PokerStars Ontario has restructured its weekly tournament schedule following the conclusion of the Summer Stacks series.
These changes, which went into effect earlier this week, are permanent, pokerfuse understands.
Arlie Shaban, a PokerStars Ontario ambassador, announced the new schedule and shared his win in the inaugural Super Tuesday via a tweet on X.
While PokerStars has not disclosed the exact details of the schedule changes, players have observed the removal of a few daily tournaments, the addition of new ones, reduced guarantees in some events, adjustments to the time slots of major Sunday tournaments, and a reduction in the number of re-entries allowed in some tournaments.
PokerStars has stated they will monitor the performance of these changes and make adjustments as needed. They believe the new schedule will promote a healthier ecology and improve guarantees across other key tournaments.
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The initial response from Ontario poker players has been mostly negative. While some players welcomed the reduction in re-entries, they questioned the removal of daily tournaments that were consistently meeting their guarantees. For instance, one player questioned the logic behind removing the Daily $500 High Roller, which was meeting its guarantees. He was also surprised to see the removal of the Brawl tournament, which did not overlay.
PokerStars defended the decision, stating that the Daily High Rollers with $500 buy-ins have been consolidated into $250 events on Tuesday and Thursday.
Others criticized the new schedule for lacking sufficient mid and high-stakes tournaments and questioned the decision to replace them with micro tournaments.
In response to a player who commented that the new schedule is weak, Arlie Shaban said, “We’re taking any and all feedback and passing it along to the team at PokerStars Ontario.”
Online poker operators often tweak the tournament schedule based on seasonality. During the summer, online poker activity usually slows down and surges during the winter. As a result, operators typically adjust tournament guarantees accordingly. Other Ontario online poker rooms like BetMGM Ontario, GGPoker Ontario, and 888poker Ontario also make regular changes to their game offerings.
However, players are questioning PokerStars need to reduce guarantees for tournaments that were already meeting their targets.
Despite the changes, the PokerStars Ontario tournament schedule still features over 300 tournaments weekly.
The Sunday Special on July 7 offers a CAD $35,000 guarantee, the largest in the schedule, while the Sunday Super High Roller with a $500 buy-in boasts a CAD $30,000 guarantee. The $100 Thursday Thrill and the newly added $250 Thursday Thrill High Roller both promise CAD $10,000, and the $250 Sunday High Roller guarantees CAD $14,000.
Mixed games and other variants, such as Lowball, Badugi, HORSE, and 8-Game — which are exclusively offered on PokerStars Ontario, remain part of the weekly tournament schedule.
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Mystery Bounty MTTs Soon to be Part of Weekly Schedule?
PokerStars Ontario can soon expect to see Mystery Bounty tournaments become part of its daily tournament offerings. Recently, the operator introduced this format during the Summer Stacks Series. Only one Mystery Bounty tournament ran, smashing its guarantees. With a CAD $60,000 guarantee for a $100 buy-in, it attracted 949 entrants, creating a prize pool of CAD $87,118.20.
Mystery Bounty is an exciting tournament format that is hugely popular among both recreational players and regulars. In this format, bounties are concealed and are only revealed once a player has been eliminated.
This format has become a sensation, with almost every online poker room introducing it. In Ontario, besides PokerStars, 888poker and GGPoker (WSOP Ontario) also offer Mystery Bounty tournaments. BetMGM Poker remains the only operator that does not offer this format.
Considering the format’s popularity, more changes can be expected in the tournament schedule, including the debut of daily Mystery Bounty tournaments soon.