by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Feb 3, 2023 | Updated on Feb 3, 2023
Summary
- The 2023 PSPC pulled in 1,014 entrants, creating $24.8m in total prize pool
- It is part of the top 25 list of the biggest poker tournaments in terms of prize pool
- Several big names took part in the tournament but fell early
After five days of action, the official numbers for the 2023 PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC) have finally been released.
While the latest edition of the tournament fell short of breaking the record of the inaugural event, it still ended up as one of the biggest live poker tournaments in history!
2023 PSPC – Facts & Figures
A total of 1,014 players took a shot at the $25,000 buy-in tournament which kicked off on January 30. Of the total entries, 405 won their seats via PokerStars’ Platinum Pass promotion. That massive field generated a final prize pool of $24,843,000, with the top 175 players taking home at least $35,100 in winnings. The eventual winner will walk away with a whopping $4,053,200 in top prize.
The latest stats are slightly lower compared to the record created by the inaugural PSPC. The 2019 edition attracted a total of 1,039 entries to create $26.5 million in total prize pool, making it the biggest live poker tournament outside of the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
Even so, the second edition of the PSPC still managed to make it to the top 25 biggest tournaments in poker history in terms of prize pool, sitting right below the 2019 PSPC.
At the top of the list is the 2006 WSOP Main Event ($82.5 million in total prize pool), won by Jamie Gold for $12 million. Coming in second is the 2022 WSOP Main Event ($80.7 million), taken down by Espen Jørstad for $10 million. The top 17 biggest tournaments in terms of prize pool are all WSOP Main Events.
The 2019 and 2023 editions of the PSPC are at number 21 and 22 respectively.
Prominent Pros, Amateurs Gather at 2023 PSPC
The 2023 PSPC takes place as part of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) at the Baha Mar Resort in the Bahamas. The latest edition of the $25K tournament attracted some of the biggest names in the game, including Fedor Holz, Daniel Dvoress, Jeremy Ausmus and PokerStars ambassador Sam Grafton, who all fell by the wayside.
Hundreds of amateurs, most of whom are Platinum Pass winners, were able to finish in the money.
The inaugural event was won by Spanish player and Platinum Pass holder Ramon Colillas for $5.1 million. That massive victory opened plenty of opportunities for the former fitness instructor who is now serving as an ambassador for PokerStars.
