PokerStars has revealed the schedule for the third edition of its New Jersey Spring Championship of Online Poker (NJSCOOP) which comes with 40 events this year, split into high and low buy-in versions. Running from April 14 through April 30, the championship offers players $1.3 million in guarantees across all tournaments.
This is the third run for the increasingly popular NJSCOOP which started in 2016 and positioned itself as the largest MTT series in the New Jersey online poker market. The championship can be accessed from the New Jersey platform of PokerStars. The schedule for 2018, released this week, shows that most events will be held in the classic No-limit Hold’em (NLH) format, but there are also mixed games such as HORSE and 8-games. Some of the NLH games will feature Progressive Knockout (KO), escalating antes, or win-the-button, so there will be something for everyone.
The more exciting part of the recently announced schedule, however, is the higher guarantee promising at least $1.3 million in prizes across all events. In comparison, a little over $1.2 million was guaranteed last year, while the number of events was 35. The more tournaments planned for this spring, 40 high buy-in and 40 low buy-in events, will probably compensate for the slightly higher guarantee as the average guarantee per tournament is down a bit.
Those events referred to as High buy-ins range between $100 and $200, although for some, fees reach $1,000. The majority of Low buy-in versions, on the other hand, are in the $10-$20 range and one of the tournaments is an exception with a buy-in of only $5. PokerStars is already running satellites and players have several options to qualify for as little as $0,5. The tournament lobby features weekly freerolls that award seats to the Main Event and Spin & Go tourneys for the High version of the Main Event starting at $4. Players can also receive satellite tickets during regular giveaways on the online platform.
NJSCOOP 2018 Main Event and Bonuses
The central tournaments during the 17-day NJSCOOP series in 2018 will take place on April 29. These are the High and the Low Main Events which will run for two days. The High variation comes with a guarantee of $200,000 and a $500 buy-in, while the Low Main Event offers $40,000 in guarantee and a buy-in of only $50.
Along with the cash prizes, winners of the two Main Events will also be awarded Platinum Pass package to the PokerStars Player’s NL Hold’em Championship which will be held in January 2019. The packages are worth $30,000, certainly more than the cash prize for the Low Main Event winner. They include the $25,000 buy-in for the tournament in January, six nights’ accommodation at the Atlantis Resort in Nassau, The Bahamas, and $2,000 in travel expenses.
The live Player’s NHL Championship will be the culmination of all PokerStars online poker events and will take place in The Bahamas. The operator will be giving away more than 300 Platinum Passes for the championship throughout 2018, but those who are not lucky enough to win one can also pay the $25,000 buy-in.