It’s the most iconic tournament in all of online poker, and it’s back to celebrate its 18th anniversary.
The PokerStars Sunday Million has been a mainstay of the weekly tournament grind for many poker players — both recreational and professional — and serves as a flagship for the site.
Born in 2006, just 5,893 players joined the inaugural event, generating a prize pool of $1,178,60 the tournament has been an integral part of poker history. Whether it’s Jesper “KipsterDK” Hougaard becoming the first player to win it twice, Kevin “kevsteele” Steele winning it twice in the space of four months or the only three-time champion in the form of Artem “veeea” Vezhenkov, there’s a rich and storied history with the Sunday Million.
Now get ready for another massive online tournament as the Sunday Million turns 18!
Sunday Million 18th Anniversary
The Sunday Million Anniversary traditionally returns to a buy-in of $215 and will take place on April 7. PokerStars has announced that the winner will receive $1 million and the overall guaranteed prize pool will be $8 million, an increase from the 2023 figure.
Here are the key details:
| Date & Time | April 7, 2024 @ 18:05 (WET) |
| Buy-in | $215 |
| Guarantee | $8m GTD |
| Starting Stack | 20,000 |
| Levels | 20 minutes |
| Re-Entry | Up to 5 re-entries available during the late registration period |
| Late Registration | Available until the start of Day 2 (April 8, 2024 @ 18:10 (WET)) |
Day 1 concludes at the end of Level 18: 900/1,800 (200)
Keep an eye out for satellite and qualification routes available in the PokerStars client.
Famous Sunday Million Anniversary Edition Winners
The very first Sunday Million Anniversary not only obliterated its $5m guarantee, generating a $11,825,600 prize pool, but it also saw the winner pick up a Lamborghini Gallardo in addition to the title. The inaugural winner was Luke “Bdbeatslayer” Vrabel, who took home $671,094 as part of a nine-handed deal.
The first nine-figure winner of the Sunday Million Anniversary was “DrUPSWING” in 2014, but they were soon followed by 2017 champion “Xavi666” ($1,093,204) and Alex “AAAArthur” Brito ($1,192,802) in 2020 — one of three Brazilians to have won Sunday Million Anniversary titles.
And while Brito’s victory came over a record field of 93,016, the largest first prize came the following year when Canada’s Vanessa “Niffller” Kade won $1,514,920.
Sunday Million Anniversary Edition Winners (2011-23)
| Event | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday Million 5th Anniversary | 59,128 | $11,825,600 | Luke “Bdbeatslayer” Vrabel | $671,094 |
| Sunday Million 6th Anniversary | 33,732 | $6,746,400 | slyfox151 | $480,761 |
| Sunday Million 7th Anniversary | 49,287 | $9,857,400 | Andrius “benislovas” Bielskis | $848,589 |
| Sunday Million 8th Anniversary | 45,586 | $9,317,200 | DrUPSWING | $1,038,540 |
| Sunday Million 9th Anniversary | 50,432 | $10,086,400 | Brayden “BRAYDEN93” Fritzshall | $597,720 |
| Sunday Million 10th Anniversary | 55,059 | $11,011,800 | a.urli | $970,000 |
| Sunday Million 11th Anniversary | 55,835 | $11,167,000 | Xavi666 | $1,093,204 |
| Sunday Million 12th Anniversary | 43,975 | $10,000,000 | Luis “Hulk9950” Felipe | $960,000 |
| Sunday Million 13th Anniversary | 61,342 | $12,268,400 | wangli0402 | $611,944 |
| Sunday Million 14th Anniversary | 93,016 | $18,603,200 | Alex “AAAArthur” Brito | $1,192,802 |
| Sunday Million 15th Anniversary | 69,876 | $13,975,200 | Vanessa “Niffller” Kade | $1,514,920 |
| Sunday Million 16th Anniversary | 52,119 | $10,424,000 | Blackbeauty | $931,885 |
| Sunday Million 17th Anniversary | 39,500 | $7,900,000 | Ricardo “RFN1986” Nagamoto | $1,000,000 |
All but three (2017, 2021, 2023) of the Sunday Million Anniversary events have involved final-table deals. Deals have included a nine-handed deal (2011), an eight-handed deal (2012), a seven-handed deal (2015), a five-handed deal (2019), two four-handed deals (2016 & 2020), two three-handed deals (2013 & 2018) and two heads-up deals (2014 & 2022)
European Executive Editor
Will Shillibier is the European Executive Editor for PokerNews and based in the United Kingdom. He started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019.
He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.