Mystery bounty tournaments
In a mystery bounty tournament, part of the prize pool is turned into bounty prizes of random sizes. When you eliminate a player during the bounty phase, you draw a bounty and find out its value only then. Some bounties can be very large.
How it works
Usually there are no bounties in the early stages. The bounty phase often starts around the money bubble or on Day 2, depending on the event. Some events, like Global Poker's Hydra Final, award mystery bounties from the first elimination. The lobby lists how many bounties of each size exist.
A $100 mystery bounty event puts half the pool into bounties ranging from $20 to $5,000. You eliminate a player in the bounty phase and draw $250. Their remaining bounties are drawn by whoever knocks them out later.
Strategy tips
- Read when the bounty phase starts. Before that it plays like a normal tournament.
- Once bounties are live, every knockout has a high average value, so call wider when covering.
- Big stacks can pressure short stacks hard during the bounty phase.
- The average bounty matters more than the jackpot. Don't chase only the top prize.
- Expect bigger variance: results can swing on one lucky draw.
Common mistakes
- Thinking bounties are live from the start when they aren't
- Ignoring the regular prize pool, which is smaller than in a non-bounty event
Find these tournaments
Mystery bounty filter → PKO and bounty tournaments →
FAQ
What is a mystery bounty tournament?
In a mystery bounty tournament, part of the prize pool is turned into bounty prizes of random sizes. When you eliminate a player during the bounty phase, you draw a bounty and find out its value only then. Some bounties can be very large.
When are mystery bounties revealed?
Only when you eliminate a player during the bounty phase.
Are mystery bounties random?
Yes. The prize for each knockout is drawn randomly from the remaining bounty pool.
Related guides
PKO (progressive knockout) · Standard (fixed) bounty
Play responsibly. Tournaments are entertainment, not income. Set a budget and time limit, and never chase losses. 18+/21+ depending on site and state. Help: 1-800-GAMBLER.
18+/21+ only. Minimum age depends on the site and your state. Play responsibly. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Affiliate disclosure: Some links may be affiliate links, and we may earn a commission if you sign up. That doesn't change the listings or the order they appear in.
Not legal advice. Online poker and sweepstakes laws vary by state, so check your local laws before you play. Only PokerStars (US) and WSOP Online are licensed in the US, and only in the states they list (NJ/PA/MI and NV/NJ/MI/PA). Offshore and crypto sites (Ignition, ACR, BetOnline, CoinPoker, Phenom) are not licensed in the US. GGPoker doesn't accept US players. CoinPoker accepts US players even though its terms list the US as restricted. Sweepstakes sites exclude some states.
Schedules come from each site's public pages, and each listing shows its source and the date we last checked it. Items marked unverified conflict across sources or are out of date. Always confirm in the poker lobby. SC (Sweeps Coins) and CHIP are treated as about $1 for stake tiers.