MicroMania at PokerStars

PokerStars is targeting the small buy-in players, who will benefit the most from the “MicroMania” promotion. All month there are improved VIP benefits and added-value tournaments for players at PokerStars. Here are some of the features of the promotion

Better VIP rewards: Players at PokerStars’ low-limit cash tables can receive better rates for VIP Player Points. For no-limit and pot-limit tables up to and including $0.05/$0.10, and fixed-limit games up to and including $0.10/$0.20, players will receive VPPs at a higher rate — 10 VPPs for every dollar raked, up from 5.5 or 6 VPPs normally. The promotion lasts for the entire month.

Value-added tourneys:There will be four $1.10 tourneys every day that will have $1,000 added to the prize pool — at 10:20, 13:20, 19:20 and 22:20 Eastern. The tourneys can be found on the “special” tab in the tournament lobby.

Special sit & go’s: Everyone who wins a $1.10 “super sit & go” will win a share of a $100,000 prize pool that will be divided among all the winners. The tournaments consist of 50 players. You only need to win one to qualify for a share of the $100K, and you can only win one share.

Deposit bonus: The promotion also benefits people who deposit for the first time, with a 100% deposit bonus up to $600 when using the code “Mania.” Players using this code also get a free $1.10 ticket to play in a multi-table tournament.

Rush Week at Full Tilt Poker

If you haven’t tried Rush Poker yet, or even if you have, Full Tilt is giving you more incentives to try the new form of poker later this month.

Just by playing Rush Poker from July 12-July 18, you can earn $250 in cash and entry into a $50K freeroll.

Bonus time:By playing Rush Poker ring games, Full Tilt players will have an opportunity to earn up to $250. Here’s how the payouts will be made, based on the number of Full Tilt points earned playing Rush Poker. (Awards are not cumulative).

Earn at least 10 Full Tilt Points per day on any four days to receive $5
Earn at least 10 Full Tilt Points per day on all seven days to receive $10
Earn at least 100 Full Tilt Points per day on any four days to receive $25
Earn at least 100 Full Tilt Points per day on all seven days to receive $50
Earn at least 1,000 Full Tilt Points per day on any four days to receive $125
Earn at least 1,000 Full Tilt Points per day on all seven days to receive $250

The freeroll: Anyone who reaches a final table of a Rush Poker Tournament during the week will automatically be entered in the a $50K freeroll on Sunday, July 25th at 3:15 p.m. Eastern. Many of the regular guaranteed tournaments throughout the week will be changed to a Rush Poker format. See the lobby or Full Tilt’s website for details.

Want to try out Full Tilt Poker? Make sure to sign up with rakeback.

Free CardRunners Memberships. Access Hundreds of Instructional Videos. Sign Up in Two Minutes

The first episode of the show, which employs a heads up format similar to Full Tilt Poker’s Face The Ace, features Father Andrew Trapp, a Catholic Priest. Trapp will be coached by Daniel Negreanu for his first-round match against a celebrity playing for charity, for his second-round match against a Team PokerStars Pro and then, if he survives those two matches, has the chance to play Negreanu for $100,000.

Viewers looking for serious heads-up poker may be disappointed. As Negreanu says on his blog: “I want to make it clear what this show is: it’s a game show FIRST and a poker show SECOND. The blinds go up quickly and they get high pretty quickly, which I actually think benefits the contestants. The slower the structure, the harder it would be for an amateur player to get through a celebrity, a PokerStars Team Pro, and then me. The more luck involved, the better for them.”

Judging from the format and promos for the show, PokerStars took the lessons that FTP learned hard way with Face The Ace to heart. The production values seem to be a serious step up and Stars appears to have created a unique angle with Negreanu being available to coach contestants directly as they compete in their match.

The show culminates in episode five, where contestants who defeated Negreanu in earlier episodes have an opportunity to compete for $1 million.

Stars is offering viewers an extra incentive to watch the show. For the first two episodes the show will include a password viewers can use to enter an exclusive tournament with a first prize of $20,000.

You can view clips from the show and other exclusive material once the show has aired at PokerStars.tv here.

Get Negreanu’s reaction to the show, as well as some inside insights and the like, at his blog here.

View the promo for the show below:

Watch Million Dollar Challenge on PokerStars.tv

Stars will be running tons of satellites to the PCA between now and the start of the series in early January 2010. Interested? Get started by downloading PokerStars here.

The tournament series features a ton of unique events, including Razz, Triple Stud and 8 game events, the popular Battleship Poker events, a High Roller event and a Main Event with a 10k buy in. In addition to the online satellites, tons of live sattys will run at the event, including a live version of PokerStars’ popular Steps Tournaments.

Want to learn more about the PCA? Visit the Official Poker Stars PCA Page.

Below find the complete schedule for the 2010 PokerStars PCA.

January 4

18:00: Super Satellite to Main Event, $1,060 + $40
20:00: Nightly NL Turbo, $200 + $20

January 5
12:00: Main Event Day 1A, $10,000 + $300
14:00: Unl. Re Buys Super Satellite to Main Day 1B, $200 + $20
20:00: 1 Re Buy Super Satellite Main Day 1B, $530 + $20
20:00: Nightly PLO Turbo, $200 + $20

January 6
12:00: Main Event Day 1B, $10,000 + $300
14:00: PLO Freezeout, $500 + $50
16:00: Badugi / 2-7 Mix, $500 + $50
20:00: Step 1 to Step 2 High Roller Super Satellite, $550 + $50
20:00: Nightly PLO8 Turbo, $200 + $20

January 7
12:00: Main Event Day 2, $10,000 + $600
14:00: NL Freezeout – 6 Max, $1,000 + $100
20:00: 8 Game Championship – Day 1, $5,000 + $250
20:00: Step 1 to Step 2 High Roller Super Satellite, $550 + $50
20:00: $200 + $20 Nightly NL Turbo, $200 + $20

January 8
12:00: Main Event Day 3, $10,000 + $600
12:00: Battleship – Multi Tabling Championships, $2,000 + $150
13:00: PS Heads Up Challenge Day 1A Round 1, $5,000 + $250
14:00: PLH/PLO Tag Team Mix, $2,000 + $150
14:00: 8 Game Championship – Day 2, $5,000 + $250
16:00: PS Heads Up Challenge Day 1A Round 2, $5,000 + $250
18:00: PokerStars Charity Event, $5,000 + $250
18:00: NL Freezeout, $1,000 + $100
19:00: PS Heads Up Challenge Day 1A Round 3, $5,000 + $250
20:00: Super Sat to 1K Ladies ONLY NL, $110 + $10
20:00: Nightly PLO Turbo. $200 + $20
22:00: PS Heads Up Challenge Day 1A Round 4, $5,000 + $250

January 9
12:00: Main Event Day 4, $10,000 + $600
12:00: Battleship – Multi Heads Up Challenge (64 Cap), $1,000 + $100
12:00: PLO Championships – 8 Max – Day 1, $5,000 + $250
13:00: PS Heads Up Challenge Day 1B Round 1, $5,000 + $250
13:00: Ladies Only NL Freezeout, $1,000 + $100
14:00: 8 Game Championship – Finals, $5,000 + $250
16:00: NL Freezeout, $1,500 + $100
16:00: PS Heads Up Challenge Day 1B Round 2, $5,000 + $250
19:00: PS Heads Up Challenge Day 1B Round 3, $5,000 + $250
21:00: PokerStars Party
21:00: PS Heads Up Challenge Day 1B Round 4, $5,000 + $250

January 10

12:00: Main Event Day 5, $10,000 + $600
12:00: PLO Live Heads Up – Day 1A – Round 1, $2,000 + $150
12:00: PLO Championships – 8 Max – Day 2, $5,000 + $250
13:00: PS Heads Up Challenge Quarterfinals, $5,000 + $250
14:00: NL Live Heads Up – Day 1A – Round 1, $1,000 + $100
14:00: PLO – 6 Max, $1,000 + $100
15:00: PLO Live Heads Up – Day 1A – Round 2, $2,000 + $150
16:00: PS Heads Up Challenge Semi-finals, $5,000 + $250
16:00: NL Freezeout, $5,000 + $250
17:00: NL Live Heads Up – Day 1A – Round 2, $1,000 + $100
17:00: Ladies Only NL Freezeout, $300 + $30
18:00: PLO Live Heads Up – Day 1A – Round 3, $2,000 + $150
19:00: Step 2 Super Sat to $25,000 High Roller, $2,700 + $200
20:00: NL Live Heads Up – Day 1A – Round 3, $1,000 + $100
20:00: 8 Game (2 Day Event), $500 + $50
20:00: PS Heads Up Challenge Finals, $5,000 + $250
20:00: Nightly NL Turbo, $200 + $20
21:00: PLO Live Heads Up – Day 1A – Round 4, $2,000 + $150
23:00: NL Live Heads Up – Day 1A – Round 4, $1,000 + $100

January 11
12:00: Main Event Day 6 – Final Table, $10,000 + $600
12:00: Battleship Main Event, $2,000 + $150
12:00: PLO Championships – 8 Max – Finals, $5,000 + $250
12:00: PokerStars Bounty Hunter, $500 + $100 + $50
12:00: PLO Live Heads Up – Day 1B – Round 1, $2,000 + $150
12:00: Limit – 6 Max, $1,000 + $100
12:00: PLO 8 or Better, $500 + $50
13:00: World Cup Preliminaries – Day 1A
14:00: NL Live Heads Up – Day 1B – Round 1, $1,000 + $100
15:00: PLO Live Heads Up – Day 1B – Round 2, $2,000 + $150
16:00: High Roller – 8 Max – Day 1, $25,000 + $500
17:00: NL Live Heads Up – Day 1B – Round 2, $1,000 + $100
18:00: PLO Live Heads Up – Day 1B – Round 3, $2,000 + $150
20:00: NL Live Heads Up – Day 1B – Round 3, $1,000 + $100
20:00: Nightly NL Turbo, $200 + $20
21:00: PLO Live Heads Up – Day 1B – Round 4, $2,000 + $150
23:00: NL Live Heads Up – Day 1B – Round 4, $1,000 + $100

January 12
12:00: High Roller – 8 Max – Day 2, $25,000 + $500
12:00: Pot Limit 5 Card Draw High, $500 + $50
13:00: PLO Live Heads Up – Quarterfinals, $2,000 + $150
13:00: NL Live Heads Up – Quarterfinals, $1,000 + $100
13:00: World Cup Preliminaries – Day 1B
14:00: 8 Game, $1,000 + $100
16:00: NL Freezeout, $1,000 + $100
17:00: PLO Live Heads Up – Semi Finals, $2,000 + $150
17:00: NL Live Heads Up – Semi Finals, $1,000 + $100
20:00: Nightly NL Turbo, $200 + 20
21:00: PLO Live Heads Up – Finals, $2,000 + $150
21:00: NL Live Heads Up – Finals, $1,000 + $100

January 13
12:00: High Roller – 8 Max – Day 3, $25,000 + $500
12:00: World Cup of Poker – Final
12:00: Triple Stud (Razz, High, High – Low), $1,000 + $100
14:00: NL Freezeout 6 Max, $5,000 + $250
16:00: NL Freezeout 6 Max, $500 + $50
20:00: Nightly NL Turbo, $200 + 20

January 14
12:00: High Roller – 8 Max – Final, $25,000 + $500
12:00: NL Shootout, $500 + $50
14:00: PLO Shootout, $500 + $50

Want to learn more about the PCA? Visit the Official Poker Stars PCA Page.

The World Series of Poker Europe main event featured an exciting heads-up battle between two big names — Daniel Negreanu and Barry Shulman. In the end, Shulman outlasted Negreanu and the field of 334 players for the top prize of more than 800 pounds. The runner-up finish moved Negreanu into the all-time lead for live tourney play with $12.4 million in cashes. It’s been a pretty good year for the Shulmans – son Jeff will appear at the U.S. version of the main even in November.

Some Full Tilt “members” who apparently used bots to amass winnings are trying to sue Full Tilt. They say Full Tilt also uses robots. Is it a crime if robots are playing robots?

U.S. poker players take victories when they can get them. Once again a South Carolina confirmed that poker is a game of skill, not chance. The bad news — more bank account seizures apparently took place related to online gambling.

In stunning news, a lot of people play at PokerStars. That’s not actually news, but what is news is that the online poker site set a record for most players online at the same time with more than 307K on Sept. 6.

And PokerStars continues its international push of live events by backing the Irish Poker Championship in December.

When ranking these rooms, we’re considering the following criteria: softness of games, value of promotions, rakeback and cashout ease. The following rooms made our top list: Bodog Poker, Carbon Poker, Cake Poker, Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and Ultimate Bet / Absolute Poker.

#6: Carbon Poker
The flagship room of the Merge Poker Network, Carbon has a lot going for it. The cash games are relatively soft and the tournament lobby has much weaker competition than you would find at a room like PokerStars. Their promotions are generally the most generous of any major room and can amount to hundreds, if not thousand in dollars of extra value monthly.

Biggest plus: Carbon offers 30% rakeback, and it’s paid daily, directly into your account. On the downside, Carbon cashouts, while reliable, are a little slower than the average cashout for the high-ranked rooms. Also, Carbon has a smaller traffic base than, say, Full Tilt, so you won’t get steady action at higher-stakes games.

–>Sign Up For Carbon Here

#5: PokerStars
The giant of online poker does have a lot to offer players. The lobby is stuffed with games, so you never have to worry about finding the game and the limit you want. The tournament lobby is insanely active as well, with daily tournaments for the most obscure formats alongside hundreds of holdem tournaments a day. Cashouts are fast and available via a few methods.

Promotions at Stars aren’t as frequent as at some other rooms, but they do offer an excellent VIP points program that allows you to accumulate credit as you play toward a variety of merchandise and the like.

So why so low on the chart? A couple of reasons. First, PokerStars doesn’t offer rakeback, and that’s a huge minus. Second, games at PokerStars are filled with strong players, regulars who crowd the table and make it tough for other players to make a profit.

–>Download PokerStars Here.

#4: Full Tilt Poker

Full Tilt and PokerStars basically have the same pros: a very busy lobby with a wide variety of games, a strong slate of tournament offerings and reliable, quick cashouts. FTP goes a step beyond, however, and offers 27% rakeback, a massive advantage over PokerStars.

FTP also has a generally more aggressive promotional approach, with more frequent deposit bonuses and special promos that add more value for the player.

Downside: FTP has notoriously tough cash games stuffed with regulars even at the lower limits. The tournament lobby is also generally tough, and doesn’t offer much in the way of overlays or added value.

–>Sign Up For FTP Here

#3: Bodog Poker
Bodog was left for dead by many a few years ago, but their poker room has continued to grow and provide excellent opportunities for profit to players. The highlight of the room is very weak competition at low to mid stakes cash games and a tournament schedule that regularly includes some of the weakest fields and most generous overlays available online.

Bodog’s cashouts have improved dramatically over the last year and now boast one of the top turnaround times in the industry.

Bodog does not offer rakeback publicly, but PTP does have an exclusive Private VIP offer. Get more info on that deal here. Downsides: lack of game selection at mid limits and a weak SNG lobby mean you can’t always find the game you want.

–>Get Info On Our Private VIP Deal For BodogPoker

#2: Ultimate Bet / Absolute Poker
Home to tournament superstar Phil Hellmuth, these two rooms form the CEREUS poker network and are a very attractive option for poker players. The tournament and cash lobbies are both fairly active at low to medium stakes, although not quite as active as PokerStars. Cashouts are lightening-fast, with turnaround times that are generally quicker than any other room.

The network offers frequent promotions and has a very generous VIP program. You can also get 30% rakeback that’s paid directly into your account.

Game selection is a bit of an issue at mid to higher stakes, but the majority of players should find that UB and Absolute offer a compelling alternative to the major online poker rooms.

–>Sign Up For AP / UB Here

#1 Cake Poker
The general consensus among players who aggressively seek out value is that Cake Poker is the place to be in online poker at the moment. The cash games are untapped, the tournaments have frequent overlays and very weak competition, and the regular promotions give players tons of value on a regular basis.

The room also offers 30% rakeback to players when you sign up through a rakeback provider like PTP.

Cashouts aren’t as quick as UB, but Cake hasn’t been plagued by the check delays that some other rooms have experienced during the last few months. All in all, the softness of the games, the value added by promos and rakeback along with reasonable quick cashouts make Cake Poker the number one choice available currently for online poker players in the US.

–>Sign Up For Cake Here

Curious about other rooms that offer rakeback? View our complete list of offers.

WCOOP stands for World Championship of Online Poker and is an annual event hosted by PokerStars. The event has grown massively since its inception and now offers dozens of events and over 40 million dollars in guaranteed prize money.

Online players by and large view the WCOOP as the online equivalent to the WSOP. WCOOP championships bring with them not only money, but also significant respect from the community.

Full Tilt Poker runs a similar tournament series, the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (or FTOPS). While that series is popular, it’s not quite as large or prestigious as the WCOOP, largely owing to the fact that the FTOPS runs four times a year.

One benefit to playing the FTOPS as opposed to the WCOOP is that Full Tilt Poker offers players a 27% refund on their tournament fees. Read this before signing up at Full Tilt.

The 2009 WCOOP spans 45 events and $40 million in guaranteed prize money. That’s a substantial increase in numbers from 2008, but it’s not just the size that’s changed. PokerStars has also included a WCOOP event featuring ‘big antes’, a structure that’s been recently added to the Stars tournament lobby and a FL Badugi event. All in all, there’s nearly three weeks of tournaments that are capped off by a two-day main event, a $5,200 buy in NLHE tournament on September 20th.

Also different: There’s probably very little chance that this year’s WCOOP winner will face any scrutiny in connection with a Michael Phillips bong photo.

Get more official info on the WCOOP including past results, records, and the like from PokerStars here.

Below find the complete schedule for the 2009 WCOOP:

Event 1 –> Sept 3rd @ 14:30
$215 NL Hold’em Six-Max
$1,250,000 Guaranteed

Event 2 –> Sept 3rd @ 16:30
$215 Razz
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 3 –> Sept 4th @ 14:30
$215 PL Omaha Six-Max
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 4 –> Sept 4th @ 16:30
$215 NL Single Draw 2-7 with Rebuys
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 5 –> Sept 4th @ 20:00
$109 Eight-Game 10 Minute Levels
$50,000 Guaranteed

Event 6 –> Sept 5th @ 12:45
$109 NL Hold’em
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 7 –> Sept 5th @ 14:30
$215 PL Five Card Draw
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 8 –> Sept 5th @ 16:30
$215 Fixed Limit Hold’em
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 9 –> Sept 6th @ 12:45
$215 NL Hold’em
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 10 –> Sept 6th @ 14:30
$10,300 NL Hold’em High Roller
$2,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 11 –> Sept 6th @ 16:30
$530 NL Hold’em Two-Day
$3,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 12 –> Sept 7th @ 14:30
$215 NL Hold’em Four-Max
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 13 –> Sept 7th @ 16:30
$320 Seven Card Stud
$150,000 Guaranteed

Event 14 –> Sept 8th @ 14:30
$320 Mixed Hold’em Six-Max
$300,000 Guaranteed

Event 15 –> Sept 8th @ 16:30
$320 Fixed Limit Badugi
$100,000 Guaranteed

Event 16 –> Sept 8th @ 20:00
$1,050 NL Hold’em
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 17 –> Sept 9th @ 14:30
$530 NL Hold’em Triple Shootout 10-Max
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 18 –> Sept 9th @ 16:30
$320 Eight Game
$300,000 Guaranteed

Event 19 –> Sept 10th @ 14:30
$320 PL Omaha Six-Max Cubed
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 20 –> Sept 10th @ 16:30
$320 Fixed Limit Triple Draw 2-7
$100,000 Guaranteed

Event 21 –> Sept 11th @ 14:30
$215 NL Hold’em with Rebuys
$1,250,000 Guaranteed

Event 22 –> Sept 11th @ 16:30
$530 Fixed Limit Omaha High-Low
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 23 –> Sept 11th @ 20:00
$320 NL Hold’em 10 Minute Levels
$300,000 Guaranteed

Event 24 –> Sept 12th @ 14:30
$530 NL Hold’em Heads-Up Match Play
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 25 –> Sept 12th @ 16:30
$320 HORSE
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 26 –> Sept 13th @ 12:45
$215 NL Hold’em
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 27 –> Sept 13th @ 14:30
$25,500 NL Hold’em High Roller Match Play
$800,000 Guaranteed

Event 28 –> Sept 13th @ 16:30
$1,050 NL Hold’em Two-Day
$3,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 29 –> Sept 14th @ 14:30
$320 Mixed PL Hold’em, PL Omaha
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 30 –> Sept 14th @ 16:30
$320 NL Hold’em 2X Chance
$600,000 Guaranteed

Event 31 –> Sept 15th @ 14:30
$320 PL Omaha with Rebuys Six-Max
$700,000 Guaranteed

Event 32 –> Sept 15th @ 16:30
$530 Seven Card Stud High-Low
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 33 –> Sept 15th @ 20:00
$1,050 NL Hold’em
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 34 –> Sept 16th @ 14:30
$215 NL Hold’em Big Antes
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 35 –> Sept 16th @ 16:30
$320 PL Omaha High-Low
$500,000 Guaranteed

Event 36 –> Sept 17th @ 14:30
$530 NL Hold’em with Rebuys Six-Max
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 37 –> Sept 17th @ 16:30
$2,100 PL Omaha Six-Max
$600,000 Guaranteed

Event 38 –> Sept 18th @ 14:30
$530 NL Hold’em Cubed
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 39 –> Sept 18th @ 16:30
$1,050 Fixed Limit Hold’em Six-Max
$400,000 Guaranteed

Event 40 –> Sept 18th @ 20:00
$215 NL Omaha High-Low 10 Minute Levels
$200,000 Guaranteed

Event 41 –> Sept 19th @ 14:30
$530 PL Omaha Heads-Up Match Play
$250,000 Guaranteed

Event 42 –> Sept 19th @ 16:30
$2,100 Eight Game
$350,000 Guaranteed

Event 43 –> Sept 20th @ 12:45
$215 NL Hold’em
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 44 –> Sept 20th @ 14:30
$10,300 HORSE High Roller
$1,000,000 Guaranteed

Event 45 –> Sept 20th @ 16:30
$5,200 NL Hold’em Main Event Two-Day
$10,000,000 Guaranteed

Watch the key hands from the final table with the cards exposed as David Tuckerman provides commentary.

The PokerStars Sunday Million is the largest prize pool on the weekly online tournament schedule. The tournament costs $200+15 to enter and runs at 4:30 EST. PokerStars runs satellites around the clock for the tournament at a wide variety of buyins, giving players of all bankroll levels an opportunity to participate in this tournament.

Read our review of PokerStars.