PokerStars has confirmed the launch of its first live North American tournament of 2025, with the PokerStars Open Philadelphia set to run from April 21–27 at Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia. The week-long series will feature a $1,100 Main Event with a guaranteed $500,000 prize pool, as well as a range of supporting tournaments aimed at broadening appeal across the player base.
The event marks the debut of the PokerStars Open series in the U.S., designed to offer accessible live experiences for a wide range of players. The schedule includes a $2,200 High Roller, a $400 PokerStars Cup with a $40,000 guarantee, and dedicated formats such as a $300 Women’s Event and an NHL-themed Bounty tournament featuring added prizes for eliminating PokerStars ambassadors.
Online qualifiers will be available for players in Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, and Ontario starting March 19, with satellite entries beginning at $10.
Hosted at Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia in the city’s Stadium District, the venue offers a 30-table poker room catering to Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and mixed games, providing an appropriate setting for the operator’s regional live tournament debut.
PokerStars Open Philadelphia is the first in a series of planned events aimed at expanding PokerStars’ presence in North America’s live poker landscape.
Steve Priess, VP of North America, stated, “We’re super excited to bring the PokerStars Open to Philadelphia, a city that knows what it means to compete, fight, and never give up. Poker is about heart, strategy, and knowing when to take your shot, and there’s no better place to showcase that spirit than in Philly.”
“We’re so excited to be the first North American host location for this year’s PokerStars Open live series,” said Anne Tran, Director of Poker at Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia. “Our Poker Room and all our dedicated team members are ready to welcome poker enthusiasts from across the region to deliver an unforgettable experience during this world class tournament.”
