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PokerStars Unveils Anniversary Sunday Million With $7.5M Guaranteed, $1M for Winner

Ramping up the anniversary of the Sunday Million has become a regular part of the PokerStars calendar each year. The event is the longest-running weekly online poker tournament with a $1 million guarantee and Stars make the anniversary tournament even bigger.

Once again Stars is making plans for a special event this year. The company announced on Thursday that the 17th anniversary Sunday Million is set for March 26. The tournament features a $7.5 million guaranteed prize pool with a guaranteed $1 million prize handed to the winner.

“Players can now mark their calendars for the return of PokerStars’ iconic Sunday Million anniversary tournament,” the company noted in announcing the event.

What to expect from PokerStars’ anniversary Sunday Million

The Sunday Million has come to be recognized as a major part of the online poker ecosystem since its debut in 2006. At the height of the poker boom, Stars launched the weekly event with a seven-figure guarantee for the winner.

The regular $109 buy-in is raised to $215 for the upcoming special event. Players looking for a bargain buy-in will also be in luck.

PokerStars is once again offering several ways to qualify with some extra value for players including:

  • added via satellites
  • freerolls
  • special Spin & Go’s

Look for more details in the coming weeks as the event approaches.

A brief history of Sunday Million winners

As one of the best-known online poker tournaments, the Sunday Million has seen some big names grab titles through the years. That included Canada’s Vanessa Kade coming out on top in the 15th anniversary event in 2021.

Kade scored $1.5 million for her efforts. The tournament brought in a massive 69,876 entries for almost a $14 million prize pool.

The winner considered it one of the biggest achievements of her poker career. No deals were made at the final table and she had 100% of her action, meaning she kept the entire haul.

“I just stopped crying,” Kade said to start her Twitch stream after the win. “I was literally just crying for 20 minutes. This is the best month of my life and it’s not even close. This is the best day of my life.”

Last year, Germany’s “Blackbeaty” won the tournament to secure a $931,885 payday. This came following a deal made with runner-up “JanRas1983,” of Denmark.

That tournament saw 52,210 entries for a $10.4 million prize pool. JanRas1983 scored $817,000 for runner-up.

A look at other winners

In 2020, Brazil’s Alex Brito landed the top spot for $1.1 million. That event produced a field of 93,015 entries for a prize pool of $18.6 million.

Brito was unemployed at the time after losing his job six months earlier. He’d been playing poker for more than decade when he won a satellite to earn a seat in the Sunday Million. The big win provided a life-changing moment.

“To be honest, it took me a little time to really understand what happened,” he told USPoker.com afterward. “I can only say that it’s a dream that I’m living. I got the big hit that every poker player wants.”

Other players who have added their names to the Sunday Million anniversary winner’s circle include:

  • Luke Vrabel – $848,589 (2013)
  • Brayden Fritzshall – $597,720 (2015)
  • Luis Felipe – $960,000 (2018)

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PokerStars F1 Freeroll, Cash Drops Begin with French Grand Prix; Ronaldo Signs as Ambassador

PokerStars announced two new Red Bull Formula One racing promotions begin Sunday and also signed football star Ronaldo as an ambassador.

The French Grand Prix gets the green flag this Sunday and as an official team partner of Oracle Red Bull Racing, PokerStars is ready to celebrate. The site is launching two online poker rewards for players with a chance at doubling the prize pool.

If Oracle Red Bull finds a victory, players win as well. In other PokerStars news, the company also announced the signing of international football star Ronaldo as a member of Team PokerStars.

Boosted prize pool opportunities at PokerStars

PokerStars recently launched the Embrace the Race Chequered Flag Freeroll. This is a new post-race weekend tournament running every Monday beginning July 25.

Any players who play in the Sunday Million the previous day win entry into the freeroll. Those who attempted to qualify for the tournament the previous week also earn an entry into the tournament.

The tournament features a guarantee of $25,000 in Sunday Million tickets or qualifying tickets. To add some extra excitement, if an Oracle Red Bull Racing driver wins Sunday’s race, Stars will double the prize pool to $50,000.

The site also recently announced the new Pitstop Cash Drop, which launches with the French Grand Prix as well. One randomly chosen PokerStars player across poker, sports, and casino (where available) will receive an instant bonus of $10,000.

That is boosted to $20,000 if Oracle Red Bull achieves a win. As in F1, speed is necessary to win. The lucky player has just 15 minutes to claim the prize. If not claimed, the money rolls over into the next Grand Prix.

Pitstop Cash Drops take place every Tuesday following a race, with the first drop set for July 26. To participate players only have to opt in to the promotion via the Stars software.

The latest promotions highlight the company’s Formula 1 involvement. That’s a trend seen among some operators in recent years as online poker sites work to reach new players.

Stars Casino also celebrates F1 season

Players at PokerStars Casino will also celebrate every F1 race with a new leaderboard format for Casino Races. The leaderboard prize pool doubles during each race weekend.

The races already have a $50,000 prize pool, but on race weekends that doubles to $100,000. To get involved, players can register for free via the Casino Races lobby or Casino Races widget.

They then can play their favorite slots to qualify. Every winning spin awards points and helps players climb the leaderboard.

Sunday Million freeroll added

Beyond these promotions, Stars has also announced a special Sunday Million freeroll this week. The evnt is open to most players on the international platform.

The event will award 50 tickets for the weekly $109 event. The Sunday Million is the oldest weekly online poker tournament with a $1 million guarantee.

Football legend Ronaldo signs Stars partnership

Brazilian football star Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (also known simply as Ronaldo) rejoined PokerStars Tuesday in a renewed partnership focused on his love of poker.

“The poker community can expect to see plenty from Ronaldo throughout the year, including on his Twitch channel where he plans to stream PokerStars tournaments,” the company noted in a news release.

Football superstar Ronaldo has joined Team PokerStars.

The 45-year-old’s career spanned 1993 to 2011 and he retired after scoring 280 goals. During his illustrious career, Ronaldo played for major football clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, and AC Milan.

In international play for Brazil, he also played in 98 matches and scored 62 goals. That was highlighted by helping the team win the World Cup in 2002.

He is now involved in various business interests including serving as president of La Liga club Real Valladolid. He is also the owner of Brazilian club Cruzeiro.

Beyond the pitch, Ronaldo also has a passion for poker. He previously became a member of Team PokerStars in 2013.

Now almost a decade later, he now returns to the company as an ambassador. More information about promotions involving Ronaldo are expected to be released in the coming weeks.  

“I am extremely excited to announce that I am becoming part of the PokerStars family again,” he said. “I have always been a huge fan of the game and look forward to working on some exciting projects in the future. Keep an eye on Ronaldo TV where I’ll be streaming some tournaments soon.”

★★★ Ready to get in the action at PokerStars? Click here for a complete site review with exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ★★★

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Million-Dollar Moments: German Player Tops $10.4M Sunday Million Anniversary at PokerStars

The special 16th edition of the Sunday Million wrapped up on Tuesday at PokerStars with Germany's “Blackbeaty” taking the tile for $931,885

Anniversaries are big events at PokerStars and that continued earlier this week. The 16th edition of the Sunday Million wrapped up on Tuesday with Germany’s “Blackbeaty” taking the tile for $931,885.

The $109 buy-in event is the oldest weekly online tournament with a $1 million guarantee. Stars upped that to $10 million for this prestigious Sunday celebration.

Big winners crowned at PokerStars

When the dust settled on Monday, the tournament ultimately topped the hefty guarantee. The special Sunday Million saw 52,210 entries for a $10.4 million prize pool.

Blackbeaty wasn’t the only player celebrating with the second- and third-place finishers scoring some huge returns on investment as well. Danish player “JanRas1983” took the runner-up position in the tournament for $817,000 after making a deal with the winner.

JanRas turned a $4 Spin & Go into a Sunday Million entry. That win brought an $11 ticket, which the Danish player then used to satellite into the event. JanRas then went on to turn that four bucks into a massive six-figure payday.

Another player aso scored a huge win via a free satellite entry. Brazilian player “ChavesVila” finished third and took home $552,000 after receiving a $20 ticket in a PokerStars Rewards Chest.

Brazilians continue finding some major success in the online poker realm. Four of the final nine players hailed from the land of samba and sun. Here’s a look at all the final table results.

16th Anniversary Sunday Million

FinishPlayerCountryPrize
1BlackbeatyGermany$931,885*
2JanRas1983Denmark$817,235*
3ChavesVilaBrazil$552,126
4Peauker123Belgium$406,954
5EdlisonRTJBrazil$299,952
6bamse25Sweden$221,085
7ajjapasiaUK$162,995
8begines1Brazil$120,108
9NiglesnutsBrazil$88,528
* deal among top two finishers

A busy Sunday and more in the works

PokerStars players may have to wait another year for a special Sunday Million anniversary, However, the million-dollar tournament action continues each week at PokerStars.

Some of the biggest names in poker have competed and won the event through the years. The weekly tournament is open to players of all levels with qualifying events starting at under $1.

The anniversary edition made for a busy Sunday with the GGMasters Overlay Edition also playing out at GGPoker. The two events brought plenty of action for online poker players with more than $15 million awarded between the two events.

 

Client updates include added chip, card designs

In other PokerStars news, the company recently updated its international software client. That came with some additional aesthetic additions for players.

These included a new set of “dark chips” for those seeking something new on the table. Players can also choose cards with larger graphics and text.

This is the sixth card design available for players to choose from. This set is known as the “Kick Off” deck, named after soccer star Neymar Jr.’s branded games of the same name also on the site.

PokerStars has also introduced several new table colors for players to check out. More big events are in the works at the site in the coming weeks.

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PokerStars Announces Two Upcoming Series; Date Set for 16th Anniversary Sunday Million

PokerStars recently announced the return of the 50/50 Series from Jan. 30 – Feb. 6, featuring 50 tournaments all with $50 buy-ins.

Big tournament action never seems to end lately at PokerStars. The site recently announced the return of the 50/50 Series from Jan. 30 – Feb. 6, featuring 50 tournaments all with $50 buy-ins.

Another mini-series is also coming, hosted by a PokerStars ambassador and Twitch streamer. The site also recently announced the date for the anniversary of the Sunday Millions. Here’s a look at what’s ahead for PokerStars.

Inside the PokerStars 50/50 Series

The 50/50 Series brings online poker players plenty of tournaments all at one buy-in level. During the festival, Stars tries to offer a moderate price point for players to take a shot at some nice prize pools. Players looking to try something new can also jump in the action for less.

One highlight on the schedule is the half-price Sunday Million tournament on Jan. 30, with $1 million guaranteed. The Main Event is also set for Feb. 6 and also comes with a $1 million guarantee.

Phase tournaments are also a big part of the schedule, beginning on Jan. 26 and running until the end phase on Jan. 31. These tournaments feature different phases, with players allowed to buy in at different times and eventually work their way into the larger event.

These events allow players to play in the tournament during multiple times. Players can also qualify for the 50/50 series via satellites that start at just $1.10. Here’s a look at the complete schedule.

PokerStars 50/50 Series

DateTournamentBuy-inGuarantee
Jan. 30#01: Series Opener, $150K GTD, Slow$55$150,000
Jan. 30#02: Sunday Freeze PKO, $150K GTD$55$150,000
Jan. 30#03: Half Price Sunday Million , $1m GTD$55$1,000,000
Jan. 30#04: PLO, $30K GTD$55$30,000
Jan. 30#05: Sunday Supreme, $200K GTD$55$200,000
Jan. 30#06: Sunday Chaser , $100K GTD, Turbo$55$100,000
Jan. 30#07: Sunday Wrap-Up, $50K GTD, Hyper$55$50,000
Jan. 31#08: Daily Marathon SE, $60K GTD, Slow$55$60,000
Jan. 31#09: The Eliminator, $100K GTD$55$100,000
Jan. 31#10: Mini Bounty Builder SE, $250K GTD$55$250,000
Jan. 31#11: Monday Hustle, $125K GTD, Semi-Turbo$55$125,000
Jan. 31#12: Heads-Up Total KO, $75K GTD, Turbo$55$75,000
Jan. 31#13: Daily Supersonic SE, $50K GTD, Hyper$55$50,000
Feb. 1#14: Daily Marathon SE, $60K GTD, Slow$55$60,000
Feb. 1#15: NLO8 [Progressive KO], $25K GTD, Turbo$55$25,000
Feb. 1#16: Mini Bounty Builder SE, $200K GTD$55$200,000
Feb. 1#17: Tuesday Supreme, $100K GTD, Semi-Turbo$55$100,000
Feb. 1#18: Fast 7 SE, $100K GTD, Turbo$55$100,000
Feb. 1#19: Tuesday Finisher, $75K GTD, Hyper$55$75,000
Feb. 2#20: Daily Marathon SE, $60K GTD, Slow$55$60,000
Feb. 2#21: Total KO, $75K GTD$55$75,000
Feb. 2#22: Mini Bounty Builder SE, $250K GTD$55$250,000
Feb. 2#23: Wednesday Hustle, $125K GTD, Semi-Turbo$55$125,000
Feb. 2#24: Wednesday Destroyer, $100K GTD, Turbo$55$100,000
Feb. 2#25: Daily Supersonic SE, $50K GTD, Hyper$55$50,000
Feb. 3#26: Daily Marathon SE, $60K GTD, Slow$55$60,000
Feb. 3#27: PLO, $25K GTD$55$25,000
Feb. 3#28: Mini Bounty Builder SE, $250K GTD$55$250,000
Feb. 3#29: Thursday Supreme, $100K GTD, Semi-Turbo$55$100,000
Feb. 3#30: Fast 7 SE, $100K GTD, Turbo$55$100,000
Feb. 3#31: Thursday Finisher, $75K GTD, Hyper$55$75,000
Feb. 4#32: Daily Marathon SE, $60K GTD, Slow$55$60,000
Feb. 4#33: Friday Freeze, $75K GTD$55$75,000
Feb. 4#34: Mini Bounty Builder SE, $200K GTD$55$200,000
Feb. 4#35: Friday Hustle, $100K GTD, Semi-Turbo$55$100,000
Feb. 4#36: NLO8 [Progressive KO], $30K GTD, Turbo$55$30,000
Feb. 450 /50 Series 37: Fast Friday [Late Edition SE], $60K GTD, Turbo$55$60,000
Feb. 5#38: Daily Marathon SE, $60K GTD, Slow$55$60,000
Feb. 5#39: Heads-Up Total KO, $75K GTD, Semi-Turbo$55$75,000
Feb. 5#40: Mini Bounty Builder SE, $200K GTD$55$200,000
Feb. 5#41: Saturday Special, $150K GTD$55$150,000
Feb. 5#42: Fast 7 SE, $100K GTD, Turbo$55$100,000
Feb. 5#43: Daily Supersonic SE, $50K GTD, Hyper$55$50,000
Feb. 6#44: Sunday Marathon SE, $150K GTD, Slow$55$150,000
Feb. 6#45: Mini Bounty Builder SE, $500K GTD$55$500,000
Feb. 6#46: Main PKO, $1m GTD, Slow$55$1,000,000
Feb. 6#47: PLO Main Event, $75K GTD$55$75,000
Feb. 6#48: Sunday Supreme, $200K GTD, Semi-Turbo$55$200,000
Feb. 6#49: Total KO, $100K GTD, Turbo$55$100,000
Feb. 6#50: Series Saver, $150K GTD, Hyper$55$150,000

Lunar New Year also part of tournament mix

The 50/50 Series isn’t the only poker festival on the horizon. PokerStars ambassador and Twitch streamer Georgina “GJReggie” James will help usher in the Lunar New Year with some poker.

James will host a micro-stakes mini-series based on the lunar zodiac and each of the 12 corresponding signs.

“GJ’s Lunar New Year” runs from Feb. 1-6 with an overall guarantee of $50,000. Buy-ins range from $2.20 to $11 for the Tiger Tournament Main Event, which has a guarantee of $20,000.

The schedule features a wide range of games, allowing players to try something new at a lower cost. Players can also look for random drops of fully loaded PokerStars Chests with series tickets randomly dropped from Jan. 31 to Feb. 5. Players simply have to tune in to GJReggie and other PokerStars ambassadors’ Twitch channels.

“Kung Hei Fat Choy! Happy New Year! The Tiger is approaching,” James said of the upcoming series. “The Lunar New Year is a holiday I’ve always celebrated with good food, family, and a little red envelope with money!

“I’m super excited that I get to share these festivities with my community in the form of my very own poker series. Hopefully we can get together and have some fun.”

Here’s a look at the complete series.

GJ’s Lunar New Year 2022

DateBuy-inGameGuarantee
Feb. 1$2.208-Game$2,000
Feb. 1$2.20Hot$3,500
Feb. 2$2.20F/O$2,000
Feb. 2$2.20HORSE$2,000
Feb. 3$2.20HU Zoom TKO$3,000
Feb. 3$2.20PLO8$2,500
Feb. 4$2.20Turbo$2,500
Feb. 4$2.20Time Tourney$2,000
Feb. 5$2.20PLO$3,000
Feb. 5$2.20Hyper$3,500
Feb. 6$5.508-Game$4,000
Feb. 6$11NLHE$20,000

Date set for Sunday Million anniversary

Along with two upcoming series, PokerStars also recently announced the special anniversary running for the Sunday Million. The $215 tournament celebrates its 16th year on March 20 with a $10 million guarantee.

Players can also win a seat for free in satellites that are already underway. The Sunday Million is the longest running weekly online poker tournament featuring a $1 million guarantee.

The winner of the 16th anniversary event will follow in the footsteps of Canadian poker pro and Twitch streamer Vanessa “Niffler” Kade.

Last year, she bested a field of 69,876 entries for the top spot and a $1.5 million payout. PokerStars will announce more details of the event soon .

★★★ Ready to get in the action at PokerStars? Click here for a complete site review with exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ★★★

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PokerStars Promises Bigger Brazilian Series of Poker in March; Special Sunday Million Approaches

The Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) continues online at PokerStars from March 24-29 with 24 tournaments and a $1.5 million guarantee.

A trip to Rio de Janeiro may not be in the works, but PokerStars players can battle it out in Brazil virtually in March. The Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) continues online March 24-29 with 24 tournaments and a $1.5 million guarantee.

Players competing will also earn some nice hardware with all winners take home an official BSOP trophy. It should be another nice series for players around the world on the .COM platform.

PokerStars Brazilian Series of Poker highlights

Buy-ins across the series range from $11 to $530. PokerStars has plenty of satellite opportunities. Players can jump in qualifiers starting at just $0.55 beginning on March 17.

The two-day $215 Main Event highlights the series on March 28 and comes with  a $400,000 guarantee. That’s a $100,000 increase over the previous series.

Players with smaller bankrolls may also want to check out the $22 Mini Main Event on the same day. That event comes with a $115,000 guarantee, offering some nice value for the buy-in.

The $82 Start-Up gets things started on March 24 with a $60,000 guarantee. The $530 High Roller should also attract a nice field with a $90,000 guarantee.

The $11 Big Hit tournament broke records in the last online series for the biggest field in BSOP history. That event attracted 11,417 entries and comes with a $80,000 guarantee this year. Players can look for another big field.

PokerStars massive Sunday Million coming soon

The BSOP is just of several events underway this month on PokerStars platforms. A big part of that is the 15th anniversary of the Sunday Million.

The $215 tournament is set for March 21 and guarantees $12.5 million. The Sunday Million is the longest-running weekly online poker tournament featuring a $1 million guarantee.

PokerStars celebrates 15 years of the Sunday Million on March 21 with a $12.5 million guarantee.

This special event should attract a huge field looking for plenty of extra value. The site has also been giving away more than $500,000 in tournament tickets through various promotions.

In 2020, Brazil’s Alex “AAAArthur” Brito came out on top for $1.1 million after a four-way deal.

The tournament brought in 60,897 players and 93,015 total entries. That accounted for a final prize pool of $18.6 million – the biggest Sunday Million ever.

Will the 2021 version eclipse that total? That remains to be seen but some major cash should again be on the line.

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13th Anniversary Sunday Million Going Big with $10 Million Prize Pool and $1 Million First Prize

PokerStars‘ vaunted Sunday Million tournament will mark its 13th anniversary on April 14. To celebrate, PokerStars is bumping the guarantees into the stratosphere.

For the milestone edition of the tournament, the guarantee will increase by order of magnitude to $10 million. Part of that bump will be a first-prize guarantee of $1 million.

In other words, the Sunday Million’s 13th birthday will create a brand-new millionaire. Needless to say, there’s a lot of excitement surrounding the upcoming event.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of this poker milestone,” said Severin Rasset, PokerStars Director of Poker Innovation and Operations, in a statement. “(B)ut the credit goes to all of the poker lovers out there who have made the Sunday Million happen nearly every week for the past 13 years, so we hope to see them at the tables on April 14.”

Sunday Million has lived up to its name for more than a decade

PokerStars’ Sunday Million has been one of the more prominent online tournaments since before Black Friday. The simple promise of a big tournament for a relatively small price has generated a loyal following for the weekly event.

The inaugural Sunday Million occurred on March 4, 2006. Since then, PokerStars has hosted more than 600 iterations of the tournament.

That first tournament eclipsed the guarantee and generated a prize pool worth $1,178,600. The alliteratively named Canadian player “aaaaaaaa” took first prize in that event for $173,843.50.

The anniversary tournament in April is hardly the first time that PokerStars has raised the prize pool to nosebleed heights. The tournament to commemorate PokerStars’ 10th anniversary remains the largest in Sunday Million’s history.

In that event, more than 62,000 entrants combined to create a $12,423,000 prize pool. Kyle “First-Eagle” Weir took the grand prize on that day in 2011, winning more than $1.1 million for his $215 investment.

PokerStars recently halved the price, but not for the usual reason

The Sunday Million’s $215 buy-in has become part of the tournament’s signature over the years. So, PokerStars’ decision to cut the price in half in January seemed quite shocking.

For most businesses, a price reduction would tend to suggest that the product was not selling at a high enough level. However, that seemed not to be the case for the Sunday Million.

In actuality, the price drop occurred for a different reason. As part of its new recreational player-centric ethos, PokerStars wanted its marquee tournament simply to be more accessible to the public.

Naturally, slicing the buy-in in half means that twice as many players must compete to meet the guarantee each week.  So far, PokerStars has not had trouble doing so, but making a $10 million promise will be difficult, regardless of the buy-in level.

Still, PokerStars is the worldwide leader for traffic for a reason. So, if any site were to eclipse that figure, it would be PokerStars.

Make sure to play the upcoming anniversary tournament if you can. There’s going to be a ton of money floating around.