MISCOOP and NJSCOOP: Opening weekend recap

Geoff Fisk
Published by:
Posted on: May 10, 2021 5:59 pm EDT

Simultaneous online festivals running on PokerStars MI and PokerStars NJ through May 24

The “Rest of World” poker community enjoyed PokerStars SCOOP madness throughout April, and Pennsylvania players just saw their own version of the SCOOP wrap up on PokerStars PA.

Michigan and New Jersey players now get their turn at competing in the Spring Championship of Online Poker. Two more editions of the PokerStars flagship series kicked off over the weekend, with the MISCOOP running on PokerStars Michigan and the NJSCOOP getting started on PokerStars New Jersey.

The separate online poker festivals run simultaneously, with both scheduled for May 8-24. New Jersey players are well familiar with SCOOP festivals by now, while the 2021 MISCOOP marks the first time for the spring version of the series in Michigan.

Both series offer in-state only competition, giving players in both markets a taste of one of the most prestigious tournament series in online poker.

The MISCOOP offers $2 million guaranteed over 120 total tournaments, separated into 40 events. Each event is offered at a low, medium, and high buy-in tier.

The series culminates in Event #36-H: $300 NLHE MISCOOP Main Event. The Main Event begins May 23, guaranteeing $200,000.

The NJSCOOP offers 55 events total, with $1.2 million in combined guarantees. The series Main Event plays out in Event #51-M: $300 NLHE 8-Max Main Event. The NJSCOOP Main Event promises at least $100,000 in total prize money.

Players turn out in big numbers for MISCOOP opening weekend

PokerStars MI is proving a popular choice for Michigan poker players. Since going live in the Great Lakes State on Jan. 29, the platform has drawn impressive traffic in its first weeks of operations.

Opening weekend for the MISCOOP continued that trend. The first seven events (21 total tournaments) played out on the Michigan-only platform over the weekend, and four of the 21 overall tournaments drew 800 entries or more.

The most ambitious of those tournaments from PokerStars’ perspective came in Event #4-H: $100 NLH Sunday Special SE. That tournament offered $80,000 guaranteed and ended up with a $3,714 overlay.

The tournament drew 831 entries, but needed 872 to meet the guarantee. The final three players struck a three-way deal at the final table, each coming away with something in the neighborhood of $10,000 in prize money.

Player ‘fenix1234620’ took the winner’s share of the prize pool, collecting $10,872 for the victory.

NJSCOOP numbers didn’t quite measure up to those of its Michigan counterpart. The biggest turnout for any opening weekend tournament finished at 360 entries.

The biggest prize pool offered over the weekend came in Event #07-M: $200 NLHE 8-Max Jersey Special. That tournament ended up overlaying, with John ‘GameofEdges’ Forlenza taking down the win for $6,952.

Looking to improve your knowledge of poker? Check out Poker.org’s comprehensive poker hand rankings chart.

*Real player name courtesy of PokerNews

Featured image source: Twitter