The Winter XL Series on 888poker is fast approaching its last weekend of play, with the festival's $500,000 guaranteed Main Event kicking off on Sunday, January 30 at 6 p.m. GMT.
The Main Event is a two-day affair, with Day 1 closing once the nine-handed final table has been set. Day 2 then gets underway on Monday, January 31 at 7 p.m. GMT. with the final table being broadcasted with cards up on a 30-minute delay on 888poker's Twitch channel.
The PokerNews live reporting team are on hand and bringing you all the action from 888poker's XL Winter Series biggest events. Don't miss a beat of the Main Event with our live reporting hub.
The tournament has a buy-in of $250 and has a three hour and 50 minute late registration period. Players can have a maximum of three rebuys in that time. However, players should note there is no add-on available for this event.
Players get a 30,000 starting stack for their entry fee which is good for 300 big blinds. Blinds begin at 50/100/12a with levels increasing every 12-minutes. Final table deal making is permitted, as seen in Event: #22: $200,000 Tune Up.
Russia's "Kazi070486" took down the XL Winter Series #32: $500,000 Main Event PKO in 2020. They collected $34,685 for being the last player standing and a further $26,178 in bounties for an ultimate prize of $60,862.
It will be interesting to see if this year's Main Event eclipses its guarantee, as the last instalment only had 1804 entries. This meant there was an overlay of more than $75,000 in 2020. However, that might not be the case this weekend as the event is operating under a more traditional format rather than going ahead as a progressive knockout event.
Play the Main Event for Free
PokerNews has already outlined how you can play 888poker's XL Winter Series on a budget. So, it is worth remembering that there are freerolls everyday on the platform which vary in how many seats are obtainable.
On top of this, there are $33 satellites, which have a handful of seats guaranteed as well. As there is still some time until the Main Event gets underway, a plethora of satellites are expected to be added each day. The best way to find out what events are running is to open the Main Event lobby and head to the satellite tab. That details all the satellites events available on the run up to the Main Event.
Don't forget to check out our top tips for satellite poker tournaments before you begin your quest for Main Event glory.
Don't Miss Out on the Mini Main Event
If playing the Main Event doesn't go to plan and you find yourself on the rail early on, you don't have to call it a day for your Sunday grind on 888poker. On Sunday, January 30 at 7 p.m. GMT, the $50,000 Mini Main Event begins and comes with a more affordable $33 buy-in.
It follows the same structure as the Main Event, but there are some differences. The starting stack is 20,000 (250 big blinds) and 888poker have slightly shortened the late registration to three hours and 35 minutes. Blinds also begin at 40/80/10a.
The 2020 XL Winter Series Mini Main Event was won by Brazil's "afelipelli" for a $6,894 payday. The tournament also exceeded its guarantee, generating a final prize pool of $59,490 from its 1,983 entries.
How to Get Your XL Winter Series Tickets for Free
If you cannot play the Main Event for whatever reason, there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved the series' remaining tournaments for next to nothing. Also, depositing players can even qualify to some certain events for free.
There are a few ways to get into selected tournaments on the cheap and you can get you hands on tickets via:
- XL Winter Series Freerolls
- Social Media and 888pokerTV competitions
- Satellites from 1¢
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