How to Qualify Easily for the $30K PokerStars Players Championship
The poker year 2023 is still a few months away, but it's already clear that it will start with a bang. The Bahamas will see the return of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) from January 30 to February 3. The PCA will also feature the second edition of the PokerStars Players Championships (PSPC). This will be an immense poker tournament with a $25,000 buy-in and a massive prize pool.
In the last months, numerous players have already qualified for the PSPC via a so-called Platinum Pass and many more qualification options are still open. We explain how the PSPC works and how you can qualify for the tournament at a reasonable price.
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and PokerStars Players Championship
PokerStars was unable to make it this year due to the pandemic, but the operator is finally returning to the Bahamas in January 2023. The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), PokerStars' biggest live tournament for many years, will be held there from 22 January to 3 February.
As part of the PCA, the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) will be held for the second time. It has a buy-in of 25,000 dollars and PokerStars is awarding Platinum Passes for the tournament throughout the year as part of various promotions and satellites, as it did for the first edition. Such a pass entitles the holder to play the tournament and it includes flight and accommodation. The event is a pure freeze-out with no re-entries and is likely to be the biggest tournament in this prize category all year. In the first edition in 2019, 1,039 competitors took part and a total of $26.5 million prize money was awarded.
These are the dates for the PCA 2023:
- PCA ME: January 24-29, buy-in $10,300
- PSPC ME: January 30 - February 3, buy-in $25,000
*Any mention of a bonus or discussion of such terms is not in relation to the province of Ontario.
Road to PSPC - Win a Pass Through Live Tournaments
The Road to PSPC live events offer affordable access to the PokerStars Players Championship via smaller tournaments at casinos around the world.
Road to PSPC tournaments have lower buy-ins (usually €400) than PokerStars' usual live tournaments. The tournaments are played normally and the prize money is distributed as usual, but the winner receives a Platinum Pass worth $30,000 added by PokerStars.
The PokerStars Platinum Pass
The pass includes the following:
- Buy-in to the PokerStars Players Championship ($25,000).
- Six nights of hotel accommodations for the winner and one guest at a 5-star hotel
- Airport transfers in the Bahamas
- $1,900 travel allowance
These live events around the world award a Platinum Pass:
| Event | Casino | Country | Buy-In | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road to PSPC Valencia | Casino Valencia | Spain | €400 | June 29 - July 3 |
| Road to PSPC San Marino €100,000 GTD | Giochi del Titano Casino | San Marino | €400 | July 6 - 10 |
| Road to PSPC BSOP Winter Millions: São Paulo | WTC Sheraton São Paulo | Brazil | R$ 800 | July 13 - 20 |
| Road to PSPC Dublin | Bonnington Hotel Dublin | Ireland | €400 | July 14 – 17 |
| Road to PSPC Hamburg | Casino Schenefeld | Germany | €400 | August 31 - September 4 |
| Road to PSPC Sevilla | Casino Admiral Sevilla | Spain | €400 | August 31 - September 4 |
| Road to PSPC La Grande Motte | Pasino de la Grande-Motte | France | €400 | September 13 - 18 |
| Road to PSPC Manila | Okada Manila | Philippines | 22,000 PHP | September 19 - 25 |
| Road to PSPC Thessaloniki | Regency Casino Thessaloniki | Greece | €400 | September 22 - 25 |
| Road to PSPC Nova Gorica €100,000 GTD | Perla Casino | Slovenia | €400 | October 5 - 9 |
| Road to PSPC Namur | Grand Casino de Namur | Belgium | €400 | November 27 – December 4 |
PSPC Mega Path
Alternatively, you can also win a pass for the PokerStars Players Championship online. The passport is played out on PokerStars.eu and PokerStars.com via the so-called PSPC Mega Path.
The PSPC Mega Path is a cost-effective way to qualify for the PSPC and it runs until October 30.
Via Steps tournaments you can win your passport. If you win a tournament, you get a ticket to the next level. You can buy into any stage except Stage 4 and the winner of Stage 4 wins the Platinum Pass.
These are the levels:
- Step 0 - $0.50 Spin & Go or Sit & Go (anytime)
- Step 1 - $1.50 or $5 Sit & Go (anytime)
- Step 2 - $20 MTT (anytime)
- Step 3 - $100 MTT (twice a week)
- Step 4 - $1,000 MTT (every Sunday)
Win a Platinum Pass via Spin & Go
Very impatient players can also try to win a Platinum Pass via a special PSPC Spin & Go.
These tournaments have a buy-in of only 50 cents and one in 1,000,000 of these tournaments will play out a $30,000 Platinum Pass. These are the probabilities at the PSPC Spin & Go:
| Prize | Probability |
| $30K Platinum Pass, plus $1K PSPC Mega Path ticket für 2. Und 3. | 1 in 1,000,000 |
| $1,000 PSPC Mega Path ticket | 50 in 1,000,000 |
| $20 PSPC Mega Path ticket | 3,500 in 1,000,000 |
| $5 PSPC Mega Path ticket | 20,000 in 1,000,000 |
| $1.50 PSPC Mega Path ticket | 303,102 in 1,000,000 |
| $1 | 673,347 in 1,000,000 |
*Any mention of a bonus or discussion of such terms is not in relation to the province of Ontario.
