KO & CASH IN: Partypoker PKO Series Kicks Off in New Jersey on July 26
The partypoker PKO Series (Progressive Knockout) is set for July 26 – Aug. 2 with more than $150,000 guaranteed. Fans of bounty-style poker will be in luck with nine events on the schedule.
Most of the nine events are in the $109 to $320 range with a few events as low as $20. However, players can jump in the $75,000 guaranteed Phase Tournament for as little as $35.
There are also daily satellites for Phase 1 starting at $5 with about one of eight winning $35 entries. Players will also find $45 daily satellites into Phase 2.
What’s in store for players in a partypker PKO?
PKOs are a type of knockout tournament. When a player takes out an opponent, that player cashes in 50% of the opponent’s bounty. Those funds go right in the player’s own account.
The other 50% of that opponent’s bounty is added to the bounty on the winning player’s head. That bounty can keep growing larger for even more knockouts.
PKO, and bounty tournaments in general, add some extra fun to a tournament series.
“PKO tournaments are fun because they add a unique dynamic late in the game,” New Jersey online poker regular Pierre Deissler says. “Sometimes a player’s bounty may be worth more than a pay jump in the prize pool.”
How does a Phase Tournament work?
Phase Tournaments have become a popular part of partypoker US tournament series. The site runs Phase 1 tournaments each night for $35.
Remaining players, usually about 10% of the field, carry their chip stacks over to Phase 2.
The second step is the $320 buy-in Phase 2 Main Event, set for Aug. 2 with a $75,000 guarantee. Players can also buy-in directly for Phase 2 on Aug 2.
Here’s a look at the complete PKO Series schedule.
partypoker US PKO Series 2020
| Date | Event | Buy-In | Bounty | Guarantee |
| July 26 | #1: PROGRESSIVE KNOCKOUT - BOUNTY | $215 | $100.00 | $12,000 |
| July 26 | PHASE TOURNAMENT: Day 1 | $35 | ||
| July 27 | #2: PROGRESSIVE KNOCKOUT - BANKROLL BOOST (75/25) | $20 | $5 | $2,000 |
| July 27 | PHASE 1 | $35 | ||
| July 28 | #3: PROGRESSIVE KNOCKOUT - BOUNTY | $320 | $100 | $15,000 |
| July 28 | PHASE TOURNAMENT: Day 1 | $35 | ||
| July 29 | #4: PROGRESSIVE KNOCKOUT - BOUNTY BOOST (70/30) | $215 | $50 | $12,000 |
| July 29 | PHASE TOURNAMENT: Day 1 | $35 | ||
| July 30 | #5: PROGRESSIVE KNOCKOUT - BOUNTY | $109 | $25 | $10,000 |
| July 30 | PHASE TOURNAMENT: Day 1 | $35 | ||
| July 31 | #6: PROGRESSIVE KNOCKOUT - BOUNTY BOOST (60/40) | $109 | $50 | $10,000 |
| July 31 | PHASE TOURNAMENT: Day 1 | $35 | ||
| Aug. 1 | #7: PROGRESSIVE KNOCKOUT - BOUNTY BOOST (60/40) | $109 | $25 | $10,000 |
| Aug. 1 | PHASE TOURNAMENT: Day 1 | $35 | ||
| Aug. 2 | PHASE TOURNAMENT: Day 1 Turbo | $35 | ||
| Aug. 2 | #8: PROGRESSIVE KNOCKOUT - BOUNTY BOOST (60/40) | $215 | $75 | $12,000 |
| Aug. 2 | #9: PHASE TOURNAMENT: Day 2 | $320 | $75,000 |
Partypoker adds NJ daily tournaments, July promotions
Partypoker US also recently announced some new tournament offerings. On July 17, the site invited players to a test run of newly launched PKO tournaments for a $20 buy in.
The initial PKO tournament had over 1,500 entries with a $25,000 prize pool.
The success of that event led to another new daily tournament. Partypoker has hosted a daily $5,000 guaranteed PKO event since July 18. The new $109 tournament runs every night at 8 p.m.
Throughout July, partypoker is also offering multipliers for all grinders. Players will earn 2x iRPs when registered in tournaments or playing cash games.
Players must opt-in through the promos listed on the partypoker client to be eligible.
Partypoker US Network continues gaining traction
The PKO Series is just the latest festival for partypoker in New Jersey. The operators has run several series during the Coronavirus pandemic and seen some nice momentum.
In New Jersey, partypoker also includes the BorgataPoker.com and BetMGM skins. The network is coming off a successful series partnering with the World Poker Tour.
A $400 championship event generated a prize pool of more than $300,000. NJ online pro David Coleman took down $56,586 for first place.
Coleman also received a trophy and $11,000 package to play in the WPT Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic.
New also broke recently that partypoker may be launching in Pennsylvania by August. Players in the Keystone State can probably expect some of what the site has been offering in NJ.
partypoker has been ramping up its software in preparation for a launch in PA. Players have been offered a software upgrade, which allows for new table settings and playing PKO events.
There should be more to report on partypoker US Network in the coming weeks.
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