PokerStars Announces 'All Stars' Initiative
PokerStars announced its newest cash game competition, PokerStars All Stars, which will pit the best players against each other to showcase the best parts of the game.
“This diagnosis led to a simple idea: What about giving our best players the opportunity to compete in a rake-free environment with the focus being on the skill difference between players in order to acknowledge who the best online cash game players are?” Director of Poker Innovation and Operations for PokerStars Severin Rasset wrote on the PokerStars Blog.
The one-month tournament has two stakes, the NL200 (Masters) and NL2000 (All Stars), in NL Hold’em. Without a rake and with $100,000 in leaderboard prizes, this limited-access competition will also allow PokerStars to keep access to hand histories to share the competition with others. Season 1 of the tournament will start during April and May.
“We want to showcase these games and remind all poker players that cash games are exciting and aspirational,” Rasset wrote.
To qualify for the All Stars competition, players must have a certain number of winnings in NLHE cash game tables in the last 12 months.
For the masters level, players from NL100 to NL400 must have at least $10,000 in winnings. The All Stars level has players in NL500 and up needing at least $25,000 in winnings to qualify.
Eligible players will receive an email in the coming weeks regarding their selection. From there, the tournament’s feasibility and endurance will be entirely dependent on attendance. If it is well attended, PokerStars will consider a Season 2 and potentially expand the tournament into other games and formats.
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