The first-ever Michigan Spring Championship of Online Poker (MISCOOP) now holds the record for the largest tournament series in the Wolverine State. The festival got underway on May 8 and came to a close on May 24, awarding more than $2.3 million in total prize money, surpassing its $2 million initial guarantee.
PokerStars MI had its first taste of tournament series success back in February when it hosted the inaugural MICOOP. The festival kicked off on February 20 and finished strong on March 8 after generating $2.2 million in total prize pools, way beyond its $1.4 guarantee.
PokerStars MI originally set the MICOOP guarantee at just $1 million, however an overwhelming turnout prompted the operator to up the ante midway through the series. All the same, the updated guarantee was ultimately surpassed.
Now, the recently-concluded MISCOOP has set a new record, a clear indication that PokerStars MI has remained undeterred and has continued to hold on to the top spot in the Michigan online poker market in the midst of competition. Its rival, BetMGM Poker, is currently lagging behind. In fact, its recent Online Series ended up suffering an overlay.
87 MISCOOP Events Exceeded Guarantees
The MISCOOP schedule featured a total of 120 events categorized into three buy-in levels: Low, Medium, and High. 87 of them managed to exceed their initial targets and ended up adding over $300,000 to the total prize pool.
One of them, Event 31-L ($10 buy-in, $1,000 GTD) almost doubled its guarantee, when it awarded $1,947 in total prize money. Event 17-H also saw its initial guarantee of $7,500 swell more than 50% to $11,567.
Overall, three events were able to go beyond the $100,000 mark. The high editions of Event 11 and 20 generated $104,500 and $102,858 respectively, while the $300 buy-in Main Event, which had an initial guarantee of $200,000, ended up paying out $243,880 to the top finishers.
Other notable events with the biggest guarantee boosts include the following: Event 11-M (initial guarantee – $50,000; final prize pool – $67,680), Event 26-H (initial guarantee – $40,000; final prize pool – $59,640), Event 27-H (initial guarantee – $50,000; final prize pool – $74,100), Event 11-H (initial guarantee – $80,000; final prize pool – $104,500).
PokerStars MI Dominance Carries On                                 
PokerStars‘ entrance into Michigan has so far been marked by huge successes. It was the first online poker room to serve MI customers, and just a week following its launch, it recorded the highest cash game traffic across the US regulated market, outclassing its Pennsylvanian counterpart.
In February, the site decided to host its first tournament series offering in the state, MICOOP, which also ended on a high with $2.2 million in total prizes awarded. PokerStars MI has only been operating for less than 5 months, and it already is enjoying massive success, that’s despite no longer holding a monopoly in the state after BetMGM Poker MI launched in March.
It still remains to be seen whether PokerStars MI can continue to achieve similar success in its future tournaments, especially as the state is poised to welcome more players into the market, including WSOP.com, which is powered by the 888poker software.
WSOP.com plans to launch in the Michigan as well as Pennsylvania by the end of June, and it could challenge PokerStars’ dominance in both states, considering its prominence in the US regulated market.
WSOP.com is currently benefiting from the country’s only multi-state network which involves New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware. That network is expected to grow with the possible addition of MI and PA. Once MI and PA join the shared liquidity pool, players from both states can then take part in WSOP online tournaments.
The MI online poker landscape is set to change in the coming months, but given PokerStars’ capabilities and proven track record, its Michigan room is still well-positioned to pull off massive tournaments, and will do everything possible to maintain its status as the leading player in the MI market.