Why Didn't I Win a Bounty in a Multi-Way All-In Pot?

Why Didn't I Win a Bounty in a Multi-Way All-In Pot?

It can be confusing when you go all-in, win the pot, and eliminate another player, but don't receive their bounty. This happens in multi-way pots when a player is eliminated in a side pot that you are not part of.

The key concepts to understand are the effective stack (short stack) and how it determines who wins which portion of chips—and more importantly—who wins the bounty.

Understanding the Scenario

In a multi-way all-in pot (where three or more players go all-in), the chips are split into a Main Pot and one or more Side Pots based on the players' starting stack sizes.

1. The Effective Stack and the Main Pot

The Main Pot is the portion of chips that all active players are eligible to win.

  • It is always capped by the smallest all-in stack, known as the effective stack.

  • The player who wins the Main Pot only eliminates the short-stacked player if they have the best hand.

Example Scenario:


PlayerStarting Stack
Seat 15,920 (The effective stack)
Seat 49,910
Seat 229,083


Action: 
  1. Seat 1 goes All-In
  2. Seat 2 calls
  3. Seat 4 goes All-In
  4. Seat 2 calls


Result: Seat 1 (with 4hQh) wins the Main Pot. Since Seat 1 had the shortest stack, they can only win up to their own stack size from each opponent (5,920 chips). Seat 1 did not eliminate anyone because both Seat 4 and Seat 2 still had chips left over after covering Seat 1's all-in.

2. The Side Pot and the Bounty Elimination

Any chips contributed by players that exceed the Main Pot's effective stack are split off into one or more Side Pots.

  • A player can only be eliminated (and their bounty awarded) in the pot that contains the last of their chips.

  • In our example, the chips remaining from Seat 4 and Seat 2 created a Side Pot.

Side Pot Breakdown:

  • Seat 4's remaining chips after covering Seat 1: 9,910−5,920=3,990

  • Seat 2 covers Seat 4's all-in: 3,990

  • Side Pot Total: 3,990+3,990=7,980

Result: The Side Pot is contested only between Seat 4 and Seat 2.

  • Seat 2 (with 3sAs) made a pair of Threes on the board (Kd5h7h3dQc).

  • Seat 4 (with 10hJh) only had King-High.

  • Seat 2 wins the Side Pot, which includes the remaining chips of Seat 4. Seat 2 is awarded the bounty for eliminating Seat 4.

Key Takeaway

You only win a bounty if you have the best hand in the pot (Main or Side) that contains the opponent's last remaining chips.

In this specific scenario, Seat 1 won the Main Pot but not the bounty because they did not have enough chips to cover the players who were eliminated in the Side Pot. The bounty went to Seat 2 because they had the best hand in the pot that covered the eliminated player's stack.

We hope this helps clarify claiming bounties but if you have any additional questions or want us to review any of your hands feel free to reach out to our support team directly.

In your request please include the following information for hand reviews like the one you see here:
  1. Name or buy-in of the tournament
  2. Time that the hand occurred (If you remember this)
  3. Screenshot of the hand preferably or details of what cards you held and what the board looked like
For more information on bounties or PKO tournaments please reference the articles below:



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