Spring is in the air, which can mean only two things: the lawn needs mowing, and PokerStars' Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) is right around the corner.
SCOOP’s all-time biggest winner Benny ‘RunGodlike’ Glaser (above) is expected to be logged on and chasing title number 11, but you don’t need to be a high roller to take him on. A schedule for the annual online poker series, now in its 15th year, is still to be announced, but there will be plenty for players of all bankrolls to sink their teeth into. Low, medium and high buy-in versions of each event are a SCOOP tradition, and the various international versions of SCOOP are expected to follow this format.
Three different versions of the Spring festival will be running over the next couple of months, with dedicated SCOOP series available for players in North America, Southern Europe and the main international .COM player base.
North America SCOOP: April 5-22
The North America Spring Championship of Online Poker (NASCOOP) is the first to kick off, with players in the regulated markets of Pennsylvania, Ontario, New Jersey and Michigan getting their SCOOP on from April 5-22.
There will be $7m GTD across the series, with the Main Events taking place on April 21. Chances to take part in SCOOP tourneys for a fraction of the regular buy-ins will be widely available via satellites. What’s more, as part of PokerStars’ recently revamped rewards program, daily free Power Path tickets will also be eligible for ‘Path to SCOOP’ tournaments. These daily $0.25 tickets can be spun up to $100 NASCOOP entries, giving all players the chance to win a slice of the $7m pie for free.
Southern Europe SCOOP: April 7-28
There’s a combined €10m GTD for players in Spain, France and Portugal, whose own version of SCOOP runs from April 7-28.
Mystery Bounty tournaments will play a big part in the schedule, with at least one such tourney available every day of the series. A special edition of the Sunday Million will kick things off - with a special low buy-in of €100 - with the main event bookending the series with a €500k guaranteed prize pool.
Global SCOOP: May 5-29
Players across the rest of the world will need to wait just a little longer for their spring fix, with the action running from May 5-29. Details of guarantees, special events and promotions are still being kept under wraps, but rest assured we’ll bring you the news as soon as we can.
Watch this space.
Feature image courtesy of Danny Maxwell/PokerStars Live
