Online poker gaming may be new in Michigan, but it is already quite popular among players. PokerStars is a premium provider offering cash games and tournaments in the state, with major tournament series already taking place in the region. Just this week, the PokerStars Michigan Spring Championship of Online Poker (MISCOOP) came to an end, with the 17-day series offering up over $2.3 million in total prize money.
Details of the Series
Poker players came out in full force to take part in the MISCOOP. The state already hosted a series titled the Michigan Championship of Poker and the recent series was more successful than the MICOOP from a few months. Back then, the series generated $2.2 million, and the recent spring event has now surpassed the state’s previous total prize pool level.
In general, the series was supposed to offer only $2 million in prize money. However, with over 40,000 entries during the festival, there was over $2.35 million up for grabs. On average, each tournament had over 300 people taking part.
The Main Event was a big draw for players, as Event #36 on the schedule. The tournament took place over two days and provided no-limit hold’em gaming. With a buy-in of $300, a total of 871 entries were recorded. This pushed the $200,000 guarantee up to $243,880. It was online player Stozypokes who claimed the first-place finish.
Because the SCOOP series offers three tiers of buy-ins, players who didn’t want to pony up $300 could take part in the medium and low buy-in events. The mid-event had a low $75 buy-in and drew 577 entries. It fell a little short in hitting its guarantee of $40,000. For the low event, the buy-in was $#0 and it saw just over 700 players competing. This event also fell just short of hitting its guaranteed target.
Some Overlays but Overall a Success
Overall, the series was subject to a few overlays, so PokerStars had to make up the difference. However, the turnout was solid considering how new the online poker market is in Michigan. It will take time for poker operators to be able to see how big the demand is and what type of buy-ins and guarantees they should offer to keep players coming for more.
It would not be surprising to see PokerStars make a few changes with the next series they offer in Michigan. In other states where they operate, like New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the brand has looked at past series and special events to determine what works best.
When comparing these two states, Pennsylvania often offers higher buy-ins and larger overall guaranteed prize pools than New Jersey, even though the Garden State has a more mature market. The demand is just higher in Pennsylvania.
It seems PokerStars will need to make similar adjustments in Michigan to avoid overlay issues and ensure all guarantees are met in the future. It will be interesting to see how future series compare to these latest options offered in the state and if any changes are made by the poker brand.
