Mark your calendars for January 18-28, because the XL Blizzard is set to be one of our most thrilling online series to date. With an array of exciting tournaments, including the $80,000 Opening Event, $50,000 Crazy 8, $250,000 High Roller, and the massive $1,000,000 Main Event, plus fresh promotional offers, it's an online poker celebration that you cannot afford to miss.
This year’s XL Blizzard has streamlined its offerings compared to the XL Eclipse and Inferno events. While the previous series featured close to 200 tournaments, the XL Blizzard will have a more focused schedule with 34 events, still ensuring a good mix of games and attractive prize guarantees. This revised schedule is designed to allow players the opportunity to take part in every tournament they wish.
The XL Blizzard is the third and concluding event of the 'XL Championship' series first announced in April. Earlier, the XL Inferno Championships took place in May, showcasing winners such as 'GiNgErSpEw', 'GodfryJONES', and 'F1oba'. The series continued with the XL Eclipse, which concluded in September, featuring champions like 'tutten7', Cristian 'progree69' Sampaoli, and Roman 'Romeopro33' Romanovskyi.
Here are some exciting features to look forward to during the XL Blizzard in January.
Great Events, Ambassadors & More
The series will commence on Thursday, January 18, starting with an $80,000 guaranteed Opening Event that has a buy-in of $109. Following this, there will be at least two events hosted daily until the series wraps up on January 28, culminating in the highly anticipated $1,000,000 Main Event with a buy-in of $1,050.
Among the notable events scheduled are the $88 buy-in Event #6: $50,000 Crazy 8 on Saturday, January 20 at 19:00, the $160 buy-in Event #10: $200,000 Tune Up on Sunday, January 21 at 18:00, and the $2,100 buy-in Event #16: $250,000 High Roller on Tuesday, January 23 at 19:00.
Participants will be faced with a competitive field that includes numerous qualifiers and a full lineup of 888poker Ambassadors such as Dominik Nitsche, Bruno Foster, Denílson, Natalie Hof, and Parker 'tonkaaaa' Talbot. Moreover, the newest team member from Brazil, Vivi Saliba, will also be competing.
$1,000,000 Winners Promotion
As part of a special promotion for the XL Blizzard, any player who wins five or more tournaments during the series will be awarded a substantial cash prize of $1,000,000. While this is a challenging goal, players who secure four victories will still receive a generous reward of $100,000.
Additionally, players who clinch three tournament wins will earn $10,000, and anyone winning two times will receive a cash prize of $1,000. It’s important to note that each player can only win one XL Blizzard prize based on the overall number of their first-place finishes.
To give you an idea of the competition level, during the XL Eclipse, there were 13 players who won multiple titles, including one remarkable player from Russia, 'Kaktus26rus', who achieved three titles. His first victory was in Event #121: $15,000 Breeze, followed by Event #152: $100,000 Quarterback, and finally, he sealed his third title in Event #168: $15,000 Lightning 6-Max, making his mark in XL Eclipse history.
If 'Kaktus26rus' can replicate this success in the XL Blizzard, he’ll be rewarded with an additional $10,000!
To enhance the excitement, players who reach three or more final tables in the XL Blizzard tournaments will earn a tournament ticket valued at $600. Similarly, those who finish 'in the money' eight times or more will receive a $215 tournament ticket.
Champion of Champions Returns
Players who land in the top 50 on our Leaderboard will secure an automatic entry into the exclusive XL Blizzard Champion of Champions event. The champion of this prestigious tournament will not only earn the title of Champion of Champions, but will also be awarded a unique package to participate in the 2018 World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas.
The runner-up will take home a $3,000 Crazy 8 WSOP package along with a $1,050 tournament ticket. Those finishing in third place will similarly receive a $3,000 Crazy 8 WSOP package, while the players in fourth and fifth places will each be given a $1,050 tournament ticket. Players finishing from sixth to ninth place will obtain a $600 tournament ticket, and those who participate and finish 10th to 40th will be rewarded with a $55 tournament ticket simply for their participation.
The WSOP prize packages come with various benefits including travel costs, accommodations for either three or five nights at the Vdara Hotel, daily transportation, and an 888live poker kit.
Bubble of Bubbles
For players who finish just outside the money, known as 'bubble players', they will receive a ticket to a special 'Bubble of Bubbles' tournament during the XL Blizzard.
The tournament winner will earn a $3,000 Crazy 8 WSOP package, with second to fourth place finishers receiving $160 tournament tickets. Meanwhile, the rest of the players who reach the final table will each gain a $55 tournament ticket.
Win a Seat Today
You can qualify for the XL Blizzard through our online satellites, with entry fees starting at just 1 cent or even for free, by engaging with our promotions. Simply make a deposit using the promo code: blizzard10, and you will receive three tickets for our daily XL Blizzard qualifiers. XL Blizzard Promotion Prize: The top three players will win a coveted $1,050 seat for the Main Event.
Qualifiers schedule:
XL Blizzard Main Event – Qualifier
When: Every day at 19:30 GMT
XL Blizzard Mini Opening Event – Qualifier.
Prize: The top 30 players will be awarded a $12 seat in the Mini Opening Event.
When: Every day at 13:30 GMT
Chad Holloway is a notable 2013 WSOP Bracelet winner with a background as managing editor and live reporter at PokerNews.
