The PokerStars US Winter Series promises $5 million in prize pool money awarded from Jan. 12-29 across the site’s regulated states.
While there are many events worth entering, and all the juicy prize pools that go with them, we’ve highlighted five events on PokerStars Pennsylvania and the shared liquidity PokerStars platform in Michigan and New Jersey.
These five tournaments on each site have massive prize pools that could help kickstart your 2024 bankroll. The Winter Series features 85 events in PA and 85 in MI/NJ. We pulled out five events in each state based on the biggest prize pools offered and the best value. But there are also plenty of other tournaments that provide great value during the series.
Best Winter Series Events in PA
The state of Pennsylvania has become a hotbed for online poker, and PokerStars is the top site to play for various reasons, including tournament series such as the one on the horizon in the coming days. Poker players in the land of Eagles and Steelers can take a shot at three Main Events, all two-day tournaments, starting Jan. 28.
The $300 buy-in Main Event at 6 p.m., which is the ultimate highlight of the series, features a $200,000 guaranteed prize pool. Players will start with 250,000 chips, 250 big blinds deep, and can reenter up to four times. There are four additional events that should also be on your must-play list. They are as follows:
Jan. 14, $100 buy-in Sunday Special NLH at 6 p.m.: For just a hundred bucks, players can win a chunk of the $70,000 prize pool. It’s tough to find better value given the cheap entry fee and massive prize pool. Additionally, beginning with 50,000 chips and 200 big blinds deep allows for some play.
Jan. 15, $250 buy-in Battle Royale NLH High Roller at 7 p.m.: Tournament features a minimum $70,000 pot. This is one of the best tournaments on the schedule because of the deep blind structure (60,000 to start and 200 big blinds deep) along with the $125 bounty per player added to the bounty progressive prize pool.
Jan. 21, $500 buy-in Sunday High Roller NLH at 7 p.m.: This one’s for the higher stakes players who are looking for some great value and a turbo event that likely won’t go too deep into the night. And with $65,000 guaranteed, there’s some big bucks to play for.
Jan. 23, $500 buy-in Super Tuesday High Roller NLH at 7 p.m.: Here’s another high roller for players wanting to chase a large prize pool — $50,000 or more — without having to enter a massive field tournament to do so.
Best Winter Series Events in MI/NJ
Michigan and New Jersey have a shared liquidity PokerStars site that always attracts large fields to any major event. The upcoming Winter Series figures to be no different.
Similar to Pennsylvania, there are three editions of the Main Event, but the one every player should enter is the $300 buy-in version starting at 6 p.m., which promises at least $250,000 in the prize pool. Don’t be surprised if that guarantee is smashed long before registration closes. Starting stacks are set for 250,000, which is the equivalent of 250 big blinds. The other four series highlights in MI/NJ are below:
Jan. 14, $100 buy-in Sunday Special NLH at 6 p.m.: There aren’t many online events that have $100,000 guaranteed prize pools for just a $100 buy-in, but this is one. The structure is also outstanding with the 50,000 starting stacks being 200 big blinds deep.
Jan. 15, $250 buy-in Battle Royale NLH High Roller at 7 p.m.: There’s $50,000 up for grabs in what should be a juicy field with $125 of the buy-in going to the progressive bounty. Players will start with 50,000 chips and can reenter up to four times.
Jan. 21, $1,000 buy-in Sunday High Roller NLH at 7 p.m.: This is the largest buy-in tournament of the series and it guarantees at least $100,000 in the pot. With the blinds starting at 80/160 and stacks beginning at 25,000, this one is perfect for those who want to play for a huge prize pool but don’t want to play hours on end to win money.
Jan. 23, $500 buy-in Super Tuesday High Roller NLH at 7 p.m.: There will be a minimum of $70,000 in the prize pool and players start with 50,000 chips. This one is easily one of the best events for the higher stakes players as it has a solid structure and a large guarantee.
There are numerous satellites for various events, including the Main Event, running on all PokerStars US platforms.
