BetOnline Poker´s new knockout tournaments have been an instant hit, but players should be aware they have a different format than most other bounty events.
Earlier this week, BetOnline Poker added knockout tournaments to its already packed daily tournament schedule. However, unlike bounty events on most other sites, the format of the game is slightly different from what you might find elsewhere.
Whereas most sites offer knockout tournaments in a freezeout format with an opportunity to re-enter when you are knocked out, BetOnline´s knockout tournaments are re-buy and add-on events. This creates some massive prize pools, and already many of BetOnline Poker´s knockout tournaments have doubled their guarantees.
The Knockout Tournament Schedule
Although knockout poker tournaments have been around for some time (Party Poker had them in 2009), they only recently seem to have become a popular format of the game. BetOnline Poker is capitalizing on the format´s popularity by introducing five games into their daily tournament schedule (all times ET):
| Time | >Guarantee | Buy-In | Bounty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:00pm | $1,000 | $3.30 | $1.50 |
| 4:00pm | $750 | $2.20 | $1.00 |
| 6:00pm | $5,000 | $11.00 | $5.00 |
| 8:00pm | $500 | $1.65 | $0.75 |
| 10:00pm | $3,000 | $6.60 | $3.00 |
Players should be aware that the “buy-in” relates to the cost of entering the tournament, the re-buys and the add-on. The bounty is an additional fee and not included in the buy-in. Therefore, to “buy-in” to the 1:00pm game, it will cost you $4.80 plus any re-buys or add-ons.
How the Knockout Tournaments Work
The knockout tournaments are really no more than glorified re-buy and add-on events with a bounty on each player´s head. Players start with 1,500 chips and a very gentle blind structure, with unlimited re-buys of 1,500 chips available for the first six 10-minute levels.
The re-buy period ends at the first break, when players have the option of purchasing a 5,000 chip add-on. Late registration is open until the end of Level 5, at which point the blinds are only 40/80 (no ante). Because of the option to dive in late with a relatively deep stack, the BetOnline Poker knockout tournaments have been an instant hit.
Last night´s 8:00pm game more than doubled its $500 guarantee, while the 10:00pm game paid out $4,236 – a min-cash in the later game being worth $38.12 plus a load of bounties. That´s not a bad return for the $6.60 + $3.00 buy-in and it is consequently no surprise that the knockout tournaments are being well supported.
Knockout Tournaments Count towards $20,000 Leaderboard Competition
If you enjoy playing knockout tournaments, it is worth remembering that each one you enter at BetOnline Poker counts towards your position in the monthly leaderboard competition. There is $20,000 up for grabs each month, divided between three categories based on your buy-in (not including the bounty). The three categories are:
- Bronze – for MTT tournaments with a buy-in of up to $1.99.
- Silver – for MTT tournaments with a buy-in of between $2.00 and $19.99.
- Gold – for MTT tournaments with a buy-in in excess of $20.00.
Points are awarded according to the buy-in (including any re-buys and add-ons) divided by your finishing position. So, if you were to win the 4:00pm knockout tournament after taking one re-buy and one add-on (total cost $6.60), you would be awarded 6.6 points on the leaderboard.
The top twenty players in each category collect a cash prize of up to $1,000, while the top 100 players in each category play against each other in a FaceOff tournament on October 5. The FaceOff tournaments have prize pools of $1,000 (Gold), $500 (Silver) and $250 (Bronze).
The fees paid to enter the tournament also count towards clearing BetOnline Poker´s first deposit and reload bonuses. Two bonuses are available during September – a 200% match on first deposits for new players using the BetOnline Poker promo code “[bonuscode room=”betonlinepoker”]”, and a 100% match reload bonus for existing players using the code “NEWBOL”. Both BetOnline Poker promo codes can be used to claim a bonus of up to $2,500.
Happy bounty hunting!
