button in Safari$500K Gtd Sunday Storm 15th Anniversary Phase 1s Are Running Now
Table Of Contents
May 10 sees the Sunday Storm celebrate its 15th anniversary online at PokerStars. The $11 buy-in Sunday Storm usually carries a $100,000 guarantee on its prize pool, but PokerStars has increased that amount fivefold, and promises that at least $500,000 will be won by the time the tournament's champion emerges.
The 15th Anniversary edition of the Sunday Storm is a phased event, with Phase 1s running around the clock. At the time of writing, 42,354 entries have been processed, but only 1,310 hopefuls have bagged chips for Phase 2 on May 10.
It's not often that low-stakes players have an opportunity to turn $11 into a slice of $500,000, meaning the Sunday Storm 15th Anniversary is an online poker tournament that's not to be missed.
Sunday Storm 15th Anniversary Phase 1 Structure
All Sunday Storm 15th Anniversary Phase 1 tournaments follow the same structure, albeit some have different speeds and late registration periods. Every entrant sits down armed with a 10,000-chip starting stack and plays to blinds starting at 40/80/10a.
For "Normal" speed Phase 1s, indicated by a green arrow in the PokerStars lobby, the blinds increase every eight minutes. Those choosing to play in a Turbo Phase 1, shown by a double red arrow, will play to a five-minute clock. The final Phase 1 is a Hyper-Turbo, highlighted by a triple red arrow. Blinds in this tournament increase every three minutes.
Unlimited re-entries are permitted during late registration. Late registration lasts 1 hour 20 minutes in normal-speed phases, 50 minutes in turbo phases, and 30 minutes in hyper-turbo phases.
Progressive bounties are in play from the start in every Phase 1, meaning it is possible to win money before the start of Phase 2.
Each phase ends when only 3% of the phase's field remains. Surviving players take their chips through to Phase 2, which starts promptly at 9:05 p.m. BST on May 10.
Remaining Sunday Storm 15th Anniversary Phase 1s
Expanding the table below reveals the remaining Phase 1s for the Sunday Storm 15th Anniversary edition. Players can play in as many Phase 1s as they wish, but they can only progress to May 10's Phase 2 once.
Phase 2 shuffles up and deals at 9:05 p.m. BST on May 10, with each player sporting a $5 bounty on their heads. Eliminate an opponent to instantly receive 50% of their bounty amount, and the remaining 50% increases your own bounty.
This Phase ends 4 hours 20 minutes after the pitching of the first cards, with play resuming at 9:05 p.m. BST on May 11, continuing until a champion is crowned. PokerStars guarantees that at least $500,000 will be won in this celebratory event.
Current Sunday Storm 15th Anniversary Top 10 Chip Counts
As mentioned earlier in this article, 1,310 players have punched their Phase 2 tickets and are now on course to see a return on their $11 investment. Naturally, some players have done better than others and managed to turn their 10,000 Phase 1 starting stack into a colossal stack.
Denmark's "MLRbt" currently holds the title of chip leader, having bagged and tagged an impressive 1,705,480 chips during their Phase 1. That huge stack contains 175,000 more chips than anyone else in the field, which should enable them to bully the shorter stacks and claim their bounties.
Everyone in the top 13 returns to the action with a seven-figure stack, including "Typucm" (1,525,787) and "Antonreinold" (1,325,542), who round off the podium places.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MLRbt | Denmark | 1,705,480 |
| 2 | Typucm | Belarus | 1,525,787 |
| 3 | Antonreinold | Sweden | 1,325,542 |
| 4 | Gymwear13 | Ireland | 1,170,850 |
| 5 | Yamashita17 | Brazil | 1,156,002 |
| 6 | benkatil666 | Bulgaria | 1,118,805 |
| 7 | Cordeiro212 | Brazil | 1,092,389 |
| 8 | gilouko | Brazil | 1,077,664 |
| 9 | broke122 | Slovakia | 1,065,844 |
| 10 | EricBolis | Brazil | 1,059,890 |
If you already play at PokerStars, head to the tournament lobby, find a Sunday Storm 15th Anniversary Phase 1, and see if you can play your way into Phase 2.
Those without an account can download PokerStars via PokerNews and enjoy a juicy welcome bonus. When creating your PokerStars account, use the marketing code "STARS600" to become eligible for the 100% up to $600 welcome bonus.
The bonus releases into your playable balance in $10 chunks each time you earn 180 redemption points. Those redemption points are earned at a rate of five for every $1 you contribute to the cash game rake or pay in tournament fees.
