PokerStars PA is running a third edition of its record-breaking tournament “Pennsyl-MANIA” in December. This time, the event will feature a massive guarantee of $500,000, breaking its own record to become the biggest-guaranteed tournament in the history of online poker in PA.
Pennsyl-MANIA debuted back in May with a $250K guarantee (the largest-guaranteed online poker tournament ever held in the Keystone State at that time), but ended up awarding more than twice the amount as $515,964 in total prize money was reached. The second edition held in August was a massive success as well, generating more than $376,000 in total prize pool, surpassing its $350K guarantee.
Now, with the guaranteed prize money significantly increased, the tournament must attract at least 2,689 entries to prevent an overlay, but given its history of drawing huge turnouts, there is no doubt that it will once again exceed expectations.
The holiday season will bring in more fun to online poker players in the Keystone State as PokerStars PA is also hosting a new “Turbo Week” series prior to Pennsyl-MANIA. We’re giving out the key details of both events below.
Pennsyl-MANIA Kicks Off December 27
Pennsyl-MANIA’s third edition is a two-day affair, running on December 27-28. It features the same buy-in of $200, with players allowed to re-enter up to five times. The action gets underway with each participant receiving 15,000 chips, and those surviving the initial 8-hour battle on December 27 will advance to Day 2 on December 28 to play down to a winner.
Players who cannot afford the actual $200 entry fee will get the chance to win their way into the big event for a more affordable price by taking part in satellites for as low as $10. The satellites will run four times daily, awarding free Pennsyl-MANIA tickets.
Additionally, PokerStars PA is also running a special Depositor Freeroll that will automatically give away a freeroll seat to any player who makes a deposit of at least $30 via the bonus code MANIA before 13:59 ET on December 27.
The top 50 finishers in the Depositor Freeroll, which takes place around three hours prior to Pennsyl-MANIA, will earn free entry into the huge event. This means the freeroll alone will award $10,000 worth of tickets to accommodate as many players as possible.
Pennsyl-MANIA crowned its first winner back in May after the two-day event attracted a total of 2,774 entries. In the end, the top prize of $69,670 went to “D-Low1527”. The tournament returned in August and pulled in a 2,026-entry field which was dominated by “SlotWinna777” to win $44,642 in first-place prize.
$500K Up For Grabs At Turbo Week
PokerStars PA’s brand-new series Turbo Week just got underway on December 13, and will run through to December 20, featuring a total of 56 tournaments and $500,000 in guaranteed price pool. These tournaments will be mostly played as progressive knockouts, with faster blind levels. Players can take part in the events for buy-ins of between $5 and $1,000.
The series is headlined by a $200 buy-in Main Event which has a guarantee of $60,000. It also comes with a $20 buy-in, $10K-guaranteed mini version. Apart from PKO, the schedule also includes other variants and formats such as Hold’em, Omaha, Heads-up, Win the Button, Badugi, 8-Game, and Horse. PokerStars PA is also running Second Chance Freerolls for those who don’t make it in their first try.
Turbo Week is one of eight online tournament series hosted by PokerStars this year, which also include the Winter Series, Bounty Builder Series, Pennsylvania Championship of Online Poker (PACOOP), Pennsylvania Spring Championship of Online Poker (PASCOOP), Summer Series, and more recently the 1st Anniversary Series, which gave away $1.1 million in total prize money.
PokerStars PA is the first and currently the only online poker site serving online players in Pennsylvania, though that may change soon as more operators are set to enter PA. The Keystone State is the fifth most populous state in the US, and is home to one of the most promising online poker markets in the country.