PokerStars PA has been on fire lately, and they show no signs of slowing down. For their next trick, the lone online poker operator in Pennsylvania is set to debut the Summer Series.
The concept isn’t new. The global PokerStars site is currently running its own version of the Summer Series, and PokerStars NJ ran one last year – in August. This time around, both PA and NJ get in on the action.
Summer Series PA guarantees $750K in prize pools
The 11-day series kicks off on Thursday, June 18 and guarantees a total of $750,000 in prize pools. The NJ version will pay out at least $500,000.
The PA Summer Series features 38 tournaments, ranging in buy-ins from $20 up to $500 for a High Roller event on Wednesday, June 24. The $200 Main Event and $50 Mini-Main take place on Sunday, June 28. Those come with guarantees of $150,000 and $25,000 respectively.
The majority of the events are of the no-limit hold’em variety, with four pot-limit Omaha and one Omaha hi/lo event. A whopping 12 of the 38 tournaments are progressive knock-out events.
PokerStars riding the online poker spike in PA
Online poker traffic has reached record heights during the past few months as casinos and other non-essential businesses remained closed as part of efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus. The spike is evident in recent revenue figures posted by PokerStars PA.
Following a record high $3.1 million revenue in March, PokerStars pulled in nearly $5.3 million in April. May numbers, which are expected out soon, should be on par with April.
In what is usually a slower time for online poker (summer), live poker rooms in Pennsylvania remain closed until further notice. That is even as land-based casinos in the state begin reopening one by one. According to the PGCB casino reopening safety protocols: “Poker rooms are not authorized to operate due to players handling cards and chips.”
That adds up to continued high demand for the indoor online poker grind.
PokerStars PA is keeping up with that demand. Having already run four successful tournament series since its early November, 2019 debut, they ran a one-off tournament called Pennsyl-MANIA. The event crushed its $250k guarantee, creating a prize pool of $515,964. PokerStars undoubtedly hopes to carry that momentum into the Summer Series.
Below, find the full PokerStars PA Summer Series schedule. Note: All events are no-limit hold’em (NLHE) and 9-handed unless otherwise specified.
PokerStars PA Summer Series Schedule
| Date | Time | Tournament/buy-in | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, June 18 | 7 p.m. | $100 Summer Series Kick-Off [8-Max] | $30,000 |
| Thursday, June 18 | 7:30 p.m. | $20 Summer Series Mini Kick-Off [8-Max] | $7,500 |
| Thursday, June 18 | 8 p.m. | $200 Thursday Thrill SE [Progressive KO] | $25,000 |
| Thursday, June 18 | 8:30 p.m. | $30 Mini Thrill [Progressive KO] | $12,500 |
| Thursday, June 18 | 9 p.m. | $75 NLHE 8-Max | $10,000 |
| Friday, June 19 | 8 p.m. | $50 Escalating Antes | $10,000 |
| Friday, June 19 | 10 p.m. | $20 NLHE 6-Max | $6,000 |
| Saturday, June 20 | 4 p.m. | $100 NLHE 6-Max | $20,000 |
| Saturday, June 20 | 7:30 p.m. | $50 PLO 6-Max | $5,000 |
| Saturday, June 20 | 10 p.m. | $75 Progressive KO [8-Max] | $7,500 |
| Sunday, June 21 | 4 p.m. | $75 NLHE 6-Max | $20,000 |
| Sunday, June 21 | 6 p.m. | $100 Sunday Special SE | $100,000 |
| Sunday, June 21 | 6:30 p.m. | $25 Mini Special | $15,000 |
| Sunday, June 21 | 8 p.m. | $75 Progressive KO [8-Max] | $12,500 |
| Sunday, June 21 | 10 p.m. | $50 Sunday Supersonic SE | $10,000 |
| Monday, June 22 | 7 p.m. | 20 NLHE 4-Max | $7,500 |
| Monday, June 22 | 8 p.m. | $50 Battle Royale SE [Progressive KO, 6-Max] | $15,000 |
| Monday, June 22 | 9 p.m. | $75 NLHE 8-Max | $7,500 |
| Tuesday, June 23 | 7 p.m. | $200 Super Tuesday SE | $35,000 |
| Tuesday, June 23 | 7:30 p.m. | $20 Mini Super Tuesday | $15,000 |
| Tuesday, June 23 | 9 p.m. | $50 Progressive KO [8-Max] | $7,500 |
| Wednesday, June 24 | 7 p.m. | $50 NLHE 6-Max | $10,000 |
| Wednesday, June 24 | 8 p.m. | $500 High Roller [6-Max] | $35,000 |
| Wednesday, June 24 | 9 p.m. | $20 PLO 8-Max [Progressive KO] | $5,000 |
| Thursday, June 25 | 7 p.m. | $200 Thursday Thrill SE [Progressive KO] | $30,000 |
| Thursday, June 25 | 7:30 p.m. | $20 Mini Thrill [Progressive KO] | $15,000 |
| Thursday, June 25 | 9 p.m. | $100 NLHE 6-Max | $12,500 |
| Friday, June 26 | 7 p.m. | $50 NL Omaha Hi/Lo [6-Max] | $5,000 |
| Friday, June 26 | 8 p.m. | $100 NLHE 6-Max [Progressive KO] | $25,000 |
| Friday, June 26 | 9 p.m. | $20 NLHE 8-Max | $5,000 |
| Saturday, June 27 | 5 p.m. | $30 NLHE | $7,500 |
| Saturday, June 27 | 8 p.m. | $100 NLHE 8-Max [Progressive KO] | $20,000 |
| Saturday, June 27 | 9 p.m. | $50 PLO 6-Max | $3,500 |
| Sunday, June 28 | 2 p.m. | $20 NLHE 6-Max [Progressive KO] | $10,000 |
| Sunday, June 28 | 5 p.m. | $200 Main Event | $150,000 |
| Sunday, June 28 | 6 p.m. | $50 Mini Main | $25,000 |
| Sunday, June 28 | 8 p.m. | $100 PLO 6-Max | $10,000 |
| Sunday, June 28 | 9 p.m. | $75 Series Wrap-Up [8-Max] | $10,000 |
