Prize package for PSPC in August
On Monday, online poker room PokerStars began the three-week Platinum Madness promotion, during which it will dole out more than $1 million in prizes, including 21 Platinum Passes.
Platinum Passes are prize packages for the PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC), which will be held August 20-24 during the European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona festival. The EPT Barcelona Main Event directly follows the PSPC.
The debut PSPC in January 2019, held at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas, drew 1,039 players. It set the record for the largest $25,000 buy-in live poker tournament.
Just play poker to have a shot
During the Platinum Madness promotion, participants only need to opt-in through the Challenges Window and then play poker. There are no leaderboards or any other such elements.
When a player earns a Stars Rewards Chest through their regular real-money play, they receive a dice roll. The dice roll moves a playing piece on a Platinum Madness game board.
participants only need to opt-in through the Challenges Window and then play poker
The game board consists of seven rows with seven spaces each, for a total of 49 spaces. Some spaces have PSPC Chests on them. If a player lands on one of those spaces, they win a prize contained within.
The “instant reward” is either cash, spins, or tickets with values that depend on the Stars Rewards player the player has achieved. There are also varying probabilities of different prize values.
For example, a Silver player will win $2 61% of the time, $3 25% of the time, and $7.50 14% of the time. For the Black level players, the highest rewards tier, those prizes are $55, $75, and $150.
Odds of winning a Platinum Pass extremely low
The rare PSPC Chest will contain a Platinum Pass. The odds of winning one are extremely low. The lowest tier, Blue, has just a 0.005% chance of receiving a Platinum Pass, while the Black tier has a 1.500% chance.
Those who make it all the way to the end will receive a higher-value PSPC Chest and another shot at a Platinum Pass.
There are also ladders on the game board, as in the game Chutes & Ladders. Players who land on the bottom of a ladder will advance to the row above, skipping some spaces. Those who make it all the way to the end will receive a higher-value PSPC Chest and another shot at a Platinum Pass. There will be five Platinum Passes given away from the final chest, so skipping rows via ladders is an advantage.
During February 20-23 and February 27-March 1, players can earn an extra dice roll. To do so, one must opt-in to the Platinum Madness Poker Challenge and then compete in ten Spin & Gos during the four-day period. Players can earn one dice roll per period.
Those who opted-in to the Platinum Madness promo on Monday can play in a freeroll on Tuesday for a chance at a Platinum Pass. The final Platinum Pass will be awarded in a Last Chance Freeroll on March 2.