{"id":26158,"date":"2021-01-21T17:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T23:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=26158"},"modified":"2021-01-21T11:25:03","modified_gmt":"2021-01-21T17:25:03","slug":"pko-poker-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pko-poker-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"PKOs: The Pros, Cons, And Best Strategies To Gain An Advantage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Progressive knockout tournaments, or PKOs as\nthey are often referred to, have become quite popular in recent years. Expanding\non the concept of regular knockouts, these events feature increasing bounties,\nmaking them quite entertaining to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, such a structure requires certain\nstrategic adjustments, so in this article, you\u2019ll learn everything you need to\nknow about PKOs as well as some basic strategies to help you get an edge over\nthe competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First let\u2019s define what progressive knockouts are and what makes them a special subcategory in the poker<\/a> tournaments arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a traditional bounty, every time you knock\nout a player, you also win their bounty. Online, that amount is automatically\nadded to your cash balance, while in live games, you\u2019ll receive a special\nbounty chip for every eliminated player. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These chips can be exchanged for cash once you\nbust or the tournament is over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless of how many people you knock out\nalong the way, all bounties are yours to keep, and the maximum any player can\nwin by eliminating you is a single bounty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PKOs have a significantly different concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you bust a player in a progressive\nknockout tournament, a portion of their bounty (usually 50 percent) is added to\nyour cash balance, and that\u2019s yours to keep. The remainder, however, is added\nto the value of your bounty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you knock out a player at the\nstart of a tournament when bounties are worth $10 each. Half of the bounty ($5)\nis yours to keep. The other half is added to your bounty, so your bounty is now\nworth $15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Should another player manage to knock you out\nafter, they would win $7.50 straight away (50 percent of $15) while the other\n$7.50 would be added to their bounty. Presuming they hadn\u2019t previously\neliminated any other players, their bounty would now be worth $17.50.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the biggest difference between\ntraditional and progressive bounty poker tournaments. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Otherwise, these events are structured in a\nsimilar fashion as the portion of your buy-in goes towards the main prize pool,\nand the portion of it goes towards the bounty pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, in a $11 tournament, $5 will\nusually go towards the main prize pool while the other $5 will go into the\nbounty pool. The other $1 would cover the tournament fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705 Profitable (if you know what you’re doing) These days, there are so many different\ntournament types out there. Varying structures, blind level durations, prize\npool distributions, and many other elements make the world of online MTTs\nexciting but also complicated at times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to PKOs, these have become quite\npopular with players, and for a good reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The biggest motivation for pro players to take\nthese up is that the vast majority of players don\u2019t know how to adjust to the\nnew setup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Best and most +EV lines in PKOs are often\ndifferent from those you\u2019d take in a traditional tournament or even a standard\nbounty, and knowing the math can give you a big advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, profitability is the biggest pro of these\nevents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Progressive bounties are also very exciting and\noffer more gambling opportunities for those just looking to have some fun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Regular MTTs often require you to sit around\nand wait for your turn, and even when you get lucky and win a pot, it\u2019s back to\nmore waiting without any immediate monetary rewards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In PKOs, players can gamble it up and enjoy the\nfruits of their plays on the spot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If they manage to suck out on someone with a\nhuge bounty on their head, they\u2019ll be immediately rewarded with half of that\namount in cash. So the format is quite attractive for recreational players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Progressive knockouts are also easier on the\nbankroll as they aren\u2019t as volatile as regular MTTs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is quite beneficial for recreational and\nsemi-recreational players as it helps their bankroll last longer, giving them\nmore chances to try and get lucky in one of the tournaments.<\/p>\n\n\n\nProgressive Knockouts \u2013 The Pros<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2705 Very exciting
\u2705 Less volatile than regular MTTs<\/p>\n\n\n\nProgressive Knockouts \u2013 The Cons<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n