Holding the 2nd biggest bounty until the final table has no downside and lots of upside, says Barry Carter.
Earlier this month Jimmy Setna won a WSOP-C Mystery Bounty tournament and amazingly won the two biggest bounties heads-up.
It’s something you won’t see very often, but it was helped along by the fact that the operator, Playground in Canada, held back the 2nd biggest bounty for the final table. This was a $10,000 bounty and the top payout was $21,430 (Setna also won the $50,000 top bounty).
This meant that the final table was guaranteed to have an exciting moment, and also rewarded the finalists more by putting more equity near the final positions. It’s something every Mystery Bounty should do.
Keep a big bounty on offer at all times
I first heard this idea floated by Irish Poker Tour boss Fintan Gavin, and I see no downside to it.
The excitement in Mystery Bounty tournaments is the fact anyone could win the big bounty at any moment. Some people don’t like it, but I love the fact that some random finisher in 67th place could take home a bigger prize than the eventual champion. It’s what prompted this year’s April Fools news item.
However, it is undeniable that when the big bounty gets pulled, the life gets sucked out of the poker room. There is a palpable sense of disappointment amongst the remaining players. For many, it just becomes a boring regular tournament from that point.
Keep the format exciting till the end
Reserving the 2nd biggest bounty for the final table will significantly loosen up the action at the finale. This will make it a lot more entertaining for those final tables that are streamed.
It will also dispel some of the critics of Mystery Bounty tournaments who say that they are too high variance, as the big money is more likely to go to somebody who played well. Most of the time the eventual winner will be the one would wins the big bounty.
The one thing I would not do, however, is keep the biggest bounty back for the final table. Having the biggest bounty in play from the start of the bounty period is what makes the format exciting. It is also what creates the viral moments we see on social media and no doubt what attracts recreational players to the format.
Would you hold back a big bounty for the final table? Let us know in the comments:
