There are plenty of Michigan betting site options with the Red Wings, Pistons and Big Ten and March Madness basketball this time of year. Now poker players in the Great Lakes State have a new event to consider in March.
In a Monday announcement, BetMGM casino Michigan introduced the “March Poker Mania” festival, which will be in Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey and run from March 20-27. It will feature both online and in-person games.
With nearly $1.3 million in total guarantees (GTDs), the festival will run simultaneously in Michigan ($397 GTD), New Jersey ($472k GTD) and Pennsylvania ($397k GTD).
Michigan is one of a few states with legal real money Michigan online casinos. That also is the case in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut and West Virginia.
Michigan also has legal Michigan online poker, as does New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Delaware and West Virginia.
Michigan Native Will Be Host
All of the online tournaments will be hosted by three of poker’s most popular personalities.
Michigan will have longtime poker vlogger Andrew Neeme in that role. He will stream several events on his YouTube channel. He also will host the BetMGM Poker Cash Game Meetup at MGM Grand Detroit on March 23 and a hangout for college basketball at its BetMGM sports lounge the evening after.
“We’re thrilled that March Poker Mania will feature three poker titans, offering BetMGM players multiple new touchpoints with our brand,” said Luke Staudenmaier, the director of poker for BetMGM, in a news release. “It’s the first time that we’ve produced an online poker event in multiple states, and with multiple hosts, simultaneously, and we’re excited to further connect our players and our brand with MGM properties across the country.”
While Michigan poker players can interact with Neeme, the ambassador in New Jersey will be Darren Elias and in Pennsylvania it will be Pittsburgh native Matt Berkey.
Breakdown of Event Schedule
Here is a detailed look at the daily events:
March Poker Mania (all times are Eastern; guarantees vary by state)- March 20, 5 p.m.: Warm-up ($535 buy-in)
- March 20, 6 p.m.: Half-price PKO ($109 buy-in)
- March 20, 7 p.m.: Phase I to Phase II Main Event ($55 buy-in)
- March 20, 8 p.m.: NLH Turbo ($215 buy-in)
- March 21, 7 p.m.: Phase I to Phase II Main Event ($55 buy-in)
- March 21, 8 p.m.: PLO 6-max ($215 buy-in)
- March 22, 7 p.m.: Phase I to Phase II Main Event ($55 buy-in)
- March 22, 8 p.m.: NLH Progressive Knockout 6-max ($535 buy-in)
- March 23, 7 p.m.: Phase I to Phase II Main Event ($55 buy-in)
- March 23, 8 p.m.: NLH 8-max ($320 buy-in)
- March 24, 7 p.m.: Phase I to Phase II Main Event ($55 buy-in)
- March 24, 8 p.m.: NLH PKO 6-max ($320 buy-in)
- March 25, 7 p.m.: Phase I to Phase II Main Event ($55 buy-in)
- March 25, 8 p.m.: PLO 6-max ($215 buy-in)
- March 26, 6 p.m.: Heads-up Bracket Battle 32-max ($1,060 buy-in)
- March 26, 7 p.m.: Phase I to Phase II Main Event ($55 buy-in)
- March 27, 5 p.m.: NLH Main Event 8-max ($1,060 buy-in)
- March 27, 6 p.m.: Phase II: Main Event ($535 buy-in)
- March 27, 7 p.m.: NLH Turbo Second Chance ($215 buy-in)
The festival also features two events new to the BetMGM Poker platform.
The $1k buy-in Heads-up Bracket Battle matches 32 players against each other in a single-elimination, tournament-style format with a commitment to add $10k in value to the prize pool in each state.
There will be multiple opportunities as well for players to win their way into the Phase II Main Event through a continuous $55 buy-in multi-day tournament. A separate game will take place each day and culminate in a $535 buy-in event on the final day of the festival.
To participate in March Poker Mania, players must be physically located in Michigan (BetMGM Poker). To get more info, visit poker.betmgm.com.
