The PokerStars 2025 US Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) recently concluded, with players collectively pocketing an impressive sum of almost $6.8 million throughout numerous events. The prize money surpassed the initially promised $5 million guarantee for the tournament.
In 2025, players from Michigan and New Jersey were pitted against each other for the first time, while Pennsylvania players were engrossed in their own matches.
There is no doubt that the competition was utterly dominated by online poker players from Michigan. They emerged victorious in all three MI/NJ SCOOP leaderboards, ultimately securing a triumphant victory for PokerStars MI players in the inaugural year of inter-state play.
BeamDoctorPoker, AKA Jared Halter, wins big in PokerStars US SCOOP
Jared Halter, a resident of Mount Pleasant, Michigan, stands out as a poker player who has achieved notable success. Besides being a faculty member at Central Michigan University, specializing in intergroup relations and justice, Halter also engages in hosting a poker stream under the username BeamDoctorPoker.
While streaming, he managed to win over $18K during SCOOP by securing top two positions in a pair of tournaments. Specifically, he emerged victorious in the Phase II Low tournament and achieved a second-place finish in the Phase II High tournament.
Halter shared with Playinmichigan that he secured the second position in the Phase High competition. He further mentioned his presence at the Phase Low final table. Halter expressed his intense focus on these final tables and acknowledged the role of his stream moderators in managing the chat and the sizable audience that was witnessing the event. He considered himself lucky to have such support and acknowledged that winning was not a certainty in his mind. However, he believed that his performance at final tables showcased one of his strengths in the game.
Although those moments carried a lot of pressure, Halter found immense pleasure in them.
He expressed his gratitude for being in a position where he can both stream and play games, while also being a successful poker player. The fact that he is earning more money than he ever thought possible, especially considering his background and upbringing, is something he feels incredibly fortunate about. He considers it an amazing story that he will always be able to remember, and he is glad to have a video documenting it that he can watch whenever he wants. After all, who wouldn’t want to relive their own moments of triumph?
Halter expressed his admiration for the well-planned schedule of the inaugural SCOOP event, which successfully merged activities in Michigan and New Jersey.
Halter expressed his delight with the experience, stating that not only did he enjoy it, but it seemed that most people were also pleased with the well-planned schedule. He particularly admired the phase tournaments, finding them to be innovative and exciting. Halter eagerly anticipates participating in more tournaments and contributing to the growth of the poker community in Michigan, New Jersey, and the entire United States.
Michigan’s LetsGoGlobal wins High Leaderboard during PokerStars SCOOP
LetsGoGlobal from Michigan emerged as the champion on the High Leaderboard and earned a well-deserved $2,000 prize. Notably, they triumphed in the $100 NLH Sunday Warm Up PKO, $20K GTD, securing $4,903.37, and also conquered the $250 NLH Turbo Storm, $30K GTD, taking home $6,488.09. In addition, LetsGoGlobal clinched the title in the $100 NLH Deepstack Championship, $22.5K GTD, earning $6,972.73. Furthermore, they achieved an impressive second place on the Medium leaderboard, earning an extra $600 bonus.
The top spot on the Medium Leaderboard was claimed by mcleskey from Michigan, securing three titles: $100 NLH Turbo Night Fight, PKO, $15K GTD for $4,333.21; $30 NLH 6-Max Big PKO, $10K GTD for $2,589.43; and $30 5-Card PLO, $2K GTD for $946.28.
Finishing closely behind on the High Leaderboard was Daniel “loxonbagel” Buzgon from New Jersey, securing second place and receiving a bonus of $1,500. Buzgon, an accomplished player with six WSOP Circuit Rings and an impressive $2.5 million in live tournament winnings, captured three titles throughout the competition. These included the $20 8-Game Championship, where he claimed $1,049.15 in guaranteed prize money, the $100 NLH Turbo PKO with a guarantee of $25,000, earning him $6,323.71, and the $100 5-Card PLO with a $5,000 guarantee, granting him $1,996.31. The High leaderboard was rounded out by 1WINATATIME, mariopartypoker, and mcleskey, all hailing from Michigan, who were each rewarded with $750, $500, and $250, respectively.
Michigan’s tittybumpin2 emerged as the champion of the Low Leaderboard, securing the $500 cash prize. They achieved this victory by winning the $10 NLH Hyper-Turbo Adrenaline, $5K GTD event, and earning an impressive $1,072.24 in winnings. Coming in second on the Low Leaderboard was New Jersey’s Trump&Glantz, who received a $300 reward. Trump&Glantz claimed victory in the $10 PLO8, $2.5K GTD event, earning $535.60, as well as in the $10 FL 2-7 Triple Draw, $1K GTD event, with a prize of $433.40.
Despite only ranking ninth on the Medium leaderboard and receiving a modest $100 bonus, Binkwen unquestionably proved to be the standout player of the MI/NJ SCOOP. They achieved a remarkable feat by winning four titles, including the highly coveted $300 NLH Main Event. Binkwen, representing New Jersey, emerged victorious from a competitive field of 1,106 participants, securing an impressive grand prize of $50,263.97. This substantial amount stood as the highest reward granted throughout the entire series.
In addition to that, Binkwen emerged victorious in the $300 NLH PKO Battle Royale Championship, securing a prize of $11,213.51. Furthermore, they triumphed in the $30 NLH KO Special Trainer PKO Turbo, earning $3,051.77, and conquered the $100 NLH Storm Championship, pocketing $6,002.45.
Drew Ellis, the Lead Writer at Playinmichigan, contributed to this report.
