If ever there was doubt as to the popularity of poker then one look no further than PokerStars' record-breaking weekend. Within a society of economical turmoil and credit-crunching demise, the world's largest online site proved that they can still attract gargantuan fields as they broke the Guinness world record for the largest ever online poker tournament.
Having previously broken the record with a field of 20,000 in July 2007, PokerStars managed to attract an incredible 30,000 runners for a $11 no limit Hold'em freezeout on Sunday 28th December. With a mouth-watering $500,000 guaranteed prize pool, it was of no surprise when the tournament sold out well in advance, spaces filling in double quick speed as players deregistered.
This may have been a monumental occasion, but the eventual winner would have to play for a whopping nine and a half hours to snap up the $30,000 first prize, a feat achieved by 'Stan34powa' who defeated 34,999 other players to claim top honours. 8,750 others also cashed, breaking yet another record in the process.
Of course, this event was just one of many taking place on PokerStars, and with so many players already on the site, it was of no shock to anyone when the Sunday Warm Up lured in a record-breaking field of 5,836. With the $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool being boosted to $1,167,200.855, it was Hr_Herman who took gold and the $147,067.20 first prize.
Meanwhile, the world renowned Sunday Million similarly flourished, a record-breaking 16,260 players creating a $3,252,000 prize pool, in excess of a quarter of a million over the initial gurantee. A remarkable 2,475 players made the money, with Team PokerStars Pro Katja Thater making a deep run and finishing 134th. The winner, lp_SakiSaki, took home an astounding $331,378.80.
“No other site brings the level of excitement, skill, and challenge that poker players crave,” said Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu. “The Sunday tournaments on PokerStars provide an unrivaled opportunity to prove your poker prowess with a lucrative prize pool that matches the highest level of competition.”