The second largest guaranteed event of the 888poker XL Winter Series crowns is shaping up to be the tournament for value hunters. XL Winter #20 – Mystery Bounty is a $162 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed affair that requires 1,333 entrants to hit the ambitious guarantee. At the time of writing, only 347 players have bought in, and time is rapidly running out to get in on the action.
Fifteen Day 1s for the $200,000 guaranteed Mystery Bounty event run between January 19-22, which seems like ample opportunity to garner enough players to break through the guaranteed amount. However, each of the completed flights so far has averaged only 52 players, meaning everything points towards a substantial overlay for 888poker, and that means more value for the players.
At least two, and up to five, flights run daily up to and including January 22, which is also when Day 2 commences. Each of those Day 1s sees 888poker players sit down armed with 12,000 chips (200 big blinds) and play to a 12-minute clock where the blinds start at only 30/60/7a.
Late registration is available for 180 minutes, with unlimited re-entries permitted. Day 1s conclude after the completion of the 17th level or when only 13% of the field remains, whichever occurs sooner. Surviving players progress to Day 2 at 9:00 p.m. GMT on January 22, where they will play down to the final table. That grand finale shuffles up and deals at 7:00 p.m. GMT on January 23 under the watchful eyes of the popular 888poker Twitch stream team.
The mystery bounties come into play from Day 2 onwards, and there are some juicy prizes waiting to be pulled out of their respective golden envelopes. At least six bounties are worth $2,000, and there are a couple worth $6,000. However, one lucky player will bust an opponent, open their mystery bounty envelope, and reveal a $20,000 cash haul!
Current $200,000 Mystery Bounty Chip Leaders
Fifty-three of the 347 entrants had punched their Day 2 tickets when PokerNews published this article on the morning of January 19. Argentina’s “Kuperbb1” fired two bullets, and that second bite of the cherry went well. The Argentinian turned their 12,000 stack into a tournament-leading 201,755, or 126 big blinds in old money.
Talented 888poker ambassador Aaron “abarone68” Barone finds himself sixth in chips right now with 140,829 chips (88 big blinds). Expect luminaries including Ian Simpson, Vivian Saliba, Alexandre Mantovani to take a shot at glory in this event over the weekend.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuperbb1 | Argentina | 201,755 | 126 |
| 2 | Inali | Estonia | 198,765 | 124 |
| 3 | 1luha11 | Moldova | 179,357 | 112 |
| 4 | Birnherd | 144,261 | 90 | |
| 5 | AndreiCoz | Romania | 141,632 | 89 |
| 6 | Aaron “abarone68” Barone | Canada | 140,829 | 88 |
| 7 | HecticMulk | United Kingdom | 133,262 | 83 |
| 8 | 9salute46 | Ireland | 108,219 | 68 |
| 9 | MaxOn123 | Ukraine | 104,346 | 65 |
| 10 | LookAround | Kazahkstan | 103,196 | 65 |
888poker XL Winter Series Results
“ddaubar” is the biggest individual winner of the XL Winter Series so far. They took down the $525 High Roller Opening event for $12,320.
| Event | Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool | Champion | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #01 – Mini Opening Event | $55 | 793 | $40,000 | BrittneySpew | $6,192* |
| #02 – Opening Event | $109 | 1,179 | $120,000 | optimusmov | $10,441* |
| #03 – High Roller Opening Event | $525 | 91 | $50,000 | ddaubar | $12,320* |
| #04 – PKO Mini | $22 | 580 | $11,600 | PMBogdan | $2,165* |
| #05 – PKO | $109 | 185 | $18,500 | thechronic99 | $3,706* |
| #06 – Mystery Bounty Mini High Roller | $55 | 356 | $17,800 | marclatt | $3,715* |
| #07 – Mystery Bounty High Roller | $320 | 92 | $27,600 | wowkit | $9,136* |
| #08 – 6-Max Mini | $22 | 453 | $10,000 | Etrom33 | $2,000 |
| #09 – 6-Max | $109 | 139 | $13,900 | lovelydonk | $3,614 |
| #10 – Super KO Mini | $55 | $266 | $13,300 | sjae98 | $1,623* |
| #11 – Super KO | $320 | 70 | $21,000 | dkfdyulr | $4,590* |
*includes bounty payments
888poker 2024 XL Winter Series Schedule
It is not only the $200,000 guaranteed Mystery Bounty that has captured the online poker community’s imagination but the entire bustling 888poker XL Winter Series schedule! Check out the remaining event by expanding the table below.
| Date | Time (GMT) | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 19 Jan | 4:00 p.m. | $200,000 XL Winter #20 – Mystery Bounty Day 1 | $162 |
| 5:00 p.m. | $8,000 XL Winter – Mystery Bounty 11 | $11 | |
| 6:00 p.m. | $100,000 XL Winter #35 Mystery Bounty Mini Main Event Day 1 | $25 | |
| 6:30 p.m. | $12,000 XL Winter – Mystery Bounty 55 | $55 | |
| 7:00 p.m. | $200,000 XL Winter #20 – Mystery Bunty Day 1 | $162 |
