First MICOOP Concludes at PokerStars MI With Over $2.2 Million Awarded
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Yesterday marked the conclusion of the inaugural poker tournament series on PokerStars MI, which can only be described as an undeniable triumph.
The participants of the inaugural Michigan Championship of Online Poker (MICOOP) achieved remarkable success, accumulating a total prize pool of over $2.2 million across a span of 60 events. This outcome surpassed all expectations, demonstrating the tremendous impact of the site’s strategic move to enhance guarantees throughout the tournament.
Nearly half of MICOOP events featured boosted guarantees
After a successful beginning to MICOOP, PokerStars decided to increase the guarantees before reaching the midpoint of the series. The first increase took place on February 27-28 during a Double Up Weekend. During this event, PokerStars MI doubled the guarantees for all 10 tournaments held on Saturday and Sunday.
During the final week of MICOOP, PokerStars raised the guarantees for several tournaments. The most significant increase was seen in the Main Event, where the guarantee was raised from $125,000 to $200,000. Ultimately, out of the 60 tournaments, 26 of them featured higher guaranteed prize pools than initially intended.
The prize pools, which initially amounted to slightly over $1 million, were elevated to nearly $1.43 million due to the boosts. Out of the 60 tournaments, only four had overlays, with the highest being slightly over $9,700 in a $200 6-Max Turbo event held on Sunday.
Overall, the total number of entries in MICOOP reached nearly 32,000, which encompasses re-entries, rebuys, and add-ons from three separate rebuy events.
Business at PokerStars Michigan challenging PA and NJ
The prize money given to MICOOP players on PokerStars MI, totaling $2,208,002.20, far surpassed the winnings awarded during the inaugural PACOOP in November-December 2019, which amounted to nearly $1.56 million. Furthermore, it even exceeded the prize pool distributed during the second PACOOP in October 2020, where players took home almost $2.04 million.
The total amount easily surpasses the winnings of New Jersey players in the NJCOOP. In the previous autumn, NJCOOP accumulated slightly over $1.12 million in winnings.
During the MICOOP event from February 20 to March 8, both PokerStars PA and PokerStars NJ hosted their respective Bounty Builder Series.
During the PokerStars PA Bounty Builder Series, a total of $2 million was distributed among 75 events. Conversely, the PokerStars NJ Bounty Builder Series presented 58 events and distributed slightly under $700,000 in prizes.
It should be mentioned that PokerStars is currently the sole online poker site operating in Michigan and Pennsylvania, giving them a monopoly in these states. However, in New Jersey, PokerStars faces competition from several other online poker sites.
MICOOP Main draws nearly 1,300 entries, prize pool of $360K
The MICOOP Main Event, requiring a $300 buy-in, managed to draw an impressive 1,284 participants. As a result, the prize pool skyrocketed to $359,520, exceeding the initial guarantee of $200,000. Ultimately, it was player “smftt” who emerged victorious, claiming the coveted title and a substantial first-place prize of over $56,000.
The MICOOP Main Event undoubtedly marked a significant milestone in the relatively brief existence of PokerStars MI, emerging as the largest tournament to date. Moreover, it stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the grandest events held on PokerStars PA since its inception in November 2019.
The MICOOP Main Event outshone last October’s PACOOP Main Event, which had a similar structure of a $300 buy-in tournament with re-entries. The 2020 PACOOP Main Event attracted slightly over 1,000 participants, resulting in a prize pool of slightly over $283,000.
In the meantime, PokerStars PA has successfully organized three exclusive Pennsyl-MANIA tournaments, featuring substantial guarantees and resulting in larger prize pools.
In May 2020, Pennsyl-MANIA made its debut as the biggest tournament in the history of PokerStars PA, boasting a prize pool of nearly $516,000. The subsequent event, however, experienced a decrease in both participant numbers and prize money, with approximately $377,000 up for grabs. On the other hand, the third installment guaranteed a substantial $500,000 prize pool, but ultimately fell short and resulted in an overlay.
It wouldn’t be unexpected if PokerStars MI introduces its own version of a special event similar to Pennsyl-MANIA. It will be interesting to witness if PokerStars MI can surpass the accomplishments of PokerStars PA by organizing an even grander event.
Take a glimpse at the participating fields and prize pools of all 60 events in the inaugural MICOOP.
2021 MICOOP by the numbers
| Event | Buy-in | Guarantee | Entries | Re-Entries | Prize Pool | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1: NLHE [MICOOP Kick Off, Nightly Stars SE] | $100 | $30,000 | 597 | 286 | $81,059.40 | ||
| 2: NLHE [Rebuy] | $20 | $10,000 | 747 | 1,153** | $34,580.00 | ||
| 3: NLHE [8-Max] | $50 | $20,000 | 548 | 229 | $35,353.50 | ||
| 4: NLHE [8-Max, Deepstacks] | $100 | $25,000 | 430 | 226 | $60,220.80 | ||
| 5: NLHE [Progressive KO, Sunday Warm Up SE] | $50 | $10,000 | 430 | 206 | $28,938.00 | ||
| 6: NLHE [Sunday Special SE] | $200 | $40,000 | 289 | 141 | $79,980.00 | ||
| 7: NLHE [Sunday Special Mini] | $25 | $12,500 | 820 | 409 | $27,959.75 | ||
| 8: PLO | $100 | $10,000 | 146 | 72 | $20,012.40 | ||
| 9: NLHE [Second Chance] | $75 | $7,500 | 223 | 76 | $20,406.75 | ||
| 10: NLHE [8-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Sunday Supersonic SE] | $50 | $5,000 | 199 | 51 | $11,750.00 | ||
| 11: NLHE [4-Max] | $100 | $15,000 | 206 | 106 | $28,641.60 | ||
| 12: NLHE [6-Max, Progressive KO, Battle Royale SE] | $50 | $20,000 | 443 | 203 | $29,393.00 | ||
| 13: PLO8 | $50 | $7,500 | 193 | 87 | $12,740.00 | ||
| 14: NLHE [Super Tuesday SE] | $200 | $30,000 | 189 | 109 | $55,428.00 | ||
| 15: NLHE [Super Tuesday Mini] | $30 | $15,000 | 624 | 326 | $25,935.00 | ||
| 16: PL 5-Card Draw [Turbo] | $50 | $3,000 | 81 | 14 | $4,322.50 | ||
| 17: PLO [6-Max] | $100 | $7,500 | 114 | 44 | $14,504.40 | ||
| 18: NLHE [6-Max, High Roller] | $500 | $35,000 | 90 | 41 | $61,570.00 | ||
| 19: NLHE | $50 | $20,000 | 382 | 180 | $25,571.00 | ||
| 20: NLHE [Progressive KO, Thursday Thrill SE] | $200 | $30,000 | 171 | 85 | $47,616.00 | ||
| 21: NLHE [Progressive KO, Thursday Thrill Mini] | $30 | $15,000 | 556 | 276 | $22,713.60 | ||
| 22: 5-Card PLO [6-Max, Turbo] | $30 | $3,000 | 135 | 63 | $5,405.40 | ||
| 23: FLHE | $100 | $5,000 | 71 | 16 | $7,986.60 | ||
| 24: NLHE [Big Antes] | $100 | $7,500 | 230 | 112 | $31,395.60 | ||
| 25: NLHE | $150 | $10,000 | 109 | 27 | $18,727.20 | ||
| 26: HORSE | $50 | $6,000 | 194 | 84 | $12,649.00 | ||
| 27: NLHE | $50 | $20,000 | 394 | 439** | $37,901.50 | ||
| 28: NLHE [Turbo, Saturday Speedway SE] | $100 | $20,000 | 222 | 65 | $26,346.60 | ||
| 29: NLHE [8-Max, Marathon] | $100 | $50,000 | 382 | 193 | $52,785.00 | ||
| 30: NLHE [Sunday Warm Up SE] | $50 | $25,000 | 442 | 160 | $27,391.00 | ||
| 31: NLHE | $250 | $100,000 | 332 | 129 | $107,413.00 | ||
| 32: NLHE | $30 | $30,000 | 768 | 369 | $31,040.10 | ||
| 33: PLO [8-Max, Turbo] | $50 | $10,000 | 156 | 35 | $10,000.00* | ||
| 34: NLHE | $100 | $20,000 | 215 | 104 | $29,284.20 | ||
| 35: NLHE [Hyper-Turbo, Sunday Supersonic SE] | $75 | $20,000 | 168 | 41 | $20,000.00* | ||
| 36: NLHE | $50 | $15,000 | 301 | 151 | $20,566.00 | ||
| 37: NLHE | $100 | $25,000 | 273 | 141 | $38,005.20 | ||
| 38: NLHE | $250 | $50,000 | 171 | 86 | $59,881.00 | ||
| 39: NLHE | $50 | $25,000 | 437 | 207 | $29,302.00 | ||
| 40: Stud Hi-Lo | $50 | $5,000 | 112 | 22 | $6,097.00 | ||
| 41: PLO | $250 | $20,000 | 78 | 30 | $25,164.00 | ||
| 42: PLO | $30 | $5,000 | 255 | 130 | $10,510.50 | ||
| 43: NLHE | $100 | $20,000 | 215 | 107 | $29,559.60 | ||
| 44: NLHE | $250 | $50,000 | 178 | 98 | $64,308.00 | ||
| 45: NLHE | $50 | $25,000 | 444 | 190 | $28,847.00 | ||
| 46: NLHE | $20 | $15,000 | 538 | 235 | $15,000.00* | ||
| 47: NLHE [6-Max, Rebuy] | $10 | $15,000 | 760 | 1,565** | $21,157.50 | ||
| 48: NLHE | $75 | $15,000 | 381 | 177 | $38,083.50 | ||
| 49: NLHE | $20 | $5,000 | 408 | 190 | $10,883.60 | ||
| 50: 8-Game | $50 | $10,000 | 199 | 77 | $12,558.00 | ||
| 51: NLHE [6-Max, Turbo, Zoom] | $50 | $15,000 | 331 | 189 | $23,660.00 | ||
| 52: NLHE | $50 | $10,000 | 291 | 83 | $17,017.00 | ||
| 53: NLHE | $50 | $35,000 | 533 | 238 | $35,080.50 | ||
| 54: NLHE [Progressive KO] | $100 | $40,000 | 336 | 124 | $42,228.00 | ||
| 55: NLHE [Main Event] | $300 | $200,000 | 882 | 402 | $359,520.00 | ||
| 56: NLHE [Main Event Mini] | $50 | $50,000 | 813 | 388 | $54,645.50 | ||
| 57: NLHE | $200 | $30,000 | 84 | 25 | $30,000.00* | ||
| 58: NLHE | $100 | $15,000 | 186 | 61 | $23,465.00 | ||
| 59: NLHE [Nightly Stars SE] | $100 | $30,000 | 358 | 182 | $49,572.00 | ||
| 60: NLHE [Heads-Up, Turbo, Progressive KO, Zoom] | $20 | $10,000 | 484 | 388 | $15,870.40 | ||
| TOTALS | $1,429,500 | 20,344 | 11,643 | $2,208,002.20 | |||
Events with overlays include Event No. 33 with a value of $1,309.05, Event No. 35 with a value of $5,265.50, Event No. 46 with a value of $931.40, and Event No. 57 with a value of $9,726.00. Additionally, the total rebuys and add-ons are taken into consideration. The events marked in bold indicate an increase in guarantees.
