PokerStars Live Casino Event(s)? (New Jersey and elsewhere)

[London Colin]

Does anyone know anything about what PokerStars is up to? It looks like they are organizing BJ and other non-poker tournaments as part of the poker tour(s) that they run/sponsor, but information is a bit sketchy.

I first of all discovered a reference to a couple of BJ tournaments within the EPT event currently taking place in Malta -

https://www.pokerstars.com/en/blog/...ting-the-starsfun-into-ept-malta-163574.shtml

Casino Climber

If you're looking for a break from poker and like to dabble in blackjack from time to time then we're hosting an EPT Malta Blackjack Tournament on Thursday October 20 and then again on Friday October 28.

Reading up a little further, it seems they are amalgamating various poker tours, such as the EPT, into a couple of new entities, known as PokerStars Championship and PokerStars Festival. And they are using the tag #StarsFun to promote some new, non-poker side events (including casino-game tournaments) -

http://www.onlinepokerreport.com/22495/pokerstars-nj-festival-schedule/
http://www.pokerstarslive.net/festival/events/nj/

Feeling lucky? Festival attendees will also get a first look at our brand new PokerStars Casino Festival events, featuring an innovative take on traditional blackjack, roulette, video poker and slot tournaments.

For more information about StarsFun activities, please contact [email protected].

The New Jersey festival is imminent-

• StarsFun Skills Zone – October 31 – November 4

• StarsFun Casino Festival – October 30 – November 6

Resorts Casino Hotel
1133 Boardwalk
Atlantic City, New Jersey
08401

- and the next is apparently scheduled for London in January (hence my interest).

 

[London Colin]

I managed to track down the rules for the Malta BJ tournament. There's nothing to say the rules will be the same at other events, but I suppose it's likely -

http://www.europeanpokertour.com/as...e/season13/malta/Casino_Climber_Blackjack.pdf

Disappointingly, if I'm reading it right, it's a 10-hand accumulation, with the scores kept secret so there's no benefit in playing late.

 

[gronbog]

Unless you can lurk and gather the scores for yourself ...

 

[London Colin]

Unless you can lurk and gather the scores for yourself ...

Yeah, that thought occurred to me.

I think I was really hoping they might be starting up a series of table elimination-style events, though I know there can be value in accumulation formats.


Regarding New Jersey (and by implication the 'festivals' in general), a schedule has now been posted -
http://www.pokerstarslive.com/assets/files/en-us/pslive/StarsFun_New_Jersey_Schedule.pdf

Still lots of unknowns, but the alarming detail that jumps out is that they appear to be charging a 25% vig for playing these 'fun' events!