Updated on 10 Sep 26 by
i11us1on1st
Poker Expert

Phil’s Thrill Gets a PLO Upgrade at ACR Poker

ACR Poker has been part of the online poker landscape since 2001 and continues to attract players from the U.S., Latin America and other international markets.


ACR Poker Phil's Thrill

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The room is known for large guarantees, ambitious tournament festivals and creative formats, backed by a rewards system that includes rakeback, reload offers and regular leaderboard races.

The improvements are not limited to ACR Poker’s tournament schedule. The room has also been upgrading its software in response to player feedback, with recent changes aimed at making the client faster, smoother and easier to use.

That combination of major tournament action and ongoing platform improvements gives players more reasons to stay active, whether they are chasing Sunday high rollers or simply looking for a cleaner overall playing experience.

Right now, ACR Poker is in one of its busiest stretches of the year. The Online Super Series is in full swing, while the 25th Anniversary Tournament is also well underway.

Together, both promotions cover a huge range of buy-ins and bankrolls. But ACR Poker’s latest addition is aimed much higher up the ladder, giving high-stakes PLO players a brand-new Sunday target with the launch of Mini Phil’s Thrill PLO.

ACR Expands Phil’s Thrill With PLO Event

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ACR Poker is giving high-stakes tournament grinders even more to play for on Sundays. The Phil’s Thrill lineup has now expanded to three regular events, with the brand-new Mini Phil’s Thrill PLO bringing four-card action into the mix for the first time.

The new tournament joins the original $10,300 Phil’s Thrill and the $2,650 Mini Phil’s Thrill. Together, they create a high-stakes Sunday trio built around ACR Poker CEO Phil Nagy and fields that regularly attract established pros and ambitious qualifiers.

New $2,650 Phil’s Thrill PLO

The latest addition is Mini Phil’s Thrill PLO, which made its debut on September 6, 2026.

The Pot-Limit Omaha tournament carries a $2,650 buy-in and is scheduled for Sundays at 3:30pm ET. Unlike its Hold’em counterpart, the standard PLO edition currently has no fixed weekly guarantee, meaning the final prize pool is normally determined by participation.

Its first outing showed there is already demand for a weekly high-stakes PLO tournament. The debut attracted 54 entries from 35 players, generating a $135,000 prize pool.

PLO specialist omahafyrolls won the inaugural edition and collected $37,800.

There is also a particularly attractive edition coming during the current OSS XL. On September 20, the $2,650 PLO event appears on the official series schedule with a boosted $200,000 guarantee.

ACR Poker Mini Phil's Thrill PLO

That gives PLO grinders a rare opportunity to play a weekly online event at a genuine high-roller price point without having to step all the way up to a five-figure buy-in.

A Lower Entry Point

For Hold’em players who want the Phil’s Thrill experience without paying $10,300, Mini Phil’s Thrill provides the middle ground.

The tournament features a $2,650 buy-in and has become a regular part of ACR Poker’s Sunday high-stakes schedule. ACR currently promotes the standard event with a $200,000 guarantee, although guarantees can increase during major series.

That is exactly what is happening during OSS XL. The September 13 and September 20 editions are both listed with an upgraded $250,000 GTD.

The Mini has already produced some remarkable qualification stories. In August, John Kim turned a $0.80 Survivor Flip ticket into a $2,650 seat before going on to win Mini Phil’s Thrill for $42,700.01.

That run demonstrates why the tournament can be relevant even for players who would never consider paying the full buy-in directly.

ACR Poker Mini Phil's Thrill

Phil’s Thrill Remains Main Attraction

At the top of the lineup sits the original Phil’s Thrill, ACR Poker’s weekly $10,300 high-stakes tournament.

Named after CEO Phil Nagy, the event was created as a recurring online battleground for elite tournament players, with Nagy himself regularly joining the field. ACR Poker continues to promote it as one of its signature weekly showdowns.

The prize pools can quickly become substantial. A July edition attracted 35 entries for $350,000, while other Sundays in 2026 have produced prize pools of $490,000, $510,000 and considerably more.

The biggest special edition so far, Phil’s Thrill XXL, carried a $1.5 million guarantee and ultimately generated a $2.06 million prize pool from 206 entries.

The original also remains the toughest step in the Phil’s Thrill hierarchy. A five-figure direct buy-in naturally creates a much more concentrated high-stakes field, although satellites and special qualification promotions have occasionally provided cheaper routes into the action.

ACR Poker Phil's Thrill high-stakes tournament

Phil Nagy Goes Deep

The name behind the tournaments is not just there for branding.

On September 6, Nagy played under his Justsomefish72 screen name and reached the final table of both Hold’em Phil’s Thrill events on the same Sunday.

He finished runner-up in the $10,300 Phil’s Thrill for $78,000 before adding fifth place in the Mini for another $10,800.

His combined haul for the day reached $88,800.

That regular participation gives the tournaments an unusual angle. Players are not simply entering events named after ACR Poker’s CEO, they can actually find themselves battling him directly at the tables.

Three Ways to Chase the Thrill

ACR Poker has effectively transformed Phil’s Thrill from a single high-stakes tournament into its own Sunday lineup. Hold’em players can choose between the original five-figure event and the cheaper Mini, while PLO specialists now have a dedicated version of their own.

  • 🔥 Phil’s Thrill: NLHE, $10,300 buy-in, weekly high-stakes flagship
  • 💰 Mini Phil’s Thrill: NLHE, $2,650 buy-in, normally $200K GTD with larger OSS XL guarantees
  • 🂡 Mini Phil’s Thrill PLO: PLO, $2,650 buy-in, Sundays at 3:30pm ET
  • 🚀 PLO Debut: September 6, 2026
  • 🏆 First PLO Prize Pool: $135,000 from 54 entries
  • 💵 PLO OSS XL Special: $200K GTD on September 20
  • 📈 Mini OSS XL Boost: $250K GTD on September 13 and 20
  • 👔 Phil Nagy: Regularly competes in the tournaments himself

For high-stakes MTT grinders, the expansion makes ACR Poker’s Sunday schedule considerably more interesting. Two buy-in levels, two poker variants and three Phil’s Thrill options now give both Hold’em and Omaha players a regular target, with the current OSS XL adding even more guaranteed value to the mix.

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