Ten Day 1 flights remain as of Friday morning, including one Regular flight and nine Turbos before Day 2 on September 28.
After more than two months of starting flights, ACR Poker’s 25th Anniversary Tournament is entering its closing stretch. As of Friday morning, September 25, 10 Day 1 flights remain in the $2.5 million guaranteed event before Day 2 on Monday, September 28, with the final table scheduled for Tuesday, September 29.
For anyone who has been watching from the rail, this is the last window to get involved. For players who have already qualified, the situation is a little more interesting: the tournament’s cumulative-stack format means another successful Day 1 can still improve the stack they carry into Day 2.
Why This Is More Than a Last-Chance Weekend
The direct buy-in is $250 for a tournament carrying a $2.5 million guarantee. But the unusual part is not simply the size of the guarantee. It is what happens after you qualify.
Survive one Day 1 and that stack moves forward. Make it through another flight and the new surviving stack is added to the first one for Day 2. There is no need to choose between qualifying stacks or keep only the biggest one. Qualifying again means carrying more chips forward.
That changes the usual end-of-flight dynamic. Securing a Day 2 stack does not automatically end your reason to play another starting flight. As of Friday morning, 10 chances remain on the schedule, giving already-qualified players another shot at building a larger combined stack while everyone else still has multiple routes to reach Monday.
Sunday Puts the Regular Flight in the Middle of the Action
The centerpiece of the closing schedule comes Sunday, September 27. The only remaining Regular flight starts at 1:05 p.m. ET, with a Turbo at 10:15 a.m. ET before it and another at 7:05 p.m. ET afterward.
That gives Sunday three separate Day 1 entry points without making every start play at Turbo speed. If you prefer the Regular flight, there is one last chance to take that route. If you would rather get in and play a faster structure, the two Sunday Turbos bookend it.
Sunday also comes just one day before the field finally combines. Day 2 is Monday, September 28, followed by the final table on Tuesday, so the gap between the last major qualifying push and the business end of the tournament is about as short as it gets.
The Closing Schedule Is Heavy on Turbos
Nine of the 10 flights remaining as of Friday morning are Turbos, spread across the final four days of qualification. Friday features three starts at 12:05 p.m., 3:05 p.m. and 6:05 p.m. ET. Saturday follows with another three at 1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ET. Sunday adds two more Turbos around the 1:05 p.m. Regular flight.
After Sunday’s three-flight lineup, there is still one final door left open. The last Turbo begins Monday, September 28, at 8:05 a.m. ET ahead of Day 2.
That Monday morning flight is the final chance to qualify. If you have not advanced by then, it is the last opportunity to put a stack into Day 2. If you have already advanced, it is one last opportunity to add to what you have built before the surviving stacks come together.
Already Qualified? There Is Still Something to Play For
Cumulative stacks are what give the final stretch an extra layer. In this event, qualifying once doesn’t take later Day 1s off the table. Every additional successful flight can change the number of chips you start Day 2 with.
That does not mean every player needs to fire again, but it does mean the choice is real. A small surviving stack is not necessarily the end of the story, and a healthy stack does not prevent you from trying to make it healthier. The format keeps both first-time qualifiers and repeat qualifiers relevant right through the last flight.
There Is a Satellite Route Into the $250 Event
Direct entry is not the only way in. $33 satellites award seats in the Anniversary Tournament, while $3.15 Super Satellites provide a path into those $33 qualifiers.
That gives players who do not want to put up the full $250 another route into the final flights. Satellite availability can change, though, so the ACR Poker lobby is the place to check the current schedule before planning a qualification run.
The Tournament Comes Down to Day 2 and the Final Table
The Anniversary Tournament began on July 18 as part of ACR Poker’s celebration of 25 years since it started dealing cards in 2001. Instead of building the anniversary around a single weekend, ACR Poker stretched the event across the summer and into late September, giving players repeated chances to qualify and, because of the format, repeated chances to keep building.
Now the long runway is almost over. As of Friday morning, 10 flights remain before Day 2 arrives September 28 and the final table follows September 29. Whether you still need your first qualifying stack or already have chips waiting, the cumulative format remains relevant right through the final flight.
For more information about ACR Poker’s 25th Anniversary Tournament, visit the promo page here.