Save the dates: The enormous Sunday Million Anniversary 20 is coming…
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News of the most exciting event of the summer is here.
FIFA World Cup? Olympic Games?
Get out of here with that nonsense. This is even better.
For the first time ever, online poker’s longest-running and most iconic tournament–the Sunday Million–will play out all summer long.
The Sunday Million Anniversary 20 will celebrate the 20th year of PokerStars‘ flagship online event with an enormous $109 buy-in Phased tournament, where daily Phase 1 heats will run for 10 weeks before all survivors regroup for Phase 2.
It’s going to be huge and deserves a guarantee worthy of such a prestigious event. That number will be announced soon, but for now, get these dates down:
SAVE THE DATES:
- Phase 1 tournaments (daily heats) begin on Sunday, June 28
- Phase 2 (the final) begins on Sunday, September 6
We say save the date, but really, the beauty of the Phased format means you can play Phase 1 events whenever it suits you best.
The Sunday Million has evolved over the years, starting as a freezeout, then eventually allowing rebuys and re-entries. It’s since tried every tournament format going, from Phased to Mystery Bounty, before settling on the Progressive Knock-Out.
But this anniversary edition will offer an extended qualification period designed to give players more opportunities to participate throughout the summer and qualify for the event’s climactic final stages.
Additional tournament details, including the guarantee and qualification routes, will be revealed in the coming weeks.
HOW DO PHASED TOURNAMENTS BENEFIT PLAYERS?
The biggest advantage of phased tournaments for players is the increased flexibility offered. Phased tournaments give you multiple opportunities to qualify for Day 2, often spread out over different days and times. This is especially helpful to recreational players who may not be able to commit to an entire multi-day event all at once.
Phased tournaments, like the Phased Sunday Million editions, give you the freedom to choose a starting flight that suits your schedule. Plus, you can take multiple shots at getting through if it doesn’t go your way.
Another perk of phased tournaments is that you’re often in the money once you make it through the starting flight. This isn’t always the case – in live events and regular multi-day online events, the bubble will typically burst on Day 2. But in Phased Sunday Million events, if you end the starting flight with chips, then you’re guaranteed a payday when Day 2 rolls around, without you needing to advance in the tournament any further.
Phased tournaments also tend to have larger prize pools due to a greater number of entries collected across multiple flights. This not only makes the tournament more exciting for players but also offers great value.
Learn more in our guide: Phased tournaments: What they are, how they work, and strategy advice
THE ICONIC POKER TOURNAMENT
For 20 years, the Sunday Million has cemented itself as online poker’s most prestigious regularly scheduled tournament; the one that every player dreams of winning.
Affectionately referred to as the Milly, the Sunday Million has consistently broken online poker records, kick-started countless poker careers, and been a permanent fixture on our weekend schedules since it was first named back in June 2006.
It’s the event that moves with the times and adapts to players’ wants, from changes in the buy-in to switching to a progressive knockout format and, more recently, Mystery Bounty special editions.
Becoming a Sunday Million champion is iconic. Becoming a multiple Sunday Million champion is the stuff of legend.
Check out the full timeline of the Sunday Million.
HOW TO GET READY
The Sunday Million is–first and foremost–an extremely fun tournament to play. There are huge fields, massive prizes, and the excitement that comes with playing such an iconic event.
And, for the first time, this year’s Anniversary edition is a Phased tournament. That means it’s going to be massive.
You certainly don’t need to hit the books beforehand to enjoy a deep run.
But it certainly won’t hurt your chances either. And over the years, PokerStars Blog and PokerStars Learn have published some excellent strategy articles to help players make the most of this particular tournament.
Let’s go through some of them.
PHASED TOURNAMENTS: WHAT THEY ARE, HOW THEY WORK, AND STRATEGY ADVICE
For the first time, the Sunday Million Anniversary will be a phased event. This is great news for players, as you can play a Phase 1 whenever it suits you best.
But if you’ve never played a Phased tournament before, or you’ve never even heard of them, it’s worth brushing up.
Check out this guide: Phased tournaments: What they are, how they work, and strategy advice
SUNDAY MILLION – EARLY GAME STRATEGY
So you’re going to take a shot in the Sunday Million. You’ve prepared mentally, are well rested, have some snacks on hand, and the game is about to start.
Now that it’s go-time, how should you approach the early game strategy? In this article, we are going to talk about just that.
Read: Sunday Million – Early Game Strategy
The early stages of any tournament requires a particular strategy
SUNDAY MILLION – MID GAME STRATEGY
In this article, we move to the middle stages pre-money and talk about what to expect there.
How do you adjust to varying stack sizes? What kind of players should you look out for?
Read: Sunday Million – Mid Game Strategy
You’ve survived the early stages but you’re not yet at the bubble. What’s the best mid game strategy?
SUNDAY MILLION – BUBBLE STRATEGY
Here, we break away from the more generalised “stages” to talk about a specific point in the tournament, the bubble.
How can you use this stage to your advantage? Which players should you target? And who should you avoid?
Read: Sunday Million – Bubble Strategy
The bubble. A unique moment in any poker tournament
SUNDAY MILLION – FINAL TABLE STRATEGY
You find yourself at the final table. Congratulations! What now?
Obviously, the intricacies of final table play can’t be covered completely in a single article, but let’s cover some of the essential basics here.
Read: Sunday Million – Final Table Strategy
The final table. Now the hard work begins.
WHY IT’S PERFECT FOR YOUR COMEBACK
We hope reading through this article has got you as excited about the Sunday Million Anniversary 20 as we are.
Perhaps it has even inspired you to open your PokerStars client for the first time in a while and try to book your seat.
That’s a fantastic idea.
Because if there’s one online poker tournament you should play this year, it’s this one.
First of all, there’s life-changing money up for grabs. With a huge guarantee TBC, this is the best-value $109 buy-in tournament you’ll find anywhere.
Secondly, you’ll be playing in one of the largest editions of the most iconic online poker tournament ever held.
And perhaps most importantly, it’s your chance to add your name to the poker history books.
You could follow in the footsteps of 2022 winner “Blackbeaty”, who won $931K after a heads-up deal. “This win changes everything,” they told us.
And Vanessa “Nifller” Kade, who won the Anniversary outright in 2021 for a staggering $1.5 million. “This is the best value tournament all year,” she said.
Vanessa Kade: winner of the Sunday Million Anniversary in 2021
2023’s champ was Ricardo “RFN1986” Nagamoto, who banked a cool million bucks for defeating a 39,500-entry field.
“It’s a very symbolic event with affordable value for many, and you can find big poker stars in the field,” he told us. “Winning a regular Sunday Million would be an incredible feat. But winning the anniversary Sunday Million is indescribable.”
2024’s winner of the 18th Anniversary was “CrossBreed17”, who emerged from a gruelling 90-minute heads-up battle to win a first prize of $1 million.
And last year’s champ, Carlos Augusto “gutAoAllin” Martins of Brazil, banked $391,436 after a four-way deal. The event had 28,444 entries.
Start dreaming.
And save the dates: Phase 1 daily heats begin on June 28. Phase 2 begins on September 6.
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