PokerStars Ups the Ante by Cutting Sunday Million Buy-In

Jason Reynolds

3 years ago

PokerStars has added more value to its Sunday Million and struck another blow to Partypoker’s ambitions of becoming the industry’s top online MTT provider.

Players can now reach a Sunday Million final table and win $100,000+ for just $109. (Image: PokerStars)

Announced on January 21, PokerStars has slashed the price of its long-running tournament from $215 to $109. In cutting the entrance, the operator will need to attract at least 10,000 buy-ins each week to avoid an overlay.

Despite that lofty target, PokerStars’ tournament team believes its current playerpool is ready to support the change.

“The PokerStars Sunday schedule has always had the players in mind. Events like the $22 Mini Million and the $11 Sunday Storm have proven immensely popular. Meanwhile the new High Roller Club has quickly become a place for high stakes players to play,” reads the January press release.

Super Sunday Schedule

Although the buy-in will be reduced by almost 50 percent, the guaranteed prizepool will remain $1 million. What’s more, those taking part in the Sunday Million won’t see any major changes to the structure.

To ensure the weekly MTT doesn’t turn into a crapshoot, the following conditions will be in place:

The Sunday Million will start at 6pm UTC.
Late registration will remain open for 3.15 hours.
The starting stack remains 10,000 chips.
Opening blinds will be 25/25 plus an ante of five chips.
Levels will be 12 minutes long.

In the past, PokerStars has tinkered with the Sunday Million structure. To celebrate the tournament’s ninth anniversary, the prizepool was increased to $9 million.

This trend has continued in recent years, with the 12^th anniversary in 2018 giving away at least $10 million. However, the price cut is the most significant change since the first Sunday Million went live in 2006.

PokerStars Stamps Its Authority Over Rivals

By permanently reducing the buy-in to $109, PokerStars is not only opening up the tournament to more players but adding new dimensions to its online offering. With Partypoker nipping at its heels, the site has released a number of innovations in recent months.

In addition to a virtual reality platform, it officially rolled out 6+ Hold’em games on January 15. Essentially a short deck version of traditional Hold’em, the new cash game tables can be played for free or real stakes.

Through this combination of software updates and added value, PokerStars is bidding to stamp its authority on the industry and its closest rival.