PokerStars Seeks to Ensure SCOOP Success

PokerStars has learned from recent experiences (cough-Supernova Elite-cough) that making big decisions without customer input is no longer a good idea. It may take a little time to reach out to the poker community for input, but the company’s reputation is worth the effort.

So, on February 26, PokerStars tournament administrator Brian posted on the 2+2 poker forums about the upcoming Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP). He not only revealed the entire preliminary schedule, but he asked for comments and questions.

Complete with new formats, multi-day tournaments, and new game mixes, the tentative schedule is as follows, each tournament represented with low/medium/high buy-in levels:

Sunday, May 8

Event 1: $11/$109/$1,050 NLHE w/Reentries (maximum 3)

Event 2: $27/$215/$2,100 NLHE 8-Max Progressive Super Knockout)

Event 3: $27/$215/$2,100 NL Draw w/Reentries (max 3)

Event 4: $27/$215/$2,100 NLHE

Event 5: $7.50/$82/$700 NLHE w/1R1A

Monday, May 9

Event 6: $7.50/$82/$700 NL Omaha Hi/Lo 6-Max Ante-Up

Event 7: $7.50/$82/$700 NLHE w/Rebuys

Event 8: $11/$109/1,050 NLHE Heads-Up

Tuesday, May 10

Event 9: $7.50/$82/$700 NLHE/PLO 6-Max

Event 10: $11/$109/$1,050 NLHE

Event 11: $11/$109/$1,050 PLO 6-Max

Wednesday, May 11

Event 12: $11/$109/$1,050 NLHE

Event 13: $27/$215/$2,100 NLHE 6-Max Shootout

Event 14: $27/$215/$2,100 NL Omaha Hi/Lo 6-Max Turbo Zoom

Thursday, May 12

Event 15: $7.50/$82/$700 NLHE Players’ Choice

Event 16: $11/$109/$1,050 NLHE Progressive Super Knockout

Event 17: $27/$215/$2,100 PLO Heads-Up

Friday, May 13

Event 18: $7.50/$82/$700 NLHE

Event 19: $11/$109/$1,050 w/Rebuys Big Antes

Event 20: $27/$215/$2,100 FL Omaha Hi/Lo 8-Max

Saturday, May 14

Event 21: $7.50/$82/$700 5-Card PLO 6-Max w/1R1A

Event 22: $27/$215/$2,100 NLHE 4-Max

Event 23: $27/$215/$2,100 Badugi

Event 24: $7.50/$82/$700 NLHE w/Reentries (3 max) Ante Up

Event 25: $7.50/$82/$700 NLHE 6-Max Ultra-Deep

Sunday, May 15

Event 26: $11/$109/$1,050 NLHE 8-Max Tiered Payouts

Event 27: $27/$215/$2,100 NLHE 6-Max

Event 28: $27/$215/$2,100 Triple Draw 2-7

Event 29: $27/$215/$2,100 NLHE

Event 30: $27/$215/$2,100 PL Mixed Omaha 6-Max Turbo Zoom

Monday, May 16

Event 31: $11/$109/$1,050 NLHE 5-Stack

Event 32: $7.50/$82/$700 5-Card PLO Hi/Lo 6-Max w/Rebuys

Event 33: $27/$215/$2,100 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo

Tuesday, May 17

Event 34: $27/$215/$2,100 PLO 6-Max w/Reentries (3 max)

Event 35: $11/$109/$2,100 NLHE

Event 36: $27/$215/$2,100 FL Hold’em 6-Max

Wednesday, May 18

Event 37: $27/$215/$2,100 Razz

Event 38: $27/$215/$2,100 NLHE w/Reentries (3 max)

Event 39: $27/$215/$2,100 NL Omaha Hi/Lo 6-Max w/Reentries (3 max)

Thursday, May 19

Event 40: $27/$215/$2,100 8-Game

Event 41: $11/$209/$1,050 NLHE Progressive Super Knockout

Event 42: $27/$215/$2,100 PLO Hi/Lo 6-Max

Friday, May 20

Event 43: $27/$215/$2,100 NLHE w/2R1A

Event 44: $11/$109/$1,050 HORSE

Event 45: $27/$215/$2,100 NLHE 3-Max Turbo Shootout Progressive Super Knockout

Saturday, May 21

Event 46: $55/$530/$5,200 PLO 6-Max 5-Stack

Event 47: $27/$215/$2,100 NLHE Mix-Max 9-Max/6-Max

Event 48: $27/$215/$2,100 7-Card Stud

Event 49: $215/$2,100/$21,000 NLHE Heads-Up High Roller

Event 50: $27/$215/$2,100 NLHE 6-Max Progressive Super Knockout

Sunday, May 22

Event 51: $11/$109/$1,050 NLHE Final Phase 1

Event 52: $27/$215/$2,100 NLHE

Event 53: $27/$215/$2,100 NL 2-7 Single Draw w/Reentries (3 max)

Event 54: $109/$1,050/$10,300 3-Day NLHE Main Event w/Reentry ($1M GTD)
Event 55: $11/$109/$1,050 NLHE Turbo Ultra-Deep Progressive Super Knockout w/Reentries (3 max)

Whew! That’s a lotta poker.

New Events Explained

The most-discussed of the new events on the schedule thus far is Event 15 on May 12. Players’ Choice, as explained by PokerStars, is to take shape via player suggestions via email. The game must be a form of No Limit Hold’em, and all suggestions will then be deployed to the PokerStars client for voting. Players can then register for one of the choices, and the one with the highest number of registered players will be the format of the tournament. There will be a $.02 buy-in listed for each choice, but players will receive that money back once the tournament begins.

Event 26 on May 15 offers tiered payouts, which means that payouts will be similar to large MTT satellites in that prize monies will be the same for various tiers of finishing places, such as 9^th place through 80^th place at one payout, 81^st through 160^th place at another payout, etc. The final table will be paid as a normal tournament, though. And PokerStars notes that it will be testing this before implementing in the SCOOP event.

On that same day, Event 30 will be a Pot Limit Mixed Omaha tournament, which will simply alternate between PLO and PL 5-Card Omaha from one level to the next.

Event 47 on May 21 of the final weekend of SCOOP shows a NLHE event played as Mix-Max, meaning that each tournament will actually offer two events within, one for the 9-Max at the beginning and another for the 6-Max portion that will start after approximately four to six hours of play.

And on the final day of action, Event 51 offers a NLHE Final Phase 1 tournament. The low, medium, and high buy-in events are each the first phase. Low will have multiple first phases before moving to Phase 2, Medium will have several, and High will have the fewest. The first phase of each will actually begin around May 8, and further details will be released when the final SCOOP schedule is complete.

Players are welcome to send their feedback to PokerStars via email at scoop at pokerstars dot com