PokerStars Special Tournaments: Get Ready for the Spooky Season Finale!

Learn about the special Spooky Sunday Special tournaments on PokerStars featuring progressive knockouts and a chance to win a ticket to the Sunday Million with a $1,000,000 guarantee.

On the eve of the grand finale of the Spooky Season series on PokerStars, which will culminate with the Sunday Million tournament featuring a $1,000,000 guarantee, the platform has prepared special events for players. On November 1, 2020, two unique Spooky Sunday Special tournaments with progressive knockouts and solid guarantees will take place. Both tournaments will be hosted by PokerStars ambassador Kenny "SpaceyFCB" Hallaert, and anyone who manages to knock him out will receive a valuable prize—a ticket to the Sunday Million Spooky Season Finale worth $109. Spooky Sunday Special: Two Formats—Two Chances for a Big Win On November 1 at 21:05 Moscow time, two tournaments will kick off simultaneously: Mini Spooky Sunday Special with a $5.50 buy-in and a $25,000 guarantee Spooky Sunday Special with a $75 buy-in and a $250,000 guarantee Both tournaments use the progressive knockout (PKO) format, which means that for every opponent you eliminate, you receive a cash reward, and part of that reward is added to your own "bounty." So, the more opponents you knock out, the higher your own "head" becomes for other players, and in the final stages, the value of knockouts can even exceed the prizes for final table placements. Special attention should be paid to the participation of Kenny "SpaceyFCB" Hallaert. For knocking him out in either tournament, PokerStars will award the winner a ticket to the Sunday Million Spooky Season Finale worth $109. However, please note that this offer does not apply to players from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. Mini Spooky Sunday Special: Affordable Entry and a Chance for a Big Prize The Mini Spooky Sunday Special tournament is designed for players with a small bankroll. For just $5.50, participants receive a starting stack of 25,000 chips. Blinds start at 100/200 with a 25 ante and increase every 10 minutes, ensuring a dynamic pace of play. Late registration is open for 2.5 hours after the start, and during this time, up to five re-entries are allowed. For each opponent you knock out, you are guaranteed at least $1.25, but as you progress to the final stages, bounty amounts become significantly higher. The special prize—a ticket to the Sunday Million—will go to the player who knocks out Kenny "SpaceyFCB" Hallaert. Spooky Sunday Special: Big Guarantee and Structure for Experienced Players The second tournament—Spooky Sunday Special with a $75 buy-in—is aimed at players ready to compete for large prizes. Here, the starting stack is 50,000 chips, and the first blind level is 125/250 with a 30 ante. Unlike the lower buy-in version, blind levels last 15 minutes for the first 15 levels, then decrease to 12 minutes, adding more action in the later stages. Late registration lasts 4 hours, and up to five re-entries are allowed during this period. The minimum bounty for a knockout is $12.50, and for knocking out Kenny Hallaert, in addition to his bounty, the player receives a $109 Sunday Million ticket. For those who want to enter the tournament at a lower cost, satellites with buy-ins from $1.10 to $16.50 are available. Pay special attention to the $5.50 satellite starting at 19:05 Moscow time on November 1, which guarantees 75 tickets worth $75 each. There are also two $1.10 satellites, each guaranteeing 10 tickets (at 18:30 and 20:18 Moscow time). Sunday Million Spooky Season Finale: $1,000,000 Guaranteed on November 8 The main event of the series—Sunday Million Spooky Season Finale—will take place on November 8, 2020, in a progressive knockout (PKO) format with a $109 buy-in. The guaranteed prize pool is $1,000,000, making this tournament one of the most anticipated events of the autumn on PokerStars. Day 1 starts at 21:05 Moscow time on November 8, and Day 2 begins at the same time on November 9. All participants receive a starting stack of 50,000 chips, and the first blind level is 125/250 with a 30 ante. The first 15 levels last 15 minutes each, then from levels 16 to 37, levels are 12 minutes, after which the level duration returns to 15 minutes until the champion is determined. During the first four hours of Day 1, up to five re-entries are allowed, giving players an extra chance to get back in the game after a setback. For those who want to qualify via satellites, PokerStars offers four major satellites with an $11 buy-in, each guaranteeing at least 100 tickets worth $109: November 7 at 21:05 and 23:05 Moscow time November 8 at 18:15 Moscow time November 8 at 19:05 Moscow time—with an increased guarantee of 150 tickets Thus, even with minimal investment, players can get a chance to compete for a share of the million-dollar prize pool. Tournament Structures and PKO Format Features All the tournaments described use the progressive knockout (PKO) format. In classic knockout (bounty) tournaments, players receive a fixed reward for eliminating an opponent. In PKO tournaments, this reward is split: half goes directly to the player who made the knockout, and the other half is added to that player's own bounty. So, the more players you eliminate, the more valuable your "head" becomes for others. This adds extra strategic depth: sometimes it's more profitable to knock out an opponent than simply to make it into the money. Knockouts of players with large bounties become especially valuable in the later stages, when the bounty amounts can exceed the payouts for finishing positions. In the Spooky Sunday Special and Sunday Million Spooky Season Finale tournaments, multiple re-entries are allowed within a certain period after the start. This allows players who bust early to get back in the game and continue competing for prizes and bounties. Satellite Table and Key Event Schedule Mini Spooky Sunday Special ($5.50, $25,000 guarantee) Start: November 1, 21:05 Moscow time Starting stack: 25,000 Blinds: 100/200/25, 10-minute levels Late registration: 2.5 hours Re-entries: up to 5 times Minimum bounty: $1.25 Spooky Sunday Special ($75, $250,000 guarantee) Start: November 1, 21:05 Moscow time Starting stack: 50,000 Blinds: 125/250/30, 15-minute levels (first 15 levels), then 12 minutes Late registration: 4 hours Re-entries: up to 5 times Minimum bounty: $12.50 Satellites: $1.10 (10 tickets, 18:30 and 20:18 Moscow time), $5.50 (75 tickets, 19:05 Moscow time), $16.50 Sunday Million Spooky Season Finale ($109, $1,000,000 guarantee) Start: November 8, 21:05 Moscow time (Day 1), November 9, 21:05 Moscow time (Day 2) Starting stack: 50,000 Blinds: 125/250/30, 15-minute levels (first 15 levels), then 12 minutes (levels 16-37), then back to 15 minutes Re-entries: up to 5 times in the first 4 hours Satellites: $11 (100 tickets, November 7 at 21:05 and 23:05 Moscow time, November 8 at 18:15 Moscow time), $11 (150 tickets, November 8 at 19:05 Moscow time) Kenny "SpaceyFCB" Hallaert: PokerStars Ambassador and Special Target Kenny "SpaceyFCB" Hallaert—a well-known Belgian player and PokerStars ambassador—will take part in all Spooky Sunday Special tournaments. For knocking him out in either of the two tournaments ($5.50 or $75), PokerStars will award the winner a ticket to the Sunday Million Spooky Season Finale worth $109. This is not only a nice bonus but also extra motivation for players, as the ticket gives a chance to compete for the million-dollar prize pool. However, it's important to remember that this promotion does not apply to players from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For members of PPPoker clubs, these events on PokerStars can serve as a great example of how modern poker series combine affordable buy-ins, generous guarantees, and innovative formats like progressive knockouts. If you play in PPPoker clubs, you should pay attention to the popularity of PKO tournaments: this format makes the game more dynamic and allows you to win even outside the prize zone thanks to bounties. Moreover, the presence of numerous satellites with small buy-ins shows that even with a limited bankroll, you can get into major events and compete for serious prizes. This is a great reason for PPPoker club managers to add more satellites and PKO tournaments to their schedules, giving their players more chances for success. Finally, the experience of running special promotions with bounties on famous players—as in the case of Kenny "SpaceyFCB" Hallaert—can be useful for PPPoker clubs. Such activities increase interest in tournaments, motivate players, and make the game more exciting. Use this experience to develop your own club and attract new members!