Bounty

Also known as: knockout, KO, bounty tournament

A cash reward awarded for eliminating a specific player, split off from the regular prize pool.

A bounty (knockout) tournament carves part of each buy-in into a reward paid for busting an opponent. In a flat (standard) KO, every player's head is worth a fixed amount and you collect the whole bounty on a knockout. In a Progressive Knockout (PKO), the bounty splits — half cash to you, half added to your head. Mystery bounties assign random amounts revealed after the knockout, often via a draw at a set stage.

Bounties are realized Dollar EV ($EV) and loosen calling ranges when you cover the all-in player, because the reward behaves like dead money in the pot. You only collect if you cover, so bounty value is conditional on stack sizes.

The practical adjustment is to widen calls and isolation raises against short stacks you cover, while still respecting ICM on the regular prize pool deep in the event.