Another Record Falls as PokerStars Players Championship Hots Up

January 7th, 2019 | by Greg Shaun

PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) has become a record-breaker with time left to spare after more than 1,000 players sat down for Day 1 of the $25,000 event.

PokerStars No Limit Hold'em Championship

PokerStars sets another record as more than 1,000 players fill the Atlantis Resort & Casino. (Image: Casino Global Club)

Even though the registration desks remained opened until the start of Day 2 on January 7, PokerStars’ marquee high roller has etched its name into the history books after its opening flight. According to the live reports, 1,014 runners anted-up to play for a share of the $25 million+ prizepool.

12-Year-Old Record Falls

In tempting 1,014 players to sit down inside the Atlantis Resort & Casino, Bahamas, PokerStars has surpassed the previous record set by the World Poker Tour (WPT). Back before the events of Black Friday rocked the industry in 2011, the 2007 WPT Championship made the headlines by attracting 639 entrants.

With that target in sight, PokerStars added $9 million to the prizepool and gave 320 Platinum Pass winners, including Arlie Shaban, a chance to play alongside the game’s high rollers. In doing that, the operator has not only broken the record for the biggest ever $25,000 tournament but ensured the winner gets at least $5 million.

Leading the race for the biggest prize ever PokerStars payout at the close of Day 1 was Talal Shakerchi. A regular on the high stakes scene, the Englishman bagged 425,300 chips to end the session ahead of Dan O’Brien (301,200) and Alexis Gavin (267,000) and Platinum Pass winner Andrei Kurov (260,400).

PokerStars Event Shows Poker is Booming

In attracting a record crowd featuring celebrities such as Bruch Buffer, PokerStars has shown that the industry is alive and kicking. Although online poker isn’t as buoyant as it was during the early noughties, tournament fields have rebounded in recent years.

Following a downturn after Black Friday, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) rebounded and broke numerous records in 2018. In tandem with side events raising the bar, the $10,000 Main Event was the biggest since 2006.

By welcoming 7,874 players, the championship event stood as a sign that poker is in a state of recovery. At the start of 2019, the PSPC has continued this trend and shown once again that industry is on its way back up.

As well as being a positive for the game as a whole, the PSPC is another feather in PokerStars’ cap. After watching its main rival Partypoker host the largest online MTT in history just before Christmas, the operator has responded in the best way possible by breaking yet another attendance record.