Legalized online poker in Ontario may be relatively new, and the market shows no sign of slowing down. The overall turnout numbers for various tournament series keep improving, proving that the market is extremely healthy and thriving, with much growth still possible.
As one of the leading operators in the province, PokerStars Ontario ran its first-ever ONSCOOP, a localized version of the popular Spring Championship of Online Poker, which kicked off on March 25 and concluded on April 9.
The Championship offered 129 events in total, which promised CAD $1.8 million in combined guarantees. A significantly larger turnout allowed most events to beat their guarantees and set new records.
This was just the latest in a succession of successful tournament series thrown by PokerStars Ontario this year. The operator continues its aggressive approach to the new market by offering Ontario players the best opportunities to participate in hot poker and win big prizes.
The inaugural ONSCOOP featured events with buy-ins ranging from just $5 up to $2000, with the majority of tournaments in the $50-100 region — an affordable price tag for most Canadians. 32,000 entries were made into ONSCOOP events, leading to 119 of the 129 total events beating their guarantees.
ONSCOOP Beats Guarantees and Crowns Its Champions
The first-ever ONSCOOP offered some tempting guarantees and attractive top prizes, with quite a few events providing tens of thousands of dollars in guaranteed prizes.
The highest guarantee was set for event 37M, the Medium Main Event, which promised to pay $150,000 for a price tag of $300. The event drew 520 entries and ended up being one of the few not to beat the guarantee, with PokerStars having to add $4400 into the prize pool from the rake taken.
Event 37H, on the other hand, brought together 116 players who paid the $1000 entry fee, which was more than enough to beat the $70,000 guarantee, with more than $110k in prizes paid out in the end.
Event 21M was of particular interest as well, as those who paid $100 to enter ended up sharing a massive $61,000 prize pool, as players contributed 666 entries into that tournament.
On the lower end of the spectrum, events 17L and 36L nearly doubled their guarantees, thanks to all the players who paid the affordable price of $5 to play. CAD $1164 and CAD $3057 were paid out to those who made the money, respectively.
As only 10 of the ONSCOOP events overlaid (and by a small margin), it is safe to say that the Ontario online poker market is reaching new heights and moving away from the days when major tournaments failed to beat their expected prize pools.
More Action at PokerStars Ontario
The massive success of the first-ever ONSCOOP led PokerStars Ontario to try something bold and organize another tournament mini-series to follow it immediately.
Dubbed the ONSCOOP Afterparty, the mini-series ran on the platform from April 14 to 16, with a total of 26 tournaments and more than $175,000 in guaranteed prizes.
It is safe to say that this mini-series was another quality idea, as the majority of the events also ended up beating their guarantees, and some massive prize pools were created, including the $37.7k one in the final Sunday Super High Roller.
The hot tournament action continues at PokerStars Ontario, with a jam-packed schedule of daily tournaments and new tournament series right around the corner. Sign up with the operator and watch its lobby (and keep an eye on Canada Gaming Review!) for details on upcoming PokerStars Ontario Tournaments!
