A former partypoker ambassador wrote that he thinks Mystery Bounty is "the dumbest poker format ever created". Harsh words on the surface, but they may hold some truth. Pads says that Mystery Bounty makes the game a huge trap for regs and also bad for recreational players as it contains a large element of gambling.
Mystery bounties are the stupidest format of poker ever created. The more they take over schedules the worse. If people want to just call any two vs jams with a chance of binking huge just offer them a table game with the same parameters? It's very bad for low/mid stakes regs where...
- Patrick Leonard 🫡 (@padspoker) May 16, 2024
Many are of the opinion that Leonard is missing the point here. We are living in a new era of poker and casual players don't necessarily want to play only the most traditional formats. Today we live in a world of instant gratification, people always want to get everything instantly, and it is with the Mystery Bounty format that they have the chance to hit the jackpot in just a short amount of playing time.
These strong statements brought several responses, Randy "Nanonoko" Lew expressed that he would be shocked if recreational players didn't like this format. Shaun Deeb also disagreed with Patrick Leonard and stated that these tournaments are great for the ROI% of good players while giving recreational players a chance to win a lot of money.
I'm almost always on your side I think they are amazing for poker top players rois go up and fish get a way better shot of a large amount of money https://t.co/pBeCIjlGLc
- shaun deeb (@shaundeeb) May 16, 2024
Should the biggest rewards stay all the way to the final table?
Earlier this month, we saw Jimmy Setna win the WSOPC Mystery Bounty event, in which he surprisingly pulled the two biggest bounties in heads-up play. It's not something you see often, but it helped that the operator, Canadian company Playground, reserved the second biggest bounty for the final table. It was a $10,000 bounty, with a $21,430 prize awaiting the tournament winner (Setna also drew the top prize of $50,000).
It meant that the final table brought exciting moments until the very end, and also brought more equity to the finalists. And it was this that sparked debate as to whether every Mystery Bounty tournament should follow a similar pattern.
The excitement in Mystery Bounty tournaments is that anyone can win a big prize at any time. In practice, some random finalist in 67th place, for example, can take home a bigger prize than the eventual champion of the entire tournament, which some people don't like, but others do. However, it is indisputable that when a big prize is drawn in a tournament, the life literally drains out of the poker room. Disappointment is felt among the remaining players and for many, the tournament becomes boring from that point on.
Keeping the format exciting until the end?
Reserving the second biggest prize for the final table will change the dynamic in the final table significantly. This will make the final tables, which will be streamed, much more entertaining. At the same time, semi-pro and pro players will be more motivated to play these tournaments as well, as there will be more value awaiting them at the final tables than with just a random distribution of mystery bounty rewards.
But why are we talking about the second biggest bounty and not the biggest bounty? It's the biggest bounty, and the chance to hit it right after reaching ITM, that makes this format exciting. It's also the element that creates the viral moments we see on social media, and undoubtedly what draws recreational players to the format.
What is your opinion on Mystery Bounty events? Do you agree that they are rightfully the most prevalent and popular format in tournament poker today? Let us know in the comments on our social networks!
Sources - Twitter (X), PokerStrategy, WSOP, vip-grinders, PokerNews
