The biggest tourney was the PM #47 $250K Guaranteed, which ended up featuring a $292,200 prize pool. ‘MJ23STYLEz’ was the big winner here after taking down the tournament along with a $53,969 prize. The PM #49 $150,000 Guaranteed also featured a huge prize pool, and ‘albertfromsd’ won this tournament along with a $35,025 payout.

In all, there were six Main Event tournaments which took place yesterday, and they all paid out some major cash. That said, here’s a quick look at the top 10 from every Main Event:

PM #47 $250K Guaranteed, $215 buy-in
1. MJ23STYLEz – $53,969.34
2. theusual11 – $35,940.60
3. BellaJacob25 – $21,622.80
4. DosPerros – $15,486.60
5. DoomSlay3r – $11,103.60
6. BeachJustice1 – $8,035.50
7. allfixed – $5,405.70
8. AAYizzle – $3,506.40
9. ReBorN23 – $2,483.70
10. CMETAKEU1 – $2,016.18

PM #48 $70,000 Gtd, $60 buy-in
1. inblue – $14,729.83
2. whatupDG – $9,809.26
3. RACCOOOON – $5,901.51
4. WooRickyWoo – $4,226.76
5. juanmirriondorra – $3,030.51
6. PVB420 – $2,193.13
7. Floats4Notes – $1,475.38
8. StrangerTides47 – $957.01
9. Dealm8ker69 – $677.88
10. imcontagious – $550.28

PM #49 $150,000 Gtd, $530 buy-in
1. albertfromsd – $35,025.00
2. exploit3D – $22,950.00
3. Natural364 – $15,300.00
4. DosPerros – $10,950.00
5. nastycanasta9 – $8,100.00
6. inblue – $6,300.00
7. Tassu1776 – $4,800.00
8. z06fanatic1 – $3,675.00
9. kayt0r – $2,850.00
10. smartcartapp24 – $2,250.00

PM #50 $35,000 Gtd, $33 buy-in
1. bikecards1621 – $9,625.75
2. PantyShart – $6,464.86
3. thabusiness7389 – $4,016.47
4. EMR31106 – $2,861.05
5. SydneySays – $2,035.75
6. vazzquito – $1,485.55
7. injury503 – $990.37
8. themint6 – $632.74
9. DJRog00 – $440.17
10. limpriddles – $360.39

PM #51 $30,000 Gtd, $11 buy-in
1. bikecards1621 – $5,938.47
2. XSpliff420X – $4,272.29
3. mrnick11 – $2,651.77
4. bhill44 – $1,878.34
5. manicPanda – $1,325.89
6. Erniukas1988 – $957.59
7. seminoleocho – $626.12
8. LarryKingsSuspenders – $388.56
9. GameTheoryHero – $276.23
10. VerucAssaulted – $180.47

PM #52 $50,000 Gtd, $109 buy-in
1. bk1048 – $16,497.25
2. UWOkid877 – $11,055.30
3. BearEatFish – $6,684.60
4. WarcraftKing – $4,799.20
5. gogeturshinebox – $3,513.70
6. upsw1ngplz – $2,528.15
7. zavziatey – $1,756.85
8. domino020 – $1,199.80
9. stacksnacha – $899.85
10. PokerHermit62 – $711.31

The lowest Main Event buy-in is $11, which many players should be able to cover. However, if you’re looking to play for major money, like with the $250,000 ME, there’s a $200 + $15 buy-in. You can have a look at all of the action below (all times server time on May 12th):

PM #47 $250K Gtd [$215 Main Event] at 15:00 – NLHE, $200 + $15 buy-in
PM #48 $70K Gtd [$60 Main Event] at 15:30 – NLHE, $55 + $5 buy-in
PM #49 $150K Gtd [$530 Main Event] at 16:00 – NLHE, $500 + $30 buy-in
PM #50 $35K Gtd [$33 Main Event] at 16:30 – NLHE, $30 + $3 buy-in
PM #51 $30K Gtd [$11 Main Event] at 17:00 – NLHE, $10 + $1 buy-in
PM #52 $50K Gtd [$109 Main Event] at 17:30 – NLHE, $100 + $9 buy-in

As you can see, there are definitely some huge poker tournaments left that’ll be taking place tomorrow. The aforementioned $250k Main Event is no doubt the largest one; however, the $75k and $150k Main Events are both going to be pretty big as well. Assuming these tournaments are too expensive for you, the $35k and $30k Main Events are good options.

Just remember that these tourneys run tomorrow, so if you’re looking to win some huge prizes, make sure to be ready. Also keep in mind that performing well in the Main Events could advance you up the Poker Maximus V Leaderboard. This leaderboard is going to pay $5,000 total, with $2k going to first place. You can see the leaderboard payouts below:

1st – $2,000
2nd – $1,100
3rd – $600
4th – $300
5th – $250
6th – $200
7th – $175
8th – $150
9th – $125
10th – $100

Once you’ve done this, you’ll be eligible to start earning the reward. To begin unlocking your reload bonus, you need to collect 150 VIP points for every $1 of the bonus. Seeing as how you get 10 points for every $1 generated in cash game or poker tournament rake, it would take $15 in rake to collect $1.

Increments are unlocked in $5 chunks, and each earned increment is yours to keep. Any portion of the bonus which isn’t earned within 90 days after depositing will be nullified. So once you deposit for this reload bonus deal, you’ll really want to be active on the poker tables for the following three months.

For those who haven’t made any deposits at Carbon Poker, there’s an even bigger and better deal. Your first deposit is eligible for a massive 200% up to $5,000 signup bonus! So if you were to put $500 into your new real money account, you’d be able to earn $1,000 in extra cash. All of the same conditions apply to the 200% up to $5k deal, so make sure that you earn as much as possible within the first 90 days.

With a great reload bonus and signup reward on the table, both new and experienced players can earn lots of extra money at Carbon. Plus there are a large number of other promotions, bonuses and VIP benefits available, which makes this a great poker site for frequent grinders.

Earning Points

To get started with the Equalizer, you simply have to play in real money cash games. Regardless of the stakes, you earn one point towards the Equalizer leaderboard for every hand played. So whether you’re in $0.02/$0.04 NL Hold’em or $5/$10 PLO cash games, each hand counts the same. And the more hands that you play, the more points you’re going to be racking up towards the leaderboard races.

Four Different Races

One notable difference about the May Equalizer is that the $50k prize pool is broken down into four races throughout the month. Each race offers a $12,575 prize pool, which means that if you miss the first or second race, you can jump in the next one and start fresh. You can have a look at the different race dates below:

Week #1, May 1st to May 9th – $12,575 prize pool
Week #2, May 10th to May 16th – $12,575 prize pool
Week #3, May 17th to May 23rd – $12,575 prize pool
Week #4, May 24th to May 30th – $12,575 prize pool

How Payouts work

The top 250 players in each leaderboard race will share in the $12,575 prize pools. We won’t list every single payout, but you can get a good idea on what’s at stake by looking at the top 5 prizes:

1st: $2,000
2nd: $1,400
3rd: $1,000
4th: $700
5th: $500

One more thing to keep in mind is that everybody is automatically opted-in to the Equalizer in May. So all you need to do is hit the ring game tables and start playing poker!

The regular leaderboard features $10,000 every month while there’s an additional $2,000 given away through streak bonuses. As for the latter, this is determined by your best win streak during the month along with how many players are in the SNG’s. You collect 1 streak point for every 6-seater victory and 1.5 points for every 10-seater win.

Regular leaderboard points are calculated by taking your finish position, buy-in, streak bonus, and how many players are in the tournament into account. Simply put, you can collect a lot of points by finishing well in big SNG’s.

It’s definitely worth your time to earn as many points as possible because there is lots of cash available through the leaderboard. In fact, you can see all of the big payouts below. Also, don’t forget that the leaderboard race starts new every month, and it’s a good idea to get started as soon as possible.

$10k SNG Leaderboard Payouts
1st – $2,000
2nd – $1,250
3rd – $1,000
4th – $750
5th – $650
6th – $550
7th – $450
8th – $400
9th – $350
10th – $300
11th – $250
12th – $225
13th – $200
14th – $200
15th – $175
16th – $175
17th – $150
18th – $150
19th – $125
20th – $125
21st – $125
22nd – $100
23rd – $100
24th – $100
25th – $100

Streak Bonus Leaderboard
1st – $750
2nd – $500
3rd – $350
4th – $250
5th – $150

Fortunately, you can get free DragTheBar poker training by playing at Carbon Poker. DragTheBar is one of the top training sites in the industry, and their instructors can really help give your game a boost. Below you can see the main perks of being a DragTheBar member:

- Over 30 coaches
- Over 1,000 videos available, with 40 new ones added each month
- Active forums

If you’re interested in the DTB training, you should start by signing up at Carbon, if you’re not already a member. Doing so will give you access to the 200% up to $5,000 Carbon Poker bonus. Once you’re a Carbon member, you simply need to opt-in to the promotion and earn 10 VIP points ($1 rake); this gets you free DTB membership for the remaining month, as well as the following month. So, for example, if you earned 10 points on the 5th of the month, you’d get free training for that month in addition to the following 30 days.

Assuming you want to keep the DTB training rolling, you need to earn 5,000 VIP points ($500 rake). Any time you manage to qualify for poker training, you’ll receive an email from Carbon. Seeing as how poker training is extremely important in regard to getting better at the game, it’s definitely worth meeting the requirements and getting this service completely free.

Earning Points for the Equalizer

The typical cash game race is entirely based on how much rake is generated. And while this pleases high stakes players, it pretty much cuts low stakes grinders out of the equation. This is where the Equalizer differs greatly because it deals with how many hands you play. It doesn’t matter what stakes the hands are played at either because every raked hand counts as 1 point towards the leaderboard. So, for example, if you play a hand of $0.01/$0.02 NL Hold’em, you’re going to get a point on the leaderboard.

Equalizer Payouts

As discussed before, the $10k Equalizer is going to pay out a collective $10,000 to 75 players. Assuming you get involved in the promotion today – or at least very soon – you’ll have an excellent opportunity to make some extra cash. Now here’s a look at all of the payouts:

1st – $2,000
2nd – $1,400
3rd – $1,000
4th – $700
5th – $575
6th – $475
7th – $400
8th – $350
9th – $300
10th – $250
11th – $225
12th – $200
13th – $175
14th – $150
15th – $125
16th – $100
17th – $90
18th – $80
19th – $70
20th – $60
21st-30th – $50
31st-45th – $25
46th-65th – $15
66th-75th – $10

Beginning with the latter, your first deposit qualifies you for a $10,000 freeroll on the second Sunday of the following month. Once you’ve qualified for the freeroll, you simply need to register by visiting the “Tournament” > “Special” tabs.

As for the Carbon Poker bonus, new players who create an account and deposit with the ‘CARBONPK’ code are eligible for a massive 200% up to $5,000 signup reward. Assuming you were to deposit $500 under this deal, you would be playing for a $1,000 bonus. To unlock the signup reward, you need to generate 150 VIP points for every $1 of the bonus. Every time you hit a $5 increment, the money is moved into your account.

Now 150 VIP points might sound like an awful lot just to collect $1 of the bonus. However, it’s worth mentioning that you get 10 points for every $1 in tournament or cash game rake generated. Just make sure not to withdrawal any money while you’re chasing the Carbon Poker bonus because this will nullify any unearned portion of the reward.

The deals don’t end here because you can use VIP points to do a variety of things at Carbon, including entering poker tournaments for free, getting cashback, earning additional $10k freeroll tickets and purchasing merchandise from the VIP store. So as you can see, there are numerous opportunities to make extra money at Carbon Poker. All you need to do is hit the tables and start playing real money games!

Sun, May 12th, 2013 at 15:00, PM #47 $250K Gtd – $200 + $15 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em
Sun, May 12th, 2013 at 15:30, PM #48 $70K Gtd – $55.00 + $5.00 buy-in, NL Hold’em
Sun, May 12th, 2013 at 16:00, PM #49 $150K Gtd – $500.00 + $30.00 buy-in, NL Hold’em
Sun, May 12th, 2013 at 16:30, PM #50 $35K Gtd – $30.00 + $3.00 buy-in, NL Hold’em
Sun, May 12th, 2013 at 17:00, PM #51 $30K Gtd – $10.00 + $1.00 buy-in, NL Hold’em
Sun, May 12th, 2013 at 17:30, PM #52 $50K Gtd – $100.00 + $9.00 buy-in, NL Hold’em

Remember that these are just the Main Event tournaments. There are plenty of other Poker Maximus V tourneys where buy-ins are as cheap as $1. But assuming you have your heart set on some of the bigger Main Events – yet can’t afford the buy-ins – note that Carbon Poker is currently running satellites and qualifiers. You can see the full list of satellites and PM V tournaments here.

One other thing worth mentioning in regard to satellites is that there’s a PM V Freeroll Series going on too. Carbon holds daily freerolls several times a day, where the top 25 players move on to the weekly Poker Maximus $250,000 Main Event Freeroll. This tournament, which takes place every Saturday at 16:00, offers five free seats to the $250k PM V Main Event.

If you really get into Poker Maximus V, also keep in mind that a leaderboard race will be running. The PM V Leaderboard is set to offer a collective $5,000 to the top 10 finishers, with $2k going to first place! Leaderboard points are calculated based on a specific formula that considers your buy-in, your finish position, the number of entrants, and a final table bonus.

With plenty of huge tournaments, satellites, freerolls and a leaderboard competition, Poker Maximus V promises to be one of the biggest online poker tournament series in 2013!

As for earning points on the leaderboard, all you need to do is play raked cash game hands. Each raked hand that you play gives you 1 point towards the Equalizer Leaderboard. What’s great is that it doesn’t even matter what the stakes are either because one hand always counts as a point. So micro stakes, mid-stakes and high stakes grinders will all be on the exact same level when competing for the $10k prize pool.

But before you can collect any points, it’s important that you visit your Player Admin area and Opt-in to the promotion. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be eligible to earn leaderboard points from August 19th-28th. Now here’s a look at all of the $10k Equalizer payouts:

1st – $2,000.00
2nd – $1,400.00
3rd – $1,000.00
4th – $700.00
5th – $575.00
6th – $475.00
7th – $400.00
8th – $350.00
9th – $300.00
10th – $250.00
11th – $225.00
12th – $200.00
13th – $175.00
14th – $150.00
15th – $125.00
16th – $100.00
17th – $90.00
18th – $80.00
19th – $70.00
20th – $60.00
21st-30th – $50.00
31st-45th – $25.00
46th-65th – $15.00
66th-75th – $10.00