XL Blizzard Returns to 888poker on April 4-14
Big tournament action is heading to 888poker with the return of the XL Blizzard on April 4-14. The schedule features 34 action-packed tournaments with more than $1.7 million in guarantees.
Any player can take part in the XL Blizzard regardless of the size of his or her bankroll considering buy-ins range from $5.50 to $320. There are also satellites where players can get into events for even cheaper or even for free.
PokerNews will be on hand to cover four of the marquee tournaments on the schedule including the XL Blizzard Event #1 - $100,000 Opening Event on April 4, the XL Blizzard #16 - $100,000 High Roller on April 9, the XL Blizzard #32 - $500,000 Main Event on April 14, and the XL Blizzard #33 - $50,000 Mini Main Event on April 14.
Here is a look at each of these tournaments:
$100,000 Opening Event
The festival kicked off on Thursday, April 4 at 6 p.m. GMT with the lucrative XL Blizzard #1 - $100,000 Opening Event featuring a $109 buy-in and a $100,000 guarantee. The event provided plenty of play with 50,000 in starting chips and blind levels increasing every 15 minutes.
Russia's "plomoor" outlasted a field of 727 entrants and 227 rebuys to ship the event for $16,458.
$100,000 High Roller
The XL Blizard #16 - $100,000 High Roller took place on Tuesday, April 9 at 6 p.m. GMT and features the highest buy-in of any of the events on the schedule at $320.
The pace of the $100,000 guaranteed event was slightly faster than that of the Opening Event with players starting off with 50,000 in chips and blinds increasing every 12 minutes. Players were able to reenter up to three times during the 200-minute late registration period.
After more than eight hours of play, Canada's "bybababy" outlasted a field of 192 entrants plus 89 rebuys to win the XL Blizzard Event #16: $100,000 High Roller for $19,551 as part of a heads-up deal with Malta's "jmsantos10".
$500,000 Main Event
The XL Blizzard #32 - $500,000 Main Event on April 14 at 6 p.m. GMT is easily the highlight of the festival thanks to its big $500,000 guarantee for just a $250 buy-in.
The structure is one of the best you will see online with 50,000 in starting chips and blinds levels increasing every 20 minutes. Players can opt to reenter up to three times during the five-hour late registration period.
$50,000 Mini Main Event
One hour after the Main Event, the XL Blizzard #33 - $50,000 Mini Main Event kicks off at 9 p.m. GMT. The buy-in is just $33 with players competing for at least a $50,000 guarantee.
The structure is similar to that of the Main Event except blind levels increase every 12 minutes and the late registration period closes after 200 minutes.
Amazing Promotions Including WSOP Packages
888poker is making it easy for players to join in on the action in the XL Blizzard by not only making the buy-ins affordable but also hosting tons of satellites where you can get in cheaply.
Some of the satellites even allow you to get into events for free. If you already have an account at 888poker and have made a deposit, you should have already received two free tickets for daily freeroll satellites to the Mini Opening Event and the Main Event. You can earn more tickets to these freerolls by completing simple missions.
If you don't already have an account, you can also grab three free tickets simply by signing up to 888poker through PokerNews and making your first deposit of at least $10 using the "BLIZZARD10" bonus code.
In addition, 888poker is inviting players that participate in at least five XL Blizzard Events into a freeroll that awards a $12,600 WSOP Main Event package to the winner and three $2,700 Crazy 8’s packages to those who finish second through fourth.
XL Blizzard Full Schedule
| Date | Time (GMT) | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thurs., April 4 | 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #1 - $100,000 Opening Event | $109 |
| 6:01 p.m. | XL Blizzard #2 - $20,000 Mini Opening Event | $16.50 | |
| 8:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #3 - $20,000 Late Opening Event | $55 | |
| Fri., April 5 | 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #4 - $30,000 PKO | $55 |
| 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #5 - $20,000 Mini PKO | $22 | |
| Sat., April 6 | 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #6 - $30,000 Crazy 8 | $88 |
| 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #7 - $10,000 Mini Crazy 8 | $8.80 | |
| 8:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #8 - $10,000 Late Crazy 8 | $44 | |
| Sun., April 7 | 5:30 p.m. | XL Blizzard #9 - $120,000 Mega Deep | $215 |
| 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #10 - $100,000 Tune Up | $160 | |
| 6:01 p.m. | XL Blizzard #11 - $50,000 Mini Tune Up | $16.50 | |
| 7:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #12 - $10,000 Micro Tune Up | $5.50 | |
| 9:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #13 - $20,000 Late Tune Up | $55 | |
| Mon., April 8 | 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #14 - $30,000 R&A Event | $55 |
| 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #15 - $10,000 Mini R&A | $5 | |
| Tues., April 9 | 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #16 - $100,000 High Roller | $320 |
| 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #17 - $30,000 Mini High Roller | $55 | |
| 8:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #18 - $20,000 Late High Roller | $109 | |
| Wed., April 10 | 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #19 - $50,000 PKO | $109 |
| 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #20 - $20,000 Mini PKO | $16.50 | |
| 8:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #21 - $10,000 Late PKO | $33 | |
| Thurs., April 11 | 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #22 - $75,000 PKO 8-Max | $215 |
| 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #23 - $20,000 Mini PKO 8-Max | $22 | |
| 8:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #24 - $20,000 Late PKO 8-Max | $55 | |
| Fri., April 12 | 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #25 - $30,000 DeepStack | $55 |
| 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #26 - $20,000 Mini DeepStack | $16.50 | |
| 8:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #27 - $10,000 Late DeepStack | $33 | |
| Sat., April 13 | 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #28 - $30,000 6-Max | $109 |
| 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #29 - $20,000 Mini 6-Max | $16.50 | |
| 8:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #30 - $15,000 Late 6-Max | $55 | |
| Sun., April 14 | 5:30 p.m. | XL Blizzard #31 - $120,000 Mega Deep | $215 |
| 6:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #32 - $500,000 Main Event | $320 | |
| 7:00 p.m. | XL Blizzard #33 - $50,000 Mini Main | $33 | |
| 7:30 p.m. | XL Blizzard #34 - $15,000 Micro Main | $5.50 |