Ramping up the anniversary of the Sunday Million has become a regular part of the PokerStars calendar each year. The event is the longest-running weekly online poker tournament with a $1 million guarantee and Stars make the anniversary tournament even bigger.
Once again Stars is making plans for a special event this year. The company announced on Thursday that the 17th anniversary Sunday Million is set for March 26. The tournament features a $7.5 million guaranteed prize pool with a guaranteed $1 million prize handed to the winner.
“Players can now mark their calendars for the return of PokerStars’ iconic Sunday Million anniversary tournament,” the company noted in announcing the event.
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What to expect from PokerStars’ anniversary Sunday Million
The Sunday Million has come to be recognized as a major part of the online poker ecosystem since its debut in 2006. At the height of the poker boom, Stars launched the weekly event with a seven-figure guarantee for the winner.
The regular $109 buy-in is raised to $215 for the upcoming special event. Players looking for a bargain buy-in will also be in luck.
PokerStars is once again offering several ways to qualify with some extra value for players including:
- added via satellites
- freerolls
- special Spin & Go’s
Look for more details in the coming weeks as the event approaches.
A brief history of Sunday Million winners
As one of the best-known online poker tournaments, the Sunday Million has seen some big names grab titles through the years. That included Canada’s Vanessa Kade coming out on top in the 15th anniversary event in 2021.
Kade scored $1.5 million for her efforts. The tournament brought in a massive 69,876 entries for almost a $14 million prize pool.
The winner considered it one of the biggest achievements of her poker career. No deals were made at the final table and she had 100% of her action, meaning she kept the entire haul.
“I just stopped crying,” Kade said to start her Twitch stream after the win. “I was literally just crying for 20 minutes. This is the best month of my life and it’s not even close. This is the best day of my life.”
We just beat a field of 69,876 to win $1.5 Million.
It feels impossible.
This is the best day of my life.
It's not close.All the pain was worth it, the dream is real. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/D0GKZSRhNl
— Vanessa Kade (@VanessaKade) March 23, 2021
Last year, Germany’s “Blackbeaty” won the tournament to secure a $931,885 payday. This came following a deal made with runner-up “JanRas1983,” of Denmark.
That tournament saw 52,210 entries for a $10.4 million prize pool. JanRas1983 scored $817,000 for runner-up.
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A look at other winners
In 2020, Brazil’s Alex Brito landed the top spot for $1.1 million. That event produced a field of 93,015 entries for a prize pool of $18.6 million.
Brito was unemployed at the time after losing his job six months earlier. He’d been playing poker for more than decade when he won a satellite to earn a seat in the Sunday Million. The big win provided a life-changing moment.
“To be honest, it took me a little time to really understand what happened,” he told USPoker.com afterward. “I can only say that it’s a dream that I’m living. I got the big hit that every poker player wants.”
Other players who have added their names to the Sunday Million anniversary winner’s circle include:
- Luke Vrabel – $848,589 (2013)
- Brayden Fritzshall – $597,720 (2015)
- Luis Felipe – $960,000 (2018)