PokerStars recently tested a new tournament format, bringing its popular online Spin & Go innovation to the live poker scene at the EPT Barcelona festival.
The first-ever live MTT Spin & Go event took place on August 26 and 27, featuring 27 invited players, primarily from Spain and Italy — two key markets where Spin & Go tournaments are especially popular. A couple of participants from Portugal also joined the exclusive event.
We are aiming to provide Spin and Go regulars with opportunities for visibility and recognition within the poker community.
The format closely followed the online jackpot sit & go structure (called PokerStars Spin & Go) , with the event set up as 3-handed Hyper Turbo Sit & Go games. The 27 players were divided into nine tables, with the tournament progressing through three phases: the First Heat, Second Heat, and Final Heat. In the opening phase, players at each table competed in multiple games, with the table concluding when one player won five games.
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Winners from the First Heat advanced to the Second Heat, where the competition was reduced to three tables. The first player to win seven games at each table moved on to the Final Heat, where the goal was to be the first to win nine game wins to claim the title.
Live Spin & Go MTT Test Format Breakdown:
- 3-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Sit & Go
- 27 players divided into 9 tables
- Tournament divided into three rounds
- Blinds go up every 4 minutes
- First to win a specified number of games enters the next round
- Qualify through rake races, no direct buy-in involved
- Winner gets a trophy on top of the first-place prize
Similar to its online counterpart, the blinds increased rapidly. Initially, blind levels were set at three minutes, but based on player feedback, they were extended to four minutes. The structure was also tweaked with the addition of a new blind level in the Second Heat. Each round lasted approximately two to three hours.
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The total prize pool for the test event was €24,000. The winner received €10,000 and a trophy, while the runner-up earned €5,000, and the third-place finisher took home €3,000. Players who placed 4th to 9th each won €1,000. In the end, Damian Barrosso Gomez from Spain emerged victorious, winning €10,000 and the trophy in this first-ever Spin & Go MTT live event.
Payout for the Inaugural Live Spin & Go MTT at EPT Barcelona:
- 1st: €10,000
- 2nd: €5,000
- 3rd: €3,000
- 4th – 9th: €1,000
Spin & Go World Championship to Debut at EPT Prague
According to PokerStars, the recent Spin & Go experiment at EPT Barcelona was a success and part of a larger plan to host the first-ever Spin & Go World Championship at EPT Prague, pending regulatory approval. The event is set to take place from December 4 to 15.
“The spin and go tournament in Barcelona was a successful test in which we gathered useful feedback from players,” a PokerStars spokesperson told pokerfuse. “This insight will help us to organize a bigger and better tournament in Prague.”
The Spin & Go World Championship is expected to be a major event. While the prize pool is yet to be finalized, PokerStars anticipates a total of €100,000 in prizes, featuring a signature random prize distribution that has made the format popular online.
Although details are still under wraps, it is likely that approximately 60% of the total prize pool will be distributed through standard payouts, while 40% will be awarded randomly. The random distribution could involve a “Spin the Wheel” or mystery envelopes, similar to the mechanics seen in Mystery Bounty tournaments.
Eligibility for the Spin & Go World Championship remains unclear, but it is expected to be based on a rake race competition rather than a direct buy-in system.
No further tests are scheduled before the Prague event.
When asked why PokerStars decided to implement this format, they explained that Spin & Go players were not attending live events due to the lack of relevant games for them, as they belong to a different tournament category. Since these players represent a significant portion of their player base, it made sense to create an avenue for their participation.
“The inspiration behind this idea stems from our objective to bring a highly exciting and successful online game into a live setting,” PokerStars told pokerfuse. “We are also aiming to provide Spin and Go regulars with opportunities for visibility and recognition within the poker community.”
While it remains to be seen whether the Spin & Go World Championship will be a success, it is certainly an intriguing concept that directly caters to Spin & Go players — a large and passionate community, especially in Southern Europe, who have had little to no live events designed specifically for them.
Only time will tell how well this experiment translates into live tournaments, but it is encouraging to see PokerStars innovating and creating opportunities for this segment of players to participate in live festivals.