PokerStars has released the schedule for the 2022 Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), which will run May 8 through June 1. There are 318 total events and $75 million in guaranteed prize pools, both numbers down from last year’s 372 events and $100 million in guarantees.
There are over 300 events because, as usual, SCOOP features a three-tiered buy-in structure, with three versions of each tournament: low, medium, and high buy-in. So really, it’s 106 tournaments with three events each.
“As always, we’ve ensured that the whole community, whether they are new to the game or experienced poker players, can fully immerse themselves into the Series, with a variety of buy-ins to suit all levels,” said Severin Rasset, PokerStars managing director and commercial officer. “The countdown is on, and we hope our players can use the 14th year of the SCOOP series to have fun and of course play responsibly.”
The 2022 PokerStars SCOOP Main Events are all on May 29 at 12:30pm ET. The $109 buy-in “low” Main Event has a $2.5 million guaranteed prize pool, the $1,050 buy-in “medium” Main Event has a $4 million guarantee, and the $10,300 buy-in “high” Main Event, the feature event of the series, has a $5 million guarantee.
For the first time ever, there will be an official Women’s SCOOP event. Also on May 29, there are $40,000 in guaranteed prize pools across the three tiers, with buy-ins of $5.50, $22, and $109. Players can win their way into the tournaments (and other SCOOP events) via the Women’s Sunday tournaments on both April 24 and May 22, which have the usual cash prizes and SCOOP tickets added to the prize pool.
As one would expect, PokerStars is also giving players the opportunity to win their way into SCOOP events through various satellites and promotions; the poker room says these vehicles offer $1 million added value.
In the SCOOP Pick-A-Box game, players can go to their challenge window each day and choose from one of six boxes in an attempt to win a SCOOP ticket. Being in the US, I can’t play on PokerStars.com and therefore can’t see the game, but it sounds like just a random guessing game. PokerStars is giving away $250,000 in tickets each week through the game.
With the SCOOP Fast Track, players can earn Main Event tickets in a series of step tournaments. The first step costs $0.50. Tickets are awarded on the final step and players can enter at any step – they do not have to start at the lowest level if they have the bankroll to buy-in for more.
Of course, there are special SCOOP Spin & Go tournaments, with chances to win tickets. These Spin & Gos have buy-ins of $0.50, $4, and $20.