The three tournaments have produced 462 Day 2 qualifiers so far, with the bounty phase beginning November 1.
ACR Poker’s Halloween Special is already gathering a crowd. As of Wednesday morning, October 21, its three Mystery PKO tournaments had drawn 4,362 entries and recorded 462 Day 2 qualifiers. Daily starting flights began October 18 and will continue through November 1, so those totals are still moving.
There’s $650,000 guaranteed across the trio, but the more unusual part is how the bounties work. The Winning Poker Network-exclusive format combines hidden Mystery Bounties with visible Progressive Bounties. A knockout can put money in your pocket and increase the amount another player could collect by knocking you out.
Three Buy-Ins, $650K in Guarantees
The $109 event carries the largest guarantee at $500,000. It had attracted 777 entries and advanced 84 players by Wednesday morning. At the $33 level, the guarantee is $100,000, with 702 entries and 60 qualifiers recorded at the same checkpoint.
The $5.50 tournament has been the busiest so far, with 2,883 entries and 318 qualifiers against a $50,000 guarantee. That accounts for most of the entries recorded across the three events, although the numbers aren’t final while new flights are still running.
It’s worth separating entry volume from the guarantees. The $5.50 event has the most entries, but the $109 event carries the largest share of the $650,000 combined guarantee. They’re three separate tournaments, each with its own buy-in, guarantee and Day 2 field.
More Flights Can Mean More Chips
Qualifying once doesn’t mean you have to stop playing Day 1 flights. The Halloween Special allows players to enter multiple starting flights and combine their qualifying chip stacks for Day 2.
That’s worth knowing if you’re weighing another entry after already making it through. You’re not necessarily starting the next stage with just one qualifying stack; chips earned in multiple successful flights can be carried forward together.
Day 1 Is About Chips; Day 2 Brings the Bounties
One important detail: bounties don’t begin during Day 1. The bounty phase starts on Sunday, November 1, and every player enters Day 2 with $0 in accumulated Progressive Bounty.
So the starting flights are about getting chips into the next stage. A Day 1 knockout doesn’t reveal one of the mystery prizes. Those start with qualifying eliminations on Day 2, when the format’s two bounty elements finally come together.
One Mystery Prize, Split Two Ways
Once Day 2 is underway, a qualifying knockout reveals a mystery prize. The player who scores the elimination receives half of that prize immediately. The other half isn’t paid out on the spot; it gets added to the eliminator’s visible Progressive Bounty.
That’s the Halloween twist. You collect part of what you’ve uncovered, but the rest goes on your head for another player to chase. A successful knockout can therefore increase both your immediate payout and the bounty attached to you.
The mystery prize stays hidden until the knockout, while the Progressive Bounty is visible. That contrast between what you don’t know and what everyone can see is central to the format.
The Progressive Bounty Can Change Hands Again
There’s another layer once players begin accumulating Progressive Bounties. If you eliminate someone who already has one, that existing amount is also split evenly. Half is paid to you immediately, while the other half is added to your own Progressive Bounty.
Put those rules together and a Day 2 knockout can involve a newly revealed mystery prize plus the bounty already attached to your opponent. Both follow the same 50/50 split. Part of a mystery prize awarded earlier can remain in play through later eliminations, rather than all of its value being paid out at once.
With daily flights still available through November 1, there is time to take a first shot or add to a qualifying stack before all three events enter their bounty phase. The remaining flight times are listed in the ACR Poker tournament lobby.
For more information about the Halloween Special, visit the promo page here.