PokerStars' North American Spring Championship of Online Poker (NASCOOP) kicks off today across the four player pools within the continent. From Ontario, to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, players on PokerStars logged into their accounts to start the ultimate online grind. North American SCOOP will run from April 5th to 22nd, with multiple tournaments each day across the three buy-in levels - check out PokerOrg's comprehensive guide to all things NA SCOOP.
PokerOrg reached out to PokerStars' Team Pros David Kaye and Arlie Shaban to learn which events the two are most excited for, how they're preparing for the grind, and any advice they can pass on to newcomers. Check out their responses below!
Are there any SCOOP events that stand out to you this year as 'must play' tournaments?
David Kaye: The Main Event will always be the biggest attraction to me. Not only does the Main Event have the biggest prize pool guarantee of the series, but also the prestige that comes along with winning a SCOOP Main Event. COOP Main Event Sunday's are my biggest streams of the year and there is nothing more exciting in online poker than the potential of making a deep run in a COOP Main Event.
Arlie Shaban: I’m really looking forward to ONSCOOP Event 08-H, it’s a $500 event and the first big guarantee on the schedule ($65k). It helps that the first satellite I played for ONSCOOP won me a ticket to this event. The $300 $200k GTD Main Event is going to be epic as well.
Have you played in SCOOP events before? If so, any interesting stories, memorable hands, or deep runs?
DK: The USCOOP series in Fall of 2023 was the most exciting run of my poker career. I finished 6th on the series leaderboard thanks in large part to my two biggest online tournament cashes ever: I won the $200 Sunday Sunday Special Championship for $29,343 as well as the $250 Battle Royale Championship for $15,170. I also received my first ever poker trophies for the wins which was awesome!
AS: I’ve played in SCOOP on both the global and Ontario client. On the Ontario client, I’ve won 1 ONSCOOP event and 5 ONCOOP events (the fall series).
Which non-Hold'em events on the schedule do you think could be the most fun?
DK: In the past, I've always kept 100% of my focus on No-Limit Hold'em events, but there were several members of the community that really wanted to see me play PLO last COOP, so maybe I'll have to get in the mix in a PLO event or two and see if I can get lucky.
AS: I’m always a fan of the PLO if it’s not going to be NLHE. I have won an ONCOOP mixed game before, it was half NLHE and half PLO.
How do you decide which tournaments you want to focus on?
DK: My primary focus on this SCOOP series will be the Sunday No-Limit Hold'em events. Sundays are always the biggest day of the week for online tournaments and that becomes an even bigger emphasis during a COOP series. My strongest events will be non-bounty No-Limit Hold'em events as those are where my No-Limit Hold'em cash game background can be applied the best, but I still enjoy the excitement that comes from chasing bounties in PKOs and other bounty formats.
AS: I will play all of the tournaments on the schedule between $10-$300, I’ll play satellites, and also shot-take in the games $300-$2,500.
What does preparation look like for an online pro? Do you do anything different to prepare for a big series like this?
DK: As a cash game pro my preparation for SCOOP is primarily studying things specific to tournaments. Refreshing on shove/call ranges, short stack post flop play, and watching videos discussing ICM and bounty tournaments. I won't turn into a tournament crusher overnight, but it's a good way to knock off some of the tournament rust and prepare myself the best I can.
AS: In different series I prepare different ways. This time I’ve been doing a 5 day cleanse which involves eating clean, lots of water, exercise, and taking a few extra days off before the series starts on Friday.
What advice would you have for casual or less-experienced players taking part in their first SCOOP?
DK: My favorite part about the SCOOP schedule is that there is a low, medium, and high tier for every event. This is especially great for players who are less experienced or on lower bankrolls, because they can play in prestigious events with huge prize pools, without having to play for too much of their bankroll.
My best advice to less experienced players would be to enjoy the excitement that SCOOP generates, and check out the satellites as well as the "Path to SCOOP". It's a great way to try and play in bigger buy-in events at a lower cost by winning a ticket into them.
AS: If this is your first SCOOP just understand that it’s going to be more mentally taxing than a regular poker grind, the swings are going to be more intense, the money will be bigger. They should play within their bankroll.
Images Courtesy of Manuel Kovsca/Eloy Cabacas/Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd/PokerStars
