PokerStars is the king of the hill in the online poker world and will be for a long time to come, barring any unforeseen development, but that doesn’t mean the giant can’t be knocked down a peg. Over the last couple months, PokerStars has seen its cash game liquidity drop. While it still is head and shoulders and head and shoulders and head and shoulders (and so on) above the field, seeing its cash game traffic (per PokerScout.com) decline from the low 20,000 range to 18,000 is a bit jarring. A new promotion that began last week, though, has given PokerStars cash game numbers a boost, even if that rise might end up being temporary.
The Millionaire Month promo began last Monday, promising big bucks to a handful of lucky players. The first qualification round continues through this Friday, April 17th, after which players will have another two weeks to try to hit it big. It is a very simple promotion that caters to players at all stakes and all skill levels, which is likely what is elevating PokerStars’ cash game traffic. In the first round, there are six separate cash game challenges; players who accomplish said challenges are automatically entered into the corresponding $150,000 All-In Shootout on April 18th. The winner of each Shootout will advance to the six-handed Millionaire Final 1, to be held on May 10th. The player who wins that will receive $1 million, with five-figure scores going to each of the other five players.
Here are the first round challenges that are needed to qualify for the $150,000 All-In Shootouts:
Deposit Challenge – deposit $10 or more during the qualification period
Chris Moneymaker Hand Challenge – win a real money ring game hand with the 5♦-4♠ as hole cards.
Jake Cody Hand Challenge – win a real money ring game hand with pocket Kings.
Mike McDonald Hand Challenge – win a real money ring game hand with A-K as hole cards.
Liv Boeree Hand Challenge – win a real money ring game hand with pocket Fives.
First-Eagle Hand Challenge – win a real money ring game hand with A-3 as hole cards.
It is important to know that by “real money ring game hand,” PokerStars means “regular” ring games, not Zoom Poker. Just good, old, standard cash game tables.
The second round works similarly, with the qualification period running from April 19th through April 30th and the Shootouts taking place on May 1st. The Millionaire Final 2 also takes place on May 10th, but it is a separate tournament from the first one. Here are the challenges for round two:
Deposit Challenge 2 – deposit $25 or more
ElkY Hand Challenge – win a real money Zoom ring game hand with pocket Eights.
Jason Mercier Hand Challenge – win a real money Zoom ring game hand with K-Q as hole cards.
Eugene Katchalov Hand Challenge – win a real money Zoom ring game hand with pocket Fours.
Maratik Hand Challenge – win a real money Zoom ring game hand with pocket Aces.
Harrison Gimble Hand Challenge – win a real money Zoom ring game hand with pocket Tens.
Again, those who accomplish a challenge move on to the corresponding All-In Shootout. From there, the winner goes to the Millionaire Final.