Last updated: September 10, 2024
Mystery bounty poker tournaments — poker tourneys where you win a secret bounty prize when you knock out another player — have taken over the poker world.
They are featured at every major live poker stop and are becoming an increasingly common option online. And that’s for good reason: The format adds an exciting twist to the standard knockout tournament, while adding another layer of strategy.
Over the last two years, we have seen a dozen online poker rooms add mystery bounty poker (MBP). Whether you’re in the UK or Europe, Canada or the United States, you probably have a choice of a couple of online sites spreading MBP. But should you play the format, and if so, where’s best?
There’s a lot of like about mystery bounties, and if you’re already an avid MTT player, you should certainly think about giving them a spin. For casual poker fans, it adds a fun element to the usual MTT, giving you a chance to win a huge prize without needing a deep run. But whenever there’s a hot new game, it also means a new opportunity for serious players to get ahead of the curve, learn the strategy and play these games at a profit. MBP adds another level of strategic depth.
In this comprehensive guide, we walk through how these tournaments work, where you can play them, and pick out some of the best bounty tournaments spread online, whether it’s small daily tournaments or huge million-dollar guaranteed events.
Mystery bounty poker (MBT), or mystery bounty tournaments (MBT), also referred to as Secret Bounty, is like a typical bounty or knockout tournament — a portion of the prize pool goes towards bounties on every player’s head; knock out a player, and you win their bounty as an immediate cash prize. The twist is that each bounty is different and kept concealed elimination. Bounties can be multiple times the size of the buy-in, and there are often a few very large bounties.
This adds an extra element of fun not present in regular knockout tournaments. It means players can win large prizes without deep runs in a tournament. There is also an extra layer of strategy that skillful players can exploit to gain an edge against the competition.
Mystery Bounty Tournament: Key Facts | |
---|---|
🚀 Format Debuted | 2021 |
🕵️♂️ Unique Aspect | Bounty value remains hidden until player’s elimination |
💰 Buy-in Structure | 50% of the buy-in usually goes to the bounty pool |
🌐 Availability | Live and Online |
💻 Dot-Com Operators | PokerStars, GGPoker, WPT Global, PartyPoker, 888poker, iPoker, and 4Poker |
🇪🇺 EU Operators | PokerStars, Winamax and 888poker |
🇺🇸 US Operators | PokerStars, WSOP, Global Poker, WPN, Ignition, and Chico Poker Network |
🍁💼 Ontario Operators | PokerStars, 888poker and GGPoker |
🏟️ Live Operators | WSOP, WPT, APT, EPT, PokerStars, 888, Winamax, Unibet, Triton, Sky Poker and several others |
🏆 WSOP Bracelet Event | Yes |
Mystery bounty poker tournaments comprise two distinct phases. During the first phase, often called the “Early Stage,” the game plays like a regular poker tournament, with no bounties awarded for eliminating opponents. Only when the second phase, or “Final Stage,” is triggered — when “in the money” after a certain number of players are knocked out — do the mystery bounties kick in.
Like a regular knockout or “bounty” tournament, the prize pool is split in two equal parts. One half is allocated as regular prizes and awarded to the top finishers, just like in a regular poker tournament. The other half is reserved for bounties. Every player is randomly assigned a mystery bounty on their head.
The value of this bounty is kept secret from all players, hidden within a sealed envelope (in live events) or a locked chest (in the online version). It is only unveiled when the player is eliminated by another player. And, rather than bounties set as uniform amounts, they are randomized:, most bounties are equal to the tournament’s minimum buy-in, but a few are much more substantial, ranging from 5 times to even 1000 times the buy-in.
From there, tournament organizers and online poker sites will structure the tournament differently. Some are designed as multi-day events, featuring multiple Day 1s (the Early Stage), all culminating in a Final Stage (Day 2). Others can be single-day events, featuring a single flight.
MBTs build on the concept of the popular bounty and progressive knockout (PKO) tournaments. Just like those, half of all buy-ins make up the standard prize pool; the remaining half seeds the bounty prizes.
In standard bounty tournaments, players know the prize amount they will win if they eliminate an opponent. In a regular bounty tournament, these prizes are the same for all players. In a progressive PKO, bounties grow as the tournaments progress. But at any time, a player will know what prize they will win upon elimination.
In Mystery Bounty tournaments, the bounty on each player is random. This is kept concealed from all players until they are eliminated from the tournament.
The other big difference is that, in mystery bounties, the bounty part only comes into play when players reach the “in the money” phase. In PKOs and standard knockout tournaments, bounties are active right from the start of the tournament. But in MBTs, the tournament plays exactly like a traditional tournament during the first phase.
The success of the mystery bounty format has been nothing short of extraordinary. It has swiftly established itself as a staple in the live poker scene and experiencing burgeoning popularity in the online world. Nearly a dozen online poker sites have embraced this tournament format already.
For international players, GGPoker, PokerStars, 888poker, PartyPoker, WPT Global and iPoker all offer MBTs. In Southern Europe, Winamax, 888poker, and PokerStars spread the format. It’s made its way to North America too. In the US, both PokerStars and WSOP offer it; in Ontario, players have GGPoker Ontario, 888poker Ontario, and PokerStars Ontario.
The mystery bounty format made its online debut with PokerMatch, a Ukraine-based platform, unveiling it in February 2022 through the Connective Games platform. GGPoker promptly joined the trend, introducing the format during its WSOP Spring Circuit Online Series in March 2022.
Soon, several other platforms followed suit, including 888poker, Winamax, iPoker and US-facing offshore networks such as WPN, Ignition and Chico Network. Even the online poker startup 4Poker, led by Bryn Kenney, and the social poker app PokerBros, jumped on the bandwagon.
Online poker stalwart PokerStars has also taken notice of the growing fascination with mystery bounty and and launched the format as part of the New Year series earlier this year. It also ran an exclusive Mystery Bounty tournament series.
Rising online poker star WPT Global also started spreading it as well as PartyPoker.
One notable name missing from this lineup is Unibet. The operator, however, has no “immediate plans” to adopt the format as it cites concerns over its impact on the player experience as hold out for a potential launch.
There are also three offshore networks, that serve the US market — WPN (Americas Cardroom), Ignition and Chico Network (Tiger Gaming) that also spread the format. However, Pokerfuse does not recommend these sites.
Operator | Launched | Market | Daily MTT Offering | PLO Mystery Bounty? | Offered During Series | Single Flight? | Freeroll | SNG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GGPoker | Mar 2022 | Dot-Com, Ontario | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ❌ | ❌ |
PokerStars | Jan 2024 | Dot-Com, US, Ontario | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ❌ | ❌ |
WPT Global | Aug 2024 | Dot-Com | ✔ | ❌ | ✔ | ✔ | ❌ | ❌ |
PartyPoker | Aug 2024 | Dot-Com | ✔ | ❌ | ✔ | ✔ | ❌ | ❌ |
888poker | Sep 2022 | Dot-Com, EU, Ontario | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ❌ |
Winamax | Aug 2022 | France, Spain, EU | ✔ | ❌ | ✔ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
iPoker | Oct 2023 | Dot-Com | ✔ | ❌ | ✔ | ✔ | ❌ | ❌ |
WSOP | Jan 2023 | US | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ❌ | ❌ |
WPN | May 2023 | Dot-Com, US-offshore | ✔ | ❌ | ✔ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
4Poker | Oct 2023 | Dot-Com | ✔ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Chico Network | Oct 2023 | Dot-Com, US-offshore | ✔ | ❌ | ✔ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔ |
Ignition | Aug 2024 | Dot-Com, US-offshore | ✔ | ❌ | ✔ | ✔ | ❌ | ❌ |
Global Poker | Jan 2024 | US & Canada | ✔ | ❌ | ✔ | ✔ | ❌ | ❌ |
Currently, WSOP Online and PokerStars are the only two operators that offer the format in all of its US states.
There’s not an extensive selection of tournaments at WSOP, but there are four regular, small stakes tournaments running daily plus a bigger $215-buyin tournament on Sundays, with $12,500 guarantee. WSOP also hosts MBTs as part of their tournament series and even a tournament series dedicated to this format. The format also runs as part of WSOP’s monthly Circuit Series as well as during the online bracelet series in the summer and fall.
PokerStars, on the other hand, does not spread MBTs in its daily MTT offering but rather runs it occasionally as part of the tournament series or one-off Sunday tournaments.
Tournament | Buy-in | Gtd | Time (EST) |
---|---|---|---|
$1,000 Mystery Bounty | $10 | $1000 | 12:00 |
$1,500 Mystery Bounty | $20 | $1500 | 16:00 |
$2,000 Mystery Bounty | $30 | $2000 | 18:30 |
$1,500 Mystery Bounty | $10 | $1500 | 19:00 |
$800 Mystery Bounty | $5 | $800 | 20:30 |
Tournament | Buy-in | Gtd | Time (EST) |
---|---|---|---|
$3,500 Thursday Mystery Bounty 8-Max | $50 | $3500 | 19:30 |
$12,500 Sunday Mystery Bounty | $215 | $12,500 | 20:00 |
In Ontario, you have three good choices: 888poker, GGPoker and PokerStars.
888 offers daily mystery bounty tournaments with buy-ins starting from CAD $1 and going up to CAD $109. These all have guarantees, and because traffic on the site is low, you could find spots daily where there’s an overlay.
The site also features MBTs heavily as part of their tournament series and the guarantees are quite juicy ranging from CAD $1000 to CAD $50,000. Plus, it is the only site where you can find Mystery Bounty freebuys — a type of tournament that is free to enter but players can rebuy or add-on if they lose all their chips.
If you want regular MBT action, this is the place to go, and there could be some great offers.
Tournament | Buy-in (CAD) | Gtd (CAD) | Time (EST) |
---|---|---|---|
$1 Mystery Bounty | $1 | $100 | 17:30 |
$2.20 Mystery Bounty | $2.20 | $150 | 22:30 |
$5.50 Mystery Bounty | $5.50 | $400 | 19:30 |
$11 Mystery Bounty | $11 | $1000 | 17:15 |
$16.50 Mystery Bounty | $16.50 | $1000 | 21:30 |
$22 Mystery Bounty | $22 | $1500 | 19:00 |
$109 Sunday Mystery Bounty Main Event | $109 | $25,000 | 18:30 |
GGPoker.ON, on the other hand, only features MB tournaments as part of its tournament series, so if you want a daily or weekly fix, this isn’t the site for you. But then they run a tournament series almost every month, so there is no shortage of MB tournaments on the site. And when they do spread them, they are massive: guarantees can reach up to CAD $200,000. So it’s worth having an account here to play them when they run special events.
PokerStars Ontario also recently debuted Mystery Bounty tournaments but currently, it is not part of their weekly tournament schedule. We expect the operator to spread them on a weekly basis soon.
When it comes to finding the best mystery bounty tournaments, 888poker is the top choice in the global dot-com market if you want a regular schedule. They offer a wide variety of mystery bounty events on a daily basis, providing players with multiple opportunities to dive into this format.
Buy-ins start at just $1, and many of these tournaments come with big guarantees. On Sundays, players can look forward to the grand Mystery Bounty Main Event, featuring a $100,000 guarantee with a $109 buy-in.
The site also offers a Pot-Limit version of Mystery Bounty. Mystery bounty is prominently featured in 888’s tournament series, and they even have a dedicated Mystery Bounty festival for enthusiasts.
Tournament | Buy-in | Gtd |
---|---|---|
$1 Mystery Bounty | $1 | $1500 |
$2.20 Mystery Bounty | $2.20 | $2000 |
$3.30 Early Mystery Bounty 6-max | $3.30 | $300 |
$5.50 Mystery Bounty 6-max | $5.50 | $1000 |
$5.50 Mystery Bounty | $5.50 | $4000 |
$5.50 Late Mystery Bounty 6-max | $5.50 | $1000 |
$8.80 Early Mystery Bounty | $8.80 | $1500 |
$8.80 Mystery Bounty | $8.80 | $4000 |
$8.80 Late Mystery Bounty | $8.80 | $1500 |
$11 Early Mystery Bounty | $11 | $1200 |
$11 Mystery Bounty | $11 | $8000 |
$11 PLO Mystery Bounty | $11 | $1000 |
$11 Mystery Bounty 6-Max | $11 | $1000 |
$16.50 Mystery Bounty Turbo | $16.50 | $2000 |
$22 Mystery Bounty | $22 | $8000 |
$33 Mystery Bounty | $33 | $2000 |
$55 Mystery Bounty | $55 | $12,000 |
$109 Mystery Bounty Main Event | $109 | $100,000 |
The tournaments are structured in two phases. The first phase lasts for 16 levels, during which no bounties are awarded. Starting from level 17, mystery bounties come into play. 50% of the buy-in contributes to the standard prize pool, while the other 50% feeds into the mystery pool.
The bigger guaranteed mystery bounty events as part of the tournament series are structured as multi-day events, featuring dozens of Day 1s.
For those seeking massive guaranteed mystery bounties, GGPoker is the better choice. They don’t host a plethora of mystery bounty tournaments daily, but players can find them on the schedule as part of the operator’s special tournament series.
When it does spread them, they are worth taking note. It has hosted the largest-ever Mystery Bounty tournament, and it will likely look to set records in the future. It also offers PLO mystery bounties. At present, GGPoker is running a $5 million guaranteed Mystery Bounty event with a $210 buy-in as part of the ongoing Bounty Hunters Series.
On a weekly basis, the operator runs half a dozen mystery bounty tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $15 to $1050.
Tournament | Buy-in | Gtd |
---|---|---|
$15 Tuesday Twinkle | $15 | $150,000 |
$150 Tuesday Twinkle | $150 | $250,000 |
$1050 Tuesday Twinkle HR | $1050 | $150,000 |
$15 Saturday Secret KO | $15 | $200,000 |
$150 Saturday Secret KO | $150 | $300,000 |
$1050 Saturday Secret KO HR | $1050 | $150,000 |
PokerStars is widely acknowledged as the premier operator for offering tournaments and it recently embraced the mystery bounty trend by introducing this format to its weekly tournament schedule. The format is also spread as part of PokerStars’ major tournament series and the operator also runs a series dedicated entirely to this format.
Mystery Bounty on PokerStars made its debut as part of the Sunday Million tournament earlier this year. It surpassed expectations, with the inaugural edition attracting an impressive 16,234 entrants and amassing a $1.6 million prize pool.
Encouraged by this success, the operator expanded the availability of Mystery Bounty Tournaments (MBTs). It recently added to its weekly tournament schedule including a daily $11 buy-in Mystery Bounty with a juicy $40,000 guarantee. On Saturdays, PokerStars runs multiple Mystery Bounty tournaments, with buy-ins ranging from $3.30 to $44.
Players can also find MBTs on PokerStars at nearly every tournament series it runs, with buy-ins ranging from $2.20 to $5200 and with guarantees reaching amounts ranging from $40,000 to $1 million. Additionally, PokerStars spreads the Mystery Bounty format to include the Pot-Limit Omaha variant.
Unlike many other operators that host MBTs featuring multiple flights, PokerStars stands out with its unique approach, hosting them exclusively in a single flight.
It also spreads the format in mixed game variants as well as offers unique variations such as Mystery Bounty Final Tables, Total Mystery Bounty (where the entire buy-in goes to the mystery bounty pool), and Mostly Mystery Bounty (where 75% of the buy-in goes to the mystery pool). These variations often run as part of tournament series such as SCOOP or Mystery Bounty Series.
Tournament | Buy-in | Gtd |
---|---|---|
Mystery Bounty $11 | $11 | $40,000 |
Mystery Bounty $3.30 | $3.30 | $8000 |
Mystery Bounty $4.40 | $4.40 | $15,000 |
Mystery Bounty $11 | $11 | $60,000 |
Mystery Bounty $16.50 | $16.50 | $50,000 |
Mystery Bounty $44 | $44 | $40,000 |
Mystery Bounty $22 | $22 | $35,000 |
Mystery Bounty $5.50 | $5.50 | $8000 |
WPT Global, an emerging online poker network, has enthusiastically embraced the mystery bounty tournament trend. They feature a substantial lineup of these events, running a dozen daily with buy-ins ranging from $2.20 to $110, and guarantees from $1,000 to $30,000. Their daily total prize pool exceeds $100,000, making it one of the largest in the industry.
Mystery bounties will play a major role in WPT Global’s upcoming Fall Festival series, which will offer at least $3 million in guarantees.
What sets WPT Global apart is the relative softness of their mystery bounty fields, thanks to their player base. Additionally, they are the only platform offering mystery bounties in the Short Deck variant.
Tournament | Buy-in | Gtd |
---|---|---|
$2.20 NLHE Turbo Mystery Bounty | $2.20 | $1000 |
$5.50 NLHE Mystery Bounty | $5.50 | $750 |
$11 NLHE Mystery Bounty | $11 | $1250 |
$11 NLHE Mystery Bounty | $11 | $1000 |
$11 Daily Raise Mystery Bounty | $11 | $4000 |
$22 Short Deck Mystery Bounty | $22 | $1000 |
$33 Opener Mystery Bounty | $33 | $15,000 |
$33 NLHE Mystery Bounty | $33 | $3000 |
$33 Opener Mystery Bounty | $33 | $15,000 |
$55 NLHE Mystery Bounty | $55 | $2000 |
$55 Lucky Mystery Bounty | $55 | $30,000 |
$110 Nightly Mystery Bounty | $110 | $27,500 |
PartyPoker is the newest player in the mystery bounty tournament scene, and it’s quickly making a name for itself with some of the most well-structured events. Unlike other platforms where the mystery bounty rewards start only after the bubble bursts, PartyPoker introduces the mystery bounties when just 25% of the field remains. This means players have the opportunity to vie for bounties without having to reach the money bubble.
Currently, PartyPoker hosts multiple mystery bounty tournaments every day with buy-ins ranging from $2.20 to $55 and guarantees reaching up to $20,000. These tournaments will be a prominent feature in PartyPoker’s upcoming MILLIONS Online series, including the $530 Main Event with a $500,000 guarantee.
Additionally, PartyPoker offers a unique feature where players can see the “average remaining bounty,” setting it apart from other platforms.
In Southern Europe, Winamax is the best option for mystery bounties. They host two dozen tournaments daily with a diverse buy-in range on €1 to €250. During tournament series, Winamax spread MBTs with guarantees up to €3 million.
888poker also offers a decent selection of mystery bounty tournaments in these markets, with buy-ins starting at €1. While the buy-ins are more affordable at 888poker, guarantees at Winamax are more generous.
Tournament | Buy-in | Gtd |
---|---|---|
€8.80 Mystery Bounty | €8.80 | €1200 |
€16.50 Mystery Bounty | €16.50 | €3000 |
€22 Mystery Bounty | €22 | €1500 |
€5.50 Mystery Bounty | €5.50 | €1500 |
€33 Mystery Bounty | €33 | €3000 |
If you are looking to master mystery bounty tournaments, we have come up with five tips to help you prepare and excel in this format.
To gain a thorough understanding of strategic insights, we recommend immersing yourself in the wisdom shared in “Mystery Bounty Poker Strategy (The Poker Solved Series),” a collaborative work authored by Dara O’Kearney and Barry Carter.
While mystery bounty tournaments undoubtedly bring an exciting twist to the game, the format comes with certain drawbacks. One concern is that it may incentivize players to maximize late registration, potentially disrupting the natural flow of a tournament and leading to a less enjoyable experience for those who prefer an even playing field.
Moreover, this format requires players to survive until a certain point before reaping any rewards. This stands in contrast to Progressive Knockouts (PKOs), where bounties can be claimed immediately at the start of the tournament. Some operators, like Unibet, have chosen not to adopt the mystery bounty format due to these considerations.
Unibet’s Poker Product Manager, Stubbe Buchwald, has mentioned that the traditional mystery bounty setup may not seamlessly integrate with the field sizes typically seen on their platform. While alternative formats are being explored, widespread adoption of the mystery bounty format is not an immediate development for Unibet.
PokerStars who recently launched mystery bounty tournaments also acknowledged the challenges posed by the mystery bounty format.
“[Mystery Bounty] has some challenges that, to me, I think you want to address those challenges before you can make it something that’s more than just what’s being used as today, which is more of a one-off type of a thing,” said Chris Straghalis, PokerStars’ Director of Online Poker Experience in a podcast with pokerfuse held last year.
However, the operator proceeded with the launch, recognizing that players enjoy mystery bounties despite their drawbacks.
There are multiple reasons why you should consider playing mystery bounty tournaments.
While mystery bounty tournaments add a new dimension to poker, they may not be the best choice for everyone. Here’s why:
The origin of mystery bounty poker can be traced back to the World Series of Poker (WSOP), which introduced the concept in 2020. It revealed a new bracelet event called “Mystery Bounty” but had to cancel the series due to COVID disruptions. The event never ran.
But the concept of the format intrigued other tournament organizers. In 2021, the Wynn borrowed the concept and organized its own version of the Mystery Bounty tournament, the first of its kind. The event met with immediate success, leading to its adoption by live poker tours worldwide.
While WSOP can be credited for the idea of “Mystery Bounty,” and Wynn spread it live for the first time, the concept of randomized bounties and hidden prizes in online poker predates this by several years.
One intriguing precursor can be found in the United Kingdom in 2016. Virgin Games, a Gamesys-owned brand, launched “Wild Seat Poker,” a sit and go game with hidden prizes. Players only discovered their rewards upon winning or busting out of the tournament. The format seemed highly inspired by the hugely successful “Deal or No Deal” TV series.
Similarly, PokerStars also dabbled in the concept of hidden prizes. Its Spin & Go Max product introduced a level of randomization to the prize pool, with one of three rewards being picked blindly by the game winner.
In April 2020, PokerStars launched “Grand Tour,” incorporating a randomized bounty portion of the prize pool. Players competed with the knowledge that a significant portion of their potential winnings remained concealed until the tournament’s conclusion. The game is still available today, renamed under the football-themed “Kick-Off.”
Another interesting twist on hidden rewards was seen on the now defunct Run It Once Poker app’s SNG Select sit and go game, which launched in 2020. In this format, players remained unaware of the prize they were competing for until the tournament’s conclusion or their own elimination. While the site shut down, BetRivers Poker is expected to take its place in the US market.
The inspiration behind MB reveals that the concept of randomized bounties and hidden rewards has intrigued poker operators for quite some time. Each operator contributed to the evolution of the format in its unique way, ultimately culminating in the resounding success that the format is today.
In short, mystery bounty’s hidden history reveals that while WSOP may have introduced the format concept in 2020, it drew inspiration from a mix of ideas and innovations across various operators.
The very reason why mystery bounty tournaments exist today is due to the limitations faced by live poker operators in replicating the immensely popular Progressive Knockout (PKO) format, which has gained widespread recognition in the online poker world.
In their pursuit to mirror the PKO format, live organizers brainstormed and innovated, eventually giving birth to the Mystery Bounty format. It addresses several key hurdles in bringing the thrill and excitement of PKO to live poker, such as tracking bounties in real time and creating a dynamic and suspenseful atmosphere within the confines of a live poker room.
The Mystery Bounty format was envisioned as a solution to these challenges, allowing live poker tournaments to offer the same level of excitement as PKO tournaments.
A Mystery Bounty tournament is where each player has a bounty on their head, but the value of that bounty remains hidden until they are eliminated.
MBT stands for Mystery Bounty Tournament, a type of poker tournament where you win a mystery prize whenever you knock out an opponent. It is available in many live series and is becoming increasingly popular in online poker as well.
Mystery Bounty poker works by combining the excitement of bounty tournaments with the suspense of concealed bounty values. Players compete as in regular tournaments but don’t know the bounty’s worth until they eliminate an opponent. These tournaments have typically two phases, with bounties coming into play in the final stage when the tournament is “in the money.” The prize pool is split between regular and bounty pools, and players can win bounties that vary in value.
In standard bounty tournaments, players know the fixed or progressive bounty prize they will receive for knocking out an opponent. In Mystery Bounty Tournaments, the value of the bounty remains hidden until they eliminate a player. Furthermore, bounties only come into play once players are in the money phase whereas in PKOs, bounties come into play right at the start.
Ukraine-based PokerMatch was the first operator to introduce Mystery Bounty tournaments in February 2022. GGPoker followed suit in March 2022.
Yes, 888poker, GGPoker, and PokerStars all offer the Pot Limit Omaha version of Mystery Bounty tournaments. At GGPoker and PokerStars, players will also find single day PLO edition of MBTs.
Yes, PokerStars has launched Mystery Bounty tournaments. In December, a real money trial ran in some international markets. In January 2024, it also ran a tournament series dedicated entirely to this format.
Yes, GGPoker was one of the first platforms to introduce the Mystery Bounty format, available since March 2022.
Yes, PartyPoker has started offering Mystery Bounty tournaments.
Yes, Mystery Bounty tournaments are available on 888poker, one of the early adopters of this format. These tournaments are widely spread on 888poker, with tournaments running around the clock.
Yes, Mystery Bounty tournaments are also available on WPT Global.
Yes, Mystery Bounty tournaments became available on the iPoker network in October 2023.
GGPoker stands out, offering significant guaranteed Mystery Bounty tournaments on a weekly basis. PokerStars also runs million-guaranteed MB editions from time to time.
PokerStars offers a diverse selection of Mystery Bounty tournaments at various buy-in levels as well as 888poker. WPT Global also offers the format in the Short Deck variant.
Mystery Bounty tournaments are available in the US markets, with the WSOP US network running these events in New Jersey, Nevada, Michigan and Pennsylvania. PokerStars spreads MB tournaments in New Jersey, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Mystery Bounty tournaments are available in Ontario markets as well, with 888poker Ontario, GGPoker Ontario (formerly WSOP Ontario) and PokerStars Ontario running these events.
Yes, WSOP recently upgraded its software in New Jersey and Nevada which now supports Mystery Bounty tournament format.
Winamax, PokerStars, and 888poker are the three operators offering Mystery Bounty tournaments in Southern European regions. Winamax hosts them for players in France and Spain, 888poker provides the format in Italy, Spain, and Portugal, and PokerStars spreads them in Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain.
Currently, WSOP is the sole operator offering Mystery Bounty tournaments to players in all the states where it operates. PokerStars currently only offers in Pennsylvania. US-facing offshore networks WPN, Ignition, and Chico Network also offer them but are not regulated in the country.
The most effective strategy for Mystery Bounty tournaments is to enter the final stage with a substantial stack before the bounties become active. This increases your chances of winning more bounties as you cover more players.