The second edition of the PokerNews Online Championships at 888poker is at the halfway stage, meaning it won't be long until we discover the Mystery Bounty Mini Main and Main Event champions. Several Day 1s have been completed in both events, with more flights running up to and including November 25, when Day 2 shuffles up and deals.
The Mystery Bounty Main Event is the biggest tournament on the PokerNews Online Championships schedule. It boasts a $300,000 guaranteed prize pool for a $25 buy-in. Some 581 players have bought in, almost a third of the 1,500 required to hit the lofty guaranteed.
Of those 581 starters, only 69 have punched their Day 2 tickets, and none of those surviving players has more betting tokens than Tajikistan's "TAJJMAKKHAL." The chip leader returns on Day 2 with 262,290 chips or 105 big blinds. Those who follow PokerNews' updates on 888poker's biggest weekly events will likely be familiar with this player as they regularly go deep.
The leader has only 608 chips more than second-placed "the_belgian." Playing from the United Kingdom, "the_belgian" also has 105 big blinds at their disposal courtesy of turning their starting stack into 261,682 chips.
PokerNewsambassador and all-around great guy Lukas "RobinPoker." Robinson is the man rounding off the podium right now. Robinson's 225,706 stack is worth 90 big blinds, giving him every chance of securing yet another prestigious online poker title. No doubt, Robinson will stream his play from this event once it resumes on November 25.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TAJJMAAKKHAL | Tajikistan | 262,290 | 105 |
| 2 | the_belgian | United Kingdom | 261,682 | 105 |
| 3 | RobinPoker. | Malta | 225,706 | 90 |
| 4 | ingeruRO14 | Romania | 205,011 | 82 |
| 5 | ProdanYM | Ukraine | 177,378 | 71 |
| 6 | POTCHECKER99 | Germany | 172,793 | 69 |
| 7 | la.creme | Montenegro | 150,869 | 60 |
| 8 | GediminasDir | Lithuania | 148,079 | 59 |
| 9 | muchbetter07 | Brazil | 143,505 | 57 |
| 10 | RamboTheDog | Mexico | 142,684 | 57 |
The Mystery Bounty Mini Main Event only costs an affordable $25 to enter, yet 888poker's generosity means the prize pool is guaranteed to be at least $50,000. There is still some way to go before that ambitious target is met because 770 players from a required 2,222 have bought in, with 89 progressing to Day 2.
Three of the current top ten hail from Ukraine. "Linormai" finds themselves in seventh with 191,487 chips (77 big blinds), while "t0nyshark" occupies fourth spot with 201,225 chips (81 big blinds). "vitaliy_bud" leads the way courtesy of a 259,952 stack, the only player with more than 100 big blinds in their arsenal; the leader returns with 104 big blinds.
You can see that the Mystery Bounty Mini Main Event's top ten are tightly packed, which will make for an exciting Day 2 on November 25. Only six big blinds separate fifth from tenth at the time of writing.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vitaliy_bud | Ukraine | 259,952 | 104 |
| 2 | Pauledgar366 | United Kingdom | 242,293 | 97 |
| 3 | Jonathaa97 | Sweden | 212,735 | 85 |
| 4 | t0nyshark | Ukraine | 201,225 | 81 |
| 5 | MANUELB91 | Germany | 193,514 | 77 |
| 6 | Tillemont | Canada | 192,491 | 77 |
| 7 | Linormai | Ukraine | 191,487 | 77 |
| 8 | worsty | United Kingdom | 182,136 | 73 |
| 9 | Steiselchen | Germany | 177,052 | 71 |
| 10 | Kri5tof | 176,296 | 71 |
Over $300,000 in Prizes Await in the 888poker Circus of Cards
"d5t6y7" is still the 888poker player with the largest single haul from the PokerNews Online Championships after they triumphed in the $120,000 Opening Event Mystery Bounty. The early champion banked $10,358 for their victory, but they know someone in the Main Event will eclipse that five-figure haul, not least because one of the mystery bounties weighs in at $30,000!
| Event | Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #01 – Opening Event Mini Mystery Bounty | $16.50 | 1,470 | $22,050 | SlimShady248 | $1,546* |
| #02 – Opening Event Mid Mystery Bounty | $55 | 677 | $35,000 | Vitorbello | $3,551* |
| #03 – Opening Event Mystery Bounty | $109 | 1,092 | $120,000 | d5t6y7 | $10,358* |
| #04 – Opening Event High Roller | $525 | 83 | $41,500 | LordiPari | $11,433 |
| #05 – Daily Gems PKO Mid | $16.50 | 703 | $10,545 | forza749 | $1,962* |
| #06 – Daily Gems PKO Mini | $8.80 | 585 | $5,000 | ricsaMG | $783* |
| #07 – Daily Gems Mystery Bounty Special | $55 | 341 | $20,000 | SRFC1899 | $2,282* |
| #08 – Daily Gems PKO | $109 | 153 | $15,300 | MicutuP.K.R. | $3,670* |
| #09 – Daily Gems Super KO Mini | $16.50 | 729 | $10,935 | pedro.vier | $929* |
| #10 – Super KO High Roller | $320 | 56 | $16,800 | casual_win | $3,570* |
| #11 – Daily Gems Mystery Bounty Special | $55 | 296 | $15,000 | SilverD15 | $2,415* |
| #12 – Daily Gems Super KO | $109 | 116 | $11,600 | Proosty | $1,829* |
| #13 – Daily Gems MB Big or Small | $11 | 1,038 | $10,380 | bonannex | $1,052* |
| #14 – MB Big or Small | $5.50 | 937 | $5,000 | MACDEBI | $524* |
| #15 – Daily Gems MB Big or Small | $55 | 268 | $15,000 | ingeruRO14 | $1,920* |
| #16 – Daily Gems MB Big or Small | $22 | 474 | $10,000 | federerbolso | $1,171* |
*includes bounty payments
888poker: The Keys to Poker Game Selection
November 21 sees the schedule dominated by deep stack tournaments, including a $55 buy-in event featuring a $15,000 prize pool.
Don't forget that Mystery Bounty Mini Main and Main Event Day 1s run several times per day, every day, up to and including November 25. Satellites are available for these value-packed tournaments, so make today the day you get involved.
| Date | Day | Time | PokerNews | Buy-in | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.11.24 | Thu | 18:00 | PokerNews #17 - DeepStack High Roller | $320 | $15,000 |
| 21.11.24 | Thu | 19:00 | PokerNews #18 - Daily Gems - DeepStack | $55 | $15,000 |
| 21.11.24 | Thu | 19:00 | PokerNews #19 - Daily Gems - DeepStack High | $109 | $12,000 |
| 21.11.24 | Thu | 19:30 | PokerNews #20 - SNAP PKO 6-Max Special | $16.50 | $2,000 |
| 22.11.24 | Fri | 17:30 | PokerNews #21 - Daily Gems - Mystery Bounty Mini | $8.80 | $5,000 |
| 22.11.24 | Fri | 18:00 | PokerNews #22 - Daily Gems - Mystery Bounty Mid | $22 | $10,000 |
| 22.11.24 | Fri | 19:00 | PokerNews #23 - Daily Gems - Mystery Bounty | $55 | $15,000 |
| 22.11.24 | Fri | 19:30 | PokerNews #24 - Daily Gems - Big Shot Special | $109 | $12,000 |
| 23.11.24 | Sat | 17:00 | PokerNews #25 - Daily Gems - PKO 6-Max Mid | $16.50 | $10,000 |
| 23.11.24 | Sat | 18:00 | PokerNews #26 - PLO Mystery Bounty Special | $11 | $2,000 |
| 23.11.24 | Sat | 19:00 | PokerNews #27 - Daily Gems - PKO 6-Max | $55 | $15,000 |
| 23.11.24 | Sat | 19:30 | PokerNews #28 - Daily Gems - PKO 6-Max High | $109 | $12,000 |
| 24.11.24 | Sun | 17:00 | PokerNews #29 - Mystery Bounty mini | $16.50 | $20,000 |
| 24.11.24 | Sun | 18:00 | PokerNews #30 - Mystery Bounty | $55 | $40,000 |
| 24.11.24 | Sun | 19:00 | PokerNews #31 - THE PKO Rumble | $109 | $50,000 |
| 24.11.24 | Sun | 19:30 | PokerNews #32 - Big Shot High Roller | $525 | $30,000 |
| 25.11.24 | Mon | 17:00 | PokerNews #33 - Daily Gems - PKO mini | $16.50 | $10,000 |
| 25.11.24 | Mon | 18:00 | PokerNews #34 - Daily Gems - PKO | $33 | $10,000 |
| 25.11.24 | Mon | 21:00 | $50,000 PokerNews #35 - Mystery Bounty Mini Event (Day 2) | $25 | $50,000 |
| 25.11.24 | Mon | 21:00 | $300,000 PokerNews #36 - Mystery Bounty Main Event (Day 2) | $215 | $300,000 |
| 26.11.24 | Tue | 17:00 | PokerNews #37 - Daily Gems - Closing Event MB Mini | $16.50 | $12,000 |
| 26.11.24 | Tue | 19:00 | PokerNews #38 - Daily Gems - Closing Event Mystery Bounty | $55 | $20,000 |
| 26.11.24 | Tue | 19:00 | $300,000 PokerNews #36 - Mystery Bounty Main Event (Final Table) | - |