PokerStars Mystery Cash Challenge

PokerStars is bringing another treat for all fans of the game with the Season 2 of its Mystery Cash Challenge. The show features a rather unique format, with every episode lasting for ten hands, and the final, tenth hand, being the highlight of the session.

Unlike its other hugely popular show, The Big Game on Tour, Mystery Cash Challenge takes place in a more relaxed and fun environment. Stakes are not too high for the players, which allows them to enjoy the game and the table banter.

As the name suggests, the focus of the show is on mystery bounties, two of which are drawn by the final hand winner at the end of each episode. One of them is what you would expect, i.e. cash or tournament tickets, but it is the second envelope that adds an interesting twist and makes Mystery Cash Challenge by PokerStars fun to watch.

Mystery Cash Challenge Rules

Like every other poker show out there, PokerStars Mystery Cash Challenge has a certain structure that helps create that unique flavor and make the show stand out from the rest.

Every episode consists of ten cash game hands at €25/€50 stakes, with six players at the table. The game is played pot limit before the flop and no limit after the flop. The first nine hands are the qualification phase for the final tenth hand.

To qualify for the final hand, a player must win at least one of the nine hands dealt. How they win and the size of the pot are not important. Winning a hand awards a button that allows them to participate in the final hand.

The tenth hand is played as a bomb pot, which means that all players who qualified (won the token) put €100 into the pot before cards are dealt. Then, they receive their two hole cards and the flop is dealt immediately. After the flop is out, the betting action begins with the player in the small blind position and proceeds as normal.

The winner of the bomb pot gets the mystery prize, which means they get to pick two envelopes — one containing a cash prize and the other hiding a mystery challenge that becomes active for the next episode.

Mystery Cash Challenge Prizes

While every hand of Mystery Cash Challenge can be fun and we saw some pretty big pots in Season 1, which was largely dominated by Alexandra Botez, it is that final hand that brings the maximum excitement.

The winner of the hand is presented two sets of envelopes. Black envelopes contain cash prizes, while the grey ones have mystery challenges hidden inside.

While PokerStars has likely changed things a bit around for Season 2, here’s the overview of the type of mystery bounties inside the envelopes.

Black envelopes:

• Cash (up to €1,000)
• Tournament tickets (including €5,300 EPT Main Event tickets)
• Cheeseburgers

Grey envelopes are much more entertaining, though, as they feature challenges that change game dynamics for the upcoming ten hands. Some of the ones we’ve seen so far include:

• Pick one player to stay silent for the entire session (or they pay a €100 bounty to every player to get out of it)
• Change one of your cards before the flop (valid for every of the next nine hands)
• Limit one player’s time to act to just five seconds (on all streets for all nine hands)
• You’re not allowed to check on any streets for nine hands
• Pick a player who’ll be forced to call the big blind (assuming no raise in front)

While some of these are just for fun, quite a few of them put a player at a serious advantage or disadvantage. The ability to change one of your cards before the flop, for example, is a huge deal in Hold’em, and knowing one player will have to call the big blind if there is no raise opens some interesting opportunities.

The Steal Card

For Season 2, PokerStars has added another twist with the introduction of the Steal Card. The card is awarded to the player who shows down the strongest hand. For example, if the first hand is won by a top pair, the winning player gets the Steal Card.

However, if the second hand goes to a showdown, and the winning combination is better than one pair (i.e., two pair+), the Steal Card moves to that player, etc.

What is the importance of this special card? It allows the player holding the Steal Card to remove one of the mystery tokens from any other player. So, if a player has only one token, the player with the Steal Card can block them from playing the bomb pot.

Mystery Cash Challenge Season 2 Lineup

For the second season of its Mystery Cash Challenge, PokerStars has once again gathered quite a lineup to ensure fun for the viewers. Not surprisingly, the show is hosted by the legendary commentating duo Joe Stapleton and James Hartigan.

Parker ‘Tonkaaaa’ Talbot

Parker is the only player making the second appearance on the Mystery Cash Challenge.’ Tonkaaaa’ was in the lineup for Season 1, and he helped a lot with creating a fun atmosphere at the table.

As far as the results go, though, Talbot didn’t achieve a lot, making just a small profit over the whole six episodes and not claiming any of the bounties, so he’ll be looking to improve on that performance.

Lex Veldhuis

The PokerStars Team Pro member and one of the most famous streamers around, Lex is in the mix for the Season 2 of the Mystery Cash Challenge.

Veldhuis is more of a tournament player, but he is certainly no stranger to cash games, either. With the added aspect of mystery bounties, it’ll be interesting to see how Lex will adjust to the table.

Barny Boatman

The veteran in the lineup, there is very little Barny Boatman hasn’t seen or experienced during his rich and fruitful poker career.

Boatman was a regular feature in some of the earliest poker shows during the time of the poker boom, and it’s great to see him back in the mix under the bright lights.

Alexander Wolfgang Seibt — aka. Wolfgang Poker

Leading the wave of the new generation of poker players, Wolfgang Poker is the number one poker YouTuber with 1.5 million subscribers to his channel.

A part of the reason for his success is his ability to make poker fun and exciting regardless of the stakes and the lineup, so he should be a great addition to the Mystery Cash Challenge.

Benjamin ‘Spraggy’ Spragg

Another player well known to all the consumers of poker content out there, ‘Spraggy’ is a poker streamer and YouTuber with a fairly sizeable following.

What made ‘Spraggy’ stand out from the masses is his sense of humor and he’ll be bringing a lot of that to the table.

Olga Iermolcheva

The only lady in the Mystery Cash Challenge lineup, Olga Iermolcheva is a professional poker player from Ukraine, who says that poker isn’t just a source of money for her — it is a lifestyle.

Olga became known to the wider poker audience for her participation in GGPoker’s Game of Gold show, and now she is back in the spotlight and looking to prove her skills.

The Mystery Cash Challenge Season 2: Watch All Episodes

The Mystery Cash Challenge airs every Sunday and Wednesday on the PokerStars official YouTube channel, with every episode lasting about half an hour.

Episode 6 (October 9)

It’s the final round of the Mystery Cash Challenge. Parker ‘Tonkaaaa’ Talbot already has a big lead over the rest of the table, but he starts the session with the ultimate powerup – the ability to exchange one of his hole cards before the flop betting action starts. The odds are certainly stacked in his favor to run away with the win, but can someone make an upset?

In the UK? Watch Episode 6 on YouTube »

Episode 5 (October 6)

The penultimate episode of the Mystery Cash Challenge is the most action-packed so far, with big pots, multi-way all ins, suckouts, and bad beats. And yet, when the dust settles, only two players get to play the bomb pot for a shot at valuable passes and powerups for the final session.

In the UK? Watch Episode 5 on YouTube »

Episode 4 (October 2)

Barny Boatman starts this episode at a disadvantage as he is on a five-second shot clock, putting him at a bit of disadvantage in difficult spots. Will this be enough to prevent the game veteran from winning the all-important chip to qualify for the bomb pot?

In the UK? Watch Episode 4 on YouTube »

Episode 3 (September 29)

Lex Veldhuis is the one everyone has to navigate around in this episode of the Mystery Cash Challenge as he holds the power to change one flop, one turn, and one river. Can Lex make the most out of his power over the course of the nine hands, and will it be enough to get him a spot in the bomb pot?

In the UK? Watch Episode 3 on YouTube »

Episode 2 (September 25)

Barny Boatman starts the session at a serious disadvantage with his ability to check removed, leading to some interesting situations and quite a bit of confusion. Tonkaaaa goes on a bit of a heater, while the Steal Card makes its rounds around the table.

In the UK? Watch Episode 2 on YouTube »

Episode 1 (September 22)

The action gets underway for the whole new season of the Mystery Cash Challenge. Players get to know each other, and there is some unavoidable banter, but when all nine hands are done, how many will get to play for the mystery bounty?

In the UK? Watch Episode 1 on YouTube »

Mystery Cash Challenge Final Standings

Parker ‘Tonkaaaa’ Talbot triumphed in the Season 2 of the Mystery Cash Challenge, and in addition to all the money he won from his opponents, he claimed a $10k Gold Pass!

Mystery Cash Challenge FAQ

What is the Mystery Cash Challenge by PokerStars?

The Mystery Cash Challenge is an interesting poker show by PokerStars, featuring six players playing ten cash game hands every episode. Players need to win at least one of the nine hands to qualify for the tenth hand, which is played as a bomb pot with mystery prizes for the winner.

What mystery bounties are offered in the Mystery Cash Challenge?

There are two types of mystery bounties. In the first envelope, players can win cash and tournament tickets. The second envelope contains challenges that add interesting twists to the next session, such as forcing a player to limp every hand or taking away the ability to check.

When do new episodes of the Mystery Cash Challenge air?

A new episode of the Mystery Cash Challenge airs every Sunday on the official PokerStars YouTube channel.

What is the Steal Card?

The Steal Card is a new concept added to the Season 2 of the Mystery Cash Challenge, allowing the card holder to take away one of the mystery tokens from any player at the table before the final hand.