Bubbling the WSOP Main Event is brutal.
Chris Moneymaker knows that feeling after his 2026 Main Event run ended directly on the money bubble. It is the kind of finish every tournament player dreads: deep enough to feel like a run, but just short of the payout line.
ACR Poker is turning that painful moment into something a lot more fun with The Moneymaker Bubble Effect, a special online tournament where bubbling can actually be the best result in the room.
The tournament takes place Tuesday, July 28th at 8:30pm ET and comes with a $10,000 guaranteed prize pool for a buy-in of just $0.10.
Reach the money, and you’ll collect your share of the prize pool. Finish directly on the money bubble, and you’ll win a $2,650 seat into one of ACR Poker’s upcoming Dual Mystery Bounty Venoms.
That means the player who narrowly misses the money gets a prize worth 26,500 times the tournament buy-in.
From Bubble Pain to Venom Gain
The whole idea comes from Moneymaker’s own WSOP Main Event exit.
Instead of letting his bubble finish be just another tough tournament story, ACR Poker is using it as the inspiration for a low-buy-in event with a very unusual twist. In most tournaments, the bubble finisher walks away empty-handed. Here, that player gets a seat into one of the biggest events on ACR Poker’s 2026 schedule.
For everyone else, there’s still a $10,000 guarantee to chase for just ten cents.
Watch With Moneymaker, Then Play Along
The Moneymaker Bubble Effect also ties into a live watch party hosted by Chris Moneymaker on ACR Poker’s official Twitch channel.
The stream begins at 7pm ET, with Moneymaker watching ESPN’s 2026 WSOP Main Event coverage and sharing his reactions, analysis, and unfiltered opinions. The tournament starts 90 minutes later at 8:30pm ET, so you can follow the broadcast and play along at the same time.
ACR Poker will also reveal exclusive first-time deposit and reload bonuses during the stream.
The Moneymaker Effect Continues
Moneymaker’s name will always be tied to one of poker’s most famous online qualifier stories.
In 2003, he turned an $86 online satellite into a $2.5 million Main Event win, defeating Sammy Farha heads-up and helping spark the poker boom. More than two decades later, the “Moneymaker Effect” still means one thing: a small online buy-in can turn into something much bigger.
This time, the buy-in is only $0.10, and the most interesting prize goes to the player who finishes one spot short of the money.
A Bubble Prize With Serious Bite
The $2,650 bubble prize connects directly to ACR Poker’s biggest Venoms yet.
The Dual Mystery Bounty Venoms begin August 13th as part of ACR Poker’s 25th anniversary schedule, with $15 million in combined guarantees.
The lineup includes a $12 Million GTD No-Limit Hold’em Mystery Bounty Venom with a $500,000 top bounty and a $3 Million GTD Pot-Limit Omaha Mystery Bounty Venom with a $250,000 top bounty.
Both events have $2,650 buy-ins, and one Moneymaker Bubble Effect player will win a seat for just $0.10.
Bubbling usually hurts. On Tuesday, July 28th, it could be worth a Venom seat.