What Is A Bounty Tournament?
A bounty tournament gives a reward for eliminating a player.
When you knock someone out, you win their bounty (or part of it).
Common formats:
- Standard bounty: fixed bounty amount
- PKO (Progressive Knockout): bounties grow as players get eliminated
PKOs are the most common online format today.
If you want the full tournament foundation first, start with Online Poker Guide: Rules, Strategy & Tips. This article breaks down bounties in plain English and shows you the practical adjustments that make players profitable in PKOs and bounty events online.
How PKO (Progressive Knockout) Works
In a PKO:
- each player starts with a bounty
- when you eliminate someone, you win part of their bounty immediately
- the rest gets added to your own bounty
So as you knock people out:
- you collect cash now
- you become a bigger target later (because your bounty grows)
That means the tournament naturally becomes more action-heavy over time.
Why Bounties Change Strategy
In normal tournaments, the biggest driver near the bubble and final table is ICM: survival value and pay jumps.
In bounty tournaments, there’s a competing value:
The bounty adds extra EV to calls and shoves.
So you can’t copy/paste your regular MTT strategy. A call that’s too thin in a normal tournament can become profitable if:
- the bounty is large enough
- you cover the opponent (so you can win the bounty)
The #1 Rule In Bounty Tournaments: Covering Matters
You can only win a bounty if you can eliminate the opponent.
So the most important question becomes:
Do I cover them?
- If you cover them, you can win their bounty and you can apply pressure.
- If you don’t cover them, you can’t win their bounty (they can bust you first), so you don’t get the same incentive to gamble.
This “cover advantage” is one of the biggest edges in PKOs.
The Biggest Adjustment: Calling Wider When You Cover
In normal tournaments, especially near pay jumps, you usually:
- call tighter
- avoid marginal all-ins
In PKOs, when you cover someone with a meaningful bounty:
- you can call wider because the bounty adds value
This is why you’ll see good PKO players make calls that look “too loose” to regular MTT grinders.
Important: “wider” does not mean “reckless.”
It means:
- you can take slightly thinner edges
- when bounty value is significant
How Big Should The Bounty Be To Matter?
You don’t need exact math for this article, but you do need the concept:
- A tiny bounty rarely justifies a big mistake.
- A big bounty can justify taking closer spots.
Practical guideline:
- The bigger the bounty relative to the buy-in, the more it should affect your decisions.
- Late in a PKO, bounties can be worth multiple buy-ins, which makes them massively important.
How Your Strategy Changes By Stage In Bounty Events
Early Stage (Small Bounties, Deep Stacks)
Early bounties are often small relative to stacks.
Strategy is closer to normal MTTs:
- play solid
- don’t punt chasing tiny bounties
- take clear +EV spots
But you can still:
- call a little wider in spots where you cover and the bounty is meaningful
Middle Stage (Bounties Start To Matter)
This is where bounty hunting becomes real:
- stacks compress
- all-ins happen more often
- bounties accumulate
Adjustments:
- widen calls vs short stacks you cover (especially with big bounties)
- shove more when you can win both chips and bounty value
- avoid overfolding, because bounty EV punishes passivity
Late Stage / Final Table (ICM + Bounties Collide)
This is the hardest part of PKOs:
- pay jumps are huge (ICM)
- bounties can also be huge
So decisions become a balancing act:
- sometimes bounty value justifies wider calls
- sometimes ICM makes even bounty calls too risky
Key idea:
- bounties pull you toward action
- ICM pulls you toward survival
This is why “who covers who” becomes even more important than usual.
Who To Target In PKOs
Best targets:
- short stacks with large bounties (if you cover them)
- players who shove too wide because they’re “bounty hunting”
- scared medium stacks who still overfold (you can steal and win bounties later)
Worst targets:
- big stacks with big bounties (they fight back and can bust you)
- loose callers who will gamble with anything
- spots where you don’t cover (you lose bounty incentive)
Biggest PKO Mistakes Beginners Make
- chasing small bounties early and punting chips
- calling wide when they don’t cover (can’t win bounty)
- ignoring ICM late because “bounty is big”
- overfolding mid-stage and missing bounty + chip EV
- becoming too predictable (“always hunt bounties”)
- forgetting their own bounty makes them a target
PKOs reward players who can switch gears, not players who chase every knockout.
Practical PKO Tips You Can Use Today
- Always check: do I cover them?
- Treat big bounties as extra EV, not “free money”
- Don’t chase tiny early bounties with marginal hands
- When you cover a short stack with a big bounty, widen calls slightly
- Late game: slow down and consider both bounty value and pay jumps
- Take notes on who is hunting too hard (they’ll punt)
Quick Takeaways
- Bounty tournaments pay extra for knockouts, often via PKO format
- In PKOs, bounties grow and action increases as the tournament progresses
- Covering matters: you need to cover a player to win their bounty
- You can call wider when you cover someone with a meaningful bounty
- Late stage decisions balance ICM (survival) vs bounty EV (action)
- Don’t punt early chasing small bounties; don’t ignore ICM late chasing big ones
Mini FAQ
Are PKOs More “High Variance” Than Normal Tournaments?
Often yes, because bounty incentives create more all-ins and wider ranges.
Should I Always Hunt Bounties?
No. Hunt bounties when the value is meaningful and you have cover advantage. Otherwise, play solid.
Do Bounties Matter On The Bubble?
Yes, but ICM still matters. Big bounties can justify wider calls—especially when you cover—while calls can still be too risky if busting costs a large pay jump.
Where To Go Next
You’ve now learned how bounty tournaments work, why covering matters, and how bounties can widen calls and shoves—especially in PKOs.
If you want to reinforce this, the best next move is to learn how to exploit satellites, because satellite strategy is the opposite of PKOs: it’s all about survival and seat equity, not accumulating chips.
Continue with How To Exploit Satellites: Low-Risk Paths To Big Events.
