Just Days Away from The Festival Online, Ontario Edition
There are more than $100k guaranteed across the Ontario-specific version of The Festival Online which runs from April 2 through April 10 on 888poker Ontario.
The Festival Series is a unique new tournament series on the live poker scene that combines exciting MTT poker action with casino games, blackjack, and sports betting tournaments for a unique live gaming experience. Now, along with partner 888poker, the The Festival Series has gone online.
The global 888poker client has been running The Festival Online for the rest of the world since March 19, but Ontario, Canada has been segregated from the global market for just over a year. That means online poker players in Ontario, which represents a Canadian market of nearly 15 million people (~40% of the total Canadian population), haven’t had access to The Festival Online offerings.
888poker Ontario and The Festival are stepping up to the plate for Ontario players however, with its own series focused specifically on the Ontario market. With more than $100,000 guaranteed over the week-long series, Ontario players will find a lot of value during the series.
Opening day for The Festival Online Ontario (TFO-O) goes April 2, and features more than $35k in guaranteed prizes. The big show on opening day will appropriately be the Opening Event, a $109 game with $30k guaranteed.
$36.5k Guaranteed on Opening Day
There are three games on the slate for the opening day of TFO-O. The big feature, as mentioned, is the $30k guaranteed Opening Event, but for players who can’t afford the $109 buy-in for the big one, there are also Micro and Mini Opening events catering to a range of bankrolls.
Opening Day Events in The Festival Online Ontario
| Day | Tournament Name | Buy in | Time (ET) | GTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday 02.04 | The Festival Online – Micro Opening Event | $16.50 | 13:00 | $1,500 |
| Sunday 02.04 | The Festival Online – Opening Event | $109 | 18:30 | $30,000 |
| Sunday 02.04 | The Festival Online – Mini Opening Event | $55 | 19:00 | $5,000 |
The $109 Opening Event is actually the second best value game of the whole series, based on the dollars guaranteed for every dollar of buy-in with $275 $gtd/$buy-in. The only game better than that is the series closing Main Event, which has $367 $gtd/$buy-in.
High-Value Events in The Festival Online Ontario
| Day | Tournament Name | Buy in | Time (ET) | GTD | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday 10.4 | The Festival Online – Mystery Bounty Main Event | $109 | 20:00 | $40,000 | $366.97 |
| Sunday 02.04 | The Festival Online – Opening Event | $109 | 18:30 | $30,000 | $275.23 |
| Saturday 08.04 | The Festival Online – Mini Mystery Bounty 11 | $11 | 17:15 | $1,500 | $136.36 |
| Sunday 09.04 | The Festival Online – PKO Closing Event | $55 | 19:00 | $6,000 | $109.09 |
| Thursday 06.04 | The Festival Online – Texas PKO 6-MAX | $109 | 18:30 | $10,000 | $91.74 |
Qualify for TFO-O Opening Event
For players looking to get in on the $30k guaranteed Opening Event on Apr 2, there are a few ways to get into the game. Of course, players with a deep enough bankroll can just hand over $109 at the virtual cage to get a stack of chips.
Players with smaller bankrolls still have a shot at the game however. There are online satellites running daily leading up to opening day with a $16.50 game offering direct tickets to the Opening Event. However, players can also elect to play into that game from freebuy and $2.20 games.
Daily Satellite Games to Opening Event
| Time (ET) | Buy-In | Prize | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily 15:00 | Freebuy | $2.20 Ticket | 10 |
| Daily 17:30 | $2.20 | $16.50 Ticket | 7 |
| Daily 19:30 | $16.50 | $109 Ticket | 3 |
| Apr 2 16:15 | $16.50 | $109 Ticket | 20 |
Additionally, there is a $16.50 Mega Satellite scheduled for Apr 2 at 16:15 with 20 tickets to the $109 Opening Event up for grabs.
For Ontario poker players looking for a series to kick off April, The Festival Online Ontario is no April Fool’s joke. With more than $35k guaranteed on opening day alone, there will be serious money to be won on 888poker Ontario in the first week of April.
