The XL Winter Series is back at 888poker with a completely new look. Set for Dec. 10-20 with a $1 million guarantee, the site has worked to rebrand the series.
Some changes have been made, with 888 promising affordable buy-ins ranging from $5 to $50 for the majority of events.
“We are focusing on what our players want,” the company notes in a news release.
The series features 34 events, culminating with a $250 progressive knockout Main Event and a $500,000 guarantee.
888poker XL Winter Series highlights
888 recently released its new software and mobile app dubbed “Made to Play.” The site is hoping to carry that theme over to the renewed XL Winter Series.
The Main Event is set for Dec. 20 and comes with a $500,000 guarantee. The progressive knockout (PKO) format should make for a fun and interesting way to cap the series.
In a PKO, all players have a bounty on their heads. Similar to a traditional bounty tournament, players receive a prize for eliminating other players.
However, in a PKO a portion of each bounty won is added to the bounty on each winning player’s head. Each player’s bounty can increase, making knockouts later in the tournament even more valuable.
Beyond the Main Event, there are numerous other interesting tournaments. The $109 Opener on Dec. 10 comes with a $50,000 guarantee to kickstart the Winter XL. A few other highlights include:
- $55 Tune Up (Event 10, Dec. 13) – $50,000 guarantee
- $320 High Roller (Event 17, Dec. 15) – $50,000 guarantee
- $55 DeepStack (Event 26, Dec. 18) – $25,000 guarantee
- $33 Mini Main Event (Event 33, Dec. 20) – $50,000 guarantee
- $5.50 Late Main Event PKO (Event 34, Dec. 20) – $15,000 guarantee
Here’s a look at the complete schedule:
Date Event Buy-in GTD
Dec. 10 Event#1 - $50,000 Opening Event $109 $50,000
Dec. 10 Event#2 - $15,000 Mini Opening Event $16.50 $15,000
Dec. 10 Event#3 - $15,000 Late Opening Event $55 $15,000
Dec. 11 Event#4 - $30,000 PKO $55 $30,000
Dec. 11 Event#5 - $15,000 Mini PKO $22 $15,000
Dec. 11 Event#6 - $10,000 Late PKO $33 $10,000
Dec. 12 Event#7 - $30,000 8-Max $109 $30,000
Dec. 12 Event#8 - $10,000 Mini 8-Max $12 $10,000
Dec. 12 Event#9 - $15,000 Late 8-Max $55 $15,000
Dec. 13 Event#10 - $50,000 Tune Up $55 $50,000
Dec. 13 Event#11 - $30,000 Mini Tune Up $16.50 $30,000
Dec. 13 Event#12 - $10,000 Micro Tune Up $5.50 $10,000
Dec. 13 Event#13 - $20,000 Late Tune Up $55 $20,000
Dec. 14 Event#14 - $20,000 R&A Event $33 $20,000
Dec. 14 Event#15 - $10,000 Mini R&A $5.50 $10,000
Dec. 14 Event#16 - $10,000 Late R&A $12 $10,000
Dec. 15 Event#17 - $50,000 High Roller $320 $50,000
Dec. 15 Event#18 - $25,000 Mini High Roller $55 $25,000
Dec. 15 Event#19 - $20,000 Late High Roller $109 $20,000
Dec. 16 Event#20 - $30,000 PKO $109 $30,000
Dec. 16 Event#21 - $15,000 Mini PKO $16.50 $15,000
Dec. 16 Event#22 - $10,000 Late PKO $33 $15,000
Dec. 17 Event#23 - $40,000 PKO 8-Max $160 $40,000
Dec. 17 Event#24 - $15,000 Mini PKO 8-Max $22 $15,000
Dec. 17 Event#25 - $15,000 Late PKO 8-Max $55 $15,000
Dec. 18 Event#26 - $25,000 PKO DeepStack $55 $25,000
Dec. 18 Event#27 - $15,000 Mini DeepStack $16.50 $15,000
Dec. 18 Event#28 - $10,000 Late DeepStack $33 $10,000
Dec. 19 Event#29 - $25,000 PKO 6-Max $109 $25,000
Dec. 19 Event#30 - $15,000 Mini PKO 6-Max $16.50 $15,000
Dec. 19 Event#31- $15,000 Late PKO 6-Max $55 $15,000
Dec. 20 Event#32- $500,000 Main Event PKO $250 $500,000
Dec. 20 Event#33- $50,000 Mini Main Event PKO $33 $50,000
Dec. 20 Event#34- $15,000 Late Main Event PKO $5.50 $15,000
Plenty of extras planned during series
888 has ramped up the promotional power for the festival. Players following the XL Winter Series on the 888 social media channels have a chance for some freebies.
The site will hold special contests during the live streams on Facebook and YouTube.
888 is giving away three $109 and five $33 tournament tickets during each session. Look for a star-studded line-up of commentators including David Tuchman and Nick Wealthall.
888poker ambassadors will also be manning the microphone providing commentary on several events. Here’s a look at the streaming schedule:
- $50,000 Opener – Dec. 10
- $50,000 Tune Up – Dec. 13
- $500,000 Main Event PKO – Dec. 20
Those looking to get in the action for a bargain buy-in also have plenty of opportunities. There are three ways players can qualify for as little as $0.01 or even free.
Several freerolls are planned beginning on Dec. 3 and running until the series finale. Satellite buy-ins start for as low as a single cent.
Players can also look for random gift drops throughout the series with XL tournament tickets and other prizes. It looks like a couple nice weeks of online poker action are in the works at 888.
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