Mystery bounty tournaments are relatively new at PokerStars but that has not stopped the online poker giant from running three dozen such tournaments during the 2024 Spring Championship Of Online Poker (SCOOP). Every Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, mystery bounty tournaments are on the SCOOP schedule, waiting for you to get involved and win big.
What Are Mystery Bounty Tournaments?
Mystery bounty tournaments are one of the most exciting additions to the poker tournament world in recent years. They play like any other traditional tournament before morphing into something entirely different.
You wouldn’t know you were playing in a PokerStars mystery bounty tournament until you reached the money places because they play like every other multi-table tournament you have ever played. However, once the money bubble bursts, the prize pool reserved for bounties is divided up, and an unknown, or mystery, bounty is placed on the head of every remaining player.
Eliminating an opponent claims their bounty. That bounty’s value remains a mystery until the PokerStars software opens the mystery bounty envelope and reveals your prize.
Most of the mystery bounties are on the smaller side, but there are always some substantial prizes waiting to be pulled. Once the mystery bounties are in play, you can check the tournament lobby to see their value and how many of each size remain.
Upcoming PokerStars SCOOP Mystery Bounty Events
History will be made at 5:30 p.m. BST on May 8, when the first-ever SCOOP mystery bounty events shuffle up and deal. One of those inaugural SCOOP mystery bounty tournaments is crammed full of value, with a cool $200,000 guaranteed for only a $55 buy-in.
SCOOP 22-L: $55 NLHE Wednesday Mystery is the tournament you are looking for if you want an affordable buy-in but a chunky prize pool. At least $100,000 will be awarded from the regular prize pool, with another $100,000 being shared via mystery bounty payments once the money bubble bursts.
Buying into this event sees you go to battle with 25,000 chips and play to a 12-minute clock for the first 10 levels before those levels extend to 15 minutes thereafter. Late registration remains open for 3 hours 5 minutes, and you can re-enter up to three times during that time. Blinds start at only 125/250/30a, giving you plenty of wiggle room in the early stages.
This is a two-day affair, with Day 1 breaking 7 hours 55 minutes after the tournament starts and Day 2 shuffling up and dealing at 5:30 p.m. BST on May 9.
Start the Weekend in Style with a $400,000 Guaranteed Mystery Bounty Tournament
Those wanting to get their SCOOP grind on over the weekend could do much worse than entering SCOOP 35-M: $215 NLHE Mystery Bounty, not least because it has $400,000 guaranteed to be won.
Buying in on Day 1 at 5:30 p.m. BST on May 11 sees you receive 50,000 chips and play to 15 minute levels for the first 16 levels before the clock extends to 20 minutes until a champion is crowned. Three re-entries are available during the first 3 hours 45 minutes, and like the previously mentioned event, Day 1 pauses 7 hours 55 minutes after the first cards are pitched. Day 2 commences at 5:30 p.m. BST sharp on May 12.
Half a Million Dollars Are Guaranteed in Event 35-H
SCOOP 35-H: $1,050 NLHE Mystery Bounty comes with a massive $500,000 guaranteed prize pool, the joint largest of all the SCOOP mystery bounties on the schedule. Cards are in the air from 5:30 p.m. BST on May 11, with high-stakes players fighting it out for 7 hours 55 minutes on Day 1. The second day’s play starts at 5:30 p.m. BST on May 12, and sees the worthy champion crowned.
As you would expect from a $1,050 buy-in tournament, the blind structure is superb. Blinds start at 250/500/60a, levels are 20 minutes throughout, and should you dust off your 100,000-starting stack, you can re-enter twice during the first 4 hours 45 minutes. You’re on your own after that point.
SCOOP Bundles and More Up for Grabs With PokerStars Power Path in May
Now is the Time to Redeem Your Power Path Passes
While the $55 buy-in mystery bounty event is at the more affordable end of the buy-in scale, not everyone is able or willing to spend $215 or $1,050 on a SCOOP tournament entry. This is where the Power Path comes into its own.
Every PokerStars player receives a free $0.50 Power Path Step 1 ticket each day just for playing on the site. From that small acorn grows some mighty oaks, with Bronze ($109), Silver ($2,500), and Gold Passes ($10,300) waiting to be won.
Redeeming a Silver Pass for the SCOOP tickets bundle opens the door to playing in the $55 and $215 Mystery Bounty events and gives you multiple bullets in them because that package contains:
- 1 x $530 SCOOP tournament tickets
- 3 x $215 SCOOP tournament tickets
- 6 x $109 SCOOP tournament tickets
- 7 x $55 SCOOP tournament tickets
- 8 x $22 SCOOP tournament tickets
- 10 x $11 SCOOP tournament tickets
If you want a $1,050 SCOOP ticket in your account from Power Path, you’ll need to secure a Gold Pass and redeem it for the Gold SCOOP tickets bundle. Doing so awards you:
- 3x $1,050 tournament tickets
- 6x $530 tournament tickets
- 22x $109 tournament tickets
- 20x $55 tournament tickets
- 20x $22 tournament tickets
- $32 in tournament dollars
$55 and $1,050 SCOOP tickets are also available as prizes in the SCOOP edition Spin & Go tournaments. These special edition games come in buy-ins of $0.75, $4, and $20, with the latter two boasting a jackpot prize of a $10,300 SCOOP ticket.