The first week of the PokerStars 50/50 Series is in the bag with 17 of a scheduled 50 events, each costing $50 to enter, completed. Those opening 17 tournaments proved popular, with PokerStars awarding a cool $1,459,158 across them, which goes to show how much value this series has for lower-stakes multi-table tournament grinders.
718PopSmoke Turns $50 Into $20,511
$20,511 is the largest prize awarded on the PokerStars 50/50 Series so far and it was Canada's "718PopSmoke" who reeled in this bankroll-boosting score. The Canadian outlasted 4,274 opponents in Event #2, an 8-Max PKO tournament that was a special edition of the ever-popular Mini Bounty Builder HR.
A prize pool of $194,298 was way more than the advertised $150,000 guarantee, and 718PopSmoke took full advantage of the ample pot. They got their hands on the lion's share of the prize money after they defeated the talented Slovenia Blaz "Scarmak3r" Zerjav heads-up. Zerjav walked away with $12,750, with bounties included.
Two other players at the final table saw bounty payments worth four figures land in their PokerStars accounts. Third-place finisher "diegoodl" won $6,336 in total, of which $1,951 came from eliminating opponents. The United Kingdom's "GoldennnnB0Y" finished eighth but still managed to accumulate $1,182 worth of scalps, for a total prize worth $2,348.
| Place | Player | Country | Bounties | Prize | Total Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 718PopSmoke | Canada | $9,828 | $10,683 | $20,511 |
| 2 | Blaz "Scarmak3r" Zerjav | Slovenia | $2,071 | $10,679 | $12,750 |
| 3 | diegoodl | Uruguay | $1,951 | $6,336 | $8,287 |
| 4 | Ivan999D | Canada | $731 | $4,516 | $5,247 |
| 5 | BlackFourz | Mexico | $497 | $3,219 | $3,716 |
| 6 | AleAle2207 | Germany | $929 | $2,295 | $3,224 |
| 7 | Miawnel11 | Romania | $562 | $1,636 | $2,198 |
| 8 | GoldennnnB0Y | United Kingdom | $1,182 | $1,166 | $2,348 |
| 9 | acmelon | Germany | $595 | $831 | $1,426 |
Lister74 Leaves Five Brazilian in His Wake and Wins Event #3
British player "Lister74" helped themselves to the largest non-PKO score of the series to date, namely $14,241. This was Lister74's reward for taking down Event #3, an $80,000 guarantee No-Limit Hold'em affair that paid out $95,308 after 2,097 players bought in.
Five of the nine finalists hailed from Brazil, but it was not to be their day. Each Four busted in quick succession in places fourth through seventh, before Sweden's "foradelloc" bowed out in third to send the tournament into the heads-up phase; the Swede collected $7,235.
Lister74 fought one-on-one with the last remaining Brazilian, "gabrielbdo23," and no deal was discussed despite a $4,100 difference in the payouts, the equivalent of 82 buy-ins. This meant Lister74 got their hands on $14,241 for their victory while gabrielbdo23 had to make do with a $10,150 consolation prize.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lister74 | United Kingdom | $14,241 |
| 2 | gabrielbdo23 | Brazil | $10,150 |
| 3 | foradelloc | Sweden | $7,235 |
| 4 | 0ld Parr | Brazil | $5,157 |
| 5 | leoleo05 | Brazil | $3,676 |
| 6 | fegerson | Brazil | $2,620 |
| 7 | LittleJunioo | Brazil | $1,868 |
| 8 | pkrazer | United Kingdom | $1,331 |
| 9 | Jaes76 | Mexico | $949 |
PokerStars 50/50 Series Results So Far
| Event | Entrants | Prize pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1: NLHE 8-Max Series Opener | 1,876 | $85,264 | VadroU | $9,840 |
| #2: NLHE 8-Max PKO Mini Bounty Builder HR SE | 4,275 | $194,298 | 718PopSmoke | $20,511* |
| #3: NLHE Monday Special | 2,097 | $95,308 | Lister74 | $14,241 |
| #4: NLHE 5-Max PKO Monday Cooler | 1,749 | $79,492 | FragareN | $6,594 |
| #5: NLHE 4-Max Total PKO | 1,273 | $57,857 | MARAFAMAN | $7,014* |
| #6: NLHE 8-Max Early Freeze | 1,096 | $49,813 | justv1ctory | $6,727 |
| #7: NLHE 8-Max PKO Tuesday Hustle | 2,732 | $124,169 | BadaloaFill | $14,835* |
| #8: NLHE 8-Max Tuesday Supreme | 1,469 | $66,766 | jadedjason | $10,242 |
| #9: NLHE Hyper-Turbo PKO | 1,526 | $72,688 | gogi73 | $9,725* |
| #10: NLHE 8-Max Session Starter | 1,711 | $77,764 | palecznik | $11,809 |
| #11: NLHE 7-Max PKO Wednesday Unique | 3,121 | $141,849 | KtheKing | $13,959* |
| #12: NLO8 6-Max PKO | 501 | $22,770 | brunoAArruda | $3,148* |
| #13: NLHE 8-Max Turbo PKO Big Knockouts | 2,071 | $94,126 | Simon Sun | $13,435* |
| #14: PLO 6-Max PKO | 616 | $27,997 | tugudtubitru | $5,165* |
| #15: NLHE 8-Max Thursday Highlight | 1,971 | $89,581 | MTTSharkSnG | $13,396 |
| #16: NLHE 8-Max PKO Chubby Thursday | 2,609 | $118,579 | BoostedAAnimal | $10,596* |
| #17: NLHE 7-Max Turbo PKO Last Player Standing | 1,339 | $60,857 | sisli | $11,151* |
*includes bounty payments
Remaining PokerStars 50/50 Series Schedule
Don't worry if you missed out on PokerStars 50/50 glory during the first week because there are still 33 events on the schedule. The 50/50 Series tournaments run Monday through Thursday, so check out the schedule in the table below and see which events you plan to win this week.
| Date | Time (BST) | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 20 Jun | 5:05 p.m. | #18 8-Max, $50K Gtd |
| 6:35 p.m. | #19 Progressive KO Monday Hustle, $75K Gtd | |
| 8:05 p.m. | #20 Progressive KO, $80K Gtd | |
| 9:05 p.m. | #21 Progressive KO Adrenaline: $50BB, $45K Gtd | |
| Tue 21 Jun | 5:05 p.m. | #22 Tuesday Marathon, $25K Gtd |
| 6:35 p.m. | #23 Progressive KO Tuesday Highlight, $60K Gtd | |
| 8:05 p.m. | #24 Progressive KO, $15K Gtd | |
| 9:05 p.m. | #25 8-Max Turbo $30K Gtd | |
| Wed 22 Jun | 5:05 p.m. | #26 Wednesday Starter, $40K Gtd |
| 6:35 p.m. | #27 Progressive KO Wednesday Hustle, $65K Gtd | |
| 8:05 p.m. | #28 Wednesday Special, $50K Gtd | |
| 9:05 p.m. | #29 Progressive Total KO, $30K Gtd | |
| Thu 23 Jun | 5:05 p.m. | #30 Progressive KO Mini bounty Builder HR SE, $80K Gtd |
| 6:35 p.m. | #31 Thursday Rumble, $50K Gtd | |
| 8:05 p.m. | #32 Thursday Finisher, $40K Gtd | |
| 9:05 p.m. | #33 Progressive KO, $50K Gtd | |
| Mon 27 Jun | 5:05 p.m. | #34 Monday Starter, $50K Gtd |
| 6:05 p.m. | #35 Progressive KO Mini Bounty Builder HR SE, $150K Gtd | |
| 7:05 p.m. | #36 Progressive KO Big Knockouts, $75K Gtd | |
| 8:05 p.m. | #37 Progressive KO Chubby Monday, $80K Gtd | |
| 9:05 p.m. | #38 Progressive KO Triple Threat SE, $30K Gtd | |
| Tue 28 Jun | 5:05 p.m. | #39 Tuesday Grind, $30K Gtd |
| 6:35 p.m. | #40 Progressive KO Tuesday Unique, $65K Gtd | |
| 8:05 p.m. | #41 Progressive KO Tuesday Cooler, $50K Gtd | |
| 9:05 p.m. | #42 Progressive Total KO, $15K Gtd | |
| Wed 29 Jun | 5:05 p.m. | #43 Wednesday Marathon, $25K Gtd |
| 6:35 p.m. | #44 Progressive KO, $12.5K Gtd | |
| 8:05 p.m. | #45 Progressive KO Chubby Wednesday, $65K Gtd | |
| 9:05 p.m. | #46 Progressive KO Last Player Standing, $35K Gtd | |
| Thu 30 Jun | 5:05 p.m. | #47 Thursday Starter, $40K Gtd |
| 6:35 p.m. | #48 Thursday Highlight, $40K Gtd | |
| 8:05 p.m. | #49 Progressive KO Thursday Cooler, $50K Gtd | |
| 9:05 p.m. | #50 Progressive KO Series Wrap-Up, $35K Gtd |
Join PokerStars and Bag a $600 Welcome Bonus
New depositing PokerStars customers can claim a welcome bonus worth up to $600. Download PokerStars via PokerNews, create your free account, and decide how much you want to deposit. Your deposit is matched 100% up to $600 in the form of a bonus. In fact, your first three deposits in the first 60-days after making your first deposit are matched up to a combined total of $600.
The bonus releases into your playable balance in $10 increments each time you generate 180 redemption points, which in turn are earned at a rate of five per $1 contributed to the cash game rake or spent on tournament fees (6.5 points per £1, 5.5 points per €1, and four points per CAD$).
