button in SafariSecond Pennsyl-MANIA Event Brings in $376K Prize Pool on PokerStars PA
The regulated online poker market in the U.S. has been a hotbed of action this summer thanks in large part to a slew of bracelet events, but PokerStars PA contributed to the bonanza over the weekend with a special tournament that ended on Monday.
Players there were treated to "Pennsyl-MANIA II," the latest edition of what looks to be a promising tournament offering from the popular operator.
Pennsyl-MANIA II Key Stats and Results
Following the massive success of the first running of Pennsyl-MANIA in May, PokerStars PA opted to fire up another one, this time with an increased guarantee. They bumped the number from an already-record $250,000 to $350,000, and the guarantee was surpassed once more, though it wasn't without a mild sweat.
This time, 2,026 entries — 1,274 of them being unique players — created a prize pool of $376,836, enough to nudge past the number by just about 8%.
Just like last time, the big prize money incentivized a deal between the final few players. This time, it was four players who split up the big dough at the close of the final day on Monday:
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "SlotWinna777" | $44,641* |
| 2 | "Bellas59" | $37,993* |
| 3 | "GTOThanos_PB" | $31,400* |
| 4 | "tjl5124" | $31,402* |
| 5 | "redhanded77" | $14,536 |
| 6 | "DomeGod69420" | $10,362 |
| 7 | "johnnyboat46" | $7,386 |
| 8 | "Shovel344" | $5,265 |
| 9 | "anteater9999" | $3,753 |
*reflects four-handed deal
"Slotwinna777" took the biggest chunk but it was a fairly even split all around as everyone got at least $31K from the chop. It took three shells for "Slotwinna777," but they still wound up with a handsome profit.
Latest Big Prize Pool on PokerStars PA
Pennsyl-MANIA II followed up Pennsyl-MANIA, which established a slew of state records, and PASCOOP Main Event as the three biggest prize pools created in the fledgling market.
| PASCOOP Main Event | Pennsyl-MANIA | Pennsyl-MANIA II | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buy-in | $300 | $200 | $200 |
| Entries | 1,315 | 2,774 | 2,026 |
| Prize pool | $368,200 | $515,964 | $376,836 |
| Winner (prize) | "LiveMonster179" ($57,394) | "D-Low1527" ($69,670) | "Slotwinna777" ($44,641) |
It remains to be seen whether Pennsyl-MANIA will continue as a regularly reoccurring tournament, but there's likely to be more big tournaments ahead either way. The advent of the upcoming World Championship of Online Poker means a mirror tournament should be announced soon for PokerStars PA. Keep an eye out, and PokerNews will monitor for any updates on the blockbuster series.
