eclipse Schedule with 197 Events, $9m GTD

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Hot on the heels of an actual solar eclipse, 888poker is prepping its biggest XL series ever, which is fittingly called XL Eclipse.

Having rebranded and boosted the XL series, 888poker is about to flood the online poker world again with more tournaments than most people play in an entire year.

Taking place from September 10-24, 2017, the latest edition of the XL series will offer a total of 197 events spread across two action-packed weeks of poker.

Over $9,000,000 in Prizes

Once again this is the biggest guarantee yet for an XL series.

The overall series will offer a total of $9.17m in guaranteed prize money with the Main Event alone featuring a $1.5m guarantee.

Kara Scott
888poker ambassador Kara Scott.

That’s quite a journey from the $2 million guaranteed over the entire span of the first XL series that 888poker ran several years ago.

Every single one of the 197 tournaments has a prize pool guarantee and judging from experience with the XL Inferno, which had $7.5 million guaranteed, there will be very few overlays.

XL Eclipse, and its nearly 200 tournaments, will play out over a span of just two weeks, which means that on average there will be 13 tournaments offered each day.

So if you want to benefit as much as possible from the XL Eclipse you had better take some time off from work and stock up on food and drink.

And just in case you’re thinking you might want to do something else with your vacation, have you ever come back with more money than you went with on a holiday trip? Playing the XL Eclipse, you might.

With with such a vast schedule you’ll find a couple of tournaments to play no matter when you have time.

Multiple Main Events, $5,200 SHR Returns

The most important event is always the Main Event. This one will be a $1,050 buy-in Deepstack NLHE event with $1.5 million guaranteed.

cash money
Big tournaments, big money.

As usual at 888poker, the Main Event will come in four different variations. Apart from the $1,050, there will be a $215 Mini Main Event, a $109 Turbo Main Event, a $75 Super Turbo Main Event and a $30 Micro Main Event.

There will also be two “Whales” with $1,050 buy-in. They will run on Sundays as usual. There will also be $2,100 High Roller Event with $500,000 guaranteed on Tuesday, Sept. 12.

Of course, all the eyes will be on the $5,200 Super High Roller. All the top pros and ambassadors will play in this one to get the most coveted title of this series apart from the main event.

The Super High Roller event also has a guaranteed prize pool of $500,000.

The Opening Event is also available in four different buy-in and speed levels from $12 to $160 and it has up to $300,000 guaranteed.

On the other end of the scale, you’ll find four tournaments for just $5 and with guarantees from $3000 to $10,000.

Eight events will have just $12 to play, and among them is also an Omaha tournament.

Freeroll your way into the XL Eclipse Main Event

888poker is running freerolls that award tickets to the $1,050 Main Event several times a day. Open your 888poker lobby and spin the wheel, you’ll soon find tickets for the freerolls in your account.

Play to win, register to play

This will be a series for all levels and bankrolls, and you shouldn’t miss out. Do you have an account at 888poker? Then you’re all set.

If you don’t check out our 888poker review page, where we’ll guide you through the registration process.

888poker XL Eclipse complete schedule:



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partypoker Goes All Out for Powerfest with Record $35m Prize Pool

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The battle of the online poker series is heating up and partypoker just fired a salvo heard round the world.

partypoker announced the latest edition of its popular Powerfest this week and the series is set to break a number of records for the long-time poker operator.

The next Powerfest will take place Sept. 3-24 with a gargantuan $35m in guaranteed prizes over the course of 330 different events.

With rival operators PokerStars and 888poker set to run series at roughly the same time September is shaping up to be the busiest month in online poker history.

Twelve $1m-GTD Championship Events

Saying the Powerfest schedule is diverse when it comes to buy-ins would be an understatement.

samtrickett1
Sam Trickett will be happy to know the $25k SHR will return.

Micro-stakes grinders can get it on the action by playing any number of the $5.50 tournaments while the most elite poker players will be happy to note that the giant $25,500 Super High Roller will return.

The cornerstone of the series, however, is a series of 12 Championship Events that will each offer a $1m guarantee.

The majority of the Championship tournaments will take place on Sundays but partypoker is also offering a handful on Tuesday for players who might have other plans for their weekend.

The vast bulk of the schedule will take place in No-Limit Hold’em (albeit in a number of different formats including freezeout, knockout and bounty) but there will also be 12 PLO events with over $180,000 in combined guarantees.

This year’s Powerfest will also play host to the first-ever Ladies Event, which is open only to female players on the site.

$4m+ Guaranteed on Final Day of Powerfest

The series will culminate with a truly epic Sunday on Sept. 24 where partypoker will host three different championship events.

In total the three championship events will offer more $4m in guaranteed prizes, making it one of the most potentially lucrative days in the history of partypoker.

There’s a good chance partypoker will not only hit the $35m guarantee for the entire series but surpass it. partypoker put up $20m for the last Powerfest, which took place in May, and the event cranked out a staggering $27m in prize money.

As you might expect partypoker is already running a series of qualifiers for the upcoming Powerfest with steps buy-ins starting at less than $1.

You can always swing by our partypoker review to learn more about the site or sign up for an account.

Here’s a complete look at the upcoming Powerfest schedule:



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PokerStars Shows Off Power Up Poker Potential in Barcelona

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At long last, PokerStars is ready to unleash its experimental Power Up Poker variant on the general public.

Now scheduled to release in the fourth quarter of 2017 PokerStars hosted a demo of the game during this week's PSC Barcelona.

PokerStars is hoping the new game will shake up a stagnant poker meta and potentially reverse some of the decline in traditional poker over the last few years.

The game will hopefully attract new players and give existing players a reason to play again.

Enter the Supercharger

Poker players often play other video games in their spare time so it seems natural to create a game that brings poker closer to eSports.

power up 03
One of the new Power Up powers.

For years video games like League of Legends or Hearthstone have had one component that poker has never been able to offer: Thematic flavor.

PokerStars is trying to change that with Power Up and even hired several writers to create an in-game universe for the game.

Power Up has its own background story and players will choose from an array of avatars that all have their own individual features and story.

To improve animation the new game uses a special graphic engine that is also used in other games. Supernova players were invited to test the first version of the game to find out weaknesses and/or bugs.

“We wanted fun to be the main focus and move away from the hoodies and sunglasses type of game," said PokerStars Director of Poker Innovation and Operations, Severin Rasset.

“The concept was to add new powers and features to poker without destroying the natural balance.”

What’s New About Power Up?

In Power Up you’ll sit at a 3-max table -- at least for now. You’ll get cards like a standard game of poker but you’ll also receive special power up abilities.

You start with three different powers out of a total of nine. These powers include things like:

Liv Boeree2
Liv Boeree testing Power Up Poker in Barcelona

Reload – exchange one of your hole cards

X-Ray – lets you see one of your opponent’s hole cards

Scanner – shows you the first two cards of the deck

Upgrade – gives you a third hole card and lets you discard one

Disintegrate – lets you destroy one community card

All the powers cost you energy units, of which you only have a limited number, so you can’t just keep on using your special powers. Players will be able to generate some of their energy with every hand played.

At the presentation in Barcelona Team PokerStars Pros Bertrand Grospellier and Liv Boeree joined in to give a practical demonstration. It became quite clear rather quickly that the special powers give the game a hitherto unknown depth.

Powers can be combined so there will be dozens of different potential combos, each having a different effect on how the game will play out. Also, whenever you’re using one of your powers, you’ll receive a new one randomly chosen from the original nine.

A Constantly Shifting Meta Game

As we know there are a lot of very smart players out there and they’ll figure out quickly what the optimal strategic use of these powers is. However, PokerStars has taken measures to stop anybody from getting a real edge.

Power Up PokerStars
A look at all nine current Power Up abilities.

In the future there will be powers added and others removed and the price of individual powers might go up or down.

Thus the game will always be changing and it will be difficult for anyone to dominate forever using one strategy.

Power Up Poker also alleviates concerns over stalling. Blinds don’t go up after a certain amount of time but rather a defined number of hands. Therefore stalling is essentially impossible.

Still, it’ll take you some time to figure out how and when to use the different powers. Once you get the hang of it, it becomes a very fast-paced, action-packed game that turns out to be a lot more than traditional Texas Hold’em.

Parallels to HoldemX

Anyone who follows poker closely will instantly be reminded of HoldemX, which the GPI introduced last year but which never really went anywhere.

HoldemX
HoldemX

Both games were based on very similar concepts and it seems like that concept was taken up by two parties at the same time.

We can’t say for sure who originally had the idea, but what we can say is that the PokerStars product is a much more polished one.

Whereas HoldemX was abundant with powers, many of which were not very useful, Power Up is a more thoroughly thought-out product and the graphics are a mile away from what HoldemX was.

In fact, the graphics are a large part of the fun in Power Up. They are reminiscent of the worlds of Terminator, Robocop, and Cube, and the avatars recall fantasy characters from Lord of the Rings and Gormenghast.

Target Date: Q4

Making predictions on how successful a game will be is incredibly difficult but Power Up will surely find its spot in the poker world.

Power Up brings with it an almost board game-like interactivity, the way you might know it from games like Catan or El Grande.

The target date for the full version to go live is the last quarter of 2017. Power Up will also be available for Mac and Mobile and it will come with a full tutorial. Create a new account at PokerStars via our review page to get ready to give it a go.



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Severin Rassét: “Power Up Poker is About Bringing People Back”

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It’s clear that Power Up Poker is a huge deal to PokerStars.

The upcoming poker variant, which is basically an all-new game that uses poker hand rankings, is looking to shake up the industry and give poker players some entirely new strategies to master.

It’s something that has been attempted before but never really caught on as poker players always seem to migrate back to the classic game.

Power Up Poker may be the most compelling offering in the poker/video game category yet, however, and PokerStars Director of Poker Innovation and Operation

Severin Rassét took some time at PSC Barcelona to tell us how the game came to exist.

PokerListings: Who is the target group of Power Up?

Severin Rassett headshot
Severin Rassét

Severin Rassét: Short term it’s mostly about re-activating existing players – to bring those players back to the tables who dropped because of lack of interest or other reasons.

Long term we’ll try to improve and evolve the game and get some experience and then we can think about tapping into other fields like the gaming industry but we’ll be humble and take it one step at a time.

PL: The graphics of the game are impressively crisp. How did you achieve that almost industrial look?

SR: We’re using a new graphic engine that’s been in use for other video games, so it’s not one that we created ourselves. We integrated that into our own engine.

It’s a different way of working because before we needed to code almost everything that we wanted to do in animation.

Now we can build the graphics and drop them into the engine, which allows us to work much faster.

PL: Poker players often play other games, too. It looks like you’re trying to implement elements from these other games into poker to make it more appealing.

Power Up Disintegrate
Power Up Poker's Disintegrate ability.

SR: Yes. We want to stress the unique aspects of poker -- the gambling aspect and the competitive aspect -- something that no other game has to offer.

Then we’re taking that and improving the environment, giving the game a universe and in the long run, we’re hoping that this will attract new players to the game.

PL: Why did you go the futuristic way regarding the graphics? You could for example have gone fantasy, too.

SR: It had to do with feedback from players and our own decision process. Obviously, the Lord of the Rings world is great, but it’s been emulated by thousands of games.

We wanted a poker universe that is positive and futuristic, because we’re taking poker into the future.

If you go down the fantasy road, you have to follow a thousand rules that already exist. Going into the future made it easier for us to create our own world.

PL: What’s the point of the avatars? They have individual backstories, but they don’t have anything to do with the game, or do they?

Avatars Power Up Poker
A look at the Power Up Poker avatars.

SR: For now -- and this is just a starting point -- you might think they’re just there. But we want to reinforce avatars because we believe it will make a difference for you and how you play depending on which avatar you pick.

It’ll show some part of your own personality and that’ll be different from one person to the other.

PL: But the avatars won’t ever have any influence on the game themselves, like characters in fantasy games do, for example in games like Baldur’s Gate?

SR: I don’t want to completely rule this out but we’ve made the decision that your choice of an avatar cannot give you an unfair advantage or an edge over other players. It can’t even be perceived as if there was that advantage.

There’s money involved in this game so we have to keep the balance.

PL: Will there always be three players at the table?

Bertrand Elky Grospellier 6215
Pro gamer/poker pro ElkY is a fan of Power Up Poker.

SR: We’ve tried different numbers. It seems that with four or five players the game starts to slow down a little bit. We’ve also tested heads-up but that gets very stressful as you’re under constant attack by your opponent.

For now, three players is where we want to be.

PL: How do you keep the game from slowing down by stallers?

SR: For once the blinds go up after a number of hands, not after time. The number of hands per level is one way for us to control the length of the game.

We’re aiming for ten minutes per game, give or take one minute. We do have several ways to control the game length. For example, we can change the energy costs for the special powers, the amount of energy that’s replenished, the level structure.

We’re quite confident that we have a lot of control and that we can achieve our goal regarding the maximum length of the game.

PL: Poker has been around for a long time but it’s so complex that it hasn’t been figured out. It’s a bit like chess in this regard. Why would you take such a complex game and make it even more complex?

RS: Poker is a simple game with a lot of depth. It’s not a complex game in the sense that the rules are complex. You can learn the rules in minutes.

Power Up is a little less simple, but you’ll still be able to learn the rules and get a handle on the game within half an hour.

PL: It seems that poker operators today think they have to come up with something new all the time. Is there a feeling of panic because eSports is growing so quickly?

The International 2014
eSports are blowing up.

SR: eSports are very interesting. I see it more as an opportunity than a threat. There are many parallels but the gambling part is unique in poker.

Also, the beauty of this market is that it is big enough for all of us. The video game industry has a turnover now of about 100 billion dollars. That means we can continue to grow and take advantage of the development.

PL: There are a lot of smart players out there who’ll figure out the optimal way to apply those special powers and find an edge. What can you do about that?

SR: We’re going to change the rules on a regular basis. We will force the players to reconsider the game all the time because some things that used to be important might not be relevant anymore tomorrow.

Just like with LOL or Dota where they regularly change what they call the metagame, we’ll do similar things, for example by introducing new powers and removing others and enabling new combinations.

It’ll be a constantly changing challenge.

PL: Will the game be available for real money play?

SR: Yes. We’re planning to keep the buy-ins relatively low, but we could for example push them as high as Spin & Go's. But we’re really going to decide this as we go along.

PL: Thank you, Severin Rassét.



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900 Events, $117m GTD in Biggest Sept. in Online Poker History

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Over 900 different online poker tournaments across four poker sites.

Over $117 million in guaranteed (and likely much more in actual) prize pools.

If you think you’ve seen a big month in online poker before, get ready for September. 

PokerStars, partypoker, 888poker and Winamax are about to offer the biggest three weeks in online poker history with huge tournament series covering virtually every day of the whole month. 

Here’s an overview of all the events from Sept. 3-26 starting with this Sunday’s signature WCOOP on PokerStars.

$60m GTD, 160+ Tourneys for WCOOP

The World Championship of Online Poker on PokerStars has been one of the most important online series for many years. The 2017 edition runs from September 3-26 with over 81 tournaments and $60 million in guaranteed prize money.

WCOOPbracelet

The main event will have a $5,200 buy-in and guarantee $10 million overall and $1.5m to the winner. Last year's event attracted 2,011 players. Jonas "llJaYJaYll" Lauck won the title and over $1.5 million.

Additional prizes will also be on offer via the Player of the Series Leader Board and over $700,000 in WCOOP tickets will be handed out in Stars Rewards Chests.

Check the full 2017 WCOOP schedule here.

WCOOP Low on PokerStars

The WCOOP is known for its fairly high buy-ins and isn't necessarily affordable for every player.

That's why there's a parallel version of the same tournaments this year that cost only a fraction of the usual buy-ins.

These tournaments still guarantee $12 million with buy-ins going at $11 and up.

$35m Powerfest Biggest Ever

While the PokerStars SCOOP/WCOOPs have set the bar, partypoker and 888poker have stepped up to offer their own massive tournament series.

powerfest 2017 sept blog

partypoker is putting on an even larger Powerfest than the one in May when a total of $20m was guaranteed over more than 300 tournaments.

Over $27 million was ultimately paid out but several of the biggest tournaments had an overlay -- including $330,000 for the $1m main event.

This time around the total guarantee is $35m over 330 tournaments. A total of 10 championship events will have a guarantee of at least $1,000,000.

The big events have phase satellites which you can buy in to for one-tenth of the buy-in. Check the full Powerfest schedule here. Sign up for a 

$9.2m in 888poker XL Eclipse

888 will be ready in September with its third XL series of the year.

ECLIPSE

The XL Eclipse has 197 tournaments from Sept. 10-24 and over $9.2 million in prize pools.

Buy-ins are between $5 and $1,050. The heart of the series will be the main event on Sept. 24 which will guarantee $1.5m.

The Main Event will have 888 daily freeroll satellites and there will also be a main event in turbo and mini-mode for players with smaller bankrolls.

See the full XL Eclipse schedule here. Sign up for an 888poker account via our review to access our $888 sign-up bonus.

€11m in Winamax Series XIX

Winamax is a French provider but allows international players to play at their tables.

Winamax also has a comprehensive September tournament series with 129 events from September 3-14.

Overall Winamax guarantees €11m and has two tournaments with a guarantee of €1m in the program: The Million Event for €150 and the High Roller for €1,000.

Unprecedented Guarantees

So many tournaments which such huge guarantees have never been offered over such a short period of time in online poker.

A total of 30 tournaments guarantee at least $1m (or euros) and a total of over $117 million will be paid out minimum! Check the full scope of all the events below:

 

Guarantee

Events

Events over $1m

Events over $500k

Stars, WCOOP Low

$12,070,000

87

1

3

Stars, WCOOP

$49,790,000

87

16

28

Party, Powerfest

$35,020,000

331

10

19

888, XL Eclipse

$9,171,000

197

1

3

Winamax, XIX

€11,030.000

202

2

4

Total

$117,081,000

904

30

57



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partypoker Title Fight Upped to $500k GTD as of Oct. 1

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partypoker's flagship Sunday poker tournament just doubled its guaranteed prize pool.

On a surge lately with its booming new partypoker Live tour and massive Powerfest tournament series, partypoker is back to a Top 4 site in terms of traffic and looking to get even higher.

Its next step on that path is a new $500,000 guarantee - twice the usual $250,000 - for its signature Sunday Title Fight starting on Oct.1

$215 Buy-In, 2nd-Biggest GTE

Much like its competitors, the PokerStars Sunday Million and the 888poker Mega Deep, partypoker's signature Sunday event has a $215 buy-in.

It also has the second-biggest guarantee. And plenty of options for the lesser-rolled among us to participate for much less.

nataliabreviglieri
Works for Natalia

On partypoker that's as low as 1 cent due to the 'centroll' satellites that feed into the $1.10 buy-in satellites.

It'll take you a few steps to get to the Title Fight, of course, but with an $82k first-place prize the past few weeks the rewards could be substantial.

Once you get there you can also register up until the end of Level 15 and two re-entries are available if you bust.

partypoker Pros On Board

The partypoker Team pros, like Natalia Breviglieri, are excited about the change:

“partypoker’s flagship Sunday tournament, the Title Fight, is a regular fixture in my week that’s now about to get bigger and better with the guarantee increasing from $250,000 to $500,000!

"With a $215 buy-in, it’s excellent value and players will have to be at the top of their game to be in with a chance of winning!"

Dzmitry Urbanovich agrees:

“After the huge guarantees during Powerfest, increasing the guarantee of the weekly Title Fight to $500,000 is fantastic news and I’m looking forward to its return next Sunday!

 

"It is further proof that partypoker care about us, the players and are committed to paying out huge prize pools. It will be great competing for even more prize money every week and I’m sure the guarantee will only keep increasing, with $1 million surely not far away!”

If you've yet to sign-up for a partypoker account, visit our review page for more information and to access our $500 sign-up bonus.

Check out the full Title Fight satellite schedule below:

Time (CET)TournamentBuy-in 18:00 Title Fight Mini Feeder: 100 x $8.80 Gtd Hyper Turbo $1.10 19:00 Title Fight Feeder: 25 x $44 Gtd Hyper Turbo $8.80 20:00 Title Fight Satellite: 10 x $215 Gtd Turbo $44 20:00 Title Fight Mini Feeder: 200 x $8.80 Gtd Hyper Turbo $1.10 21:00 Title Fight Feeder: 50 x $44 Gtd Hyper Turbo $8.80 22:00 Title Fight Satellite: 20 x $215 Gtd Turbo $44 22:00 Title Fight Mini Feeder: 100 x $8.80 Gtd Hyper Turbo $1.10 23:00 Title Fight Feeder: 25 x $44 Gtd Hyper Turbo $8.80 00:00 Title Fight Satellite: 10 x $215 Gtd Turbo $44 00:00 Title Fight Mini Feeder: 100 x $8.80 Gtd Hyper Turbo $1.10 01:00 Title Fight Feeder: 25 x $44 Gtd Hyper Turbo $8.80 02:00 Title Fight Satellite: 10 x $215 Gtd Turbo $44

 

Time (CET)TournamentBuy-in 14:00 Title Fight Mini Feeder: 500 x $8.80 Gtd Hyper Turbo $1.10 15:00 Title Fight Feeder: 125 x $44 Gtd Hyper Turbo $8.80 16:00 Title Fight Satellite: 50 x $215 Gtd Turbo $44 16:00 Title Fight Mini Feeder: 500 x $8.80 Gtd Hyper Turbo $1.10 17:00 Title Fight Feeder: 125 x $44 Gtd Hyper Turbo $8.80 18:00 Title Fight Satellite: 50 x $215 Gtd Turbo $44

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