GGPoker Winter Giveaway Series – A New Year’s Poker Spectacular

The Winter Giveaway Series (WGS) on GGPoker has arrived, and it’s shaping up to be the ultimate celebration of poker, community, and holiday cheer. Having started on December 15th and running through January 15, the WGS is spreading joy with its massive $100 million in guaranteed prize pools and an incredible $5 million in add-ons to the prize pools. This ambitious series promises to bring excitement to players at every level, offering something for everyone as they compete for monumental prizes and make unforgettable memories at the tables.

With the first week of tournaments in the books, it’s time to look back at some of the thrilling action that has already unfolded. As the cards hit the virtual felt, players from all over the world have stepped up to showcase their skills in this highly competitive and festive series. GGPoker couldn’t be more thrilled to give back to the poker community through this initiative, as the Winter Giveaway Series highlights the brand’s dedication to fostering a vibrant, inclusive environment for poker enthusiasts everywhere. The series offers not just high-stakes drama but also camaraderie and excitement, making it the perfect way to end the year or possibly boost your bankroll right before the holidays.

From seasoned professionals to ambitious newcomers, the Winter Giveaway Series has already created plenty of memorable moments. And with weeks of action still ahead, including marquee events like the $11 buy-in $1 Million Guaranteed Happy New Year tournament and the $250 Winter Giveaway Grand Finale with its $3 Million guarantee, the stakes—and the anticipation—are only growing. Let’s dive into the first week’s results and celebrate the champions who’ve already made their mark!

JOIN THE WINTER GIVEAWAY SERIES!

Event #1: Season’s Greetings Opener [Mystery Bounty]

The first official event of the Winter Giveaway Series was the Season’s Greetings Opener. This NLHE Mystery Bounty tournament offered players a chance at a $1 Million guarantee, plus the $50,000 add, all for just $125. By the end of late registration, a total of $9,098 poker players had joined in to create a total prize pool of $1,096,270, including the add-on.

Taking nearly 12 hours to play to completion, when the final hand was dealt, it was ‘ihop’ standing alone atop the podium, having collected $61,409.66 for the first place finish and $1,109 in bounties. Second place went to ‘AV XVII’, falling just short of the victory but earning $46,046.29 plus $679 in bounties. ‘Sekme3000’ finished third, earning $34,529.85 and $432 in bounties during this hard-fought battle. 

Like in all Mystery Bounty events, the biggest winner of the night was not the victor. Instead, ‘curiousgeorge3’, who finished at 210th for $300.93, unraveled the biggest prize, a $100,000 bounty. Earning a total of $100,351.93 and started the giving season the best way possible.

Event #3: Stocking Stuffer Superstack

Event #3 got underway on Tuesday, December 17th. This was a $25 buy-in deep stack tournament with a $150,000 guarantee plus the $7,500 add-on as part of the Winter Series Giveaway. It took just over 11.5 hours to complete this No Limit Hold’em tournament as 7,065 poker players ponied up the pennies to participate in this party and possibly place deep in the money for a share of the prize pool, totaling $169,995. In the end, it was ‘EnGom’ winning first place and earning $16,461.37 after defeating ‘Evil Dog’ in a heads-up battle. ‘Evil Dog’, who finished second, did earn $12,688.23 for their efforts, while ‘Gavinwang’ was third, earning $9,783.96.

Event #4: Rudolph Ultra Deepstack Turbo

The next day, GGPoker hosted the $80 buy-in Event #4: Rudolph Ultra Deepstack Turbo tournament. This event, with a guarantee of $150,000, attracted 1,917 players which, even after the $7,500 added, ran with a small overlay, giving the players even greater value in the tournament. 

Even with the number of players gathered, the turbo nature of the poker tournament had the entire event completed in under 6 hours. When it was all over, it was ‘immany’ who took the championship, earning $17,705.52 for the victory. Sitting in second place after a fight worthy of applause was ‘Bartek Machon’, who earned $13,651.60. The last spot on the podium was earned by ‘SucukVernes’, who now has an extra $10,526.82 in time for the holidays.

Event #5: Rudolph Ultra Deepstack Turbo

The $108 Bounty Holiday Hunter tournament ran on Thursday, December 19th, and offered poker players a chance at a $400,000 guaranteed prize pool. A total of  3,807 players signed up for the event, which was a bit more than $1,700 under the guarantee, again giving the poker players a bit more to play for. The tournament took 9.5 hours to complete at which time ‘KVeit’ claimed the championship worth $13,998.41. To sweeten the pot further, they had collected bounties worth a total of $21,068.21 for a grand sum of over $35,000.

It was a well played poker match that decided the championship as ‘MrEnox’ finished in second place, earning $13,995.75 plus $3,133.33 in bounties. Third place went to ‘Queimouo12mola’ who earned $11,120.99 for finishing and $2,849.68 in bounties.

Event #6: Friday Night Snowball Fight [Bounty 6-max]

Ask a Canadian, and they will tell you there is not much better than a friendly snowball fight, and that is what GGPoker did. The next main event as part of the WGS was the $54 Friday Night Snowballl Fight, and it was fun, particularly with players throwing actual snowballs at each other (well, not real snowballs, just a limited-time snowball splash usable at GGPoker tables). Sitting at 6-max tables with a bounty for every KO, every player knew they were in a for a good time. It took nearly 9 hours for the 5,106 players to play down to a winner as the $250,000 guarantee grew to $266,160.08. In the end, it was ‘BiroBiro04’ taking first worth $8,641.56 plus $9,754.72 in bounties. Second place went to ‘Jaguarundi’, who was consoled with $8,638.98 plus $4,510.76 in bounties. Third spot was claimed by ‘Magic L’, who earned a total of $7,985.81, including $1,438.69 in bounties.

Event #6: Friday Night Snowball Fight [Bounty 6-max]

Ask a Canadian, and they will tell you there is not much better than a friendly snowball fight, and that is what GGPoker did. The next main event as part of the WGS was the $54 Friday Night Snowballl Fight, and it was fun, particularly with players throwing actual snowballs at each other (well, not real snowballs, just a limited-time snowball splash usable at GGPoker tables). Sitting at 6-max tables with a bounty for every KO, every player knew they were in a for a good time. It took nearly 9 hours for the 5,106 players to play down to a winner as the $250,000 guarantee grew to $266,160.08. In the end, it was ‘BiroBiro04’ taking first worth $8,641.56 plus $9,754.72 in bounties. Second place went to ‘Jaguarundi’, who was consoled with $8,638.98 plus $4,510.76 in bounties. Third spot was claimed by ‘Magic L’, who earned a total of $7,985.81, including $1,438.69 in bounties.

Event #7:  Omaholic Christmas Carol [2-Stack]

The first Saturday of the series introduced Omaha to the Winter Giveaway. The Omaholic Christmas Carol offered players a $100,000 guarantee with $5,000 added on a $250 buy-in. In total, 439 signed up to play, creating a total prize pool of $105,970. With just 84 players making the money, it was a well-played strategic battle over more than 7 hours of intense Omaha action. When the last board ran out, it was ‘watermelonjune’ claiming the victory and top prize of $17,080.49 for their efforts. ‘dezlshezl’ was the last opponent in the game and earned $12,670.69 for finishing second. The final poker player on the podium was ‘JOKERISTA’, who earned $9,399.58 to commemorate their strong play.

Event #8:  Sunday Snow GIANT

The last day of the first week brought with it a giant of a tournament. The $365 buy-in Sunday Snow GIANT gave the Sunday poker crowd an opportunity to play for a guaranteed $500,000 with $25,000 added to the prize pool. A total of 1,850 players signed up to join the tournament, creating a prize pool of $652,982.50, well over the guarantee. 

It took nearly 10.5 hours to play through this monstrosity of a poker tournament, but in the end, it was ‘Loyalrkepayr’, showcasing their skills and the Canadian flag, earning $77,071.44 with the victory. Second place went to ‘asyASYJDAy’ for $59,428.39 as a consolation prize, while ‘Cut3pOTTER’ took third and a well-deserved $45,825.54.

Who’s Running Cold Now?

What’s Coming For Christmas?

As the first week of the Winter Giveaway Series comes to a close, the stage is set for even more thrilling poker action in the days ahead. GGPoker has already delivered an unforgettable kickoff with jaw-dropping prize pools, electrifying gameplay, and life-changing wins, but there’s so much more to come.

This week, players can look forward to marquee events like the $500,000 guaranteed $125 buy-in Christmas Day Mystery Bounty and the $15 Sunday Hundred Grand Holiday Edition with a $200,000 guarantee. For Omaha enthusiasts, the $108 Omaholic Mystery Ball Day 1’s are running and will undoubtedly be a highlight as the tournament is guaranteeing $750,000. Meanwhile, smaller buy-in events and daily satellites will continue to ensure that players of all levels have a chance to be part of the winter magic and $5,000,000 added bonus.

So gear up, shuffle the chips, and prepare for another week of high-stakes excitement. Who knows? Maybe you’ll see your name in the blog soon! Let the Winter Giveaway Series continue.