PokerStars PA unveils first major tournament series with PACOOP

It’s been a nice couple of weeks for Pennsylvania online poker players. That improved even more on Thursday when PokerStars PA announced the inaugural Pennsylvania Championship of Online Poker (PACOOP).

The 50-event series runs Nov. 30 to Dec. 16 and features $1 million in guaranteed prize pools. PACOOP will include a variety of tournaments with buy-ins from $30 to $750.

PokerStars will also run satellites starting at just $1. The $300 Main Event closes out the events on Dec. 15 with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool.

“The Championship of Online Poker, or COOP, is one of our most prestigious events and we’re proud to give Pennsylvania its own,” FOX Bet President Matt Primeaux said.

“Players in PA have already shown their excitement for PokerStars so we took things to the next level with a $1 million series guarantee and plenty of ways to get in on the action.”

PokerStars adds extra cash and promotions to PACOOP mix

The PACOOP comes just under a month since PokerStars launched in Pennsylvania. The series follows its successful “COOP” model that is played throughout the world. That also includes in New Jersey (NJCOOP) and it now moves to Pennsylvania.

In addition to satellites, players can win tournament entries through some unique promotions including:

• Main Event Depositor Freeroll – This exclusive event awards 25 Main Event tickets, worth a total of $7,500. The tournament set for Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. EST. To enter, players must make a deposit of $50 or more by Dec. 15.
• Second Chance Freerolls –  These special events are for PACOOP players who get eliminated short of the money in a tournament. Each freeroll will award $1,250 in satellite tickets and entries to PACOOP events, totaling $20,000. The freerolls will run daily from Dec. 1-16 at 6 p.m. except on Sundays when they will run at 3 p.m.

“I’m thrilled to see PokerStars’ COOP coming to Pennsylvania this December, giving players the chance to play in a world-renowned poker series and vie for titles,” Pennsylvanian and PokerStars ambassador Jennifer Shahade said.

“Having online poker in Pennsylvania has been amazing so far. I felt chills playing my very first Sunday session, and there was such a buzz at the tables. I can’t wait to see everyone battling to be the first PokerStars PA champion.”

Players pleased to see more action in Keystone State

The new series should be welcomed by many players in the state. Waymart resident Chris Wormuth, 40, is one of those and glad to be back at the virtual tables.

“I play poker everyday since it started again and I’m super excited about PACOOP,” he says. “I plan on playing as much as possible now that we have the freedom other states are still fighting to get.”

A disabled Army veteran, Wormuth suffers from a disease that causes cluster headaches. He also suffers from PTSD and depression as well as other medical issues including injuries from a motorcycle accident in 2015.

For Wormuth, being able to play means more than just cards, chips, and a shot to win a little money. The chance to play his favorite game online offers a way to get his mind off his daily challenges.

“Poker helps me concentrate on the cards on nothing else,” he says, “because some days I can’t get out of my head.”

Wormuth plans to be at the tables when the PACOOP kicks off.

John Downs Jr., 42, will also certainly have the series on his schedule and is excited to jump in the action. He runs a manufacturing plant and is an avid recreational player.

It’s already been a nice run on PokerStars PA for Downs. He won a $10 tournament for $488 last week, and has already cashed out $900 in winnings.

“It’s a huge step for online poker coming back into the US market,” the married father of three from Williamsport says of the new PokerStars series. “It makes me happy, and yes I plan on playing PACOOP.”

During PACOOP, he plans on playing in some low to mid-stakes events. Some satellites also interest him and also hopes to earn his way into the Main Event.

Some big numbers in Keystone State so far

So far, PokerStars and players alike have been pleased with the site’s entry into the market since launching Nov. 4. After the first five full days of play, more than $450,000 was awarded in tournament play.

The $50 Bounty Builder on Day 2 saw the first five-figure prize pool. The event was won by “jb2paint” for $1,331 plus $1,081 in bounties.

In fact, the number of players in Pennsylvania topped New Jersey at times on Day 1. A recent analysis shows that player pools in PA topped NJ in similar Sunday tournaments.

The Pennsylvania events featured lower buy-ins and bigger guarantees for the five main Sunday events. That is a good sign so far for Pennsylvania players and shows bigger numbers of players are expected.

It appears PokerStars is going all in when it comes to PA. No doubt many players will be looking for even more action in PACOOP.

Pennsylvania poker pro Zach Gruneberg is still amazed online poker is actually live in his home state. He was excited to learn that PokerStars already has a major series planned so soon.

“I definitely want to play as many events as I can,” says. “This is actually breaking news to me that this is even happening, which definitely gets me fired up. This will be big news.”

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