Lex Veldhuis is on Fire in the PokerStars New Year Series
The $35 million guaranteed PokerStars New Year Series kicked off on December 24 with the first events from a 350-tournament schedule. Stellar names have packed the 63 completed events so far, and PokerStars ambassador Lex "L. Veldhuis" Veldhuis has been mixing it up with the best of them.
Veldhuis is spending the next four months in New Zealand, meaning most of the PokerStars New Year Series tournaments shuffle up and deal during the morning for him. Poker players are not usually known for their punctuality or their willingness to rise and shine early doors, but the red-eye start times seem to be working in Veldhuis' favor.
On Christmas Eve, Veldhuis came out on top of the $1,050 NLHE 8-Max PKO event, and walked away with $24,220, including bounties. As Veldhuis was riding that tournament home across the finishing line, he triumphed in the $320 NLHE 8-Max PKO, boosting his bankroll by an additional $12,863.
Two wins straight off the bat set the tone for Veldhuis, and the popular Dutch streamer seems to be going deep in more than his fair share of New Year Series events. Veldhuis found himself third in chips going into Day 2 of the $2,024 NLHE 8-Max New Year Special, and with a legitimate chance of bagging the $79,374 top prize. However, the Poker Gods had other ideas, and things didn't plan out for Veldhuis. He crashed out in 15th from 211 entrants, a finish good for $6,389.
Alejandro "Papo MC" Lococo, Veldhuis' teammate, navigated his way to the final table, but ultimately had to make do with a fifth-place finish worth $26,804. This event was eventually won by Ukraine's "drew.derzh" who defeated Jonathan "x_zola25" Skovsen heads-up, securing a $79,374 payday in the process.
Biggest Payout of the Series Thus Far
One of the other New Year Specials, the $202.40 buy-in edition, awarded the largest payout of the New Year Series so far. Some 3,392 players fought it out for the lion's share of a $750,000 prize pool. First place should have paid out $107,767, but a three-way chop changed that.
"cardinals970" finished third for $74,969, a few bucks more than "99dm84" collected for their runner-up finish. Mexico-based Felix "TheDegendFund" Van De Put scooped a $90,095 top prize.
Van De Put's impressive haul will only stay the largest New Year Series score for a few days because some massive events are on the horizon.
Four Seven-Figure Prize Pools Up for Grabs
In addition the $5,200 buy-in $350,000 guaranteed Titans Event on January 7, and the $10,300 buy-in, $600,000 guaranteed Super Tuesday High Roller on January 9, there are four upcoming tournaments each with a $1 million+ guarantee on their prize pool.
This Sunday, January 7, marks the first-ever mystery bounty event PokerStars has hosted, and what better way to get off the mark than by making the Sunday Million a mystery bounty edition? $109 is the buy-in, and $1 million is the guarantee; expect some incredible mystery bounties.
January 14 sees three No-Limit Hold'em Main Events commence at 5:30 p.m. GMT. They come with buy-ins of $109, $1,050, and $5,200, with guarantees weighing in at $1 million, $1.25 million, and $1.5 million, respectively. It would not be a surprise to see Veldhuis putting together a deep run in any of the aforementioned tournaments.
PokerStars New Year Series Results So Far
| Event | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #2-L: $5.50 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 10,758 | $52,714 | mike21_4life | $4,440* |
| #2-M: $55 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 3,535 | $176,750 | DarkSkies21 | $18,756* |
| #2-H: $530 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 216 | $108,000 | dimadub93 | $21,481* |
| #3: $109 NLHE 8-Max Big $109 Christmas Edition | 993 | $100,000 | Foxdie999 | $16,439 |
| #4-L: $33 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 4,635 | $139,050 | ShishuiUch1ha | $12,798* |
| #4-M: $215 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 776 | $155,200 | Breno2728 | $22,850* |
| #4-H: $1,050 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 120 | $125,000 | Lex "L. Veldhuis" Veldhuis | $24,220* |
| #5-L: $11 PLO 6-Max PKO | 2,382 | $25,000 | donkey7n2 | $2,989* |
| #5-M: $109 PLO 6-Max PKO | 346 | $35,000 | silage98 | $5,255* |
| #5-H: $1,050 PLO 6-Max PKO | 39 | $40,000 | ShipitFTW911 | $17,503* |
| #6: $320 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 226 | $67,800 | Lex "L. Veldhuis" Veldhuis | $12,863* |
| #7-L: $5.50 NLHE 7-Max Turbo PKO | 7,462 | $36,563 | sirtenzoe | $3,480* |
| #7-M: $55 NLHE 7-Max Turbo PKO | 2,242 | $112,100 | And_Blr | $10,702* |
| #7-H: $530 NLHE 7-Max Turbo PKO | 136 | $68,000 | Heidegger807 | $15,882* |
| #8-L: $3.30 NLHE 6-Max Monster Stacks | 11,516 | $33,857 | mother68 | $4,430 |
| #8-M: $33 NLHE 6-Max Monster Stacks | 4,415 | $132,450 | 08141 | $18,881 |
| #8-H: $320 NLHE 6-Max Monster Stacks | 352 | $105,600 | Sergey260594 | $19,394 |
| #9-L: $11 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 11,524 | $112,935 | Mcdermutt | $8,266* |
| #9-M: $109 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 2,414 | $241,400 | blaboub | $25,176* |
| #9-H: $1,050 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 94 | $125,000 | Roman "RomeOpro" Romanovsky | $35,156* |
| #10-L: $5.50 HORSE | 1,046 | $5,152 | GamarraFCP | $936 |
| #10-M: $55 HORSE | 204 | $10,200 | aDrENalin710 | $2,065 |
| #10-H: $530 HORSE | 38 | $20,000 | Ac-King00 | $7,301 |
| #11-L: $11 NLHE 5-Max Turbo PKO | 8,142 | $79,791 | AAligator33 | $6,940* |
| #11-M: $109 NLHE 5-Max Turbo PKO | 1,062 | $106,200 | VincentFirst | $13,446* |
| #11-H: $1,050 NLHE 5-Max Turbo PKO | 69 | $80,000 | 1obster | $20,407* |
| #12: $109 NLHE 8-Max Fenomeno | 691 | $69,100 | 12371237 | $11,917 |
| #13: $55 NLHE Heads-Up Turbo Total PKO Zoom | 1,555 | $77,750 | Log_Virus | $8,478 |
| #14: $22 NLHE 8-Max Daily Eliminator | 5,458 | $109,160 | hatenow88 | $8,951 |
| #15-L: $5.50 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 13,059 | $63,989 | Jojo491973 | $4,698* |
| #15-M: $55 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 4,367 | $218,350 | ChristianBR4 | $23,087* |
| #15-H: $530 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 268 | $134,000 | JackRipperJr | $25,198* |
| #16-L: $11 NLHE 8-Max Super Tuesday | 10,467 | $102,576 | christi1298 | $13,596 |
| #16-M: $109 NLHE 8-Max Super Tuesday | 1,843 | $184,300 | superskill77 | $27,677 |
| #16-H: $1,050 NLHE 8-Max Super Tuesday | 189 | $200,000 | jpsalgadocr0 | $39,729 |
| #17-L: $2.20 PL Badugi 8-Max PKO | 1,575 | $3,087 | Serge_rf95 | $397* |
| #17-M: $22 PL Badugi 8-Max PKO | 313 | $6,260 | 17neffetS_BR | $1,262* |
| #17-H: $215 PL Badugi 8-Max PKO | 32 | $10,000 | Dzmitry "Colisea" Urbanovich | $3,469* |
| #18: $11 NLHE 5-Max Win the Button | 3,086 | $30,242 | Carokannix | $4,359 |
| #19-L: $5.50 NLHE 6-Max Turbo PKO | 9,659 | $47,329 | Tommescrawn | $4,286* |
| #19-M: $55 NLHE 6-Max Turbo PKO | 2,913 | $145,650 | olionhysaj | $13,599* |
| #19-H: $530 NLHE 6-Max Turbo PKO | 171 | $85,500 | mc1dot | $18,222* |
| #20: $22 NLHE 4-Max Bounty Quads | 2,486 | $49,720 | kistomika1990 | $3,755* |
| #21: $33 NLHE 7-Max Hyper PKO | 1,967 | $61,822 | No_to_peszek | $6,740* |
| #23-L: $2.20 NLHE 8-Max | 9,550 | $18,718 | Braidote | $2,585 |
| #23-M: $22 NLHE 8-Max | 6,361 | $127,220 | GOT3As | $18,082 |
| #23-H: $215 NLHE 8-Max | 591 | $118,200 | Ilewxa | $20,735 |
| #24-L: $11 NLHE 5-Max PKO | 8,948 | $87,690 | penny1701 | $6,314* |
| #24-M: $109 NLHE 5-Max PKO | 1,881 | $188,100 | Martboyo | $18,578* |
| #24-H: $1,050 NLHE 5-Max PKO | 105 | $105,000 | Luis "luis_faria" Faria | $29,035* |
| #25-L: $5.50 PLO 6-Max PKO | 3,111 | $15,243 | luizbode | $1,719* |
| #25-M: $55 PLO 6-Max PKO | 723 | $36,150 | GHOSTFACE9.8 | 5,818* |
| #25-H: $530 PLO 6-Max PKO | 86 | $43,000 | MaTitheone | $11,954* |
| #26-L: $3.30 NLHE 6-Max Turbo PKO | 9,071 | $26,668 | enjoyka771 | $2,191* |
| #26-M: $33 NLHE 6-Max Turbo PKO | 4,322 | $129,660 | shanesc | $12,424* |
| #26-H: $320 NLHE 6-Max Turbo PKO | 275 | $82,500 | gnetaren | $12,891* |
| #27: $55 NLHE 7-Max Hyper PKO | 1,382 | $72,389 | jambo669 | $11,106* |
| #28: $27 NLO8 Heads-Up Turbo Total KO Zoom | 914 | $22,438 | belyi9 | $3,338* |
| #29-L: $3.30 NLHE 8-Max | 9,598 | $28,218 | Kv3l3rt4k | $3,892 |
| #29-M: $33 NLHE 8-Max | 3,667 | $110,010 | babyb00mer | $15,765 |
| #29-H: $320 NLHE 8-Max | 369 | $110,700 | Inflaatio | $15,199 |
| #30-L: $22 NLE 8-Max PKO Thursday Thrill | 9,070 | $181,400 | IamTABASCO | $15,629* |
| #30-M: $215 NLHE 8-Max PKO Thursday Thrill | 1,107 | $221,400 | Cbotacin | $31,673* |
| #30-H: $2,100 NLHE 8-Max PKO Thursday Thrill | 113 | $226,000 | Shark180599 | $50,990* |
| #31-L: $3.30 Stud | 932 | $2,740 | MiStErZYX | $507 |
| #31-M: $33 Stud | 195 | $7,500 | Leon_Javur | $1,340 |
| #32: $55 NLHE Heads-Up Total KO | 1,398 | $69,900 | Peshka1991 | $6,975* |
| #33-L: $11 NLHE 6-Max Turbo PKO | 9,586 | $93,942 | RenanLaPola | $8,361* |
| #33-M: $109 NLHE 6-Max Turbo PKO | 1,457 | $145,700 | Lanket | $16,116* |
| #33-H: $1,050 NLHE 6-Max Turbo PKO | 107 | $107,000 | mamamamama70 | $24,866* |
| #34: $55 NLHE 8-Max Turbo PKO | 1,283 | $65,000 | Zanos_Goda | $7,546* |
| #35: $109 NLO8 6-Max Turbo PKO | 289 | $30,000 | Robin "Robinho" Ylitalo | $6,133* |
| #36-L: $2.20 NLHE 8-Max Deep Stack | 10,414 | $20,411 | Zugolaro | $2,709 |
| #36-M: $22 NLHE 8-Max Deep Stack | 6,941 | $138,820 | vulturu13 | $19,721 |
| #36-H: $215 NLHE 8-Max Deep Stack | 471 | $94,200 | PyThaGoLiX | $12,895 |
| #37-L: $5.50 NLHE 6-Max PKO The Acai | 9,894 | $48,480 | Moutatack2222 | $4,253* |
| #37-M: $55 NLHE 6-Max PKO The Acai | 3,720 | $186,000 | pushstyle777 | $20,520* |
| #37-H: $530 NLHE 6-Max PKO The Acai | 235 | $117,500 | iBreakU_U | $23,899* |
| #38-L: $2.20 8-Game 6-Max | 1,838 | $4,000 | AlessandroBJ | $438 |
| #38-M: $22 8-Gme 6-Max | 780 | $15,600 | Gaisska | $2,648 |
| #38-H: $215 8-Game 6-Max | 125 | $30,000 | Leon_Javur | $6,744 |
| #39-L: $5.50 NLHE The Rounder | 7,241 | $35,480 | Ketamine2801 | $5,054 |
| #39-M: $55 NLHE The Rounder | 1,285 | $64,250 | TarzanThorben | $10,015 |
| #39-H: $530 NLHE The Rounder | 231 | $46,200 | carta25 | $8,913 |
| #40: $109 NLHE 8-Max Fenomeno | 693 | $69,300 | AngerFish425 | $11,798 |
| #41: $109 NLHE Heads-Up Turbo Total KO Zoom | 878 | $87,800 | sanychamid | $9,001* |
| #42: $33 NLHE 8-Max Hyper PKO | 1,557 | $48,936 | dholanda283 | $5,989* |
| #43: $55 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 3,400 | $170,000 | Tarcidio | $19,669* |
| #44-L: $2.20 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 12,011 | $23,541 | DonZordon | $2,126* |
| #44-M: $22 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 6,830 | $136,600 | Deobandi | $12,271* |
| #44-H: $215 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 592 | $118,400 | Assad91 | $16,411* |
| #45-L: $11 NLHE 7-Max PKO Big KO | 13,517 | $132,466 | Jacks_Ten | $7,534* |
| #45-M: $109 NLHE 7-Max PKO Big KO | 1,977 | $197,700 | starswins :) | $20,061* |
| #45-H: $1,050 NLHE 7-Max PKO Big KO | 139 | $139,000 | Joker1002 | $32,225* |
| #46-L: $11 Razz 8-Max PKO | 784 | $10,000 | Sz4t4n | $1,358* |
| #46-M: $109 Razz 8-Max PKO | 130 | $15,000 | chaka-G | $3,660* |
| #46-H: $1,050 Razz 8-Max PKO | 30 | $30,000 | CMoosepower | $13,258* |
| #47-L: $5.50 NLHE 8-Max Turbo Copacabana | 7,179 | $35,177 | gomsipjorn | $4,999 |
| #47-M: $55 NLHE 8-Max Turbo Copacabana | 1,445 | $72,250 | dougmd83 | $11,085 |
| #47-H: $530 NLHE 8-Max Turbo Copacabana | 175 | $87,500 | Chris "ImDaNuts" Oliver | $17,628 |
| #48-L: $2.20 NLHE 6-Max Turbo | 6,752 | $13,233 | coucou27 | $1,884 |
| #48-M: $22 NLHE 6-Max Turbo | 4,059 | $81,180 | Bernardo807 | $11,604 |
| #48-H: $215 NLHE 6-Max Turbo | 368 | $73,600 | twardy666 | $13,517 |
| #49: $2 NLHE Heads-Up Turbo Total KO Zoom | 2,013 | $40,260 | victhereaper99 | $3,662* |
| #50-L: $5.50 NLHE 6-Max Deep Stack | 11,598 | $56,830 | Slavik_54rus | $7,431 |
| #50-M: $55 NLHE 6-Max Deep Stack | 3,719 | $185,950 | Teddygram902 | $22,581 |
| #50-H: $530 NLHE 6-Max Deep Stack | 320 | $160,000 | Jesper8 | $24,241 |
| #51-L: $20.24 NLHE 8-Max New Year Special | 15,796 | $300,000 | Runne1 | $31,385 |
| #51-M: $202.40 NLHE 8-Max New Year Special | 3,392 | $750,000 | Felix "TheDegendFund" Van De Put | $90,095 |
| #51-H: $2,024 NLHE 8-Max New Year Special | 211 | $406,729 | drew.derzh | $79,374 |
| #52-L: $11 PLO 6-Max | 2,389 | $25,000 | Michael Keys | $3,143 |
| #52-M: $109 PLO 6-Max | 397 | $39,700 | Coldiiik | $6,164 |
| #52-H: $1,050 PLO 6-Max | 78 | $78,000 | Nadhob | $16,760 |
| #53-L: $5.50 NLHE 5-Max Turbo PKO | 10,517 | $51,533 | 578346 | $3,961* |
| #53-M: $55 NLHE 5-Max Turbo PKO | 3,005 | $150,250 | tycu112 | $15,888* |
| #53-H: $530 NLHE 5-Max Turbo PKO | 224 | $112,000 | chiefofxocolatl | $16,462* |
| #54: $109 NLHE 8-Max Turbo PKO | 856 | $85,600 | capper95 | $11,487* |
| #55: $22 NLHE 7-Max Hyper PKO | 3,401 | $71,250 | Alada222 | $5,240* |
| #56: $27 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 5,335 | $130,974 | 0wnr00 | $12,763* |
| #57-L: $2.20 8-Max PKO | 12,297 | $24,102 | brian pot153 | $2,003* |
| #57-M: $22 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 8,931 | $178,620 | b1o0m4r1n32 | $16,969* |
| #57-H: $215 NLHE 8-Max PKO | 1,033 | $206,600 | mindgamer | $26,845* |
| #58-L: $11 NLHE 8-Max Super Tuesday | 10,553 | $103,419 | TBD | |
| #58-M: $109 NLHE 8-Max Super Tuesday | 2,197 | $219,700 | TBD | |
| #58-H: $1,050 NLHE 8-Max Super Tuesday | 214 | $214,000 | TBD | |
| #59-L: $2.20 NL 2-7 Single Draw PKO | 1,301 | $2,549 | Chudy_089 | $319 |
| #59-M: $22 NL 2-7 Single Draw PKO | 370 | $7,400 | grigoriy9 | $1,503* |
| #59-H: $215 NL 2-7 Single Draw | 49 | $10,000 | Yuri "theNERDguy" Dzivielevski | $3,809* |
| #60: $109 NLHE 8-Max PKO Big KO | 1,388 | $138,800 | magrao13 | $14,266* |
| #61-L: $5.50 NLHE 6-max Turbo PKO | 9,985 | $48,926 | prosky12 | $4,481* |
| #61-M: $55 NLHE 6-Max Turbo PKO | 2,973 | $148,650 | Seanlazdi | $14,648* |
| #61-H: $530 NLHE 6-Max Turbo PKO | 236 | $118,000 | Sintoras | $27,164* |
| #62: NLHE 8-Max Hyper PKO | 2,662 | $55,768 | oKiNeK | $6,522* |
| #63: $55 NLHE 7-Max Turbo PKO | 1,552 | $77,600 | idar0365 | $9,791* |
*includes bounty payments
Head Down the Power Path to the New Year Series Main Events
Satellite for the New Year Series Main Events run around the clock, but you can also bag yourself a sweet package by heading down the PokerStars Power Path. You can redeem your Silver Pass for a $2,500 ticket bundle, and your Gold Pass for a $10,300 ticket bundle.
Exchange a Silver Pass for two $1,050 New Year Series Main Event tickets, two $19 New Year Series Main Event tickets, eight $22 New Year Series tickets, and $6 worth of tournament dollars.
Redeeming a Gold Pass grants you an awesome package of a $5,200 New Year Series Main Event tickets, four shots at the $1,050 buy-in Main Event, four $109 New Year Series Main Event tickets, six $55 New Year Series tickets, plus $134 worth of tournament dollars!