Spooky Season Finale on PokerStars: Sunday Million with a Record Prize Pool

The Spooky Season has ended on PokerStars — the final Sunday Million tournament gathered a huge prize pool and delighted players with new promotions.

Last weekend, the Spooky Season series wrapped up on PokerStars, culminating in the final Sunday Million tournament with a frighteningly large prize pool. Even though Halloween was over, the series continued to delight players with generous opportunities, and the season finale featured not only a $1,000,000 guarantee but also a host of additional promotions for all bankroll levels. Spooky Season Finale: Sunday Million Progressive KO The main event of the finale was the Sunday Million Progressive KO tournament with a $109 buy-in, which started on November 8 at 18:05 GMT. This was the 45th Sunday Million episode of the season. The organizers guaranteed a prize pool of at least $1,000,000—a sum that traditionally attracts thousands of participants from around the world. The tournament was held in the Progressive Knockout (PKO) format, which means that for every opponent knocked out, a player receives part of their bounty, while the other part is added to their own “head.” Each participant started with a $50 bounty. When eliminating an opponent, 50% of this amount was immediately credited to the winner’s account, and the remaining 50% increased their own bounty, making them a more attractive target for others. The final lasted two days. The first day ended 7 hours and 50 minutes after the start, after which the remaining players continued the battle the next day—November 9, also at 18:05 GMT. Play continued until a champion was determined, who took home not only the main share of the prize pool but also a significant sum for knocking out opponents. Satellites: a chance to enter the Sunday Million for $1.10 For those not ready to pay the $109 buy-in for the final, PokerStars offered an extensive grid of satellites—qualifying tournaments with small buy-ins where players could win a ticket to the Sunday Million. The most affordable satellite cost just $1.10. The next such tournament started on November 8 at 20:25 GMT and guaranteed 10 tickets worth $109 each. This gave even players with the smallest bankrolls a chance to compete for a spot in the series’ main tournament. In addition, there were four major satellites with an $11 buy-in, each guaranteeing at least 100 tickets worth $109. They started on November 7 at 18:05 and 20:05 GMT, as well as on November 8 at 15:15. The largest $11 satellite started on November 8 at 16:05 GMT, with 150 Sunday Million tickets up for grabs. Thus, players had plenty of opportunities to enter the season’s final tournament with minimal investment. Spooky Season Puzzle Promotion: $100,000 in Tickets As part of Spooky Season, PokerStars also held a special promotion—the Spooky Season Puzzle, where $100,000 in Sunday Million tickets was up for grabs. To participate, players needed to complete tasks in the Challenges window from November 1 (05:00 GMT) to November 8 (04:59 GMT). For each completed task, a player received one Spooky Season chip. After collecting five such chips, the player automatically qualified for the Spooky Season All-in Shootout, which took place on November 8 at 07:00 GMT. The Shootout prize pool consisted of $100,000 in Sunday Million tickets worth $109 each. The tasks were as follows: Play one Spooky Season tournament Knock out eight opponents in Spin & Go tournaments Play 25 hands in All-In Poker format Tasks could be completed an unlimited number of times and in any combination. The main thing was to complete five tasks before the promotion ended to get a chance to win a Sunday Million ticket. Progressive KO Structure and Format Features The Progressive Knockout (PKO) format differs from standard bounty tournaments in that the bounty for knocking out an opponent increases as a player advances in the tournament. Each participant starts with a fixed bounty, but after each knockout, their own bounty increases. This creates extra dynamics: the further a player goes, the more valuable their “head” becomes, and opponents are increasingly motivated to knock them out. In the Sunday Million Progressive KO, half the bounty for a knocked-out opponent is immediately credited to the player’s account, while the other half increases their own bounty. Thus, even if a player doesn’t reach the prize places, they can still earn significant amounts solely through knockouts. Calendar and Schedule of Key Events November 8, 18:05 GMT — Sunday Million Progressive KO begins ($109 buy-in, $1,000,000 guarantee) November 8, 20:25 GMT — $1.10 satellite guaranteeing 10 tickets worth $109 each November 7, 18:05 and 20:05 GMT — $11 satellites guaranteeing 100 tickets each November 8, 15:15 and 16:05 GMT — $11 satellites (16:05 — 150 tickets worth $109 each) November 8, 07:00 GMT — Spooky Season All-in Shootout ($100,000 in Sunday Million tickets) For the Latest News: Matthew Pitt and PokerNews The original article was written by Matthew Pitt from Leeds, UK. He has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and since 2010 has been with PokerNews, where he serves as Senior Editor. Matthew is known as an expert on poker events and regularly covers the biggest tournaments and promotions on leading platforms. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, the PokerStars Spooky Season experience offers several practical lessons. First, the Progressive KO format is becoming increasingly popular and in demand: it adds dynamics and allows players to earn even outside the prize places. Club series organizers should consider introducing such formats to boost player interest and engagement. Second, a multi-level satellite system with low buy-ins allows even players with small bankrolls to qualify for major tournaments. PPPoker clubs should make more active use of qualifying tournament grids to give everyone a chance to enter the series’ main event. Finally, promotions with tasks and ticket giveaways are a great way to motivate players to be active in different formats. Clubs can adopt this approach by offering members tasks and challenges with real prizes—not only increasing engagement but also helping to develop the community.