Bounty
A cash prize awarded for eliminating a specific player in a tournament. In bounty tournaments, every elimination earns a reward.
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What Is Bounty?
Bounty tournaments split the prize pool structure so that a portion of every player's buy-in goes toward their own bounty, which is collected by whoever eliminates them. This format rewards aggressive play, since knocking players out has immediate cash value beyond simply advancing in the tournament. Progressive knockout (PKO) tournaments take this further by adding a portion of each collected bounty to the winning player's own bounty, compounding rewards throughout the event.
Examples
A player eliminates a $50 bounty target and immediately collects that cash on top of their tournament chips.
In a progressive knockout event, eliminating a player with a $20 bounty adds $10 to your own bounty and awards $10 in cash immediately.
Strategy Tips
Adjust your calling ranges to be looser when a large bounty is at stake, since the immediate cash reward can outweigh the pure chip equity of the confrontation. In progressive knockout tournaments, weigh the value of growing your own bounty against your tournament equity, especially as your own bounty grows large. Be cautious of opponents playing looser than usual to try to collect big bounties, and adjust your reads accordingly. Study bounty-adjusted push-fold charts, since standard ICM strategy changes when bounties are involved.