Progressive Knockout Tournaments are fun. They provide more action, all-ins, and emotions, but it is also what makes PKOs more complicated. Read about PKO basics here, and if you find this format enjoyable, start learning it with Poker Academy’s Trainer so you can have fun and crush at the poker table simultaneously.
Regular prize pool and bounties – Two important factors
Your buy-in to regular PKO tournaments is split between regular and bounty prize pools. You should play for both of them to stay balanced and increase your profit in the future. The smaller your stack is, the more important the regular prize pool becomes because you very likely do not cover many players. Usually, KOs become less relevant in the late stages of tournaments as you should play more simple and clear strategies.
PKO tournaments: Ask the right questions
First of all, you have to remember that PKO ranges are very different from classic ones. They are more dynamic, and you have to make many more adjustments during every hand. Where are the short stacks? How big is their bounty? What is the condition of your own chips? You should ask yourself these questions all the time.
There are even questions you should ask yourself before entering a tournament! If you are about to register or rebuy during the late registration period, control the number of players already out of the game because every elimination irrevocably takes a small portion of the bounty prize pool away. Second important question before the game: Have you already studied PKO scenarios with Poker Academy and improved your poker strategies? If not, click here and sign up for many preflop PKO Tournament charts!
Bounty Power: How important is your KO?
If you know the bounty power of your opponents, you can specify your new pot odds and relevance of the KO with better accuracy. Each player starts with one Bounty Power (BP) which contains 1 KO divided by 1 starting stack (SS). If you manage to double up without winning a bounty, your bounty power equals 0.5 because 1KO/2SS=0.5. On the other hand, if you have two KOs and only one SS, your bounty power equals 2 because 2KO/1SS=2.
Bigger BP means a more relevant KO. You should use this strategy only in the early and mid-stages of the tournament. If you are in the money, one bounty equals about 40% of the starting stack.
Quick tips for beginners
We listed three more PKO poker fundamentals for you to instantly improve your game:
- If you jam with a small stack, you will very likely find yourself in a multiway pot. That’s why you should avoid going all-in with low pocket pairs and suited connectors which generally don’t do well in this multiway scenario.
- Don’t play too wide. Most people are too loose when it comes to chasing bounties. Balance is everything!
- When playing the final table of a PKO tournament, don’t compare your opponent’s bounty to your next pay jump. Chasing after KOs is not as important as having a healthy stack and a higher chance to win the whole tournament.