You asked for it, and PokerStars has finally delivered!
Mystery Bounty Poker tournaments are set to make their inaugural run on PokerStars and will debut in none other than the iconic Sunday Million.
On January 7, the Sunday Million will utilize the action-packed format for the first time, retaining the same buy-in of $109 and its standard seven-figure guarantee of $1 million.
Mystery bounty poker tournaments have been making waves in the live and online poker world over the past year, and now the Red Spade is jumping on the bandwagon. This innovative format mirrors a typical bounty tournament, with the prize pool split evenly between the regular pool and bounties. The unique twist? The bounties remain a mystery until the player is eliminated.
In just 27 days, PokerStars will run its first-ever Mystery Bounty tournament, which will be a huge one. It will take place as part of the operator’s upcoming tournament festival, New Year Series, from December 24 to January 16, offering $35 million in guaranteed prizes.
The inaugural Sunday Million Mystery Bounty edition will be played as a 2-day event, and each player will be allowed up to four re-entries, which will be available during the late registration period, which runs for four hours.
Every player will receive a 50,000 starting stack, and $50 from each buy-in will be added to the Mystery Bounty prize pool. The action-packed Day 1 concludes after nearly eight hours of play, with the adrenaline set to resume on Monday, January 8.
- Deposit $20 and get $30 worth of free play
- One of the best mobile apps
- Biggest MTT guarantees
Not One But Two Mystery Bounty Tournaments Will Debut
But wait, there’s more! There won’t be just one Mystery Bounty tournament; there will be two. Alongside the Sunday Million MB edition, another Mystery Bounty poker format is set to debut, offering an affordable yet equally thrilling and surprising experience.
This budget-friendly Mystery Bounty event features an $11 buy-in, boasting a guaranteed prize pool of $250,000. Scheduled to coincide with the Sunday Million, it mirrors the structure of its counterpart — a 2-day event with a $11 price point, where players kick off with a 25,000 starting stack.
New Year Series Mystery Bounty Events on January 7
- $109 Mystery Bounty Sunday Million Edition ($1M Guaranteed)
- $11 Mystery Bounty ($250K Guaranteed)
The announcement of the Mystery Bounty Poker tournament comes on the heels of a recent format test by the operator. On December 4, PokerStars conducted a trial version of the Mystery Bounty tournament with a $1.10 buy-in, capped at 200 players. In mere minutes, all 200 seats were claimed, each player starting with a 10,000 chip stack and 27 places receiving payouts.
Staying true to a proven structure observed elsewhere, the tournament unfolded in the Initial and Final stages. The “initial” stage resembled a regular tournament, devoid of bounties for eliminating opponents. Bounties came into play during the “final” stage, initiated once the money bubble burst.
Four bounty amounts were designated for the trial tournament, with the top bounty reaching $28 and claimed by a single participant. Following closely were bounties set at $22 and $13, with all other bounties fixed at $1.04.
It remains to be seen how the mystery bounties will be paid off when they debut on PokerStars next month. It is possible that the top bounty in the Mystery Bounty could be as high as $50,000.
- Deposit $20 and get $30 worth of free play
- One of the best mobile apps
- Biggest MTT guarantees
New Year Series Returns
The highly anticipated PokerStars New Year Series is back for its second edition, commencing on Christmas Eve and running through mid-January, promising $35 million in guaranteed prizes.
Like the SCOOP and WCOOP festivals, the New Year Series offers a diverse range of buy-in levels — Low, Medium, and High — comprising 158 numbered events and 350 individual tournaments.
In addition to the gripping Mystery Bounty Poker events, the series boasts several standout tournaments, including a Christmas edition of Big $109 boasting $100,000 in guaranteed prizes; themed New Year Special 2024 tournaments on January 1, featuring over $1.5 million in guarantees; and the Main Events on January 14, with combined guarantees reaching $3.75 million.
Players can secure entry into New Year Series events through satellites starting at just 55 cents. Special edition Spin & Go tournaments, with buy-ins of $0.75 and $4, also offer a pathway to these exciting tournaments.
Players can use the Power Path qualification system to secure their spots in these events. PokerStars is injecting $160,000 in added value to sweeten the deal by including New Year Series tickets in Step 3 and Step 4 Power Path tournaments.
A $20,000 guaranteed New Year Series Freeroll on January 1 adds to the festivities. To participate in this freeroll, players need only participate in at least three New Year Series events.
Furthermore, players can win New Year Series tickets, including those for the Mystery Bounty events, by participating in the upcoming Mini EPT Prague tournament series.
This series kicks off tomorrow, December 12, and runs through December 17, featuring 18 tournaments, with added tickets to the New Year Series.
