The PokerStars Summer Festival is underway with two months of action-packed poker and casino festivities for PokerStars US players in New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania running through the end of July.
Among the headlining festivities is Summer Stacks – a fantastic poker tournament series for low to mid-stakes players with buy-ins ranging from $10 to $100 from June 9 to June 26.
With 100 events on each of the PokerStars NJ-MI and PokerStars PA networks and $2.75 million in total guaranteed prize pools, there are plenty of offerings for players from those states to join in on the fun.
Through the first 17 events on PokerStars PA and the first 17 events on PokerStars NJ/MI, there have been over 13,000 total entrants across the opening 34 total events. With $574K in guaranteed prize money in those tournaments, that amount’s been smashed with $658K up for grabs in those early events.
Here’s a look at some of the series’ highlights so far.
Summer Stacks in Full Swing
Summer Stacks Event #12: $30 NLHE [Progressive KO, Sunday Warm Up] had $5K GTD in PA and $7.5K GTD in NJ/MI. Both those amounts were smashed, with 380 entrants forming a $10,374 prize pool in PA for more than double the guarantee, while a 479-entrant field generated a $13,076.70 prize pool on the NJ/MI platform.
“HuddyHeff2020” took the lion’s share in PA for $742 plus $1,348.98 in bounties, and “whynot138” took the top prize in the NJ/MI version for $907.33 plus $1,300.33 in bounties.
One of the first highly anticipated events of the series was Summer Stacks Event #13: $100 NLHE [Sunday Special – Sunglasses Event], featuring an $80K guarantee in NJ/MI and a $70K guarantee in PA.
The NJ/MI platform saw a whopping 910 entrants flock to the virtual felt to generate a prize pool of $83,538 paid out to the top 127 places. “Soular861” finished atop the standings following a three-way deal to earn $11,114.22.
The PA version had a small overlay with 684 entrants fighting for a piece of the $70,000 prize pool paid to the top 95 places. “jchambs26” claimed the top prize of $11,026.33 following a heads-up deal.
Assorted Early Summer Stacks Winners
| Date | Platform | Event | Entrants | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9-Jun | PokerStars MI-NJ | 01: $20 NLHE [Mini Nightly Summer], $6K GTD | 531 | $9,664.20 | “GForce78NJ” | $1,708.94 |
| 9-Jun | PokerStars PA | 01: $20 NLHE [Mini Nightly Summer], $4K GTD | 371 | $6,752.20 | “sbmcz1497′ | $1,229.95 |
| 9-Jun | PokerStars MI-NJ | 02: $50 NLHE [Nightly Grant], $12.5K GTD | 346 | $15,743 | “cncly1314” | $2,906.49 |
| 9-Jun | PokerStars PA | 02: $50 NLHE [Nightly Grant], $10K GTD | 302 | $13,741 | “jreid106” | $2,605.28 |
| 10-Jun | PokerStars MI-NJ | 07: $50 NLHE [Nightly Grant], $12.5K GTD | 270 | $12,500 | “Coolriver84” | $2,191.66 |
| 10-Jun | PokerStars PA | 07: $50 NLHE [Nightly Grant], $10K GTD | 196 | $10,000 | “ValueBluffRiver” | $1,986.63 |
| 10-Jun | PokerStars MI-NJ | 08: $50 NLHE [Nightly Grant PKO], $10K GTD | 287 | $13,058.50 | “FotoVoltaics” | $2,807.05 |
| 10-Jun | PokerStars PA | 08: $50 NLHE [Nightly Grant PKO], $8.5K GTD | 285 | $12,967.50 | “Mike_Larkin” | $2,371.32 |
| 11-Jun | PokerStars MI-NJ | 12: $30 NLHE [Sunday Warm Up PKO], $7.5K GTD | 479 | $13,076.70 | “whynot138” | $2,207.66 |
| 11-Jun | PokerStars PA | 12: $30 NLHE [Sunday Warm Up PKO], $7.5K GTD | 380 | $10,374 | “HuddyHeff2020” | $2,090.98 |
| 12-Jun | PokerStars MI-NJ | 13: $100 NLHE [Sunday Special], $80K GTD | 910 | $83,538 | “Soular861” | $11,114.22 |
| 12-Jun | PokerStars PA | 13: $100 NLHE [Sunday Special], $70K GTD | 684 | $70,000 | “jchambs26” | $11,026.33 |
With events running through June 26, there’s still time to get in on the excitement with hundreds of thousands of dollars in guaranteed prize pools on the way. Additionally, players can win exclusive merchandise as a “trophy” in select events, including the Main Event.
The $100 Main Events will be two-day tournaments starting on June 25th, with a $100,000 guarantee in Pennsylvania and a $125,000 guarantee in the merged market of Michigan and New Jersey.
Upcoming Summer Stacks Series Highlights
| Date | Time | Platform | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-Jun | 18:00 ET | PokerStars MI-NJ | $100 NLHE Deepstack Special, $65K Gtd |
| 18-Jun | 18:00 ET | PokerStars PA | $100 NLHE Deepstack Special, $65K Gtd |
| 25-Jun | 18:00 ET | PokerStars MI-NJ | $100 NLHE Main Event, $125K Gtd |
| 25-Jun | 18:00 ET | PokerStars PA | $100 NLHE Main Event, $100K Gtd |
| 25-Jun | 18:30 ET | PokerStars MI-NJ | $30 NLHE Mini Main Event, $30K Gtd |
| 25-Jun | 18:30 ET | PokerStars PA | $30 NLHE Mini Main Event, $25K Gtd |
| 25-Jun | 20:00 ET | PokerStars MI-NJ | $50 NLHE Turbo Main Second Chance, $40K Gtd |
| 25-Jun | 20:00 ET | PokerStars PA | $50 NLHE Turbo Main Second Chance, $35K Gtd |
Bonus Bonanza & More
Bonus Bonanza runs June 13-19 and will offer 100,000 free spins to players in Michigan, 100,000 free spins to players in Pennsylvania, and 10,000 free spins to those in New Jersey.
All you need to do to grab a piece of the promo is opt in and wager at least $10 on slots during the week to complete the challenge. The number of bonus spins awarded to each player at the end of the week depends on how many players complete the challenge.
Head over to PokerStars blog for updates with more information on additional Summer Festival events and chances to win some epic prizes in the coming weeks.