PokerStars Players Championship Returns Amid Live Poker Boom

August 28th, 2019 | by Jason Reynolds

PokerStars is parlaying the recent success of EPT Barcelona into a second season of the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC).

PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship 2020

PokerStars Players Championship will return in 2020 as part of EPT Barcelona. (Image: PokerStars)

In the wake of EPT Barcelona’s National event breaking records, the operator will take the 2020 PSPC to one of Spain’s biggest cities.

The announcement was made on August 27 and means the $25,000 tournament will move from its initial base in the Bahamas.

PokerStars’ Platinum Promise

As per the press release, the 2020 PokerStars Players Championship will run from August 20 to August 24. The buy-in will remain unchanged but PokerStars has confirmed more Platinum Passes will be up for grabs over the next 12 months.

Each Platinum Pass will be worth €26,466/$30,000 and PokerStars kicked things off with a surprise giveaway.

Contributing to EPT Barcelona’s festivities, the organizers gave five Chase Your Dream – Play Against Your Heroes finalists a free Platinum Pass.

The quintet, which includes Canadian army veteran Daryl Inglis, will receive free entry to the PSPC as well as flights, hotel and expenses.

With five players already in the mix, PokerStars is looking to top the highs of 2019. During the inaugural event in January, 1,039 players, including 320 Platinum Pass winners, created a prizepool worth $26,455,500.

When the masses had fallen way, Spain’s Ramos Colillas scooped the $5.1 million top prize.

In 2020, PokerStars wants to surpass those figures and cement the PSPC’s reputation as a top tournament on the annual calendar.

Positive Signs for PokerStars Players Championship

Already the omens are positive. Just after the Bahamian showdown, an impromptu PSPC online event attracted 4,402 entries.

Beyond that, live tournament poker is on a high right now. In addition to EPT Barcelona setting records, Triton London raised the bar this summer with its $1.27 million buy-in event.

Elsewhere, the 2019 WSOP was another bumper festival, while Grosvenor Casino proved yet again that its Goliath is a huge hit.

With attendance figures and prizepools on the up, the PokerStars Players Championship could easily bet another hit.

Indeed, with an increased number of Platinum Passes available, there will be more value for players at all levels of the game.