Partypoker and the WPT are no strangers to charity efforts. As part of the WPT World Online Championships, the two companies are getting back in the act.
The Shooting Stars for Charity will be held across two days, July 29-30. The tournament features a $500,000 guarantee with a minimum $50,000 of that going to the 1Day Sooner. Several well-known faces from poker and beyond are getting involved.
1Day Sooner advocates on behalf of human trial challenges to speed up the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. The charity has gained the support of 32,000 volunteers in 140 countries.
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Major name poker pros jump in the action
The charity event features a $1,100 buy-in with $100 of each buy-in going to the charity donation. There will be some nice opportunities for players to score some bounties during the event.
Those sending a “Shooting Star” to the rail will earn an extra $500. Several recognizable poker pros are already planning to play, according to partypoker. Some of those include:
- Sam Trickett – Partypoker ambassador from the United Kingdom with $21.8 million in winnings.
- Ryan Riess – A WPT champion and 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event winner.
- Darren Elias – The WPT’s winningest player with four Main Tour titles.
- Liv Boeree – English poker pro with $4 million in live tournament earnings.
- Kenny Hallaert – One of Belgium’s winningest poker players with $4.3 million.
- Mike McDonald – This Canadian won the 2017 partypoker MILLIONS High Roller.
“I’m dusting off the ol’ clicker, my gaming mouse, to play some online poker again for the first time in ages,” Boeree said. “Who knows, maybe I’ll nail that triple crown at last.”
Celebs adding something extra to partypoker Shooting Stars
Beyond the world of poker, there are also plenty of celebrities in the action – all also $500 bounties. That list includes pro athletes, models, and actors.
Luke Mabbott may not have won on Love Island, but he’ll be hoping for better results on the poker table.
Actress and model Aylar Lie, who has also won six live poker titles, will also be participating. No stranger to poker, she has more than $362,000 in live tournament winnings.
In his day job, Barry Hearn is chairman of World Snooker and promotes other sporting events. He’s also a regular poker player with more than $115,000 in live poker winnings.
Actor Patrick Murray will also be participating. Many might know him as Mickey Pearce from sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He’s also a regular at the poker table.
Additionally, Manchester United football players Wes Brown and Darren Fletcher will move from the pitch to the poker felt.
Both are accustomed to winning trophies, including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, and more. Now they’ll be seeking a partypoker WPT title.
Following the partypoker Shooting Stars action
Like all of the WPT Online World Championships, the Shooting Stars will be live-streamed on the partypoker Twitch channel. Commentary will be provided in English by James Dempsey and Henry Kilbane.
Russian commentary will also be provided by Dmitry Shakov and Andrey Budykin. Stefan Hachmeister and Christophe Gross will be behind the mic for German viewers.
$100 million on the line in WPT World Online Championships
The WPT festivities continue at partypoker through Sept. 9 with a $100 million guarantee. The series is designed to replicate an authentic live poker experience.
Part of that is the use of players’ real names at the tables. There will also be a maximum of two Day 1s for the 12 championship events in the series with only one re-entry allowed.
Five of the 12 championship event winners will be added to the WPT Champions Club. Beyond those signature events, there are also numerous side events for players of all bankrolls.
For a complete series preview including insight from Team Partypoker ambassador Jason Koon, click here. Here’s a look at the entire series.
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Date Event Buy-in Fee Guarantee
Aug. 29 #07 World Championship Main Event Day 1A [4-Day Event] $10,000 $300 $10,000,000
Aug. 30 #07 World Championship Main Event Day 1B [4-Day Event] $10,000 $300 None
Sept. 2 #08 World Championship Heads Up [No Late Reg, 256 Cap, 2-Day Event] $3,000 $200 $500,000
Sept. 2 #08 Mini World Championship Heads Up [No Late Reg, 512 Cap, 2-Day Event] $300 $20 $100,000
Sept. 2 #08 Micro World Championship Heads Up [No Late Reg, 1024 Cap, 2-Day Event] $30 $3 $20,000
Sept. 5 #09 World Championship Mix-Max Day 1A [3-Day Event] $3,000 $200 $3,000,000
Sept. 5 #09 Mini World Championship Mix-Max Day 1A [3-Day Event] $300 $20 $1,000,000
Sept. 5 #09 Micro World Championship Mix-Max Day 1A [3-Day Event] $30 $3 $300,000
Sept. 5 #10 World Championship Super High Roller Day 1A [3-Day Event] $25,000 $500 $10,000,000
Sept. 6 #09 World Championship Mix-Max Day 1B [3-Day Event] $3,000 $200 None
Sept. 6 #09 Mini World Championship Mix-Max Day 1B [3-Day Event] $300 $20 None
Sept. 6 #09 Micro World Championship Mix-Max Day 1B [3-Day Event] $30 $3 None
Sept. 6 #10 World Championship Super High Roller Day 1B [3-Day Event] $25,000 $500 None
Sept. 7 #11 World Championship Super High Roller [2-Day Event] $100,000 $2,000 $5,000,000
Sept. 8 #12 World Championship Turbo $3,000 $200 $1,000,000
Sept. 8 #12 Mini World Championship Turbo $300 $20 $300,000
Sept. 8 #12 Micro World Championship Turbo $30 $3 $100,000
*** All events allow one re-entry per Day 1
For a complete partypoker review including exclusive PokerScout bonus codes, click here.
Photo courtesy WPT