SCOOP - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Spring Championship of Online Poker – All Stakes?
The ‘Spring Championship of Online Poker - All Stakes’, also known as ‘SCOOP - All Stakes’ or simply ‘SCOOP’, is a new annual online tournament series.
Is there anything special about SCOOP?
SCOOP has been designed to cater for players of all bankrolls, by offering three choices of buy-in for every event. The buy-ins range from low stakes ($5.50) to very high stakes ($25,500). Every tournament will feature its own guaranteed prize pool, and the guarantees across all events total $30 million.
Will SCOOP be replacing your World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) series?
No, WCOOP will continue as normal. The new SCOOP series is in addition to our existing online tournament schedule.
How do I enter Spring Championship of Online Poker - All Stakes tournaments?
Anyone with a PokerStars account in good standing can enter. You can buy in directly to any event and there will be satellites for cash and Frequent Player Points (FPPs) for most of the events.
Can I play in more than one tournament at a time?
Yes, you can play in as many SCOOP tournaments as you like.
What can I use to buy in?
You can buy into the satellites or the events themselves with cash, T$, or W$. You can also purchase tickets for a selection of the tournaments with your Frequent Player Points via the PokerStars VIP Store.
What if I win multiple seats into the same event?
For subsequent seats after the first one you win, your account will be credited with W$ equal to the buy-in plus the fee of the target event.
Can I unregister from an event for which I've won a seat?
Yes. If you win a seat to a SCOOP event and then unregister from it, your account will be credited with W$ equal to the buy-in plus the fee of that event. Unregistration will be available from the tournament lobby up until ten minutes before the start of each event.

Note that this registration option applies to event seats won via satellite. Event tickets are not transferrable. Event tickets awarded via promotional tournaments must be used in that event or forfeited, as they have no value outside of the tournament to which they grant admission. If you have already been awarded a ticket for a particular event, please do not play more promotional events which award the same ticket, since if you win, the additional ticket will have no value. If you have won a promotional ticket for an event, you may continue to play cash or FPP satellites, and if you win you will be awarded W$ for the value of the seat.
What can I do with W$?
W$ can be used to register into any qualifying special PokerStars event. Special poker events currently include:
- PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA)
- European Poker Tour (EPT)
- Asian Pacific Poker Tour (APPT)
- Spring Championship of Online Poker - All Stakes (SCOOP)
- World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP)
- World Series of Poker* (WSOP*)
- Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT)
- Australia and New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT)
- The Aussie Millions
To check your W$ balance at anytime, visit the cashier window in the PokerStars lobby.
Will there be any special tournaments or deals for VIPs this year?
Absolutely! We will hold multiple satellites throughout the course of qualifying which are open exclusively to PokerStars VIPs. These special events may include added seats or seats at a higher-than-normal ratio, giving our VIPs many great opportunities to qualify.

VIPs will also have the option of purchasing entry tickets to SCOOP events via the VIP Store.
What does the winner of a SCOOP event receive?
Each event has a minimum guaranteed prize pool. The overall SCOOP guaranteed prize pool is $30 million.
Can we make deals at the final table?
For the SCOOP events themselves, yes, and we will be there to facilitate them as all final tables will be hosted by a member of PokerStars staff. However, please note that any deal will have to leave a portion of the prize pool out of the deal to be awarded to the winner. The minimum amount to be left aside will be specified in the tournament lobby. For more details about deals, please see our tournament rules.
Can we make deals at the final table of the SCOOP satellites?
No. The intent of the satellites is to produce seats into SCOOP events and not just to distribute W$ to people. Therefore, we are prohibiting final table deals during the satellites.
How old do I have to be to participate?
You must be 18 years of age or of legal age of majority in your jurisdiction, whichever is greater.
What rules govern play in the SCOOP – All Stakes tournaments?
The standard PokerStars Tournament Rules apply. See the Tournament Rules page to read more.
What is meant by [1R1A] in the titles of Events 6 and 17?
[1R1A] indicates that players are allowed 1 rebuy and 1 add-on each within the tournament. For example, players may begin with 4,000 chips each, and while their stack is 4,000 chips or less, they may purchase another 4,000 chips for another buy-in. At the time of the first break, all players may make a one-time purchase of 8,000 additional chips for one final buy-in.
Events 8 and 22 are marked as 2-day events. What does this mean?
Each of the two-day events will stop after approximately 12 hours of play (including the breaks). The low-stakes versions of Events 8 and 22 will pause at the end of level 44, the medium-stakes versions will pause after the end of level 33, and the high-stakes versions will pause after the end of level 22. Play will resume in each two-day event at 16:30 ET the following day. Before the tournament resumes, player seats will be re-drawn.
Will there be final table replays for the SCOOP - All Stakes tournaments?
Yes, the final tables of the SCOOP tournaments will be replayed with hole cards exposed.
Why did you call it a Spring championship, when it isn’t Spring in the Southern Hemisphere?
We wanted the name of the tournament series to refer to the time of year at which it would take place. As the majority of our players live in the Northern hemisphere, we decided that Spring Championship of Online Poker would be an appropriate name. We apologize for any confusion or offense caused to our Southern Hemisphere players.

If you have any questions about SCOOP that are not covered here, contact support@pokerstars.com.

* WORLD SERIES OF POKER and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah's License Company, LLC ("Harrah's"). Harrah's does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with PokerStars.com or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.