If you really want to go back in the history of World Wrestling Entertainment (then known as the World Wrestling Federation before they changed their name so they wouldn’t be confused with a sanctioned sport), legendary wrestler “Hulk” Hogan had a catchphrase of “Hulkamania.” He would often state how “Hulkamania is RUNNING WILD!!” Today, the lucky folks in Pennsylvania will be able to experience their own “Hulkamania” as PokerStars Pennsylvania’s “Pennsyl-MANIA” poker tournament kicks off for action.
$250,000 Guaranteed Tournament for the New Market
Still the only action in the Keystone State when it comes to online poker, it isn’t like PokerStars had to throw an event like this to draw a crowd. PokerStarsP PA is marking the occasion with this tournament, however, in an attempt to top their previous performances. This two-day tournament should easily pass those other two attempts.
Starting today at 5PM, the $250,000 guaranteed “Pennsyl-MANIA” is the largest ever guaranteed tournament in the six-month history of Pennsylvania’s online poker industry. With a $200 buy-in and up to five re-entries available, there is the potential that a player may drop up to $1200 with no return in the tournament. That is why many will be making their way into the tournament through the satellite system; $10, $20 and $30 satellite tournaments will be played throughout Sunday as players have five hours of late registration to earn their way in.
This is serious enough that PokerStars PA is setting aside two days to play the tournament. On tap for Sunday is 20, 20-minute levels, which should take the players well into Monday morning. The tournament will conclude on Monday night, beginning at 7PM and continuing until a champion is crowned.
Previous Tournaments Project Huge Numbers
If “Pennsyl-MANIA” holds to the course that previous events on PokerStars PA have, this should be a huge event.
In one of the first major events held after the site opened for business in November, the Pennsylvania Championships of Online Poker (PACOOP) Main Event became the biggest tournament in Pennsylvania online history. The $125,000 guaranteed tournament eventually pulled in enough players that the prize pool topped out at over $179,000.
This was good enough that PokerStars PA decided to up the ante with their second PACOOP version just last month. Running a multi-tiered tournament schedule featuring low, medium and high dollar buy ins, the Main Event of the “high” tier became the new mark to beat. In that Main Event, the guarantee was upped to $200,000 and Pennsylvanians came out in force, building a prize pool of over $368,000.
All of this comes on the heels of a resurgence in online action due to the COVID-19 pandemic. PokerStars PA is the highest ranked regulated online room in the States of America, drawing in a seven-day average of cash game players of 800 players (numbers courtesy of PokerScout). PokerStars PA routinely peaks out at over 1700 players, more than double that of the nearest comparison point for online poker in the U. S., WSOP/888 US, which has the advantage of covering three states (Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware) and can only reach a seven day average of 450 players and peak at around 700 players.
For those who live in Pennsylvania – or those that can jump across the border from New York, New Jersey, West Virginia or even Ohio – it promises to be an exciting Sunday of online poker action. Check out PokerStars PA if you are inside the borders of the Keystone State (unfortunately, you MUST be on Pennsylvania soil to play the tournament) and let the “Pennsyl-MANIA” run wild!
