The world’s largest online poker site, PokerStars, is celebrating the dealing of its 40 billionth hand in a big way. The festivities will feature the largest Sunday Million in the site’s history, a $4 million guaranteed tournament on February 21st.
A bevy of cash game prizes based on the number 40 will be up for grabs as part of the promotion, which began today on PokerStars. All players dealt to in every millionth hand will reap $40 for each VIP Player Point (VPP) earned during the previous 40 hands played at the same table. Text found on PokerStars’ website explains that everyone will go home richer: “Because PokerStars wants everyone to be a winner, an extra VPP will be awarded to all players dealt in – this means you’ll win a minimum of at least $40. The winner of the hand will also get their cash prize doubled!”
The cash game side of the promotion begins with hand number 39,601,000,000 and will continue until the 40 billion mark is hit. When the big hand rolls around, aside from a lot of hooting and hollering going on at PokerStars’ Isle of Man headquarters, players dealt to will grab $400 for every VPP earned in the previous 40 hands at the table. The winner of the hand will also see their cash prize doubled, adding even more money to their bankroll. If there’s a split pot in any scenario, each player involved in the chop will have their prizes doubled.
One of the highlights of the 40 billionth hand celebration is the mega-sized Sunday Million. Regularly sporting a $1.5 million guarantee, the purse of the event will grow to a ridiculous $4 million on Sunday, February 21st. Players in the United States may cancel their plans in droves to take advantage of this colossal guarantee, which means that a first place prize of at least $1 million will be up for grabs. The Sunday Million will begin at 16:30 ET and comes with a $215 price tag.
At 14:30 ET on Sunday, February 14th, look for a special $40 Micro Million on PokerStars. The poker tournament, which will take place on Valentine’s Day in the United States, has a $40 buy-in and features a high-stakes $1 million prize pool. Also playing out throughout the course of the 40 billionth hand celebration is a series of $40,000 prize pool tournaments with buy-ins of 40 Frequent Player Points (FPPs). The kickoff times of these events will alternate between 13:40 ET and 21:40 ET each day. All tournaments can be found in the PokerStars lobby under “Tourney” and “Special.”
Sit and go players aren’t left out in the cold, either. Instead, celebratory 40-man Super Sit and Gos will run around the clock from February 14th to 21st featuring a wide range of buy-ins: $1.10, $11, $22, and $55. On what makes these sit and gos special, other than their 40-man fields, PokerStars explains, “The winner of every tournament gets a slice of $40,000, shared between all the winners at each buy-in level.” Once PokerStars officials compute how much each player should take home, they’ll deposit the funds by February 23rd.
If you think PokerStars is done there, you’re gravely mistaken. Play money customers who make their first real money deposit with the code “F40” can compete in $1,000 freerolls running from February 14th to 21st. These events take place not once, not twice, not three times, not four times, but five times every single day – 08:40 ET, 12:40 ET, 15:40 ET, 19:40 ET, and 22:40 ET – giving players ample opportunities to kick-start their bankrolls. Finally, any player on the site can trade 2,500 FPPs for $40 in cash no matter what their VIP level is. Each player can only take advantage of one $40 bankroll boost.
PokerStars happily accepts players from the United States.
