PokerStars USA and PokerStars Ontario have unveiled their first-ever tournament series dedicated entirely to the increasingly popular Mystery Bounty tournament (MBT) format.
Running from October 11 to 21, the series will exclusively feature this exciting format, where players win “mystery” bounty prizes by eliminating opponents.
What makes this format so exciting is that the mystery prizes can range anything from the buy-in amount to as much as 1000x the buy-in, offering players the chance for a huge payout well before they even reach the final table. It is the only tournament format where a massive prize can be won without having to go deep into the tournament.
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Having recently introduced this format to its North American platforms, PokerStars will now host three separate tournament series: one for the shared New Jersey and Michigan player pool, another for Pennsylvania poker players, and a third for those that play poker in Ontario, Canada.
Each series features 29 tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $5 to $500. The largest of the three is the shared liquidity series for New Jersey and Michigan, offering $475,000 in total guarantees. Close behind is the standalone Pennsylvania series, which nearly matches MI/NJ with $452,500 in guarantees, despite being limited to a single state. The Ontario poker series guarantees CAD $471,500, which is equivalent to around $350,000 in USD.
| Network | Total Guarantee |
|---|---|
| New Jersey & Michigan | $475,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $452,500 |
| Ontario | CAD $471,500 ($350,000) |
Combined, the three series offer nearly $1.3 million in guarantees (USD).
The Main Event, the highlight of the series, has a $200 buy-in and guarantees $100,000 in the US jurisdictions, while in Ontario, the CAD $100,000 guarantee converts to approximately $75,000 USD.
Unique Mystery Bounty Formats
As seen in other PokerStars markets, the Mystery Bounty format comes in a variety of unique styles, many of which are exclusive to PokerStars. These include:
- Total Mystery: The entire prize pool is allocated to the mystery bounties, with the bounty stage starting when 16% of entrants remain.
- Final Table Bounties: Only players who reach the final table are eligible for mystery bounties.
- Sweet 16: Mystery bounties are triggered when 16 players (two tables) remain.
- Goose Hunt: One bounty prize holds 80% of the entire mystery bounty pool.
Additionally, the Mystery Bounty format will be featured in different variants like Zoom, Heads-Up, Bubble Rush, Adrenaline (where players begin with just 25 big blinds), and Win the Button. Beyond No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha, PokerStars will also be offering MBTs to niche variants such as No-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo and No-Limit 5-Card Omaha.
All tournaments, including the Main Events, will feature single-day flights.
Mystery Bounty in North America
PokerStars will become the third operator in North America to host a tournament series dedicated entirely to mystery bounties. WSOP previously ran a Mystery Bounty series in Michigan and Pennsylvania (though not in its shared liquidity network), while 888poker has hosted a mystery bounty series in Ontario.
Meanwhile, GGPoker ON runs its Bounty Hunters Series in Ontario, which includes both Progressive Knockouts (PKOs) and mystery bounties.
The Mystery Bounty Series follows closely on the heels of the Championship Series of Online Poker (COOP), which wrapped up late last month. The COOP series proved valuable for players, as several events missed their guarantees. The $300 buy-in Main Event Championship in New Jersey and Michigan drew 848 entries, falling $62,560 short of its $300,000 guarantee.
Similarly, the Pennsylvania edition saw 824 participants, missing its $250,000 guarantee by nearly $20,000. However, the Ontario Main Event avoided an overlay, with 771 entries creating a total prize pool of CAD $215,000.
The Mystery Bounty Series takes place from October 11 to 21.