Readying for the SCOOP on PokerStars with Jason Mercier
Spring has sprung, and that means the Spring Championship of Online Poker on PokerStars is right around the corner.
This year’s SCOOP series runs from May 8-22 and features no less than 153 events, once again spread out between “low,” “medium,” and “high” buy-ins. The guaranteed prize pools total $40,000,000, with the SCOOP High Main Event sporting a guaranteed first prize of $1,000,000.
It was last year around this time our Remko Rinkema caught up with Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier at the European Poker Tour Grand Final in Monte Carlo, Monaco to ask him a few questions about preparing for the SCOOP grind.
As Mercier notes, a decade’s worth of playing poker practically every day serves as plenty of preparation for a professional as himself. Near the end they also talk about how a player with a limited bankroll — say, just $200 — might still be able to set up a SCOOP schedule involving lower buy-in events and satellites. Take a look:
You noticed Remko mentioning at the close how he himself loves to play SCOOP events and joking with Mercier about trying to beat him in some of the lower buy-in events.
In fact, Remko would would do just that, nearly winning the $215 buy-in “medium” version of the 8-game mixed event. Remko chopped that one heads-up, then finished second to earn a handsome $18,195.21 payday.
Mercier also made that final table — finishing just behind Remko in third — one of several deep runs he made on his way to winning the 2015 SCOOP Player of the Series. Mercier won three SCOOP events last year and made two other final tables to cash for nearly $320,000 while topping the overall leader board.
Also making the final table of that $215 8-game event was EPT11 Player of the Year and winner of the EPT Dublin Main Event, Dzmitry Urbanovich, who finished fourth — something he and Remko recalled just this morning:
The 2016 SCOOP schedule is right up my alley: The 8-game and HORSE are on May 19th and 20th when I’m home. Let’s get it!
— Remko Rinkema (@RemkoMedia)
Click here for more on the packed 2016 SCOOP schedule.
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