PokerStars PA Opening Day Live Blog: Let's Play Some Cards
With the two-day soft launch period now in the books, PokerStars PA is officially now the only Pennsylvania online poker room. PocketFives will be live blogging throughout the day with all the news and happenings from the first day of official play.
Update 7:00 PM: The first edition of the PokerStars PA Nightly Stars with its $10K guarantee kicks off as the real-money player total soars to over 1K. This wraps up our three-day coverage of the return of online poker to the Keystone State. Thank you for following along with us!
Update 6:03 PM: The after-work crowd is here as the total number of players online rocketed to over 800 at 6 pm ET.
Update 5:57 PM: We’ve been keeping an eye on the Sit & Go tab to see if any high stakes SNGs were able to get off the ground. There was a $100 HU Hyper that took place with ‘Fuzzy2525’ taking it down and we also caught a six-handed $50 Turbo in action.
Update 5:02 PM: The player pool has remained robust throughout the day with over 750 players online at the top of the hour. In other news, the $2/$4 8 Game Mix has been up and running for a little while now.
Update 4:27 PM: Another guarantee smashed. The $800 GTD Big 15 had 148 entries (106 players, 42 re-entries) and a prize pool of $2,020.20.
Update 3:38 PM: Add an event to your calendar: Scrolling down the MTT schedule PokerStars has included a ‘We Are In Pennsylvania Freeroll’ with $20,000 added on November 17. No hoops to jump through, no bonuses to clear- simply create an account, log on and register at 1:00 pm ET on November 17 to fight for a piece.
Update 2:45 PM: One of the larger Pot Limit Omaha games in the early going is currently active as four players are battling on a $5/$10 PLO table.
Update 2:40 PM: PokerStars has loaded up the Tourney tab with tournaments extending through the weekend. Check out what a Sunday grind in Pennsylvania looks like with our First Look at PokerStars PA Sunday MTT Schedule.
Update 2:36 PM: Hot Lunch! The first guaranteed tournament of the day, The Lunchtime Hot $20, is close to a final table. It’s just another early launch guarantee taken down as the players exceeded the $750 GTD mark with 101 total entries for a $1,838.20 prize pool.
Update 1:31 PM: With over 550 players on the site, the six-handed $2/$5 NLHE cash game has been running steady for the past half hour.
Update 12:37 PM: PokerStars has released a statement regarding their official launch in the Keystone State.
“PokerStars PA is now officially live after receiving full approval from the regulator. We look forward to welcoming players in Pennsylvania around the clock and we’re very excited by the level of engagement and support so far,” Rebecca McAdam, PokerStars spokesperson.
Update 12:35 PM: Want a closer look at all of the games PokerStars PA has to offer? Read: PokerStars PA Fully Live with Wide Variety of Stakes and Formats
Update 12:29 PM: We’re keeping an eye on the SNG lobby to see if any of the higher buy-in Turbos take place. Right now, for those looking to play a little higher, the $20 Six Max Turbos are running regularly without players having to wait too long.
Update 12:05 PM: Just a few minutes after noon on the East Coast and there are over 400 players on the PokerStars PA client. Three of which are splashing around on the first play money table.
Update 11:36 PM: While a lot of people are anxiously awaiting the first Sunday MTT schedule, the first day of tournaments includes 28 MTTs running before Midnight. The biggest tournament is the $100 buy-in Nightly Stars event which has a $7,500 guarantee – the PokerStars NJ version of the same event has a $7,000 guarantee tonight.
| Time | Game | Buy-in | Name | Guarantee | Speed |
| 12:00 PM | NLHE | $3.00 | Time Tourney: 45 Minutes | Turbo | |
| 12:30 PM | NLHE | $20.00 | The Lunchtime Hot $20 | $750.00 | Turbo |
| 1:00 PM | NLHE | $5.00 | Time Tourney: 45 Minutes | Turbo | |
| 1:30 PM | NLHE | $15.00 | The Big $15 | $800.00 | |
| 2:00 PM | NLHE | $2.00 | $100 Gtd | $100.00 | |
| 2:30 PM | NLHE | $5.00 | $150 Gtd | $150.00 | |
| 3:00 PM | NLHE | $10.00 | Bounty Builder $10 | $300.00 | |
| 3:30 PM | NLHE | $2.00 | $100 Gtd | $100.00 | |
| 4:00 PM | NLHE | $5.00 | The Big $5 | $500.00 | |
| 5:00 PM | NLHE | $15.00 | $250 Gtd | $250.00 | |
| 6:00 PM | NLHE | $10.00 | The Big $10 | $1,000.00 | |
| 6:30 PM | NLHE | $3.00 | $3 NLHE | ||
| 7:00 PM | NLHE | $20.00 | The Big $20 | $1,500.00 | |
| 7:00 PM | NLHE | $100.00 | Nightly Stars | $7,500.00 | |
| 7:30 PM | NLHE | $5.00 | $500 Gtd | $500.00 | |
| 7:30 PM | PLO | $20.00 | Nightly PLO | $400.00 | |
| 8:00 PM | NLHE | $50.00 | Wednesday 6-Max | $5,000.00 | |
| 8:15 PM | NLHE | $10.00 | The Hot $10 | $1,000.00 | Turbo |
| 8:30 PM | NLHE | $5.00 | $200 Gtd | $200.00 | |
| 9:00 PM | NLHE | $20.00 | Bounty Builder $20 | $1,000.00 | |
| 9:15 PM | NLHE | $5.00 | The Hot $5 | $500.00 | Turbo |
| 9:30 PM | NLHE | $10.00 | Deep Hyper-Turbo | $500.00 | Hyper |
| 10:00 PM | NLHE | $3.00 | $250 Gtd | $250.00 | |
| 10:15 PM | NLHE | $50.00 | The Hot $50 | $2,000.00 | Turbo |
| 10:30 PM | NLHE | $15.00 | Bounty Builder $15 | $850.00 | |
| 11:15 PM | NLHE | $30.00 | The Hot $30 | $1,500.00 | Turbo |
| 11:30 PM | NLHE | $3.00 | Deep Hyper-Turbo | $100.00 | Hyper |
| 12:00 AM | NLHE | $20.00 | Moonlight Express | $1,000.00 | Hyper |
Update 11:00 AM: PokerStars PA is now live!
