888poker has made no secret that it is stoked on bounty games. The operator was among the first online poker providers to offer the hot new Mystery Bounty (MB) format, introducing the new game in September 2022 with a $109 trial event.
That game was a colossal success, almost doubling the $100k guarantee, which led to the Mystery Bounty format spreading across the 888poker schedule. By the start of this year, the operator had Mystery Bounty games priced from $1 through $109 to provide mystery fun across its entire player pool.
There are more than just Mystery Bounty games at 888poker — old-school knockout (KO) and progressive knockout (PKO) games also abound on the regular weekly schedule. And now the operator is doubling-down on the bounty action with a 30-event Mystery Bounty Festival.
The games begin on February 19, with three numbered tournaments and a few side events, and run through March 7, when the final day of the $300k Main Event plays out.
There is more than $2 million guaranteed across the two-week series, and every game in the bunch is a Mystery Bounty. Buy-ins for the main games in the series start at $5.50 and go as high as $320. The Main Event, which begins with Day 1 play on March 1, is the highest guarantee of the series by at $300k and the second-highest buy-in at $160.
Bountiful Mystery Bounties
888poker has never run a series entirely consisting of Mystery Bounty events, and it seems almost certain no other online operator has either, making this a unique online experience. There are 30 mystery bounty games on the main schedule, with loads of side event action.
There is almost $200k guaranteed on opening day alone, with three major events, including one of the highest-value games of the entire series. MB Festival #01: $20,000 Mystery Bounty Opening 11 has $2k guaranteed for every dollar of buy-in, which puts it third on the list of the highest-value games.
As is often the case, the games offering the best bang for your buy-in bucks are in the bargain bin. Two $5.50 games with $15k guaranteed, MB Festival #15 and #28 on February 26 and March 5, respectively, have $3k in value for every buck of buy-in.
While the smaller buy-in games are often the ones with the highest value, the Main Event of this series places very high on the list, tying for third place. With $300k guaranteed, the $160 game offers the same $2000 value as the opening $11 game, but with a much bigger prize pool.
Of course, because all the events in this series are mystery bounties, those guarantees are not limited to getting into the money. While bounties are not available from the start of a mystery game, the 888poker format puts them in play before the money, so players can earn tremendous prizes without even making the money.
2023 Mystery Bounty Festival High-Value Games
Date | Time | Event | Buy-In | Guarantee | Prize Portion | $Gtd/$Buy-In |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sun 26.02 | 19:00 | MB Festival #15 — $15,000 Mystery Bounty 5.5 8-Max | $5.50 | $15,000 | $5 | $3,000.00 |
Sun 05.03 | 19:00 | MB Festival #28 — $15,000 Mystery Bounty 5.5 6-Max | $5.50 | $15,000 | $5 | $3,000.00 |
Sun 19.02 | 17:00 | MB Festival #01 — $20,000 Mystery Bounty Opening 11 | $11.00 | $20,000 | $10 | $2,000.00 |
Sun 26.02 | 17:00 | MB Festival #13 — $20,000 Mystery Bounty 11 8-Max | $11.00 | $20,000 | $10 | $2,000.00 |
Sun 05.03 | 17:00 | MB Festival #26 — $20,000 Mystery Bounty 11 6-Max | $11.00 | $20,000 | $10 | $2,000.00 |
Day 1s Start Mar 1 | See Client | MB Festival — $300,000 Main Event (day 2) | $160.00 | $300,000 | $150 | $2,000.00 |
In fact, in the most recent XL Winter Series, where the $500k Main Event was a Mystery Bounty format, the player who made the most money came 29th overall but bagged the big $50k bounty early on Day 2. Another player who did not even make the money ended up seventh on the final payout list, with a $15k bounty before busting outside the top 300.
We will probably see many similar scenarios across this 30-event series. See below for the full schedule of numbered events, and check out the 888poker client for details on all the side event action going on.
2023 Mystery Bounty Festival Full Schedule
Date | Time | Event | Buy-In | Guarantee | $Gtd/$Buy-In |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sun 19.02 | 17:00 | MB Festival #01 — $20,000 Mystery Bounty Opening 11 | $11.00 | $20,000 | $2,000.00 |
Sun 19.02 | 18:30 | MB Festival #02 — $50,000 Mystery Bounty Opening 55 | $55.00 | $50,000 | $1,000.00 |
Sun 19.02 | 19:00 | MB Festival #03 — $120,000 Mystery Bounty Opening 109 | $109.00 | $120,000 | $1,200.00 |
Mon 20.02 | 17:00 | MB Festival #04 – $15,000 Mystery Bounty 8-Max 11 | $11.00 | $15,000 | $1,500.00 |
Mon 20.02 | 19:30 | MB Festival #05 — $15,000 Mystery Bounty 8-Max 109 | $109.00 | $15,000 | $150.00 |
Tue 21.02 | 19:00 | MB Festival #06 — $15,000 Mystery Bounty Turbo Deep Mini 22 | $22.00 | $15,000 | $750.00 |
Tue 21.02 | 19:00 | MB Festival #07 — $25,000 Mystery Bounty Turbo Deep 320 | $320.00 | $25,000 | $83.33 |
Wed 22.02 | 19:00 | MB Festival #08 — $15,000 Mystery Bounty 6-Max Mini 22 | $22.00 | $15,000 | $750.00 |
Wed 22.02 | 19:30 | MB Festival #09 — $20,000 Mystery Bounty 6-Max 109 | $109.00 | $20,000 | $200.00 |
Thu 23.02 | 18:30 | MB Festival #10 — $20,000 Mystery Bounty 55 | $55.00 | $20,000 | $400.00 |
Thu 23.02 | 19:30 | MB Festival #11 — $6000 Mystery Bounty 5.5 | $5.50 | $6,000 | $1,200.00 |
Thu 23.02 | TBD | MB Festival #18 — $150,000 Mystery Bounty 8-Max (Day 1s are running 23.02-27.02) | $109.00 | —- | —- |
Fri 24.02 | TBD | MB Festival #18 — $150,000 Mystery Bounty 8-Max (Day 1s are running 23.02-27.02) | $109.00 | —- | —- |
Sat 25.02 | 18:30 | MB Festival #12 — $20,000 Mystery Bounty 55 | $55.00 | $20,000 | $363.64 |
Sat 25.02 | TBD | MB Festival #18 — $150,000 Mystery Bounty 8-Max (Day 1s are running 23.02-27.02) | $109.00 | —- | —- |
Sun 26.02 | 17:00 | MB Festival #13 — $20,000 Mystery Bounty 11 8-Max | $11.00 | $20,000 | $2,000.00 |
Sun 26.02 | 18:30 | MB Festival #14 — $50,000 Mystery Bounty 55 8-Max | $55.00 | $50,000 | $1,000.00 |
Sun 26.02 | 19:00 | MB Festival #15 — $15,000 Mystery Bounty 5.5 8-Max | $5.50 | $15,000 | $3,000.00 |
Sun 26.02 | TBD | MB Festival #18 — $150,000 Mystery Bounty 8-Max (Day 1s are running 23.02-27.02) | $109.00 | $0 | $0.00 |
Mon 27.02 | 17:00 | MB Festival #16 — $15,000 Mystery Bounty 11 6-Max | $11.00 | $15,000 | $1,500.00 |
Mon 27.02 | 19:30 | MB Festival #17 — $15,000 Mystery Bounty 109 6-Max | $109.00 | $15,000 | $150.00 |
Mon 27.02 | 20:00 | MB Festival #18 — $150,000 Mystery Bounty 8-Max (Day 2) | $109.00 | $150,000 | $1,500.00 |
Mon 27.02 | TBD | MB Festival #18 — $150,000 Mystery Bounty 8-Max (Day 1s are running 23.02-27.02) | $109.00 | —- | —- |
Tue 28.02 | 18:30 | MB Festival #19 — $20,000 Mystery Bounty 55 Turbo Deep 6-Max | $55.00 | $20,000 | $400.00 |
Tue 28.02 | 19:00 | MB Festival #20 — $6000 Mystery Bounty 5.5 Turbo Deep 6-Max | $5.50 | $6,000 | $1,200.00 |
Tue 28.02 | 19:00 | MB Festival #18 — $150,000 Mystery Bounty 8-Max (FT) | - | —- | —- |
Wed 01.03 | 17:00 | MB Festival #21 — $15,000 Mystery Bounty 11 8-Max | $11.00 | $15,000 | $1,500.00 |
Wed 01.03 | 19:30 | MB Festival #22 — $15,000 Mystery Bounty 109 8-Max | $109.00 | $15,000 | $150.00 |
Thu 02.03 | 18:30 | MB Festival #23 — $20,000 Mystery Bounty 55 | $55.00 | $20,000 | $400.00 |
Thu 02.03 | 19:00 | MB Festival #24 — $6000 Mystery Bounty 5.5 | $5.50 | $6,000 | $1,200.00 |
Sat 04.03 | 18:30 | MB Festival #25 — $20,000 Mystery Bounty 55 8-Max | $55.00 | $20,000 | $400.00 |
Sun 05.03 | 17:00 | MB Festival #26 — $20,000 Mystery Bounty 11 6-Max | $11.00 | $20,000 | $2,000.00 |
Sun 05.03 | 18:30 | MB Festival #27 — $50,000 Mystery Bounty 55 6-Max | $55.00 | $50,000 | $1,000.00 |
Sun 05.03 | 19:00 | MB Festival #28 — $15,000 Mystery Bounty 5.5 6-Max | $5.50 | $15,000 | $3,000.00 |
Mon 06.03 | 17:00 | MB Festival #29 — $15,000 Mystery Bounty 11 | $11.00 | $15,000 | $1,500.00 |
Mon 06.03 | 19:30 | MB Festival #30 — $15,000 Mystery Bounty 109 | $109.00 | $15,000 | $150.00 |