888Poker’s XL Spring Series Boasts $2.3 Million Guarantee

May is already an exciting month for poker players, what with GGPoker, PokerStars, Unibet, and various other poker brands offering tournaments. Now that 888poker has joined the action, it’s becoming more thrilling. While 888poker can’t compete with names like GGPoker’s tournaments, that doesn’t mean there’s no reason to be excited.

The XL Series returns for its fourth edition, boasting the most significant guarantee it’s seen since 2019. It started on May 12th and will continue to run until the 28th. This tournament will have 43 numbered events, but the fun doesn’t stop there. 

About an equal number of side events are also available, with buy-ins between $8.80 and $888. As such, the tournament’s average buy-in has increased from $72 to almost $80.

The average guarantee has also risen due to the increase in the overall prize pool, estimated to be around $2.3 million. While it was $19,231 in 2023, it now boasts an average figure of around $26,814.

Most of the events are Mystery Bounty, with Progressive Knockouts being the second most popular format. However, players will also see a few Super Knockout events scattered among the rest.

Besides the Main Event, there are multiple tournaments you should keep an eye on. Some of the best to look forward to are:

• $40,000 High Roller Event with a $525 buy-in
• $120,000 Mystery Bounty Opening Event #03 with a $109 buy-in
• $40,000 Mini Variant with a $55 buy-in

Of course, the Main Event is the piece of the resistance of this series. It boasts the second time this year that the brand provides a $1 million guarantee for the Main Event. It features a $888 buy-in and keeps the Mystery Bounty format with a top bounty of $100,000. The Mini Main Event also features a $100,000 prize pool with a $25 buy-in.

Looking at the last four years of the Spring Series, we can see this event has the highest guarantee. However, it’s not the event with the highest average guarantee per event. The events have steadily increased since 2019, when the XL Inferno tournament was still in place. 

At that time, the average guarantee was $42,353, with a maximum average guarantee of $45,147 reached in 2020. The tournament had about 34 events and an overall prize pool of $1.4 to $1.5 million.

However, it’s a definite step up from the 2023 series. That series boasted a $2 million guarantee with over 100 events, while the 2024 edition has 86 events. Still, the buy-in level is now higher than the 2023 edition’s range, which fell between $5.50 and $525.

Players can win tickets to this event through social media competitions, freerolls, and satellites starting from one cent. The XL series will also run in other markets, such as Ontario with a $350k guarantee, Italy with a €300,000 guarantee, and the Spanish-Portuguese market with a €400,000 guarantee.