It's springtime at last, and for the three U.S. states where PokerStars is currently available, it means that PokerStars famed Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) is set to begin. It's not one U,S,-based series, but three -- separate SCOOP series will take place beginning Friday, March 25, in the three Stars-available U.S. states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey.
All three SCOOP series will run for 17 days, with the final events getting underway on Sunday, April 11. Collectively, there's $4.5 million of guaranteed prize money at stake, based on the player population of the three states. Pennsylvania's SCOOP slate has $2 million in guaranteed payouts, Michigan has an additional $1.5 million, and New Jersey's players will be awarded a minimum of $1 million in prize money.
Though massive, the triple SCOOP's collective guarantees have been scaled back slightly from 2021, when $5.2 in guaranteed prize money was up for grabs. This year's series are instead focusing on greater variety and diversity, helping to provide games and formats often not available elsewhere to U.S.-based online players.
“It’s so exciting to see more SCOOP events than ever on the PokerStars calendar for this year’s Spring Championship,” PokerStars ambassador Jennifer Shahade stated. “The community gets so excited and engaged when SCOOP comes around, and it’s always been perceived as being one of the most prestigious online tournaments around the world.”
Each state's SCOOP series includes over 100 events
As with PokerStars' other Online Championship series, there's still a massive lineup of events to be contested. The Michigan and Pennsylvania SCOOP series will include 120 events each, while the New Jersey SCOOP schedule is just a bit smaller, at 105 events. These events are offered in groups of three -- the same format is offered in low, medium, and high buy-ins, to give all players and opportunity to play their favorite games.
While any poker series always includes plenty of staples such as Texas Hold'em and Omaha, mixed-game events (H.O.R.S.E., 8-game mix), and other lesser-played formats will be available. Here are some of the special events on tap:
Date Event Buy-in (low/medium/high)
- March 26 H.O.R.S.E. $10 / $30 / $100
- March 28 PLO-8* $10 / $30 / $100
- March 31 Razz* $10 /$30/$100
- April 6 PLO "Spring Championship Trophy" $20 / $50 / $200
- April 11 8-Game "Mixed Game Master" $20 / $50 / $200
* only offered in Pennsylvania and Michigan
Each of the three single-state SCOOP series will run its main event (or rather, three main events each, one for low, medium, and high-buy-in levels) on the series' final weekend. The high-buy-in events in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey, what many would consider to be each state's SCOOP Main Event, carries a $300 entry fee. Each of these three $300 mains will carry a six-figure prize pool guarantee, which varies state by state.
Featured image source: PokerStars US
