PokerStars is the largest online poker room on the internet today, and boasts hundreds of thousands of serious and recreational players from almost all corners of the globe. Recently we’ve seen PokerStars firing up competition on a national scale as they run regional promotions and tournaments, such as their recent Regional Championships of Online Poker. In a move along the same lines, it has been announced this week that the PokerStars Norwegian Poker League is up and running, and will see players from Norway competing against each other for cash prizes.
Poker Leagues are a great way to spice up everyone’s favorite card game with just that little bit more competition. Many poker tournaments are hosted, and as players in the league compete in these tournaments, their rankings are recorded. The more tournaments you play and the better you place, the higher your rank. While oftentimes these leagues are just for friendly competition, in the case of the PokerStars Norwegian Poker League, placing on the top of the leaderboards is good for more than just bragging rights, as there are also a whole lot of cash prizes up for grabs.
There are two divisions to the Norwegian Poker League, namely a Cash Division and a FPP Division. Daily tournaments are held, a 25FPP tournament at 19:40 CET and a $10+1 tournament at 20:20 CET for the FPP and Cash leagues respectively. The points are handed out the same for both leagues, namely 1 point for taking part, 5 for any in the money finish or 10 for a final table appearance, with the points increasing from there on, twenty points being the maximum you can receive in a tournament for first place. Note that the points aren’t cumulative, so if you make it in the money you only receive five points, not six.
While the points may be handed out the same, the prizes are not. Each month the top 50 from each division is rewarded with cash prizes, but it’s a lot more lucrative to be at the top of the Cash Division, which has a $1,000 prize, than at the top of the FPP division which only sports a $250 prize. That said, 25FPPs per tournament is obviously a lot less costly than $10+1 per tournament, and players are able to compete in either or both tournaments, with the only restriction being that you’re from Norway.
As if the awesome cash prizes weren’t enough of a reward for players finishing in the top of the division, PokerStars has another surprise in store for the best of the best. The top nine players from each division each month will, during five months of next year, be automatically entered into a freeroll tournament. This Freeroll Final will take place on the 3rd day of the following month, and the winner receives a seat in an upcoming European Poker Tour Main Event. That’s five EPT seats up for grabs in addition to the cash prizes, making the Norwegian Poker League an awesome promotion that shouldn’t be ignored.