PokerStars is preparing a major summer edition of its flagship online tournament, with Sunday Million Anniversary 20 set to feature a $5 million guaranteed prize pool.
The 20th Anniversary event will be played as a $109 buy-in Phased tournament. Phase 1 daily heats are scheduled from June 28 to September 6, before surviving players return for Phase 2, which runs from September 6 to September 7.
A 10-Week Route Into Phase 2
Sunday Million Anniversary 20 spreads its Phase 1 schedule across 10 weeks, giving players a wider window to find a starting flight that fits their schedule.
Players who fail to advance from one Phase 1 can try again in a later heat. Those who do make it through will carry their chip counts into Phase 2.
Under PokerStars’ Phased tournament rules, players cannot qualify for the same next phase more than once. Once a player has advanced to Phase 2, they also cannot unregister from that phase.
Qualification Starts From $0.55
The direct buy-in for Sunday Million Anniversary 20 is $109, but PokerStars has also listed several qualification routes into Phase 1.
Satellites start from $0.55 and are scheduled to begin on June 27. Qualification routes also include $0.75 and $4 Spin & Go’s as additional ways to pursue an SMA20 Phase 1 seat.
PokerStars has also listed two additional routes that will award SMA20 Phase 1 tickets. The Jet Set Season Challenge is available only in .BG, .CH, .COM, .EE, .EU, .RO, and .UK markets. The Wildcard Wins Leader board is available only in .COM, .EU, and .RO markets.
Why the Phased Format Matters
Phased tournaments allow different groups of players to begin at different times before the remaining field combines later in the event. For Sunday Million Anniversary 20, that means players have a long Phase 1 window before one combined Phase 2.
PokerStars’ Phased tournament explainer says the format offers greater scheduling flexibility and can help create larger prize pools because entries are collected across multiple starting phases.
In Phased Sunday Million events, players who finish the starting flight with chips are also guaranteed a payday when the next phase begins.
The format still requires more than simple survival. Dara O’Kearney, an Irish poker pro, author, and co-host of The Chip Race, says phased events should still be approached like regular multi-table tournaments because the goal remains building a stack that can win the event.
O’Kearney also notes that some players treat the end of Phase 1 like a “pseudo bubble,” tightening up because they want to advance. Others may play more aggressively to avoid returning with a short stack. Recognizing which players are changing gears can become an important edge.
Sunday Million Anniversary History
Sunday Million was first named in June 2006 and has since become one of PokerStars’ most recognizable online tournaments. Its Anniversary editions have produced some of the biggest stories in the event’s history.
Vanessa “Nifller” Kade won the 2021 Anniversary outright for $1.5 million. In 2022, “Blackbeaty” won $931K after a heads-up deal.
Ricardo “RFN1986” Nagamoto topped a 39,500-entry field in 2023 for $1 million. “CrossBreed17” won the 18th Anniversary in 2024 for $1 million.
PokerStars also lists Carlos Augusto “gutAoAllin” Martins as banking $391,436 after a four-way deal in an edition that drew 28,444 entries.
Key Dates
Sunday Million Anniversary 20 begins its Phase 1 daily schedule on June 28 and continues through September 6. Phase 2 starts on September 6 and runs through September 7.
With a $109 buy-in, a $5 million guarantee, and qualification routes starting from $0.55, the 20th Anniversary edition gives players multiple ways to chase a place in the final phase of PokerStars’ long-running Sunday Million.
