Poker players don’t usually need much encouragement to criticise a promotion. Too much grinding, too little value or a leaderboard that only rewards the biggest volume merchants, we’ve heard it all. But PokerStars has found something cash-game regulars actually seem to like, and its Ace Chase promotion has been extended until November 30.
The offer launched on October 1 and was originally due to finish on October 21. It rewards players who win hands holding an ace, with a $3,000 daily leaderboard and separate mystery cash prizes. A few players have been giving it the thumbs-up without being asked.
Players Want PokerStars to Keep Ace Chase
In PokerStars’ official Discord feedback channel, one player wrote:
“Ace chase is a good promotion, enjoying it, hopefully it sticks around long term.”
Another called the month’s rewards “great”, while a third agreed. That’s hardly a scientific survey of the player pool, but unsolicited praise is unusual enough to stand out, especially when online poker forums are more accustomed to rake complaints and complaints about rewards.
It’s an interesting contrast to the recent CoinPoker “Time Will Tell” rake dispute. A promotion isn’t a rake cut, and neither guarantees a game is beatable, but any extra value that reaches regular players without forcing them into a different format is worth a look.
How PokerStars Ace Chase Works
The attraction is straightforward. Play eligible no-limit hold’em or pot-limit Omaha cash games, win hands while holding an ace and climb the leaderboard. You don’t need to flop a monster: a hand you take down without showdown counts, and your ace doesn’t even have to play in the winning five-card hand.
| Ace Chase feature | What players get |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 1–November 30, 2026 |
| Games | NLHE and PLO cash games, including Zoom |
| Eligible blinds | $0.02/$0.05 through $1/$2 |
| Leaderboard entry | Win four hands holding an ace |
| Daily attempts | Up to 12; your best score counts |
| Leaderboard prizes | $3,000 daily, shared by the top 100 |
| Daily challenge | Mystery cash worth up to 1,000 big blinds |
According to the official Ace Chase rules, players must opt in before qualifying hands start counting. Every four ace-high-card wins generate a random leaderboard score; you can try again, up to the daily limit, if your first result isn’t much good. A chopped pot doesn’t count, and the same leaderboard covers all eligible stakes.
The top finisher receives $500, with $400 for second, $300 for third and prizes tapering to $10 for places 51–100. Crucially, micro-stakes players compete for the same leaderboard prizes as those at $1/$2. That’s a more interesting sweat than a race decided solely by who can pump out the most hands.
Don’t Confuse the $2,000 Mystery Prize With Guaranteed Value
Players can also complete a personal daily target shown in the Challenges Window. Hit it, and a mystery cash prize is awarded based on a multiple of the lowest big blind played while completing the challenge. The advertised ceiling is 1,000 big blinds, or $2,000 at $1/$2.
There is a catch worth knowing before you start opening every ace from under the gun. The published probabilities put the 1,000× payout at just 0.005%, while the 10× payout accounts for 66.995% of rewards. The promotion adds potential value; it doesn’t turn A-2 offsuit into a profitable call of a five-bet jam.
- Opt in from the leaderboard or an eligible table before playing.
- Keep your normal preflop ranges, forcing marginal hands is an easy way to give back any bonus.
- Check both your leaderboard position and personal daily target in the client.
- Remember that unopened reward Chests expire after seven days.
Take on Spraggy in a PokerStars-Funded Cash Game
PokerStars is also giving selected players a shot at its ambassadors in two streamed Ace Chase: The Sleeper Agent cash games on November 6 and 21. The line-up includes Ben “Spraggy” Spragg, Marle Spragg, Nick Walsh, Sebastian Huber, Felipe Phil and guest streamer Joe Bold.
Each session is a 90-minute $1.50/$3 NLHE game. Selected players receive a funded $300 buy-in and up to $1,000 in playing credit, keep their winnings and can compete for an additional $1,000 ace-at-showdown prize.
There’s a qualification hurdle: entrants must have subscribed to an eligible ambassador’s Twitch channel for at least three months, submit their Stars ID through Discord and register an Ace Chase leaderboard score in the October 30–November 1 or November 14–16 window. Eligible high scorers go into a draw; a good leaderboard finish does not guarantee a seat.
Spraggy summed up the appeal of cash games as “The freedom and flexibility.” It’s a decent fit for a promotion that lets players stick with their usual tables instead of signing up for another MTT schedule.
A Rare Win for a Cash-Game Promotion?
The extension comes as PokerStars continues changing how it serves players, including the PokerStars UK move onto Betfair’s platform. Eligible offers and terms can differ by account and market, so it’s worth checking the promotion in your own client rather than assuming every PokerStars account gets the same deal.
A handful of positive Discord comments isn’t proof that every grinder is suddenly happy, and the mystery prizes need to be judged against their actual odds. Still, the formula is simple: play your usual cash games, get something back for winning hands, and maybe earn a shot at battling Spraggy on stream. For once, the reaction from players is more “nice hand” than “what were they thinking?”
