The hunt is on once more for poker players seeking big paydays without putting too much at risk. Global Poker’s seventh annual Micro Thunder Series kicked off on March 10th, bringing an electrifying slate of low buy-in, high-guarantee tournaments to desktop and mobile grinders around the world.
Over the course of eight adrenaline-fueled days, the series will bestow at least $1.3 million in combined prize money across 72 events. Tiny buy-ins from just $0.25 up to $11 gain entry to some truly mighty guaranteed prize pools topping out at $7.5 million.
Value opportunities abound, whether it’s the series’ main $11 buy-in, $7,500,000 guaranteed Thunderstorm Main Event, or one of the dozens of turbo, bounty, rebuy, and mix-game delights dotting the schedule. It follows nearly the same structure as last year’s Global Poker Challenge, which featured a star-studded field that included NBA forward Karl-Anthony Towns, LA Clippers’ Paul George, former Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, and DJ Khaled.
Array of Micro-Stakes Events
The Micro Thunder Series runs daily from March 10th through 17, hosting four tournaments each day for both Gold Coin and Sweeps Coin players. The schedule opened with the $0.25 buy-in, $1,000 guaranteed Micro Thunder Opening Event, a turbo rebuy affair awarding one of the series’ first titles.
From there, the action ramps up considerably across four distinct buy-in tiers, namely low, medium, high, and mega high. NLHE players can take their pick from freezeouts, bounties, progressive bounties, and rebuys in the $1-$6 range.
Players can join the table for as little as $3 to play in events like the $500K GTD PLO, PLO8, and NLCP mix games. The schedule also caters to those looking to grind deep.
Dual Night Rumble marathons take place this Friday and Saturday nights, each carrying $500,000 guaranteed prize pools. March 17th has been earmarked as championship day, with the $1.25 million guaranteed Thunderclap freezeout preceding the Thunderbolt $2 million guaranteed coin flip tournament leading into the $7.5 million Main Event finale.
Recreational players and high rollers alike can join the Micro Thunder series, with buy-ins never exceeding four digits. The series was followed by Global Poker x U.S. Poker Open 2024, which ran from April 8th through 21, according to the Sun.
Merchandise and More Awaits
While the Thunderstorm Main Event represents the Micro Thunder’s championship finale, an even larger prize pool awaits the following week.
On March 24th, Global Poker hosted a massive $40,000,000 guaranteed “Gods of Thunder” tournament for Gold Coin players. The huge $80,000 guaranteed Sweeps Coin equivalent runs at the same time.
In keeping with tradition, Global Poker is amping up the Micro Thunder experience with an assortment of special prizes and promotions. Throughout the series, players can earn their way to site avatars, t-shirts, hats, and other limited-edition swag simply by participating.
More Than Micro-Stakes
While the buy-in sizes skew micro, Global Poker and its Micro Thunder Series represent far more than another small-stakes tour. Since launching in 2016, the GPN platform has quickly risen to become one of the most trafficked online poker rooms in the world.
Powered by a Virtual Currency payment model utilizing Virtual Chips, the site is fully regulated and legally accessible to players across 49 U.S. states. Over 1.6 million accounts span cash games and tournaments, which routinely generate seven-figure prize pools.
Series like Micro Thunder have played a pivotal role in engaging new demographics and expanding interest in online poker’s recreational gaming appeal. These events make for a great build for major events like WSOP 2024 after the record-breaking 2023 edition.
The Full Micro Thunder Schedule
The Micro Thunder Series runs an action-packed schedule from March 10th through 17, with four tournaments each day for both Gold Coin and Sweeps Coin players. The opening salvo was fired on March 10th with the Micro Thunder Opening Event, a $0.25 buy-in turbo affair boasting $1,000 guaranteed for Sweeps players and a $500,000 prize pool for Gold Coin grinders.
The very next event ramped up the stakes considerably – Event 1L introduced a mystery bounty element overlaying the $1.10 buy-in tournament, which guaranteed $1,250 on the Sweeps side and $625,000 in Gold Coin prizes. Two higher buy-in levels, the $3.30 Event 1M and $5.50 Event 1H, raised the bounty-hunting stakes even further to $2,500 and $4,500, respectively.
While the opening day featured all No-Limit Hold’em events, the schedule quickly expanded into the mixed game realm. March 10th hosted a $3.30 buy-in $500K GTD Pot-Limit Omaha 6-max event, while the following Saturday offered up an 8-max PLO8 tournament at the same buy-in level.
For those who prefer a grander mix of variants, the $3.30 NLCP tournament on March 16th fits the bill. Players can pick from four-card PLO, badly, badly, five-card PLO, or any number of creative game disciplines.
However, the biggest events certainly remain until the series’ closing day on March 17th. The $3,300 buy-in $1.25 million guaranteed “Thunderclap” super-deep kicks things off, followed shortly after by the $5,500 buy-in “Thunderbolt” $2 million guaranteed freezeout serving as the final frontrunner before the $7.5 million guaranteed Thunderstorm Main Event.
The Micro Thunder Main Event is a $11 buy-in for Sweeps players (guaranteeing $15K) and $11,000 for the Gold Coin side which is sure to create a jaw-dropping prize pool well into the seven figures. One last $3,300 buy-in “Wrap Up” event offering $1 million guaranteed provides a nice consolation score for anyone falling short of the Main.
Wrap-Up
Of course, even that $7.5 million guarantee will pale in comparison to the sheer size of the $40,000,000 GTD “Gods of Thunder” event taking place on March 24th. Billed as an eight-figure score available for the cost of a satellite entry, this unprecedented tournament represents the grand finale of the Micro Thunder festivities.
