“KeepItSecret” Turns $55 Into $7,538 and 888poker Holiday Sale $100K Mystery Bounty Title

888poker’s flagship weekly tournament, the $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event, usually commands a $109 buy-in, but, thanks to the Holiday Sale promotion, players only had to pay $55 to enter the fray.

The cut-price buy-in drew in a 1,894-strong crowd, which meant there was an overlay on the $100,000 guarantee, adding yet more value to those who did buy in. Day 1 reduced the field to the final table of eight, where “derandunn” led the way with 94 big blinds, and “jhonnei55” brought up the rear with only nine big blinds.

$100,000 Holiday Sale Mystery Bounty Main Event Final Table Chip Counts

The final table burst into life with a double elimination less than five minutes after the pitching of the first cards. “pe_lu_ri” min-raised from early position with pocket jacks, “jhonnei55” three-bet all-in with ace-queen for their last 6.5 big blinds, only for “AndersAnd111” to wake up in the big blind with pocket kings. They jammed, and “pe_lu_ri” called all-in, creating a 48 big blind pot. A king on the flop put “AndersAnd111” further ahead, with a second five on the turn improving them to an unbeatable full house.

Pocket kings sent another player to the rail soon after that double elimination. This time, the cowboys were in the hands of “KeepItSecret.” They min-raised from the cutoff before calling “Spangly1986″‘s 10.5 big blind shove, which they made with ace-jack from the big blind. A double-paired nine-high board kept the pocket kings in front, and the $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event was suddenly down to only five players.

Those five became four as the clock ticked around to the half-hour mark. The action folded to “derandunn” in the small blind, who made it 2.5 big blinds to play. “AndersAnd111” three-bet all-in for 15 big blinds, and was snapped off. “derandunn” flipped over ace-king, which was way ahead of the dominated king-four. Both players paired their kings, but the at-risk player couldn’t find a four and busted after the river card landed.

After losing half of the field within the first 30 minutes, commentators and Team 888 members Nick Eastwood and Josh Manley would have been forgiven for thinking they would be able to enjoy an early night. However, it took another two hours for the eventual champion to emerge.

“iBustYa888” crashed out just before the first scheduled break, committing their last nine big blinds with pocket eights and losing to the ace-jack of “Polomatyj” who had opened the betting. A jack on the turn improved the ace-jack to the best hand, with a queen on the river improving that hand to an unnecessary Broadway straight.

Three-handed play lasted around 25 minutes, ending with the elimination of “derandunn.” “Polomatyj” open-shoved in the small blind with queen-six of hearts, and “derandunn” called off their eight big blinds with king-nine. A draw heavy board improved “derandunn” to a straight, but the river was a third heart, gifting “Polomatyj” to a flush.

That hand gave “Polomatyj” a 73.8 big blind to 39.9 big blind advantage over “KeepItSecret” going into the one-on-one battle. “KeepItSecret” drew level quite quickly into the heads-up clash, but there was still almost an hour to go before the final hand took place. The chip lead changed hands several times before something final gave.

The final hand of an epic heads-up match saw “KeepItSecret” min-raise with ace-king, “Polomatyj” move all-in for 13.5 big blinds with ace-jack, and “KeepItSecret” instantly call. The ace-king remained best on all three streets, improving to a flush on the river, to bring the curtain down on the Holiday Sale edition of the $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event.

$100,000 Holiday Sale Mystery Bounty Main Event Final Table Results

The next $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event, the last one of 2025, kicks off on December 28 at 6:00 p.m. GMT. Satellites for this tournament are running around the clock, giving you the chance to turn a freeroll entry into a shot at a six-figure prize pool.

Full 888poker Holiday Sale Results

The Holiday Sale promotion was a roaring success, with only five of the 19 cut-price tournaments missing their guarantees. With how popular the half-price events were, 888poker running a similar promotion soon is highly probable.

Aside from the $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event, Team 888’s Aaron “abarone68” Barone was the single biggest winner, courtesy of taking down the $265 Big Shot 525 for $6,896.

A special mention must go to “SpokenMagic” who captured two titles. They won the $55 PKO Rumble for $1,938, then the $27.50 PKO Rumble for an additional $1,635.

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.