PokerStars is wrapping up 2024 and setting the tone for the coming 12 months with the massive New Year Series. The online poker giant is hosting a an action-packed festival between December 22 and January 14 that has a quite astonishing $35 million in combined guaranteed prize pools.
The New Year Series follows in the footsteps of the Spring Championship Of Online Poker (SCOOP) and World Championship Of Online Poker (WCOOP) in that most of the 160 numbered events have low, medium, and high buy-in tiers. By the time the final event crowns its worthy champion, some 352 New Year Series tournaments will be done and dusted, and at least $35 million awarded.
Players will be put to the ultimate test during the New Year Series, with tournaments featuring several formats and variants, including No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha variants, H.O.R.S.E., Stud, 8-Game, and more. Tournament types include freezeouts, re-entries, progressive knockouts (PKOs), mystery bounties, and everything else you can think of. The New Year Series will be a poker festival to remember.
A Trio of New Year Series Main Events and New Year Specials
Try not to overindulge on New Year’s Eve because three New Year’s Special Tournaments run on January 1. These no-limit hold’em events have buy-ins playing on 2025, and guarantees of $300,000 or $500,000.
- Low: $20.25 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed
- Medium: $202.50 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed
- High: $2,025 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed
Three New Year Series Main Events shuffle up and deal on January 12, each boasting a $1 million guarantee on its prize pool. They have buy-ins of $109, $1,050, and $5,200, and each has a plethora of satellites feeding into it.
Stay tuned to PokerNews over the festive period for more information about these six must-play New Year Series tournaments.
Take Aim at PokerStars Ambassadors During the Red Spade Open
Keep 12:05 p.m. ET on December 22 free because that’s when the cards are in the air in the $55 Red Spade Open. PokerStars ambassadors will enter the mix with a special bounty on their heads, waiting for you to eliminate them and claim their special prizes. Bust one of the PokerStars ambassadors from the Red Spade Open, and you’ll receive:
- $109 New Year Series Main Event Low ticket
- $202.50 New Year Special Medium ticket
- A Spraggy throwable
- Entry to an All-In Shootout where 5x $1,050 New Year Series Main Event Medium tickets are guaranteed
Seven members of Team PokerStars are confirmed to be playing, with more to be confirmed in the coming days. So far, the following PokerStars Pros will be entering the Red Spade Open:
- Lex “L. Veldhuis” Veldhuis
- Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg
- Fintan “easywithaces” Hand
- Marle “MarlzTV” Spragg
- Nick “Nicholas Walsh” Walsh
- Rory “ChelseaRory” Jenkins
- Adam “adammckola” McKola
Please note: Players in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden are ineligible for Red Spade Open bounties.
The Million Dollar Ticket Machine Will Award $1M in New Year Series Tickets
PokerStars’ generosity is there for all to see in the Million Dollar Ticket Machine. As the name suggests, this special promotion will dish out $1 million worth of New Year Series tickets, doing so between December 9 and January 6.
A daily raffle takes place between those dates, and every PokerStars player receives a ticket once they log into their account. There’s also a weekly raffle where you can have up to four raffle entries depending on how much you contribute to the cash game rake or pay in tournament fees.
- Between $5 and $9.99 – one raffle entry to the next draw
- Between $10-$24.99 – a second raffle entry to the next draw
- Between $25-$69.99 – a third raffle entry to the next draw
- More than $70 – a fourth raffle entry to the next draw
Weekly draws take place on Mondays, December 16, 23, and 30, with a fourth and final draw on January 6.
Inaugural Power Path Open
December 29 sees the inaugural Power Path Open take place. Capped at 1,000 entrants, the Power Path Open costs $109 to enter, or you can use a Bronze Pass to get in on the action. This special event pays the top 165 finishers, with 150 receiving a Sunday Million Anniversary ticket, 10 getting their hands on $2,500 Silver Passes, and the top four finishers receiving a $10,300 Gold Pass!
PokerStars Launches “Take Your Shot” Ticket Bundles
Silver and Gold Pass winners have always been able to redeem those passes for a bundle of online tickets. However, for the New Year Series and beyond, Silver and Gold Pass winners can redeem their passes for a “Take Your Shot” online ticket bundle that contains more high-value tickets than the traditional bundle.
For example, a typical Silver Pass online ticket bundle contains 4x $215 tickets, 6x $109 tickets, 8x $55 tickets, 15x, $22 tickets, 18x $11 tickets, and $18 worth of tournament dollars. The Take Your Shot edition awards 2x $1,050 tickets, 3x $109 tickets, and $73 in tournament dollars.
Similarly, the standard Gold Pass ticket bundle awards 3x $1,050 tickets, 6x $530 tickets, 22x $109 tickets, 20x $55 tickets, 20x $22 tickets, and $32 in tournament dollars. This bundle’s Take Your Shot version sees your PokerStars account credited with 6x $1,050 tickets, 4x $530 tickets, 4x $215 tickets, 9x $109 tickets, and $39 worth of tournament dollars.
These new bundles give you the choice of playing more volume or for higher stakes, giving you more flexibility than ever before.
This flexibility continues into Power Path Live Bundles. You can now use Silver and Gold Passes how you wish. You can choose to play a single event and keep the rest of the pass’s value for expenses or use the entire amount on live event buy-ins. Work with the Live Events Player Liaison team to build your dream package.
Stay Tuned to PokerNews
As always, PokerNews is the place to be if you want to stay abreast of the latest online and live poker-related news, including the upcoming $35 million guaranteed New Year Series. In the coming weeks, we’ll bring you all the ways to qualify for the biggest New Year Series tournaments, the best value promotions, and much more, so stay tuned!