On Sunday, April 12, following a 15-year hiatus from the virtual streets in the United States, the iconic Sunday Million will make its triumphant return as part of the PokerStars launch on FanDuel.
Earlier this month, the online poker operator launched its offerings on the FanDuel platform – combining its three existing player pools in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania into a shared liquidity network.
As Sarah Herring explains in the video above, PokerStars on FanDuel now has two special tournaments on the slate this weekend with $1M GTD across the pair: a $100 buy-in Sunday Million and a $1,000 buy-in Sunday Million, each with $500K GTD. Players can double-dip or focus in on one of the two.
In celebration of the return of one of poker's most-cherished weekly online events to the US, we're taking a look back at the history of this epic tournament.
The early days
In March of 2005, the tournament that would later come to be known as the Sunday Million held its first iteration on PokerStars. The $215 buy-in drew a field of 5,893 entrants to generate a prize pool of $1,178,600. With a name befitting the inaugural champion, 'aaaaaaaa' rose above the field to claim the $173,843 first-place prize.
Only a few months later, in June, a $1,050 buy-in event appeared on the schedule – labeled as the Sunday Million. 'FlopSpanker' took home the title and the $262,151 first-place prize.
In 2007, the Sunday Million celebrated its anniversary with a special edition tournament featuring a $1.5M guarantee. 'Zeddor' topped the monstrous field to take the $271,106 first-place prize. The Sunday Million Anniversary events would go on to play a considerable role in the tournament's growth.
Throughout the first few years of its existence, the Sunday Million buy-in would intermittently jump to $530 or $1,050 before settling at a standardized $215 mark from 2008 to 2019, when PokerStars lowered the price to $109.
The Sunday Million has been a highlight of PokerStars' international tournament schedule for decades.
2011: Black Friday (and a $12M+ prizepool)
On April 15, 2011, PokerStars players across the United States attempted to log into their accounts – only to find that the site's domain had been seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Black Friday, as it came to be known in the years following, dealt a serious blow to PokerStars as a significant chunk of its player base resided in the United States.
In turn, the momentum of the Sunday Million faltered somewhat. But not for long.
PokerStars navigated the aftermath of Black Friday efficiently, expanding its reach in European and South American markets. In December of the same year, the Sunday Million reached new heights – despite the setback only months prior. For the celebrations surrounding PokerStars' 10th Anniversary, a special edition of the Sunday Million hit the site with an outrageous $10M guarantee.
62,116 entrants built a $12,432,200 prize pool. 'First-Eagle' notched a $1,146,574 payday following a three-way chop at the final table.
In the years following, the Sunday Million continued to raise the bar – and its guarantee. With each passing year, the prize pools swelled, especially for the Anniversary editions.
Never miss a Sunday again
Throughout its long history, the Sunday Million has continued to set new high watermarks.
In 2010, the Sunday Million Anniversary tournament generated a $7,233,800 prize pool from a field of 36,169 entrants. Again, an aptly-named champion rose above the field as 'RichieRichZH' became the first player in Sunday Million history to accrue a seven-figure payday, taking home $1,141,510.
The Sunday Million 14th Anniversary edition, held in 2020, set the record for largest field and largest prize pool, as 93,016 entrants generated a pot of $18,602,300. 'AAAArthur' took home the title and notched a $1,192,802 score following a four-way chop at the final table. The Brazilian's victory was made all the more special as they won entry to the event via an $11 satellite.
Vanessa Kade won the Sunday Million 15th Anniversary outright for $1,514,920 – the largest single payout in the event's history. Canada's own Vanessa Kade holds the distinction of earning the largest single payout in Sunday Million history. In 2021, she triumphed over a 69,876-entrant field to claim the $1,514,920 first-place prize – with no final table deal made.
Now, after 15 years away, players in three states across the USA can get involved once again. Hopefully in the years to come, even more will understand what Sarah means when she says, "If you've played it, you get it."
If you're a PokerStars player in Michigan, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania, you can take a shot at etching your name into Sunday Million history this weekend.
