PokerStars has launched the 17-day PokerStars Ignite Series, reigniting interest in online poker tournaments in the U.S. This announcement follows the WSOP Online's schedule release for its 2026 Online Bracelet series.
Casino Reports
The email that PokerStars ā ahem,Ā PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuelĀ ā sent to players Monday afternoon started with the words, āThe fuse is lit.ā
As far as online poker tournament play in the U.S. goes, those four words do appear to apply. Weāre still a very long way from the poker boom days of two decades ago, of course, but the tournament scene is suddenly experiencing a spark not seen since before 2011ās Black Friday.
PokerStars announced in that email to users a major 17-day tournament festival called the PokerStars Ignite Series. And that came less than a week after WSOP Online announced the schedule for its 2026 Online Bracelet series.
Both series are able to offer attractive prize guarantees thanks to interstate pooling among several of the U.S. jurisdictions that have legalized online poker. PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel now combines players inĀ New Jersey,Ā Pennsylvania, andĀ Michigan, and WSOP Online pools the same three states plus Nevada ā the latter of which plays host to the in-person World Series of Poker that will run concurrently to the Online Bracelet series.
The WSOP is still the biggest brand in poker, and its online bracelets carry a prestige no other poker site can match.
The Online Bracelet series will run from May 30 to July 14, the same as the brick-and-mortar World Series (except for theĀ delayed WSOP Main Event final table). The series features 30 bracelet events and $7 million in total guarantees.
Buy-ins range from $215 for a couple of non-bracelet āscrambleā events that will award seats in the WSOP Main Event to $5,300 for the no-limit holdāem High Roller 6-Max Championship on June 27.
The WSOP is also establishing a points leaderboard and adding $50,000 in prizes to top finishers there.
The PokerStars Ignite Series canāt quite equal the WSOPās $7 million in guarantees, but itās coming close with a $5 million guarantee across the series.
This one starts this Saturday, April 18, and runs through May 4, with 90 events on the schedule.
The main event, beginning Sunday, May 3, costs $300 and features a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool. There is also a $1,500 high roller the same day with a $250K guarantee, plus there will be an assortment of tournaments with buy-ins as low as $20.
Get fired up for a new tournament series on PokerStars exclusively on @FanDuel starting this weekend.
š„ The Ignite Series
š„ April 18-May 4
š„ $5m Guaranteed series, 90 events
š„ $500,000 Main Event for $300
š„ Championship events from $20 to $1000 running dailySeeā¦ pic.twitter.com/iRrGk8TWYz
ā PokerStarsUSonFanDuel (@PokerStarsUSA) April 13, 2026
The revamped PokerStarsā first major tournament effort arrived this past Sunday and concluded Monday, with the Sunday Million brand brought back to lifeĀ ā even if it took two tournaments to produce a combined $1 million in guaranteed prize money.
And the house was on the hook for some of that, as neither tournament quite hit its guarantee.
The $1,000 buy-in event fell well short, with 449 entries (112 of which were re-entries). That field played down to 23 competitors when Day 1 play concluded at 1:45 a.m. ET on Monday, and it took about another four hours Monday evening to crown a champion. In the end, the first-place payout of $71,180.50 went to āHailMaryJerry,ā and the top 10 finishers each won five figures. The tournament paid out 63 places.
The $100 tournament fared better, but it still ended up with only the promised $500K prize pool ā not to mention, hundreds of the seats were awarded in promotional freerolls.
In the end, there were 5,075 entries (including 1,469 re-entries), and the top 750 made the money. They played down to 254 on the first day, resumed Monday at 6 p.m., and wrapped up at 11:46 p.m., with the top six each winning five figures and āFoldItFrankā prevailing for $55,588.
The PokerStars Ignite Series is a major 17-day tournament festival announced by PokerStars aimed at boosting online poker play in the U.S.
The WSOP Online 2026 Bracelet series schedule was announced recently, but specific dates for the events have not been detailed.
The current online poker tournament scene is experiencing a resurgence, although it is still far from the peak levels seen before the 2011 Black Friday incident.
The PokerStars Ignite Series could significantly boost player engagement and interest in online poker tournaments in the U.S., potentially leading to a larger player base.
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