What's New in Ontario Poker this July 2024?

Welcome to this fresh edition of "What's New in Ontario Poker," your reliable source for the freshest updates and exciting developments in the Ontario poker world. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a casual player, it’s important to stay informed about upcoming live events or online tournament series and promos to make the most of the opportunities that arise. This week we are resuming this column for the first time in a little while so we have an action-packed lineup of news, including a fantastic opportunity to compete for a seat at the prestigious NAPT: Las Vegas festival through PokerStars Ontario's path to NAPT glory, the introduction of long awaited thrilling mystery bounty tournaments on the Stars Ontario platform, an updated tournament schedule, also from PokerStars, and details about an upcoming live event at Casino Niagara. Let’s dive into the details and see what's in store for Ontario's poker players!

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Ontario Poker Heats Up with PokerStars NAPT Qualifiers!

Calling all Ontario online poker enthusiasts! While the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) partnership with PokerStars might not have a direct Ontario leg, there's still a fantastic opportunity to compete for a seat at the prestigious NAPT: Las Vegas festival.

Building on the excitement of the RGPS leaderboard, PokerStars Ontario is offering its own path to NAPT glory. Through a combination of online qualifiers and special freerolls, you can win your way to the $5,300 buy-in Main Event (increased from last year due to high player turnout!)

This is a great alternative for Ontario players who can't participate in the live RGPS events! Check out the "Path to NAPT" and "Access NAPT" pages on PokerStars Ontario for details on qualifiers, freerolls, and the complete NAPT package offered. Don't miss this chance to play alongside high rollers and novices alike on the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip!

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Mystery Bounty Tournaments

Pokerstars Ontario has finally jumped on board the Mystery Bounty tournament train and began offering the format on June 23 with the Summer Stacks $100 buy-in event that smashed its $60,000 Guarantee to award a total of $87,118 in prizes. The winner of the tournament was coheHYhatch who took down bounties worth $2999.59 and the 1st place prize of $7,121.83. The other big winner was St0kes who took down the whopping $10,000 bounty, he finished in 63rd place for an additional $145.83 showing how lucrative the Mystery Bounty can be in this format. This was a long awaited development in Ontario since Pokerstars launched Mystery Bounty in the global market back in January of this year. Pokerstars has joined 888 who first started offering these exciting tournaments in Ontario and GGpoker in offering the format.

Speaking of GGPoker Ontario, their Mystery Bounty microFestival Main Event is this Sunday July 7th where for only a $21 Buy-In you can fight for a $100,000 Prizepool and $10,000 top Mystery Bounty. This is a great opportunity to go for a big score without breaking the bank! 

What is The Mystery Bounty Poker Tournament Format?

Mystery bounty poker tournaments are an exciting twist on traditional bounty tournaments. Here’s a brief explanation of how they work:

1. Buy-in and Entry: Players pay a buy-in to enter the tournament, a portion of which goes into the regular prize pool and another portion into the bounty pool.
2. Bounty Prize Pool: Unlike traditional bounty tournaments where each player has a fixed bounty on their head, mystery bounty tournaments have variable bounties.
3. Eliminations and Reveals: When a player is eliminated, the player who knocks them out receives a bounty envelope. The contents of the envelope are only revealed after the elimination, adding an element of surprise. Some envelopes contain small bounties, while others can hold significantly larger amounts.
4. Final Table and Prizes: The tournament continues until a winner is crowned, with the regular prize pool being distributed according to the tournament’s payout structure. The mystery bounties add an additional layer of excitement and potential winnings.

This format adds suspense and unpredictability, as players never know the value of the bounty they’ve collected until it’s revealed.

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PokerStars New Tournament Schedule

PokerStars has revamped its tournament schedule for Ontario players, introducing some new events and better time slots. Highlights of the new schedule are:

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The $250 Super Tuesday (High Roller Edition) which was won by top Ontario online grinder and featured Ontario Poker Streamer Arlie Shaban in it’s first run. 

The $200 Thursday Thrill  PKO (High Roller Edition) which was taken down by MagnusGG89 for $4570.20 in Bounties and $1948.99 in it’s debut.

The old $100 nightly brawl tournament has been replaced with nightly $100 events at 7pm EST which include :

$100 Fast Monday 3k GTD
$100 Super Tuesday 8k GTD
$100 Wednesday Storm 8k GTD
$100 Thursday Thrill 10k GTD
$100 Friday Night Fight PKO 7-Max with $10k GTD 

Other additions include the  Nightly Stars Knockout with a $50 Buyin and 5k GTD and the Turbo Nightly Stars $50 3.5k GTD. 

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Results of PokerStars Summer Stacks Series

The PokerStars Summer Stacks series has concluded, and Ontario players have shown impressive performances. We previously reported on several winners as the series was ongoing. Here is the list of the newest winners:

Event 58 $100 PKO Summer Royale - treytrigga $3143.73 in Bounties and $1388.69 

Event 59 $30 PKO Mini Royale - jewgalo $1340.31 in Bounties and $625.68

Event 60 $50 Summer Stars - BlackNdGold7 for $1811.53

Event 61 $20 Mini Nightly Summer - Stuey_Ungar2 $1137.78

Event 62 $100 Summer Tuesday - Jakowsi $3410.22

Event 63 $30 Mini Tuesday - JMadden1985 $1073.93

Event 64 $50 Summer KO Stars - SokiraMamina $1032.46 in Bounties and $948.83

Event 65 $20 Progressive Total KO - Miln2k5 $569.84 in Bounties

Event 66 $50 Turbo KO Summer Stars - Legiit4  $1133.94 in Bounties and $576.75 

Event 67 $20 Mini Nightly Summer - 1stplacewinner1 $1123.21

Event 68 $100 Summer Storm - WalmartCNXN $3175.42

Event 69 $30 Mini Storm - n3kt $1012.88

Event 70 $50 Summer KO Stars - lexi4u $1493.28 in Bounties and $1071.11

Event 71 $30 Big KO Zoom - Legiit4 $854.06 and $216.57

Event 72 $20 Mini Nightly Summer - Strochez5 $1145.09

Event 73 $50 PLO 5 Card Big O - anth7882 $955.42

Event 74 $100 PKO Summer Thrill - Feath21 $2348.01 in Bounties and $1471.15

Event 75 $30 PKO Mini Thrill - MafiaMan69 $1037.02 in Bounties and $660.69

Event 76 $50 Summer Stars - selling420 $2519.02

Event 77 $20 Limit Stud H/L - MoneyAlgebra $364.06

Event 78 $20 Mini Nightly Summer - B F Z $1176.17

Event 79 $100 Big KO Fight - 3rd Age $4104.04 in Bounties and $948.24

Event 80 $30 Mini KO Fight - dr8877 $1085.25 in Bounties and $470.65

Event 81 $50 Summer Stars - DJSNAKE888 $2716.99

Event 82 $100 Big Freeze - adamwiebe $2319.93

Event 83 $20 Mini Nightly Summer - rockgodd $1186.12 

Event 84 $100 Main Event Preview - Playmaker66 $3162.77

Event 85 $30 Mini Main Preview - bigplayerh8r $1568.73

Event 86 $50 Summer KO Stars - cdaynard $1734.65 in Bounties and $1217.17

Event 87 $30 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw - M0N0Chrome $551.42

Event 88 $75 Marathon - Livewhale $2508.27

Event 89 $10 Turbo Big KO Bounty Builder - clarkey1969 $676.41 in Bounties and $112.70

Event 90 $100 Main Event - inTheAyers36 $11029.95 + NAPT Entry

Event 91 $30 Mini Main Event - B F Z $3094.08

Event 92 $50 PLO Big KO - Mcloving13 $1731.34 in Bounties and $284.71

Event 93 $50 Main Second Chance - smith1952 $2699.88

Event 94 $75 Supersonic - dustytruth $2061.82 (chop)

Event 95 $20 Mini Nightly Summer - carlosvaz123 $1176.17

Event 96 $100 Closer - JohnSnowing $3593.62

Event 97 $5 Phase 2 - spanky1947 $2105.33 + NAPT Entry

Event 98 $30 Mini Closer - firefaux  $1706.83

Event 99 $50 Summer KO Stars - Moe Danglez $1428.07 in Bounties and $1298.20

Event 100 $50 Turbo Sendoff - FireFaux $1595.20

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Mark Your Calendars!

The Summer Main Event at Casino Niagara is heating up this August. This No-Limit Hold'em tournament runs from Tuesday, August 6th to August 9th, with a buy-in of $1,000. There are two starting flights, giving you multiple chances to chip up and take a shot at the title. For more details and official tournament information, be sure to visit the Casino Niagara website or contact the casino directly. Don't miss out on this exciting summer poker showdown!

Tournament Date: Aug 6 -Aug 9

Buy-in and Prize Pool: $1,000 buy-in and Estimated Prizepool of $500,000

That's a Wrap!

That wraps up this edition of "What's New in Ontario Poker!" We covered a lot of ground, from the exciting opportunity to win your way to the NAPT: Las Vegas festival on PokerStars Ontario to the introduction of Mystery Bounty tournaments and a revamped tournament schedule. We also highlighted some impressive performances by Ontario players in the recent PokerStars Summer Stacks series. Don't forget to mark your calendars for the upcoming Summer Main Event at Casino Niagara, offering a $1,000 buy-in and a shot at a $500,000 prize pool. Until next time, happy grinding in Ontario!