PokerStars Ontario has revealed that it’ll host its flagship knockout pageant, the Bounty Builder Collection, a transfer that might mark the ultimate match collection on the present PokerStars shopper earlier than gamers transition to a brand new platform.
Earlier this week, the operator confirmed that its software program for PokerStars US and Ontario will merge with that of its sister model, FanDuel, the US sportsbook large.
The Bounty Builder Collection (BBS) will run completely for Ontario on-line poker gamers. The pageant carries C$750,000 in assured prize cash and can happen from March 13 to March 23. In complete, the schedule contains 47 tournaments with buy-ins beginning at C$20 and going as much as C$100.
The Principal Occasion incorporates a C$100,000 assure and is ready to happen on March 22. The match comes with a C$250 buy-in and headlines the closing weekend of the collection. Complementing the match lineup is a leaderboard promotion distributing an extra C$5,000 in prizes to top-performing gamers throughout the pageant.
Apparently, no equal collection has been introduced for PokerStars US on the time of writing. Usually, when PokerStars launches a promotion or match collection in North America, it runs related campaigns throughout each the US and Ontario networks, usually providing comparable schedules or parallel promotions.
This time, nevertheless, the BBS is being supplied solely to Ontario gamers. That call stands out given the developments at the moment going down inside PokerStars’ North American operations. It additionally raises the chance that this might be the ultimate match pageant held on the prevailing PokerStars platform for gamers in Ontario.
PokerStars FanDuel Merger Confirmed
On Tuesday, PokerStars confirmed a serious change affecting its US and Ontario networks. The long-discussed integration with FanDuel has now been formally confirmed, and the transition to the brand new platform is predicted to happen quickly.
As a part of the plan, PokerStars Pennsylvania gamers will lastly be part of the operator’s shared liquidity community that at the moment connects New Jersey and Michigan. As soon as that occurs, gamers from all three states will compete in the identical community for the primary time, growing match subject sizes and money recreation liquidity throughout the regulated US on-line poker market.
Much more notable is the arrival of a very new poker platform linked to the FanDuel platform. The product might be branded as “*PokerStars Solely on FanDuel*.” Underneath this setup, the present PokerStars poker shopper used within the US and Ontario might be retired. Gamers will as an alternative entry poker by way of a brand new platform that mixes FanDuel’s sportsbook and on line casino choices, with all merchandise working underneath a single pockets system.
Whereas many particulars concerning the new poker software program haven’t but been revealed, preview movies out there on the PokerStars Solely on FanDuel hub web page present a primary have a look at the interface. The gameplay tables seem similar to PokerStars’ acquainted design, although a number of additions will be seen. One of many extra noticeable options is a built-in HUD built-in straight into the shopper.
The previews additionally point out that PokerStars’ iconic Sunday Million match will make its debut within the regulated US market, alongside well-liked codecs akin to Zoom money video games and Spin & Go tournaments.
Why No Bounty Builder Collection for US Gamers?
Given these developments, the choice to run the Bounty Builder Collection solely in Ontario turns into much more fascinating.
One potential clarification is that PokerStars intends to attend earlier than operating a serious collection for US gamers till after the transition to the FanDuel platform is full. As soon as that transfer occurs, operators will be capable to run festivals the place gamers from New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are all competing in the identical pool, which ought to naturally produce bigger prize swimming pools and fields.
For Ontario gamers, nevertheless, the transfer to the brand new platform won’t change the liquidity state of affairs. Even after the transition, Ontario will stay a ring-fenced market, which means its participant pool will keep separate from each the US shared community and the worldwide dot-com platform.
Timing can also be an element. Indicators counsel that the PokerStars–FanDuel transition will occur earlier within the US than in Ontario.
Though PokerStars has not revealed an actual launch date for the brand new platform, upcoming modifications to rewards and on line casino options counsel that the rollout is approaching.
Based on the FAQ part on the PokerStars Solely on FanDuel webpage, PokerStars US Rewards will shut down on March 13, whereas On line casino Progressive Jackpots might be eliminated on April 1. In Ontario, the timeline is completely different: the top date for the Rewards program has not but been introduced, and Progressive Jackpots are scheduled to be withdrawn later, on Could 5. The sequence of those modifications means that the US migration will doubtless occur earlier than Ontario’s.
On condition that timeline, PokerStars could merely want to attend earlier than operating one other collection for US gamers. When the brand new platform launches, the operator may as an alternative introduce one in all its flagship Championship of On-line Poker (COOP) festivals to mark the event or a celebratory collection, profiting from the newly unified US participant pool and the brand new platform.
Ontario gamers will doubtless see that very same COOP branding in some unspecified time in the future as properly. Nonetheless, for the reason that province’s migration could happen later, it is smart for PokerStars to run the Bounty Builder Collection now whereas the present platform continues to be totally in place.
BBS Ontario Collection Particulars
Coming again to the collection itself, the BBS schedule options a variety of bounty codecs. These embody Progressive Knockouts (PKOs), Thriller Bounty occasions, Complete Knockouts — the place your complete buy-in contributes to the bounty pool — and Massive Knockouts, through which 75% of the buy-in is allotted to bounties.
PKO tournaments make up the majority of the schedule, whereas Thriller Bounty occasions account for just a little greater than half a dozen tournaments. When it comes to desk format, each occasion runs both 6-handed, 7-handed, or 8-handed, except one match that’s performed in a heads-up format. The collection additionally contains 4 Zoom tournaments.
As is typical with PokerStars pageant schedules, the lineup extends past No-Restrict Maintain’em. Gamers can even discover Pot-Restrict Omaha, 5-Card PLO, Pot-Restrict Omaha Hello/Lo, and even a combined format rotating between NLHE and PLO.
The Principal Occasion runs within the PKO format and carries a C$250 buy-in. Alongside it sits the Mini Principal Occasion, which incorporates a C$50 buy-in and C$27,500 in assured prize cash. There may be additionally a Section Principal Occasion with a number of beginning flights, providing a decrease entry level with a C$20 buy-in and a C$25,000 assure.
Along with the tournaments themselves, the collection might be supported by a leaderboard promotion. Gamers earn the identical variety of factors for each knockout recorded throughout the pageant. As soon as the collection concludes, the ten gamers with the very best level totals will cut up C$5,000 in prize cash. The general leaderboard winner will obtain C$1,500, whereas the participant ending in tenth place will nonetheless stroll away with C$125.
