Summary
- The Ontario Platinum Series runs until July 18 and features a $1M guarantee
- The series kicked off on July 10 with eight events failing to hit their guarantees
- Poker pros in Ontario are taking full advantage of the overlays
Less than a month after going live in Canada’s biggest province, PokerStars Ontario is running its first online tournament series, the Ontario Platinum Series, which comes with an ambitious $1 million guarantee.
Eight Events Fall Short of Hitting their Guarantees
The festival kicked off on July 10 and will run through July 18, featuring a total of 90 tournaments. The series, exclusive to Canadians living in Ontario, promises an event for every bankroll, with buy-ins ranging from $5 to $1,000.
Dozens of events are now in the books halfway into the festival and we can announce that players had enjoyed massive value during the opening day with eight events ending in overlay.
Among those falling short of meeting their targets was the $100 8-Max Sunday Special which featured a $60,000 guarantee but only managed to attract 492 entries. This had left PokerStars Ontario on the hook for $10,800.
The $75 Progressive KO also did not meet the required number of entries to reach its advertised guarantee of $18,000, along with the $500 buy-in, $40K GTD 8-Max High Roller.
PokerStars Ontario Expected to Attract More Players
The series got off to a slow start but it’s still too early to tell whether the remaining tournaments would also have the same fate.
Several key events are yet to play out including the main highlight of the series, the $300 Main Event, which will award $200,000 in guaranteed prize money. Players are allowed up to five re-entries and will be competing in progressive knockout format.
Other tournaments to watch out for include the $100 buy-in, $20K GTD NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Friday Special] (July 15), $200 buy-in, $30K GTD NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Saturday Special] (July 16), and the $50 buy-in, $40K GTD NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Mini Main Event] (July 17).
PokerStars Ontario’s main goal of hosting the festival is to attract more players and with the series currently creating a buzz within the local market, we can expect to see the numbers improve significantly in the days ahead, especially as the series is also giving away Platinum Passes which will send players to the 2023 PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) which will take place as part of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in the Bahamas.
