Sunday Million is the staple event of PokerStars and one of the most iconic tournaments in all of online poker. Running for nearly 20 years, the event saw many different versions, from traditional freezeouts over popular PKOs to mystery bounties.
Now, the operator has decided to add another variation into the mix, rolling out phased Sunday Million, running Feb 16 – 23.
What this means is that throughout the week, PokerStars players will have ample opportunities to join Phase 1 flights to try and progress into the Phase 2 flight on Sunday. This means that you can take multiple shots at building a big stack for an event that will likely blow its original guarantee out of the water by quite a margin.
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Phase 1 Action Running Around the Clock
PokerStars has rolled out a rich schedule of Phase 1 flights running all the way until Sunday, Feb 23. There are two games available every day, Tuesday – Friday, and three more taking place on both Saturday and Sunday.
The buy-in is $109, and if you bust from one Phase 1 flight, you can register for the next one and try again. Players can play as many Phase 1s as they wish for as long as they don’t make it to Day 2.
However, if you make it through Phase 1 even with a single chip, your stack will be carried over and you will no longer be able to register for Phase 1. So, keep this in mind when devising your tournament strategy for the upcoming Sunday Million.
Day 2 takes place on Sunday, Feb 28, and unlike most Sunday Millions these days, it will play down to the winner on the same day instead of extending into Monday.
Sunday Million Phase 1 Schedule & Details
| Date | Time (GMT) | Format | Late Registration |
| Tue, Feb 18 | 4:15 p.m. | Regular (12 min levels) | 180 minutes |
| Tue, Feb 18 | 10:05 p.m. | Turbo (6 min levels) | 90 minutes |
| Wed, Feb 19 | 4:15 p.m. | Regular (12 min levels) | 180 minutes |
| Wed, Feb 19 | 10:05 p.m. | Turbo (6 min levels) | 90 minutes |
| Thu, Feb 20 | 4:15 p.m. | Regular (12 min levels) | 180 minutes |
| Thu, Feb 20 | 10:05 p.m. | Turbo (6 min levels) | 90 minutes |
| Fri, Feb 21 | 4:15 p.m. | Regular (12 min levels) | 180 minutes |
| Fri, Feb 21 | 10:05 p.m. | Turbo (6 min levels) | 90 minutes |
| Sat, Feb 22 | 2:05 p.m. | Regular (12 min levels) | 180 minutes |
| Sat, Feb 22 | 6:05 p.m. | Regular (12 min levels) | 180 minutes |
| Sat, Feb 22 | 10:05 p.m. | Turbo (6 min levels) | 90 minutes |
| Sun, Feb 23 | 1:30 p.m. | Regular (12 min levels) | 180 minutes |
| Sun, Feb 23 | 4:15 p.m. | Turbo (6 min levels) | 90 minutes |
| Sun, Feb 23 | 6:00 p.m. | Turbo (4 min levels) | 60 minutes |
New Way to Play the Classic Tournament
Phased tournaments have been around for a while, but this is the first time PokerStars is rolling out the format for its iconic Sunday Million event.
From the players’ perspective, there are quite a few advantages to this format, as it offers more flexibility and allows you to play a bulk of the event during the time slot you find the most convenient.
With multiple Phase 1 flights scattered throughout the week, the tournament could easily surpass its $1,000,000 guarantee. Not only that more players will have an opportunity to get involved, but individual players can take multiple shots at Day 2, all of which should help boost the prize pool.
All in all, it is an interesting idea to spice things up and make the biggest weekly tournament more attractive and more accessible across the board.
Phase 1 flights are already underway, so head over to PokerStars and start working on building that stack for the big finale taking place this Sunday!
