Spring Championship of Online Poker Returns to PokerStars From May 8-22

DOUGLAS, Isle Of Man, May 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- It's just a few days until the 2011 Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) (http://www.pokerstars.com/scoop/) gets under way this coming Sunday, exclusively at PokerStars - the world's largest poker site.

This year's SCOOP promises the best poker action available for all bankrolls, with 38 events set to take place at low, medium and high stakes - a total of 114 tournaments. The festival lasts for 15 days from May 8-22 and features a total guaranteed prize pool of $25 million.

The series culminates in the $10,300 Main Event on May 22, which boasts a guaranteed prize pool of $2.5 million, with at least $500,000 awarded to the tournament champion!

But that's not all - this year's SCOOP also includes:

- Event buy-ins from $5.50 to $25,500

- $25,000,000 in tournament guarantees

- Special custom SCOOP watches for event champions

- A Player of the Series ( http://www.pokerstars.com/scoop/player-of-the-series/) leaderboard, where the top three finishers win prizes

- FPP and micro stakes qualifying satellites, starting from as little as 5 FPP or $0.25

- 50% player reload bonus up to $200 ( http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/promotions/reload-bonus)

- Daily live Inside SCOOP (http://www.pokerstars.tv/) webcast, featuring news and expert analysis from the tables

For complete details on SCOOP, as well as the complete schedule, please visit: http://www.pokerstars.com/scoop/. A printable two-page schedule can be downloaded on the website, and calendars for Google and Outlook are also available for download.

SCOOP is now entering its third year and has crowned many champions, including members of Team PokerStars Pro. Last year Team PokerStars Pro Jose "Nacho" Barbero took down the high stakes Fixed Limit Hold'em, while in 2009, Jude "j.thaddeus" Ainsworth, won close to $1 million for triumphing in the high stakes No Limit Hold'em Main Event.

Barbero said: "I can't wait for SCOOP to start. There are so many tournaments, with buy-ins to suit every bankroll. Winning my first title last year was a dream and I'm determined to get a second one over the next couple of weeks."

SCOOP Reload Bonus

Between now and the start of SCOOP on May 8, PokerStars will also be offering a 50% reload bonus. That means that players can deposit up to $200 (or equivalent in EUR, GBP or CAD $) and will receive half that again in free money as they play.

Players should enter the bonus code "SCOOP" when they deposit into existing PokerStars accounts. They then have from the deposit time until May 31 to earn the required number of VPPs (VIP Player Points) to release the bonus.

Inside SCOOP

This year SCOOP will also be featured in a new exclusive web broadcast called "Inside SCOOP", which will air daily on PokerStars.tv.

The 30-minute magazine show, hosted by Big Game commentator Joe Stapleton and EPT commentator Nick Wealthall, will offer all the news and analysis from the tables.

The show will include interviews and discussions with PokerStars Team Pros and Team Online, as well as SCOOP champions old and new. Viewers and players can get involved via live chat, Facebook and Twitter, and can also win PokerStars swag and tournament buy-ins in regular competitions.

The SCOOP highlights show will air from May 9 - the day after the series gets under way - through to May 24, at 10pm GMT (5pm ET) every night.

The Daily Bigs

In the lead up to SCOOP, PokerStars' popular regular daily MTTs have been relaunched as The Daily Bigs with increased guarantees:

- 12.00 (ET) The Big $22 ($25k GTD) - previously $20k

- 13.00 (ET) The Big $109 ($50k GTD) - previously $45k

- 14.00 (ET) The Big $11 ($50k GTD) - previously $40k

- 15.00 (ET) The Big $55 ($100k GTD) - previously $90k

The launch of The Daily Bigs is supported by a 'play three and get a SCOOP entry free' promotion. Any player that participates in at least three of these tournaments at a single buy-in level before the first SCOOP event on May 8, will receive a free entry of equivalent value to SCOOP (NB: only one free SCOOP ticket per person).

About http://www.pokerstars.com:

PokerStars.com is the world's largest regulated gaming operator and poker site, with more than 44 million members. It's the first choice of the world's top players, with more daily tournaments than anywhere else, and with the best security online. More hands have been dealt on PokerStars.com than any other site; that's over 60 billion hands and more than 375 million tournaments played.

PokerStars.com operates worldwide under license from the Isle of Man government. Recent additions to the PokerStars family include PokerStars.fr, which operates in France under the French government license, as well as PokerStars.it, which operates in Italy under the Italian government license, and PokerStars.ee, which operates in Estonia under the Estonian government license.

PokerStars.com stages some of the biggest online poker tournaments in the world, including the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) and the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), and is the official sponsor of some of the biggest live poker tournaments in the world, including the European Poker Tour (EPT), the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) and the UK & Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT).

PokerStars.com is also home to a team of sponsored players known as Team PokerStars Pro. This elite group of players travel the world competing in international tournaments. For a complete list, visit the Team PokerStars Pro home page.