PokerStars gave the poker world a pleasant surprise earlier this week when the online poker giant announced that it would run a second edition of the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) in 2020.
The announcement was made during the EPT Barcelona tournament and was very fitting given the fact that PokerStars announced that PSPC 2020 will be held in Barcelona during August 2020.
2019 PSPC – Grand Success
PokerStars decided to experiment with a gaming changing live poker tournament back in 2018 when it came up with the idea of the PSPC. The company started promoting the PSPC in early 2018 and ran a 12 month innovative promotional campaign for the inaugural PSPC which took place in the Bahamas in Jan 2019.
The 2019 PSPC had a $25,000 buy-in and saw a more than 1,000 registrations as poker players from all over the world showed up to take a crack at the massive guaranteed prize pool which had millions of dollars on the line. The event was won by Spanish poker pro Ramon Colillas who took home more than $5.1 million which was his biggest career cashout that propelled him to 4^th place on Spain’s All Time Money list.
Platinum Pass Giveaway For 2020 Edition
PokerStars knew that a $25,000 buy-in is way too much of money for the average player to shell out and book themselves a seat at the PSPC. The company came up with a unique promotion via a Platinum Pass giveaway that allowed 320 players to play at the 2019 PSPC for free as PokerStars took care of the buy-in and spending money.
PokerStars ran some really cool Platinum Pass promotions that allowed poker players from all over the world to win a pass and attend the PSPC. Players from Ireland, the Philippines and India won passes that allowed to be a part of the PSPC and have a crack at winning a life changing sum of money. Ramon Colillas was one of the beneficiaries of a coveted Platinum Pass and his life changed forever.
PokerStars has confirmed that it will continue its Platinum Pass 2.0 promotion for the 2020 PSPC edition. Five poker players at EPT Barcelona received a fantastic surprise when they learnt that they were the first five beneficiaries of a Platinum Pass to the 2020 edition. The players who received the pass were the final five who made it to the Chase Your Dream – Play Against Your Heroes.
The first five recipients of the Platinum Passes were Canadian player Daryl Inglis who served in the military, 23 year old Spanish player Adrian Garcia, Germany’s Christoph Walkenhorst, French player Clement Eloy and 38 year old Danielle Summer who was born in the UK but now lives in Spain. She is the first female player to receive a Platinum Pass to the 2020 PSPC.
How To Win Platinum Passes 2.0
There is no information as of now as to how many Platinum Passes will be on offer for the 2020 PSPC. It will be interesting to see if PokerStars decides to stick to the 320 figure like last year or increase the number of passes. These coveted Platinum Passes will be given away for the next 12 months via a number of special events, promotions and challenges.
There are currently 10 Platinum Passes that can be won via the Stars Rewards Mystery Chest promotion. Players can claim up to 5 passes by playing on the .COM domain and another 5 passes via the .FRES domain. PokerStars will continue to release information via its official blog on how players can get their hands on these platinum passes.
Platinum Pass – What Does It Cover?
The Platinum Pass for the 2019 PSPC had an estimated value of $30,000. The new passes are also expected to have a similar value although the currency involved will be the Euro since it is taking place in Barcelona, Spain.
PokerStars will cover the €22,500 buy-in to the 2020 PSPC along with return flight tickets for two to Barcelona, six nights’ hotel accommodation as well as transfer fees and basic expenses.
PokerStars will remain confident that the 2020 edition will create new records in the number of players and total prize money on offer!