Complete US Guide To The 2019 PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC)
The PokerStars is hosting what is sure to be a memorable event in the Bahamas. Below is a helpful guide to all of its relevant information.
Key Details
- What: PokerStars Players NL Hold’em Championship (PSPC)
- When: January 6-10, 2019
- Where: Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas
- Game: No-limit Texas Hold’em
- Buy-in: $25,000
- Guaranteed prize pool: $8 million (plus $1 million guarantee for winner)
- Number of entrants: At least 320
Background
PokerStars officially announced the tournament’s presence in late December 2017. At the core of the tournament’s ethos is ambition.
In its own words, PokerStars wants the PSPC to be “the richest and most exciting $25,000 live event in poker history.” For that reason, PokerStars wanted the entirety of 2018 to be a slow build on the road to Atlantis.
Obviously, a $1 million guarantee for first place will turn some heads. Even beyond the final spot, a tournament of this size will certainly yield life-changing money for several players.
However, PokerStars, which has made significant efforts to appeal to recreational players in the past few years, does not want this tournament to be a gathering of top professionals only. Rather, the site wants a celebration of poker at all skill levels. Or, as the announcement declared:
“We want to bring the poker world together in a one-of-a-kind live poker experience, presenting players of all skill levels the chance to win millions of dollars. We mean everyone, whether you’re a poker rookie, fledgling amateur, established local pro, or a bonafide superstar.”
Of course, few poker players have the bankroll or desire to wager $25,000 on a poker tournament. So, PokerStars needed a solution for the high buy-in, particularly if rookies and amateurs were to compete.
PokerStars Platinum
Enter the Platinum . The Platinum is a self-contained ticket to the January tournament and has all the extras that amateurs might need.
A Platinum consists of:
- $25,000 tournament ticket
- $2,000 spending cash
- 6 nights of accommodations at Atlantis Resort
Altogether, the is worth $30,000. The cash and accommodations are sufficient to allow any player to attend with their families.
PokerStars will also be doling out goodies at the actual event itself. Each player will receive a player bag filled with great gifts and prizes. Players can also visit the Players Lounge for drinks and additional prize draws.
PokerStars began distributing these es through various events throughout the year. The vast majority of them went to online players, obviously, but PokerStars Live also awarded some of them at live events.
In keeping with the theme of mixing the professional with the amateur, the conditions to receive a varied from event to event. In fact, some players won their es as a consolation for busting out of another tournament on the bubble. PokerStars awarded the very first to a Romanian player who missed the money at the 2017 Prague Main Event.
Since then, PokerStars has doled out over 300 of these prize packages to players around the world. Some of the lucky winners live right here in the United States.
US Platinum Winners
In fact, 31 American players have a seat waiting for them at Atlantis. The majority of them won their es in live events.
Oddly enough, these players have Chris Moneymaker to thank for their good fortune. Moneymaker toured the United States and awarded Platinum es at casinos all over the country throughout 2018.
Here is a list of all the US Platinum winners. Click any underlined player’s name for our feature story about their journey to the Bahamas:
| Name | Route to Platinum | Live or Online? |
|---|---|---|
| Jacqueline Burkhart | Maria Konnikova #MyPokerStory Platinum Adventure winner | OTHER |
| Andrew Canfield | NJCOOP PSPC Entrants All-in Shootout winner | ONLINE |
| Tenzin Chakdor | NJCOOP PSPC Main Event All-in Shootout winner | ONLINE |
| Clifford Ellefson | Moneymaker Tour Stones Gambling Hall winner | LIVE |
| Thai Ha | PCA Main Event Day 2 drawing | LIVE |
| Matt Kiefer | #VloggerInParadise Platinum Adventure winner | OTHER |
| Maria Konnikova | PCA National Championship Winner | LIVE |
| Derik Li | NJSCOOP Main Event Winner (Low) | ONLINE |
| Anthony Maio | NJCOOP Moneymaker Special Tourney winner | ONLINE |
| Nathan Manuel | Run It Up Reno Moneymaker Spectacular winner | LIVE |
| Ronald Mici | Moneymaker PSPC Tour Foxwoods Casino winner | LIVE |
| John Mokhtari | Moneymaker PSPC Tour Lucky Chances winner | LIVE |
| David Peters | PCA Main Event Wild Card drawing | LIVE |
| Michael Page | NJSCOOP Main Event Winner (High) | ONLINE |
| Andres "Andy" Risquez | Moneymaker PSPC Tour - Seminole Hard Rock winner | LIVE |
| Carlo Rodriguez | Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open 'Play to Win' Draw winner | LIVE |
| Warren Sheaves | Jen Shahade #MyChessPokerGame Platinum Adventure winner | OTHER |
| Ray Suppe | Moneymaker PSPC Tour - WinStar Casino winner | LIVE |
| Kenny Tran | Moneymaker PSPC Tour -- Gardens PokerStars Challenge winner | LIVE |
| Nitis Udornpim | Moneymaker Tour at Live! Casino winner | LIVE |
| Luke Vrabel | Foxwoods World Poker Finals winner | LIVE |
| Arthur White | Moneymaker PSPC Tour Mohegan Sun winner | LIVE |
| Alice Zheng | LIPS National Championship at the Orleansin Las Vegas | LIVE |
| Damon Ferrante | Community Player winner | OTHER |
| Tom Chiarella | Consumer Media Draw | OTHER |
| Jeremy Hilsercop | '12 Labours of Arlie' Winner | OTHER |
| Joey Ingram | '12 Labours of Arlie' Winner | OTHER |
| Linda Johnson | Invited Celebrity | OTHER |
| Kevin Mathers | Invited Celebrity | OTHER |
| Andrew Neeme | Selected Influencer | OTHER |
| Brandon Welter | MSPT Promo Winner | LIVE |
Of course, not all of the winners are going to be rank amateurs. In fact, just about anyone who wins a can play pretty well.
There are also some notable players on the list. Professional players like Kenny Tran and David Peters will be headed to the Bahamas next month.
Still, the PSPC should go down not only as one of the richest poker tournaments of all time, but also one of its most democratic. In contrast to other high-profile, high buy-in events, the home game players will rub shoulders with the best in the world.
Of course, that fact is one of the great things about the game. In few other endeavors can the novice play in the same game as the elite.
However, on Jan. 6 in the Bahamas, that’s exactly what will happen.