Moneymaker PSPC Tour Making Tourneys More “Accessible and Inclusive”
July 6, 2018 10:43 amFifteen years ago, Chris Moneymaker gave inspiration to a new generation of poker players after qualifying for the 2003 WSOP Main Event via an $86 online satellite at PokerStars, before going on to take down the whole tournament for a life changing $2.5 million. This year, PokerStars has decided to mark the pivotal event by introducing a tournament series called the Moneymaker PSPC Tour, complete with an affordable $86 buy-in Main Event whose winner will not only receive the event’s top prize, but will also earn a Platinum Pass worth $30,000.
Inspiration
When Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 WSOP Main Event, there was a completely different online poker landscape in the US. Back then, PokerStars was accessible across the whole of the country, with the company having built up strong associations across the industry, including at the World Series of Poker.
Since 2011, however, it has been a long journey back to the US for the brand, and even now the world’s biggest poker room is currently limited to just the state of New Jersey. Given the current lack of lucrative, low cost opportunities for players to strike it big compared to back then, PokerStars has decided to give their customers a chance to walk in the footsteps of Chris Moneymaker by launching the Moneymaker PSPC Tour. As a subsequent press release explains:
“The tour is designed to give players the chance to emulate Chris’ win back in 2003 when he turned $86 into $2,500,000 by beating 838 players at the WSOP Main Event, sparking the famous ‘Moneymaker Effect’.”
Moneymaker PSPC Tour
Unlike other tours which feature tournament costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars to enter, placing them beyond the range of most casual players, the Moneymaker PSPC Tour features a low-cost $86 buy-in for its Main Event. In addition to its prize pool, the Moneymaker PSPC Tour will also be giving away a $30,000 Platinum Pass at each of the nine stops planned from August 4/5 until October 10/14. Put another way, that is equivalent to adding an extra 350 entries to each tournament’s existing prize pools.
The Platinum Pass will then earn them a trip out to the Bahamas in January, and an entry into the inaugural $25,000 PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC). Once there, like Chris Moneymaker, they will have the opportunity to earn a life-changing sum, as the tournament will feature a guaranteed prize pool of at least $8 million, with an added $1 million allocated for its eventual winner.
8 Live and 1 Online Event
The Moneymaker Tour will stop off at eight land-based casinos across the country, with a special online tournament taking place in New Jersey via PokerStarsNJ.com. The current itinerary is as follows:
Aug 4-5: Stones Gambling Hall, Citrus Heights, CA
Aug 19-26: Lucky Chances, Colma, CA
Sept 9: Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, CT
Sept 15: MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, MD
Sept 22: Gardens Casino, Hawaiian Gardens, CA
Sept 23: Talking Stick, Scottsdale, AZ
Sept 30: PokerStarsNJ.com (online)
Oct 7: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT
Oct 10-14: Maryland Live, Hanover, MD
Moneymaker Thrilled
Chris Moneymaker was snapped up as a PokerStars sponsored pros soon after his famous win, and has become a talisman for the brand over the past decade and a half. Previously an accountant, these days when Moneymaker is not at home with his wife and family, he spends his time traveling all across America and the world playing on the poker circuit. It’s the kind of life all poker players can aspire to, and a truly heart warming story about an “average guy” turned millionaire by simply playing the game to the best of his abilities, and catching lightning in a bottle.
Moneymaker said that he is thrilled to be spearheading the tour, and giving players the same chance as himself to realize their dreams. Meanwhile, PokerStars Director of Marketing David Carrion explained that the Moneymaker PSPC Tour will help make poker tournaments more “accessible and inclusive”, as well as incredibly entertaining to follow.
“Our story is that of enabling people around the world to come together to play a game they love and enjoy, and which at the same time can change their lives with life-changing amounts of money. We’ve created many such stories over the years, in online and live poker.. We love the game and PSPC is a manifestation of our passion for poker.”