The 2024-2025 edition of the New Year Series came to an end on Tuesday (January 14), completing 24 days of non-stop action that saw almost $36 million awarded in prizes.

Ole “wizowizo” Schemion captured not only the $5K Main Event title but also the largest overall prize of the series, winning $224,425 after besting a 230-entry field made up of poker’s best and brightest. Brazil’s Renan “Internett93o” Bruschi was the runner-up and banked $171,081.

But Schemion wasn’t the only Main Event winner. Poland’s “DrawindDead” took down the $1K PKO edition for a total prize of $140,670, while “blackprecise” of Belarus topped the $109 Mystery Bounty edition for $63,330. That event came with a top mystery prize of $100K, of which Belgium’s “buldegah” was the lucky recipient. 

Meanwhile, Marle “MarlzTV” Spragg became the second PokerStars Ambassador after Lex Veldhuis to bag a title, taking down a $22 NLHE 6-Max Hyper PKO for $5,384.

Other notable winners across the closing days of the series included Niklas “Lena900” Astedt, Jonathan “Proudflop” Proudfoot, Pedro “PadiLhA SP” Padilha, and Leon “RUMUKULUS” Sturm. 

MULTIPLE WINNERS

FOUR TITLES

Renan “Aziz.Mancha” Aziz

• $530 PKO Warm-Up for $19,509
• $530 Bounty Builder High Roller for $15,618
• $530 Copacabana Turbo for $15,743
• $215 Deep Stack for $18,317

King153246

• $109 PLO8 6-Max for $5,214
• $320 PKO Bounty Builder HR for $12,074
• $11 NLHE PKO for $6,294
• $5.50 7-Max PKO for $2,180

THREE TITLES

Roman “RomeOpro” Romanovsky

• $530 Sunday Cooldown PKO for $23,936
• $215 Super Tuesday for $14,769
• $109 Copacabana Turbo for $16,618

Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjev

• $530 PKO Turbo for $23,914
• $530 PKO Warm-Up for $48,406
• $1,050 PKO for $40,833

TWO TITLES

99dm84, blowknockout, Dainiux, dartazzzz, Deiv4za, DiaDeLaSuerte, GokudeAegis, Ibotown, Mari4ka9510, Niv-Mizzet D, Jerry “Perrymejsen” Odeen, RaZorFaZoR, tsinikV, VladTheSlaye, Zanos_Goda.

COUNTRIES LEADERBOARD

67 – Brazil
25 – Ukraine
23 – United Kingdom
20 – Poland
19 – Sweden
17 – Belarus, Germany
14 – Finland
13 – Austria
12 – Argentina, Canada, Lithuania, Switzerland
8 – Slovenia
7 – Bulgaria
6 – Latvia, Mexico
5 – Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Kazakhstan, Malta, Romania
4 – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, New Zealand
3 – Hungary, Ireland
2 – Andorra, Armenia, Panama, Uruguay
1 – Cambodia, Costa Rica, Iceland, Luxembourg, Moldova, Mongolia, Slovakia, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam.

Check out all results from the New Year Series below.

NEW YEAR SERIES 24/25 RESULTS

PREVIOUS UPDATES FROM NEW YEAR SERIES

FRI, JAN 10

Aside from an abundance of huge scores (which you can scroll through in the results table below) the biggest story to emerge from New Year Series this week featured a sensational performance from a Swedish player we’re very familiar with here on PokerStars Blog.

Jerry “Perrymejsen” Odeen is someone we’ve written about a lot over the years. That’s because when he commits to an online series, he puts up results with consistency rivalled by few. Odeen won three SCOOP titles in 2024 to take his total up to eight and then added a seventh WCOOP trophy later in the year.

He now has two New Year Series victories under his belt and both came on the same night. Moreover, they came in the same event.

Odeen won both the $109 Medium and $530 High 8-Game 6-Max PKO titles on Wednesday (Jan 8), winning $3,704 and $7,979 respectively.

MON, JAN 6

While many of you enjoyed a well-deserved break over the holidays, there was no rest regarding online action on PokerStars. The $35 million guaranteed New Year Series, which started on December 22 and runs until January 14, ran huge tournaments throughout the festive period and continues into 2025.

But which notable names have taken down New Year Series titles so far? Who is leading the charge with four wins for the series? And which PokerStars Ambassador enjoyed their maiden mixed-game triumph? 

Find out below with a quick recap of the series so far.

AZIZ AND ROMANOVSKY DOMINATING

Only one player has clinched four wins thus far and that’s high-stakes grinder Renan “Aziz.Mancha” Aziz. The Brazilian is clearly in fine form and topped the $530 Bounty Builder when Team Pro Lex Veldhuis finished third (more on him later). Aziz’s titles so far are as follows:

• $530 PKO Warm-Up for $19,509
• $530 Bounty Builder High Roller for $15,618
• $530 Copacabana Turbo for $15,743
• $215 Deep Stack for $18,317

Roman “RomeOpro” Romanovsky is next on the pecking order with three wins. A former world number one in online tournaments, the Ukrainian has taken down the following:

• $530 Sunday Cooldown PKO for $23,936
• $215 Super Tuesday for $14,769
• $109 Copacabana Turbo for $16,618

Romanovsky might not be alone on three wins for long, though, as we’ve seen multiple two-time winners, headlined by Blaz “Scarmak3r” Zerjev. The Slovenian superstar first won a $530 PKO Turbo for $23,914 before winning a $530 PKO Warm-Up for $48,406.

Other winners include David “MissOracle” Yan, Anton “WhatIfGod” Bergström, Alex “I Attack95” Kulev, Simon “C. Darwin2” Mattsson, Rayan “’Beriuzy’” Chamas, and Andy “BowieEffect” Wilson.

Spare a thought for “drew.derzh” who has finished second three times, banking around $75K as a consolation.

BIGGEST PRIZE SO FAR

The largest prize of the New Year Series so far went to Mexico’s “Fakhish” for their win in the $215 Sunday Million PKO, outlasting a 5,667-entry field. Their cash and bounties totalled come to $111,152. Fakhish is the reigning SCOOP Main Event champion, defeating Mark “AceSpades11” Radoja heads-up to win the $10K title for $948,434.

The second biggest score of the series came yesterday (Sunday, Jan 5) in a tournament that’s still ongoing. Germany’s “Manu30104” was the lucky one in the $109 Mystery Bounty Sunday Million, KO’ing a player and collecting the lone, jaw-dropping, fall-off-your-seat $100K bounty prize. They’d bow out in 465th but we’re sure they went to bed happy.

VELDHUIS DRAWS BEST

He’s not having the best luck in the no limit hold’em streets so far in 2025, but PokerStars Ambassador Lex Veldhuis still managed to secure himself a New Year Series title.

Veldhuis, currently playing a morning schedule from sunny New Zealand, beat a 41-entry field to win the $215 NL 5-Card Draw for $3,426 – a small score for Veldhuis’ standards, but one that’s perhaps reignited his love for the game.

My first mixed game title win!

I've been sleeping on how fun 5-card draw is for so long. Also feels nostalgic~ pic.twitter.com/N42Eyy9Xsl

— Lex Veldhuis (@LexVeldhuis) January 5, 2025

NEW YEAR SERIES

It’s been a sensational year in the world of PokerStars, with live events around the globe setting records, online series awarding millions in prizes, and Power Path giving thousands of players the chance to live out their poker dreams.

But PokerStars has one more big gift to put under the tree (as well as plenty of stocking fillers) before we sing Auld Lang Syne and put a ribbon on 2024.

We’re wrapping up the year and diving headfirst into 2025 with the New Year Series, a 359-event festive extravaganza with a staggering $35 million guaranteed in prize pools.

Plus there’s $1 million in tournament tickets to be given away for the New Year Series, Power Path and Sunday Million Anniversary throughout the series via the Million Dollar Ticket Machine.

We’ve also got two very special events on the schedule: the Red Spade Open (bust a PokerStars Ambassador and win a juicy bounty) and the Power Path Open, which – for one night only – will allow everyone to enter directly into the final Step 4 and compete for Gold, Silver and Bronze Passes.

Moreover, we’re introducing new Power Passports that give players even more choice on how to use their Power Path passes. 

Last year’s New Year Series was one for the ages when a Power Path qualifier turned $11 into $152,142 when they won the New Year Series Main Event Low. There’s no reason it couldn’t happen again, and no reason why it couldn’t be you that does it.

Before we go into more detail on all of that, here’s the key info for diaries.

NEW YEAR SERIES KEY INFO

Dates: December 22, 2024 – January 14, 2025
Tournaments: 359
Guaranteed: $35 million

Each event has a low, medium and high buy-in tier, just like in SCOOP and WCOOP.

New Year Series Main Events begin on Sunday, January 12, and all three have $1 million guaranteed.

• $109 New Year Series Mystery Bounty Main Event – $1M Gtd
• $1,050 New Year Series Main Event – $1M Gtd
• $5,200 New Year Series Main Event – $1M Gtd

NEW YEAR SERIES SCHEDULE

HOW TO QUALIFY FOR CHEAP

You don’t need an enormous bankroll to battle in the New Year Series. PokerStars offers various affordable routes allowing players to book their seats in the biggest events without breaking the bank.

It’s well worth trying these avenues, as we saw last year. UK player “baller139” used a $109 Power Path Bronze Pass to enter the New Year Series Main Event Low and ended up winning it for $152,142 – the biggest cash won by a Power Path qualifier to date. They won their $109 Bronze Pass by playing a $11Step 3 tournament, so that’s quite the spin.

Players can qualify for New Year Series events via:

• Power Path from $0.50 (players get a free ticket daily)
• Satellites from $0.55
• Special Edition Spin & Go’s from $0.75

MILLION DOLLAR TICKET MACHINE

Unexpected gifts are sometimes the best, and that is likely the case from Monday, December 9 through to Monday, January 6.

We’re running a Million Dollar Ticket Machine that will award $1 million worth of tickets to our biggest tournaments. That means you could find yourself battling in the New Year Series Main Event or the Sunday Million Anniversary for free.

The best part? You have a shot of winning simply by logging in to PokerStars.

Here’s how it works:

• Opt-in just once so your progress will be counted each week
• Rake $5-$9.99 in the weekly period to get your first entry to the next Weekly Ticket Machine Draw
• Rake $10-$24.99 in the weekly period for your second entry to the next Weekly Ticket Machine Draw
• Rake $25-$69.99 in the weekly period for your third entry to the next Weekly Ticket Machine Draw
• Rake $70+ in the weekly period for your fourth entry to the next Weekly Ticket Machine Draw

Now for the fun part, here’s what you could win at our Weekly Ticket Machine Draws:

• Draw 1 (December 16) – Power Path tickets, $215 Sunday Million Anniversary tickets, $2,500 Silver Passes or a $10,300 Gold Pass
• Draw 2 (December 23) – Power Path tickets, New Year Series tickets worth up to $109, $215 Sunday Million tickets, $2,500 Silver Passes or a $10,300 Gold Pass
• Draw 3 (December 30) – Power Path tickets, New Year Series tickets worth up to $109, $215 Sunday Million tickets, $2,500 Silver Passes or a $10,300 Gold Pass
• Draw 4 (January 6) – New Year Series tickets worth up to $1,050

So, make sure you open the client throughout the festive period even if you’re not planning to play a session. It could see you through to one of the biggest tournaments of the year.

Find out more about the Million Dollar Ticket Machine here.

RED SPADE OPEN

The New Year Series kicks off with a special $55 Red Spade Open event that sees our PokerStars Ambassadors carrying heavy bounties on their heads.

Red Spade Open
Sunday, December 22, 2024 – 12:05 ET
$55 buy-in

If you’re fortunate enough to be drawn on the same table as any of the following Ambassadors and you manage to knock them out, there’s a fantastic bundle prize waiting for you.

The Ambassadors to look out for are:

• Lex Veldhuis (“L. Veldhuis”)
• Benjamin Spragg (“Spraggy”)
• Fintan Hand (“easywithaces”)
• Marle Spragg (“MarlzTV”)
• Nick Walsh (“Nicholas Walsh”)
• Rory Jennings (“ChelseaRory”)
• Adam McKola (“adammckola”)

More Ambassadors to be confirmed.

Knock any of them out and you’ll win:

• $109 New Year Series Main Event Low ticket
• $202.50 New Year Special Medium ticket
• Spraggy Throwable
• All-in Shootout entry with 5 x New Year Series Main Event Medium tickets Gtd

Players in Sweden, Germany, Denmark & Belgium are ineligible for Red Spade Open bounties.

POWER PATH OPEN

For one night only, PokerStars is removing the Power Path steps and allowing anyone and everyone to enter and play for Gold, Silver and Bronze Passes.

Power Path Open
Sunday, December 29, 2024
$109 buy-in (or Bronze Pass)
1,000 player cap

While our regular daily Power Path Step 4 tournaments require players to win a ticket through a $11 Step 3 some players don’t have the time to battle their way through, but would still love to get their hands on a package worth either $10,300 or $2,500.

If you fall into that category, consider the Power Path Open yet another bonus present. 

It will be a $109 buy-in event and players can either buy-in directly or use a $109 Bronze Pass to enter. 

The Power Path Open has a hefty prize pool with the following guaranteed:

• 1st to 4th: Gold Pass worth $10,300
• 5th to 15th: Silver Pass worth $2,500
• 16th to 165th: Sunday Million Anniversary ticket

The Power Path Open is your shortcut to poker glory. Win a Silver or Gold Pass worth up to $10,000. Skip the grind and buy in for $109.

POWER PASSPORTS

Power Passports are new Gold and Silver Pass bundles for live and online events in 2025 that provide even greater flexibility to players.

ONLINE BUNDLES

You’ve always been able to exchange a Gold Pass for either an online ticket bundle or a live event bundle, but now we’re offering special ‘Take Your Shot’ bundles for the New Year Series and beyond. 

Where a regular Gold online ticket bundle consists of 3 x $1,050 tickets, 6 x $530 tickets, 22 x $109 tickets, 20 x $55 tickets, 20 x $22 tickets, and T$32, a ‘Take Your Shot’ Gold Passport allows you play more bigger buy-in events. You’ll get:

• 6 x $1,050 tickets
• 4 x $530 tickets
• 4 x $215 tickets
• 9 x $109 tickets
• T$39

Similarly, where a regular Silver online ticket bundle consists of 4 x $215 tickets, 6 x $109 tickets, 8 x $55 tickets, 15 x $22 tickets, 18 x $11 tickets, and T$18, a ‘Take Your Shot’ Silver Passport gives you:

• 2 x $1,050 tickets
• 3 x $109 tickets
• T$73

LIVE BUNDLES

The beauty of Power Path is its flexibility and that will continue through 2025 with the Gold and Silver Passports.

All winners can work with one of our amazing Live Events Player Liaisons to build their dream package of choice.

Only want to play one event and keep the rest for expenses? Done.

Want to use the entire amount on live event buy-ins? Done.

Want to cherry-pick tournaments and have PokerStars arrange your hotel stay? Done.

It’s entirely up to you.

A live Power Passport is whatever you want it to be.

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