Capitalizing on its recent partnership with football star Neymar Jr., PokerStars is offering poker players a chance to mix their loves of both games. The new exclusive Neymar Jr. Kick-Off game features rich graphics and buy-ins starting at just $1.
The games are open to players of all levels to take a shot at big cash prizes with up to $50,000 up for grabs. Whether a player is more of an attacker or plays a bit defensive, these competitions offer something new on the platform.
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How to play Neymar Jr. Kick-Off events at PokerStars
The Neymar Jr. events feature different football-inspired gameplay. Players start each match by buying in from $1 to $25 and finish each game by scoring a goal. The higher the buy-in, the closer to the goal a player starts.
As the game begins, players at the same buy-in level compete in “sprints.” These are four-person progressive knockout Sit & Go tournaments that last about five minutes.
When someone is eliminated, their value is split two ways. A percentage is added to the winner’s value and a percentage is awarded as cash directly to his or her wallet. This cash prize can be multiplied as well, meaning players could win more than $50,000 at higher stakes.
As players knock each other out, their own bounty values increase. They then move to the next sprint, where they are matched with players of similar bounty values.
When a player wins a sprint, they can jump right into the next one or save it for later. Every completed sprint gets players closer to the finish line, where they can be crowned one of many Kick-Off champions.
Any player winning a sprint and earning $50 or more scores a goal and wins their own bounty value. They also score all the additional bounties accumulated during the completed sprints.
Neymar Jr. Kick-Offs have already launched on the .NET platform. The games will roll out across additional markets throughout November.
Women’s Sunday starting time moved one hour
Players who enjoy PokerStars’ weekly Women’s Sunday tournament will now notice the event running just a bit earlier. The new time, at 13:40 (ET), is meant to help more players get involved and will be reviewed via player feedback.
Late registration is still available for 90 minutes. A number of satellites starting at just $0.22 will also continue from Thursday to Sunday.
“We’ve been doing a lot of work over the past year to enhance our Women’s Sunday and engage our female community in a way that rewards and entertains best but also works alongside their other priorities,” PokerStars associate director of consumer engagement and public relations Rebecca McAdam Willetts said in a news release.
Stars tested the buy-in at the lower price of $22 earlier this year. That received a positive response among players and saw increased attendance with the lower buy-in now in use.
“We’ve now also decided to amend the time of the event to see if it works better for our players,” Willetts said. “As always, we’d like to hear feedback on this and many other topics and would encourage women in our community to sign up to our insights community ‘Our Voices’ so we can continue to improve and offer the best experience possible.”
Since March, PokerStars has added extra value to one event a month for Women’s Sunday players. That has included tickets for events like SCOOP, WCOOP, and the Bounty Builder Series.
PokerStars has also worked to engage female players by shining a light on women in poker and the industry. Those efforts have ranged from unique content to special giveaways.
The company has also enhanced events and promotions to ensure better engagement and inclusion.