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PokerStars PA Bounty Builder Series Prize Pools Blowing Past Guarantees

  • Prize pools have beaten guarantees by 36 per cent
  • Only 2 of 18 tournaments have had overlays to date
  • Buy-ins split between regular prize pool and bounty on each player’s head
  • PA Bounty Builder Series will run through March 1
Dan Katz

Dan Katz graduated with a BS in Commerce from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Emory University. He clearly uses neither of those degrees now, having been writing about the gambling industry (specializing in poker) since 2005. Prior to that, he was an IT and management consultant. He is an avid gamer, primarily on PC, and enjoys collecting retro video games and consoles; finding room to set them all up is his current challenge. Dan lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and two children. You can get in touch with Dan at [email protected].

Postcard of Pennsylvania
After 18 events, the guaranteed prize pools of the PokerStars Pennsylvania Bounty Builder Series have eclipsed the actual prize pools by a total of 36%. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Just two events have had overlay

With just over half of the events completed, the PokerStars Pennsylvania Bounty Builder Series is a resounding success for the young online poker room. Of the 18 tournaments played through Tuesday, all but two have eclipsed their guarantees. Most have done so by hefty margins.

The 4,588 entries and 1,938 re-entries in the 18 events have generated $345,086.65 in prize money

So far, PokerStars Pennsylvania has guaranteed $254,000 in total prize pools. The 4,588 entries and 1,938 re-entries in the 18 events have generated $345,086.65 in prize money. That is 36 per cent more than what was guaranteed.

The tournament that outperformed by the highest percentage was Event #2: Mini Kick-Off. It was held on February 20, the first day of the Bounty Builder Series. The $20 event beat the guarantee by 151 per cent. Three others bested their guarantees by over 100 per cent.

The two events that treated their players to overlay, missing the guarantees, were Event #11: $100 Sunday Special – Bounty Builder Edition and Tuesday night’s Event #18: $750 High Roller. The former had a $50,000 guarantee and ended up with a $6,854 overlay, while the latter had a $35,000 guarantee and a $5,890 overlay.

Players win money for knocking each other out

The PokerStars Pennsylvania Bounty Builder Series runs from February 20 through March 1. It features 32 events – with multiple tournaments each day – and $500,000 in guaranteed prize pools. The series is open only to poker players located in Pennsylvania, though one does not have to be a resident of the state to play.

The $300 Main Event on March 1 has a $100,000 guarantee.

Every tournament in the Bounty Builder Series is of the Progressive Knockout variety. After rake, half of each player’s buy-in is added to the regular tournament prize pool. The other half is applied to each player as a bounty. Every time someone is eliminated, half of their bounty is awarded in cash to the player that knocked them out. The other half of the bounty is added to that player’s bounty.

As the tournament goes on, most of the remaining players will have large bounties on their heads as a result of eliminating multiple opponents. Progressive Knockout tournaments tend to result in lots of action, as there is a reward for being aggressive and not just trying to squeak into the money.

PokerStars still the only game in town

PokerStars became the first online poker room to launch in Pennsylvania, going live on November 4, 2019. It started with two days of a “soft launch,” with the site up for just eight hours each day as a public testing phase. The site launched in full after that.

PokerStars is still the only online poker room in the Commonwealth

Pennsylvania is just the fourth state in the US to have legal, regulated online poker, following Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey. PokerStars is still the only online poker room in the Commonwealth, giving it a sizable first-mover advantage. It is partnered and co-branded with Mount Airy Casino Resort.

The online poker room kicked off with a bang, paying out nearly $1 million in tournament prize money in its first week. Over $500,000 was awarded in 15,000 Sit & Gos, while another $450,000 was paid from multi-table tournaments.

PokerStars has also ramped up its tournament series quickly. In addition to the Bounty Builder Series, PokerStars Pennsylvania held the Pennsylvania Championship of Online Poker (PACOOP) in November and December 2019, with more than $1.5 million in total prize money doled out.

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